Houston vs. Texas Tech: Everything You Need to Know About the Cougars' Next Opponent
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No. 22 Houston heads to Lubbock on Friday night to take on No. 13 Texas Tech. Heading into the season, the Big 12 opener was supposed to be the litmus test for the Cougars' 2026 season.
While the Red Raiders once had ambitions of winning it all with one of the country's most expensive rosters, losing quarterback Brendan Sorsby to a gambling scandal has deflated TTU's locker room.
Through a pair of listless wins over Abilene Christian and Oregon State, the Red Raiders are looking nothing like the supposed Big 12 juggernaut they were expected to be.
The issues are on both sides of the ball for Joey McGuire's football team.
Texas Tech's Running Game is Underperforming
Quarterback Will Hammond's two touchdown passes and one interception against modest competition through the first two games would point to underwhelming play at the position. Hammond has completed 46 of 60 pass attempts, though they were mostly within 20 yards, except for three attempts. It's helped win a pair of two-score games that were supposed to be blowouts, according to the spreads.
Red Raider fans wanted more than just winning two-score games against the Wildcats and Beavers, though. This was supposed to be a year when Texas Tech ran over opponents on the way to decisive win after decisive win.
Quinten Joyner has not had any rush attempts beyond 16 yards, while Cameron Dickey hasn't had a run longer than 12 yards.
Even if Texas Tech had a more explosive option at quarterback, this Red Raiders running game isn't cutting it. The interior trenches didn't get much push against defensive fronts that don't stack up to Houston's.
Texas Tech's Secondary is Underperforming
In Week 2, Texas Tech suffered a similar fate as the Coogs in Week 1 when Braden Atkinson went for 399 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.
Still, even while confining Abilene Christian to 119 passing yards, former 4-star Flower Mound prospect and Penn State commit Cristian Driver went for 93 yards and eight catches. Amare Thomas, Koby Young, and Trent Walker could collectively overwhelm this secondary if Conner Weigman has time to throw. TTU safety Brenden Jordan's return comes at an opportune time for the struggling pass defense.
The Red Raiders' defensive line has plenty of pressure to get to Weigman and slow down the run game. 10 different Houston ball-carriers had 388 rushing yards against Southern this past Saturday night. Weigman went for over 300 passing yards against Oregon State.
If there isn't more pressure generated from Texas Tech up front, the Coogs could take advantage in the passing and running games.
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Andrew Hughes is a freelance journalist based in Austin, Texas, who has bylines on Hardwood Houdini, Nothin' But Nets, and The Sporting News. His work has been featured in The Miami Herald, Bleacher Report, and Yahoo Sports. Andrew graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in print journalism in 2017 and has been a sports fan since 1993.
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