Texas Tech Takes Care Of Business, Hands Houston Its First Loss

As for 11th-ranked Texas Tech, they had no problem disposing of another unbeaten team on Saturday, beating Houston convincingly 35-11.

"At the end of the day there (were) teams that went on the road that were expected to win and didn't," Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. "There were teams that went on the road that were in dog fights like this that couldn't handle the adversity, and our team handled the adversity — I'm proud of them."

It wasn't all sunshine and sunflowers for the Red Raiders who, despite the final score, did struggle to find the end zone. A lot of drives early concluded in field goal attempts, and it wasn't until the second half when TTU was really able to open it up against the Cougars.

It very closely resembled their game just a week prior when they went on the road to knock off then-undefeated Utah in their house. The road warrior mentality has been a welcome site for McGuire and his staff, and it has the 11th-ranked Red Raiders more than poised to crack the top-10 when the latest polls come out.

Texas Tech has made quite the turnaround from 2024, and it's evident by the team's play on the road. Last season, TTU started 1-2 in road contests before winning their final two road games of the year en route to a 3-2 record away from Lubbock. However, in 2025, they're 2-0 with back-to-back road wins against undefeated foes.

It's a big enough difference, it had McGuire smiling ear to ear about it during his press conference following the team's win over Houston.

"In the past, we haven't been able to do that," McGuire said. "We haven't played very well on the road and we've gone into an undefeated Utah team and gave them their first loss and went into an undefeated Houston team and gave them their first loss."

TTU will be back in the Jones this coming Saturday when they welcome in Kansas, and they'll be doing so off of yet another sound defensive performance. Through five games this season, the Red Raiders have yet to allow more than 14 points in a game.

Houston's 11 points Saturday night was the fewest for the Cougars this season. The next lowest output is more than double that at 27 (twice). For years, the Red Raiders have been known for their highly-regarded offensive attack and how well they spread the ball around. However, with another dominant defensive peformance, you might be able to mistake TTU for a Big Ten-like defense.

Senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is a big reason way. Against Houston, he had five tackles, two tackles for a loss, two pass breakups and an interception. He was certainly one of the many catalysts that helped keep this game on ice for TTU while its offense gained its footing.

"Whenever he picked that one and hurdled that guy, he told me to remind Mack that he was a quarterback in high school," McGuire said. "He's the quarterback of that defense, and he he is able to to get everybody lined up. He is going to make a call and get us going and then he plays like his hair is on fire."

The only unbeaten team left on Tech's schedule is a November 8 showdown with BYU, but as with any team, a lot can change between now an then. Otherwise, the Red Raider schedule sets up well down the stretch. It's incredibly viable that TTU could run the table or make it through with minimal damage.

If that projection comes to fruition, it would not only mean a date in the Big 12 Conference championship game, but it could mean a trip to the College Football Playoff. However, McGuire will be the first to tell you that there's a lot of football to be played between then and now, so he's just focusing on what he and the team can control.

"It's clear they care a lot about each other," McGuire said. "We always talk about the film is the mirror. Like whenever you turn on the film tomorrow, it's like looking in the mirror and did you play as hard as you can, and it's going to show up. They're holding each other accountable to play at a really high level."

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