Houston Has One Major Advantage Heading Into Texas Tech Game

On Friday, the Houston Cougars play what could be their toughest opponent, Texas Tech, on the road. The Cougars have one advantage that could help them take down the Red Raiders, though.

Texas Tech RB J'Koby Williams is tackled by Houston's DE Brandon Mack in the second half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The No. 22 Houston Cougars have a massive matchup this Friday - at the reigning Big 12 champions, the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Houston will seek revenge after a 35-11 loss in 2025. Texas Tech is a touchdown favorite, yet Houston has one major advantage.

Houston Has the Advantage in the Trenches

Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz looks on from the sideline during the second quarter against the Southern University Jaguars at TDECU Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a 77-6 rout of Southern at TDECU Stadium, Will Fritz's squad has allowed a total of 20 yards on the ground in two games.

The Cougars allowed 26 yards against the Oregon State Beavers in a 33-20 Week 1 win, and that wasn't because the Beavers didn't run the ball; they ran it 25 times. Houston's run defense went on to destroy the Southern Jaguars' run game as well, as the Jaguars ran for -6 yards on 22 carries.

The Red Raiders themselves have been good at stopping the run in their two games, allowing 75 rushing yards against Abilene Christian and only 55 yards against Oregon State. Houston's major advantage, though, is in the run game.

Houston ran for 228 yards against the Beavers in Week 1, with a nice showing from senior Makhi Hughes, who totaled 98 rushing yards on 17 carries. Those numbers already catch the eye, but the Cougars then proceeded to run for an eye-popping 388 yards against the Jaguars.

The Cougars mixed in young guys like true freshman halfback John Herbert, who ran for 65 yards on five carries, and even true freshman five-star QB Keisean Henderson, who impressed with a 54-yard run that ended in the end zone. The No. 1 QB in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports, Henderson may even be used in run packages because of the speed he displayed.

Yeah Keisean Henderson is legit pic.twitter.com/DcRRqSQE5d

— T.J. Randall (@TJ_Randall12) September 13, 2026

Texas Tech hasn't been good at running the ball so far, totaling only 328 yards and 3.9 yards per carry, among the worst in the Big 12. Their star RB, Cameron Dickey, who ran for 1,124 yards in 2025 on 209 carries, has struggled so far with only 69 yards on 24 carries (2.9 AVG).

J'Koby Williams has been good with 167 yards on 33 carries (5.7 AVG), but the rest of the room just hasn't done what they need to do. Texas Tech let Oregon State stay in the game until the fourth quarter, before the Red Raiders scored 14 unanswered points to win 35-24. Dickey ran for only 21 yards on 10 carries, showing that the Red Raiders weren't as successful as they would've wished on the ground against the Beavers.

The Cougars didn't do much better against Oregon State on the scoreboard, but Houston was far more dominant than Texas Tech was against them. The Cougars totaled 533 yards to Oregon State's 402, with a couple of Houston turnovers keeping the Beavers in the game. Meanwhile, TTU totaled only 352 yards against the Beavers while they allowed 472 yards (including 417 passing yards).

The Beavers, a 25.5-point underdog, had a chance to beat Texas Tech and looked like they might even pull off the upset at one point. The same thing can't be said about the Beavers' performance against the Cougars.

Coming into this game, Houston should already be confident in their chances, given their bounce-back win over Southern and the Red Raiders' performance in their first two games(they also beat 45.5-point underdog Abilene Christian 33-10 in Week 1).

The trenches, however, should give Houston even more confidence in Lubbock. Houston has played like a great Big Ten team, if you will: a team that is dominant in run defense and great at running the ball. It's nice to air things out, which Conner Weigman still can do, but Indiana, the reigning national champions, rode their impressive offensive line, RB room, and great defense in 2025.

Plus, the secondary of the Red Raiders hasn't been good at all, especially with how well the Beavers did passing the ball against them. If Houston can play a balanced game with the running and passing game, a lot of pressure will fall on the Red Raiders' offense.

The Cougars put up these impressive numbers in just two games, but the advantage in the trenches can't be ignored. The Big 12 has its fair share of good teams, including Utah, BYU, Texas Tech, and others. However, the Cougars still have a clear path to compete for the conference.

Friday's matchup will be huge in determining whether Houston can win the conference. If they win, they might even be a favorite to do so. If they lose, then Houston will be in a rough spot in the Big 12.