Texas Tech Week Six: Cage Coogs Hope Early

The Texas Tech week six opponent brings another tricky road spot to the table for the Red Raiders. Willie Fritz will undoubtedly have his Houston ready for a prime-time affair with the #11-ranked team in the AP poll. Is this Red Raider team going to fall into a letdown trap coming off a bye week? What is the key to victory to keep Texas Tech undefeated?

Texas Tech Week Six: Cage Coogs Hope Early

No More Bye Week Trauma

Coming into this season, the resources committed to flipping this roster had two main objectives. In the micro view, it was to win football games, win the Big 12, and compete in the playoff. But in the macro view, this team is looking to destroy the perception of this program. Entering 2025, this program hasn’t won an outright conference title since 1955. Texas Tech has only won 9+ regular-season games four times since that Border Conference championship. The views on this program were well deserved. But with this team off to its best start since 2013, it can shake another bugaboo with a win against Houston. Last season, the Red Raiders were hosting Baylor for Homecoming, coming off a bye week. Baylor was 0-3 in Big 12 play at this point. The Red Raiders were 5-1 at that point in the season. This was a game they should have won with little resistance. Instead, they fell flat and got runout of their own stadium by a score of 59-35. Joey McGuire knows his team will enter the game with a big target on its back and must adjust to being hunted.

Maintain Elite Defensive Effort

In order to avoid the bye week stumble again, the Texas Tech week six game plan must start with the defense. Shiel Wood’s unit is quickly becoming one of the best defenses in all of college football. The Red Raiders enter this week as one of only five teams in the country with both a top-15 offense and a top-15 defense. They are yielding 11.3 points per game (eighth best nationally) and 238.8 yards per game (12th best nationally) thus far this season. This defensive line has made life miserable for quarterbacks this season. Last time we saw this Red Raider defense against Utah, Romello Height’s performance popped on film. All season, Lee Hunter, Skyler Gill-Howard, and David Bailey have all been major contributors in disrupting rushing attacks and pressuring quarterbacks. There is no reason to expect anything less against Houston on Saturday.

Another Test For The Offense

Even though the Red Raiders hired away Houston’s 2024 defensive coordinator, the Coogs’ defense remains the strength of the team. Houston hasn’t necessarily played an offense as high-octane as Texas Tech’s, but it still has been stingy. They currently rank 11th best in pass defense, allowing an average of 140 yards per game. Houston also has limited teams to convert just 29% of their third downs, 24th nationally. Quarterback Behren Morton is healthy and has been named the starter for the game. He has a chance to bounce back after a rocky performance last time we saw him on the field. Morton will need to show consistent and significant failures in executions before any real conversation will be had about Will Hammond taking over as QB1. The offensive line should give Morton plenty of time to operate, as Houston ranks in the bottom third of the Big 12 in sacks. The Red Raiders have only allowed three sacks all season.