LUBBOCK, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 18: Davin Martin #4, Peyton Morgan #3, and John Curry #6 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders tackle Trent Walker #4 of the Houston Cougars during the first half of the game at Galaxy Stadium on September 18, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
John E. Moore III/Getty Images
LUBBOCK — No. 11 Texas Tech faced its toughest defensive challenge of the season against then-No. 22 Houston on Friday in a 28-26 victory preserved by stopping a 2-point conversion attempt.
The Cougars (2-1) came to Lubbock averaging 562 yards of offense but were held to 458 by Tech. The Red Raiders (3-0) have allowed over 450 offensive yards in consecutive weeks, which is something that didn’t happen once for Tech in 2025.
Head coach Joey McGuire said the defense is far from a finished product and will continue to grow on a weekly basis. The sentiment is shared by defensive coordinator Shiel Wood.
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“If we can keep winning and buy ourselves another week to get better with how we come back and practice, then that makes me happy,” Wood said. “The best defenses that I’ve ever been a part of are the ones that get better and better throughout the year and are hopefully peaking and playing their best defense at the end of the season.”
Wood’s 2025 unit ranked third in the nation in total defense by holding opponents to an average of 258.2 yards per game. He said that while this year’s defense isn’t playing at the same level, the players are striving every day to achieve as much as they can.
“We want to be a championship defense,” Wood said. “If I’m looking at our body of work through three games, I don’t know that we’re reaching our potential right now. But the exciting thing for me as a coach is that I see the potential out there, and I love the attitude that these guys bring every day.”
LUBBOCK, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 18: Austin Romaine #15 and Malik Esquerra #24 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders combine to tackle Makhi Hughes #21 of the Houston Cougars during the first half of the game at Galaxy Stadium on September 18, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
John E. Moore III/Getty Images
One of the Red Raiders’ strong suits a season ago was their elite pass rush, with both outside linebackers, David Bailey and Romello Height, being selected in the 2026 NFL draft.
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Three games into 2026, Tech hasn’t been able to reach the quarterback with nearly as much efficiency, with Jamond Mathis, Adam Trick and Trey White as the only outside linebackers to find the quarterback with 4.5 total sacks.
White saw his first action against Houston after not playing the first two weeks because of a knee injury. Wood said White’s presence allowed Tech’s pass rush to move in a positive direction.
“Even though maybe we weren’t perfect, I thought that was our best game rushing the passer,” Wood said. “When we did what we were trying to get done, I thought we really did some nice things affecting the quarterback and containing him in the pocket. And again, we’ll just get better.”
In addition to White, safety Brenden Jordan saw his first game action of the season after returning from a two-game suspension for undisclosed team-rule violations. Jordan led the team in tackles with 10.
In Jordan’s absence, the Red Raiders have been rotating Peyton Morgan, Malik Esquerra, Oliver Miles III and Maddox Quiller between the two safety positions.
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Wood said while he saw good things in the secondary against Houston, each of the safeties have things to clean up. He said Tech will run a three-man safety rotation between Jordan, Morgan and Esquerra moving forward.
“How much certain guys play in each game may have a little bit to do with how they prepare, may have a little bit to do with how they do when they get into the game, and I think we’ll just keep it somewhat fluid,” Wood said. “But those guys have put in the work and allowed us to have three guys that can go in there and execute at a high level.”
The Red Raiders will have another chance to improve their defense against Sam Houston at 11 a.m. Saturday at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock.