No. 13 Texas Tech is 3-0 after beating No. 22 Houston, 28-26, in the teams’ Big 12 opener. The Red Raiders are 1-0 in conference play after stopping quarterback Conner Weigman and the Cougars near the goal line on a late possession. Texas Tech had trailed 10-0 before recovering from early struggles on both sides of the ball.
The defense improved after halftime while Houston sustained several long drives. Trey White, who transferred from San Diego State, played his first game for Texas Tech after recovering from a knee injury. He recorded a sack, while 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 under an internal rules violation. Coach Joey McGuire said White and Jordan made significant contributions as Texas Tech replaces multiple defensive starters from last season who went to the NFL. McGuire said White was not fully healthy and might have played more snaps than planned.
On whether the defense can equal the 2025 group, he said, “Give me two more games,” adding that White needs to get healthy, Jordan needs to keep playing and the team is “still finding ourselves.”
Texas Tech plays Sam Houston next week in its last nonconference game. The team also gets another recovery day following the Friday-night Houston game. The report was published Sept. 20, 2026, by sports.yahoo.com.
