No. 13 Texas Tech improved to 3-0 with a 28-26 victory over No. 22 Houston in the teams’ Big 12 opener. The Red Raiders moved to 1-0 in conference play after keeping quarterback Conner Weigman and the Cougars out of the end zone during a late possession near the goal line.
Houston led 10-0 while Texas Tech’s offense and defense had difficulty early. The Red Raiders improved defensively after halftime and overcame several lengthy Houston drives. Trey White, a defensive end who transferred from San Diego State and returned from a knee injury, made his Texas Tech debut and sacked Weigman. Adam Trick added two sacks, and returning All-American A.J. Holmes Jr. had one.
Brenden Jordan also returned after sitting out the opening two games because of an internal rules violation. Coach Joey McGuire said White and Jordan were important additions as Texas Tech replaces multiple defensive starters who went to the NFL. McGuire said White was not fully healthy and might have played more than planned.
He said the defense is still developing and responded, “Give me two more games,” when asked whether it could match the 2025 unit. He also said the team is “still finding ourselves” and should improve as the season continues.
Texas Tech will face Sam Houston in its last nonconference game next week and will receive an extra recovery day after the Friday-night contest. The report was published by sports.yahoo.com on Sept. 20, 2026.