TUCSON, Ariz. – – Texas Tech took a big lead into halftime, lost two fumbles and was in danger of losing a game it was firmly in control of.

The Red Raiders tightened up at the right time and Tahj Brooks delivered the decisive blow.

Brooks ran for 128 yards and scored three touchdowns, Jacob Rodriguez forced a late fumble and Texas Tech rallied from a 15-point lead to beat Arizona 28-22 on Saturday night.

“There were a lot of body blows thrown, you couldn’t blink, but they kept fighting and they were very proud of them,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said.

Texas Tech (5-1, 3-0 Big 12) got constant pressure on Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, forcing him to throw or throw the ball away quickly. The Red Raiders also intercepted two of his passes and forced a turnover on downs deep in their own field as they built an 18-3 halftime lead.

The Wildcats’ defense kept them within striking distance while the offense sputtered, forcing two Brooks fumbles to take a 19-18 lead early in the fourth quarter.

They couldn’t hold it.

After Arizona’s Tyler Loop missed a 48-yard field goal, Texas Tech finally found a rhythm, setting up Gino Garcia’s 41-yard field goal for a 21-19 lead.

Arizona (3-2, 1-1) took over at its own 25 with 2:21 left, but Rodriguez picked off Tetairoa McMillan on the first play and the Red Raiders recovered. Brooks then burst 32 yards up the middle for a touchdown

“We just didn’t finish the game,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said. “We didn’t finish a drive, we missed a field goal to make it six (points) – it’s tough. All those pieces came together, so we couldn’t win the game.”

Texas Tech’s defense held strong after Arizona sent the fans into a late frenzy, limiting Arizona to 3 of 14 on third downs. The Red Raiders have won four in a row since losing to Washington State in the second game of the season and are 3-0 in the Big 12 for the first time since 2013.

“We have to go to the next step when good things happen and we have to go to the next step when bad things happen,” McGuire said. “We had some things going on and dealt with the highs and lows tonight. What a big, big Big 12 game”

It looked like a runaway early on.

Brooks scored on a three-yard run in the first quarter and the Red Raiders spent the rest of the half shutting down the Wildcats.

Texas Tech held Arizona to a field goal late in the first quarter and then stopped the Wildcats on fourth-and-1 at the Red Raiders’ 20. Texas Tech’s Quincy Ledet intercepted a Fifita pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage and Brooks followed with his second TD run, from nine yards out.

Fifita had another pass intercepted by C.J. Baskerville in the end zone late in the second quarter and Texas Tech quickly marched down the field for Garcia’s 30-yard field goal in the final second to lead 18–3.

Arizona edged Texas Tech twice in the third quarter — the second on a Brooks fumble at the 32 — and had to settle for two more field goals.

The Wildcats finally broke through when Quali Conley scored on a three-yard run and forced another Boyd fumble — after a review overturned the original call — to set up Loop’s 37-yard field goal for a 19-18 lead.

“You have to finish people, you have to knock them out and we didn’t do that,” Brennan said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas Tech tried to let a big lead slip away, but the defense came up big when it needed to and Brooks made up for his two fumbles with the late score. Arizona came alive in the second half, but was plagued by too many missed opportunities.

NEXT

Texas Tech: Hosts Baylor next Saturday.

Arizona: Plays at No. 17 BYU next Saturday.

——

Receive poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season long. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football