Tahj Brooks overcame two fumbles by rushing for 128 yards and three touchdowns and Gino Garcia made a go-ahead field goal with 2:21 left as the Texas Tech football team beat Arizona 28-22 Saturday night in Tucson, Arizona.

Brooks scored on runs of 3 and 9 yards in the first half, helping Texas Tech (5-1, 3-0 in the Big 12) lead 18-3 at the break, then iced the game by going 32 yards with 1:53 left.

Tyler Loop made 5 of 6 field goals for Arizona (3-2, 1-1). He gave the Wildcats their first lead of the night, 19-18, with 10:07 left in the game, but missed from 48 yards with 4:52 to go.

Tech wide receiver Caleb Douglas caught five passes for 116 yards, including a 32-yard catch that moved the Red Raiders into position for the Garcia field goal that put Tech ahead 21-19.

On the first play after the kickoff, Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan fumbled as Jacob Rodriguez punched out the football, and safety Brenden Jordan recovered. Brooks broke free for his last TD with 1:53 left.

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Loop also was good from 47, 40, 30 and 52 yards, the last with 54 seconds to go. McMillan caught eight passes for 161 yards, and Quali Conley carried 14 times for 97 yards, including a 3-yard TD that cut Tech's lead to 18-16 late in the third quarter.

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita passed for 301 yards, but was intercepted twice for the first time in his career.

Tech picked up steam late in the first half, turning two Arizona turnovers into a touchdown, two-point conversion and Garcia's first field goal.

It was 7-3 at three minutes before halftime when Rodriguez batted a Fifita pass and Quincy Ledet intercepted. The 315-pound defensive tackle rumbled 20 yards to the Arizona 30-yard line, and Brooks cashed in with his second TD.

Arizona, having called timeout before the Brooks TD, advanced to the Tech 27 before safety Julien (C.J.) Baskerville intercepted a throw into the end zone. Taking over with 31 seconds left, Tech got 57- and 19-yard passes from Behren Morton to Douglas, setting up a Garcia field goal.

Offense: C

The offense went through a five-series cold spell in the second half but survived it. Brooks and Douglas were the standouts on a night when the Red Raiders moved the ball just enough.

Defense: A

The unit played under pressure for most of the night and kept rising up. Rodriguez had 13 tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. The defense set the tone with a fantastic first half that included a fourth-down stop deep in Tech territory and two interceptions that the offense converted into 11 points. Quite an effort with the defensive-edge unit and the defensive backs depleted.

Special Teams: A

Garcia made two field goals, including the pressure-packed go-ahead kick late in the game. Jack Burgess put two punts inside the 20, and coverage was sound. Red Raiders also caught the Wildcats napping with an easy two-point conversion run by Johncarlos Miller out of swinging-gate formation.

Coaching: B

Going on the road with a shorthanded defense against a top-notch quarterback-receiver combo looked like a bad matchup. But defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter got a stellar effort from his side. The offensive staff had a good first half, but almost cost the team the game by going cold for much of the second half.

Overall: A

Tech is now 4-0 this season in games decided by eight points or fewer. And this one came on the road, where wins have been hard to come by for the Red Raiders during Joey McGuire's three seasons.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Does defense get an A after Texas Tech football win at Arizona?