Fresh off its bye, No. 11 Texas Tech preps for Houston

#11 TEXAS TECH at HOUSTON
Houston, Texas | TDECU Stadium (40,000)
Oct. 4, 2025
ESPN | 6:00 p.m. CT

GAME LINKS

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) will look to continue its undefeated start to the season on Saturday when the No. 11 Red Raiders face another unbeaten team in Houston (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) at TDECU Stadium at 6 p.m. The Red Raiders, who are off to their first 4-0 start since 2013, enter this weekend riding a six-game winning streak against the Cougars as Texas Tech has won 11 of the past 12 meetings dating back to their time in the Southwest Conference.

National television coverage will be provided by ESPN with Dave Pasch behind the mic, providing the play-by-play. He will be joined by Dusty Dvoracek in the booth, providing analysis, while Taylor McGregor will be reporting from the sideline. The broadcast can be accessed from any desktop or laptop computer, a personal cellular device, and television streaming services using the ESPN app.

Texas Tech Sports Network will also broadcast the game over 46 affiliates throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico, as Brian Jensen will have the call alongside analyst John Harris and sideline reporter Chris Level. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 106 or 198, the SiriusXM app on channel 952, as well as on the Varsity app.

FIVE SELLOUTS DOWN, TWO TO GO, AND LESS THAN 400 REMAINING FOR BYU

Texas Tech announced on Sept. 22 that it sold out of its primary ticket inventory for its next home game, Oct. 11 versus Kansas.
Texas Tech has now sold its primary ticket inventory for each of the first five home games of the season, including the Oct. 25 showdown against Oklahoma State, which reached sellout status this past summer.
The Red Raiders rewarded its loyal fan base during its three-game homestand to start the season with a 3-0 mark while averaging 58.0 points per game scored and have limited opponents to 11.6 points per game at Jones AT&T Stadium.
Select single-game tickets remain available for BYU (Nov. 8) and UCF (Nov. 15).
Tickets can be purchased online at TexasTech.com or by speaking to a ticket sales representative at 806-742-TECH.
Fans are encouraged to visit SeatGeek for tickets for games that the Texas Tech Athletics Department has previously announced as a sellout.
Texas Tech sold out of season tickets for the third consecutive season in early May as Red Raider fans purchased more than 33,000 season passes for the 2025 campaign.

RED RAIDERS LOOKING FOR 5-0 START

The Red Raiders will look to extend their undefeated start to their season this weekend with a win to move to 5-0 on the season. A victory over the Cougars would mark the eighth time in program history that Texas Tech has started its season with a 5-0 record and the fourth time since joining the Big 12 Conference in 1996.
Texas Tech has six 10-win seasons in its history with three of those the result of at least a 5-0 start. The Red Raiders rolled off eight-straight wins under Steve Sloan in 1976 to eventually finish 10-2 overall and ranked No. 13 in the final Associated Press poll. Texas Tech started both the 1938 and 2008 seasons with 10-0 records. The 1938 season concluded with a loss to St. Mary's in Texas Tech's first-ever Cotton Bowl appearance, while the 2008 season also ended in Dallas with a loss to Alabama to conclude a memorable 11-2 campaign under Mike Leach.

RED RAIDERS IN THE POLLS

Texas Tech is up to No. 11 in the Associated Press poll and stayed at No. 14 in the AFCA coaches poll this week following its first open date on the schedule. It is the highest the Red Raiders have been ranked in either poll since Oct. 20, 2013, when Texas Tech was No. 9 by the coaches and No. 10 in the AP poll. The Red Raiders have been ranked inside the top 25 of both major polls every week thus far this season.
The Red Raiders entered the 2025 season ranked inside the top 25 of both major polls for the first time since 2008 as the Red Raiders were No. 23 in the Associated Press poll and No. 24 in the AFCA coaches poll. Texas Tech was previously ranked No. 24 in the 2023 AFCA preseason poll before falling out after a season-opening loss at Wyoming.
It was the first time the Red Raiders had appeared in the Associated Press poll since Sept. 23, 2018, when Texas Tech was No. 24 nationally after starting its season 3-1 overall with wins over Lamar, Houston, and at No. 15 Oklahoma State and the lone loss coming in the opener to Ole Miss.

