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Defense dominates again as Texas Tech football flexes muscle on Houston
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- Defense dominates again as Texas Tech football flexes muscle on Houston
HOUSTON — David Bailey's not the best guy to ask what it means to a Texas Tech football player for the Red Raiders to be 5-0. In three years at Stanford, Tech's disruptive new defensive end never won more than three games in a season.
"This is different from what I'm used to," Bailey said, "so I'm just trying to take it all in and enjoy it."
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"It's different from what I'm used to as well," linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said. "But when you've got this coaching staff and the guys around you, it makes it way more enjoyable. I think we're doing things the right way."
Rodriguez, a fifth-year senior, has been on a pair of eight-win teams, but none that looked as dominant as the Red Raiders have so far. No. 14 Tech beat Houston 35-11 on Saturday, Oct. 4, in a measuring stick for both. In a battle of unbeatens, Tech built a 22-3 lead before halftime and mostly toyed with the Cougars all night at TDECU Stadium to the delight of a crowd with a lot of Red Raiders fans.
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Tech (5-0, 2-0 in the Big 12) has held five consecutive opponents under 15 points for the first time since 1948. With sub-.500 teams upsetting No. 6 Texas and No. 7 Penn State on Saturday, and No. 12 Iowa State also falling, Tech has a chance to hop into the top 10 on Sunday.
In the first three quarters, Tech reached the Houston 35-yard line on eight possessions that ended with five field goals, two missed field goals, and a touchdown. Even as inefficient as they were in the red zone, however, the Red Raiders were never really threatened.
The five field goals in seven attempts were a school single-game record. Stone Harrington was good from 26, 23, and 26 yards. Upton Bellenfant converted from 33 and 29 yards.
"I never apologize for a victory," Tech coach Joey McGuire said. "There was a lot of times we had to settle for field goals. There were a lot of times we felt like we could've scored more points than we did, but there were teams that went on the road, that were expected to win, and didn't. There were teams that went on the road that were in dogfights like this and couldn't handle the adversity. Our team handled the adversity."
Oct 4, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA;Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive back Brenden Jordan (7) celebrates after linebacker Ben Roberts (13) recovered a fumble against the Houston Cougars in the first half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Tech led Houston 552-267 in total yards and 37 minutes, 58 seconds to 22:02 in time of possession. As they have all season, the Red Raiders' front four dominated.
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Is there room for growth?
"I wasn't in the backfield every play — I got blocked today," defensive tackle Lee Hunter said. "So if you don't see me in the backfield every play, that means there's a lot that I want to grow."
Bailey finished with 3 tackles for loss, including 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. Rodriguez was credited with five tackles, including 2 tackles for loss, plus 2 pass breakups and an interception. Tech also got a fumble recovery from linebacker Ben Roberts and an interception from safety Brenden Jordan.
The guys up front set the tone.
"I feel like I get to play football the easiest way possible," Rodriguez said. "I mean, there's nobody climbing at me. They barely have any time for the quarterback to get the ball off in his dropback pass. I don't think anybody can block (edge defenders Bailey) or Romello (Height). I say that respectfully with the teams that are coming up, but I think they're just so good in their work ethic. Even on off days, they're up there getting pass rush in and working on their craft."
Oct 4, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA;Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) fumbles the ball as he is hit by Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker David Bailey (31) in the first half at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Rodriguez returned the interception 26 yards. The former high-school quarterback mixed in a double-leg hurdle over a would-be tackler.
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"I was able to break off the boundary and go to the field, and he didn't see me at all," Rodriguez said. "I played offense to start my college career, and so I've been telling (offensive coordinator) coach (Mack) Leftwich I'm ready to go."
Rodriguez missed much of the second half with a bruised calf, though he returned on one series long enough to break up a fourth-down pass. While Rodriguez was out, John Curry played his spot, and A.J. McCarty played Curry's position.
"I was fine. I'm fine," Rodriguez said. "I just went out there, made a play and it was kind of just coach's decision to let it rest. We have a lot of belief and faith in everybody that goes on the field. They've earned the right to play, and we trust everybody that goes out there."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Defense dominates again as Texas Tech football flexes muscle on UH
