Texas Tech is 3-0 after the No. 13 Red Raiders defeated No. 22 Houston, 28-26, in their Big 12 opener. Houston quarterback Conner Weigman and the Cougars reached the goal-line area late, but Texas Tech prevented them from scoring. The victory put the Red Raiders at 1-0 in conference play.
Texas Tech trailed 10-0 before recovering from early struggles on both sides of the ball. Its defense improved after halftime while Houston put together several lengthy drives. Defensive end Trey White debuted for Texas Tech after transferring from San Diego State and returning from a knee injury. He recorded a sack, Adam Trick had two, and returning All-American A.J. Holmes Jr. had one.
Veteran defensive back Brenden Jordan also returned after sitting out the opening two games because of an internal rules violation. Coach Joey McGuire said White and Jordan provided significant help as Texas Tech replaces multiple defensive starters who moved to the NFL. McGuire said White was not fully healthy and may have played more snaps than planned.
Asked if the defense could equal the 2025 unit, he said, "Give me two more games," and added that the team is "still finding ourselves." Texas Tech plays Sam Houston next week in its final nonconference game, with an extra recovery day following the Friday-night game against Houston. The report was published by sports.yahoo.com on Sept. 20, 2026.