WE PLAY DEFENSE AT TEXAS TECH

Those were the first words from Joey McGuire after the Red Raiders dismantled Utah in the Big 12 opener, a 34-10 victory that had Texas Tech dominate the line of scrimmage against the Utes.
The Red Raiders, long known for being one of the nation's top offenses, can now boast a complementary top defense. In fact, Texas Tech enters this week as one of only five teams in the country with both a top-15 offense and a top-15 defense.
The Red Raiders are giving up only 11.3 points per game and 238.8 yards per game thus far this season.

RED RAIDERS DOMINANT IN FIRST HALF

Texas Tech's success over the first four games of the season has stemmed in part from its play in the first half, where the Red Raiders are outscoring opponents, 133-3, overall. Texas Tech has a plus-130 point differential in the first half this season, by far the best in the FBS, ahead of Oregon in second place at plus-104.
The Red Raiders have won all four games by at least 24 points while outscoring opponents, 208-45, overall.
Texas Tech has won by an average of 40.8 points per game so far this season, the highest average in college football.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

3: Texas Tech has combined to allow only three points in the first three quarters this season as the Red Raiders are outscoring opponents, 164-3, overall.
5: Texas Tech is one of five FBS programs to boast a top-15 offense and a top-15 defense entering this weekend, joining Missouri, Indiana, Oregon and Nebraska.
24: Texas Tech led all FBS programs prior to the season with 24 Red Raiders named to the East-West Shrine Bowl 1,000 watch list, featuring 12 players on both sides of the ball.
32: Texas Tech enters this weekend ranked tied for seventh in the FBS with 32 offensive plays from scrimmage that have gone for 20 or more yards, including 23 through the air.
163: Texas Tech has outscored opponents by 163 points this season as the Red Raiders lead the FBS with an average win margin of 40.8 points per game.

INSIDE THE SERIES

This will be the 36th all-time meeting between the two former Southwest Conference members as Houston controls a narrow 18-16-1 advantage in the series despite dropping six-consecutive games to the Red Raiders and 11 of the last 12 overall. Texas Tech's current six-game winning streak is its longest against the Cougars and another win by the Red Raiders would match the longest winning streak by either team in the series.
Texas Tech will be making its first visit to Houston as a Big 12 Conference member, as the only other meeting since the Cougars joined the conference in 2023 resulted in a 49-28 victory by the Red Raiders in Lubbock that season. It was the second consecutive season Texas Tech hosted Houston at Jones AT&T Stadium after the two schools concluded a four-game non-conference series against each other in 2022.

TEXAS TECH-HOUSTON CONNECTIONS

Texas Tech will have two immediate ties to the Houston football program in defensive coordinator Shiel Wood and junior defensive lineman A.J. Holmes Jr. Wood served in a similar capacity at Houston a year ago, where he transformed a defense that ranked 105th in scoring the year before his arrival to 40th in the FBS after allowing only 22.9 points per game. Holmes, meanwhile, started in 12 games as part of that defense, where he recorded 40 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss to lead the Cougars up front.
Wood and Texas Tech safeties coach Rob Greene are more than familiar with several members of the Houston coaching staff, namely offensive coordinator Slade Nagle, wide receivers coach Derrick Sherman, defensive ends and outside linebackers coach James Ross III, and defensive backs coach Joshua Christian-Young, who were all on staff together at Tulane in 2013 under Houston head coach Willie Fritz.
Holmes is one of two Houston transfers on the Texas Tech roster, joining sophomore safety Mikal Harrison-Pilot, who played in four games to earn a redshirt with the Cougars in 2023. Harrison-Pilot, who has already blocked a punt for the Red Raiders this season, has a deep family history at the University of Houston as his father, Chris Pilot, played in 46 games at linebacker for the Cougars from 2004-08, while his stepmother, Jennifer Pilot, was a cheerleader for the school.
Texas Tech has two University of Houston graduates on its staff in associate head coach Kenny Perry and offensive passing game coordinator Justin "Juice" Johnson. Perry was a four-year letterwinner for the Cougars from 1988-91 as a cornerback, his first two seasons before moving to safety for his final two years. He also served as a graduate assistant for his alma mater from 1992 to 94, working with the special teams and defensive backs.

- TECH -

Fresh off its bye, No. 11 Texas Tech preps for Houston

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mikal Harrison-Pilot

A.J. Holmes Jr.

Fresh off its bye, No. 11 Texas Tech preps for Houston

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mikal Harrison-Pilot

A.J. Holmes Jr.

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