No. 4 Texas Tech played for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff during the Big 12 championship game Saturday against No. 11 BYU. Before kickoff, star linebacker and Heisman hopeful Jacob Rodriguez got to put his clutch gene to work in an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay.
GameDay analyst Pat McAfee challenged Rodriguez to throw a football and hit the crossbar to raise money for a military foundation of his choosing, as his wife Emma is a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot.
Although a defensive standout, Rodriguez has some skills with the ball in his hands. He was a quarterback in high school, and even played QB at Virginia before transferring to Texas Tech after his freshman season. The Red Raiders have utilized him on offense in hopes of building his Heisman case, too.
McAfee put $250,000 on the table and Rodriguez nailed the crossbar from the 20-yard line.
Jacob Rodriguez hit the crossbar and @PatMcAfeeShow is donating $250K to a military foundation of Rodriguez' choosing!
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 6, 2025
Rodriguez' wife is a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot 👏 pic.twitter.com/iM3iJIJZhC
“Maybe you’ll win the Heisman if you do this,” McAfee said before the throw. Well, hopefully the Heisman voters were watching.
The Red Raiders dominated BYU to win the Big 12 championship with a 34-7 win Saturday. Texas Tech’s defense stole the show, giving up just seven points and forcing four turnovers in the second half. Rodriguez had 13 total tackles against BYU, including four solo and one tackle for loss. Fellow linebacker Ben Roberts picked off Cougars QB Bear Bachmeier twice on the day.
Up next for No. 4 Texas Tech and its dominant defense is the College Football Playoff.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Texas Tech Star LB Jacob Rodriguez Made Clutch Throw in Impromptu Pat McAfee Contest.
