Young linebacker Ben Roberts shows promise in first start for Texas Tech football team
When the Texas Tech football team lost starting inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez in the season opener, it was a major negative based on the shortage of proven talent the unit already faced.
It opened the door, though, for Ben Roberts. Making his first college start last week in a 38-30 loss to No. 13 Oregon, the redshirt freshman from Haslet Eaton was credited with 12 tackles, including two for loss with half a sack and caused a fumble.
Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire has been high on Roberts for a long time, and he showed why.
"There were some things we could do better with his alignment," McGuire said, giving an example from early in the game. "But I thought he settled down the rest of the game. The kid has a high ceiling. He's very athletic. He's got a high football IQ, and I think he showed that with the way he played."
Rodriguez is expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained foot. When Rodriguez exited in the Red Raiders' opener at Wyoming, Jesiah Pierre moved from field inside linebacker to boundary inside linebacker, where Rodriguez started, and Roberts took Pierre's place manning the field side.
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Roberts has been dealing with a lower-back injury that sidelined him for much of preseason practice. He suffered the injury doing a 352-pound power clean and will be in spine-safe protocol through the end of the season. He made it back in time for the opener.
"I was a little nervous (starting against Oregon), because yeah, I missed 15 practices," he said. "I didn't have very many under my belt, but I trusted the process. I prepared like I was the starter for both weeks, Wyoming and this game, so I was prepared."
Roberts played 70 snaps and graded 84 by the coaching staff.
"I was really happy with the way Ben played," defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said. "It was his first time getting a lot of significant snaps against a really explosive, highly talented offense. The game seemed to slow down for him. He was really productive, did a nice job communicating and kind of confirmed in our minds why we think so highly of him."
Roberts committed to Texas Tech under the Matt Wells staff as a 200-pound free safety from a winning high-school team in the Fort Worth suburbs. He played middle linebacker in youth football, then in high school moved to quarterback and then safety.
"I had people telling me, 'He's a big guy. He's long. He can put on (weight). He's got a good frame for linebacker,' " Roberts said. "Once people started telling me that my sophomore and junior year, I knew I was going to play linebacker."
The service academies recruited Roberts, as did Tulsa, Wyoming and SMU. Wyoming has 10 players from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, which led to an amusing pre-snap moment in the opener when Cowboys offensive tackle Caden Barnett recognized Roberts in the heat of the action. Barnett played at Eaton rival Justin Northwest.
"I was in my stance. I was thinking about my job, making sure I did it right," the Tech linebacker said, "and I hear someone say, 'Is that Ben Roberts?' I was like, 'Who's saying my name?'
"After I got off the field, 'How do they know me? How do they know my name?' Must have been through scouting.
"And then I get call (Sunday) from my buddy who plays at A&M, (offensive lineman) Hunter Erb, and he said, 'Do you know you played so-and-so, who we used to throw disc against in track, who we used to mess with in track?' "
College football
Who: Tarleton State at Texas Tech
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Jones AT&T Stadium
Online streaming: ESPN+
Records: Tarleton State 2-0; Texas Tech 0-2
Rankings: Both teams unranked.
Last game: Tarleton State 52, North Alabama 31; No. 13 Oregon 38, Texas Tech 30.
Last meeting: Never played.
Line: None.
Game guarantee: Texas Tech to pay Tarleton State $475,000.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Young linebacker Ben Roberts shows promise in first start for Texas Tech football team
