Texas Tech looks to sharpen defense each week after surviving Houston challenge – dallasnews.com

Texas Tech looks to sharpen defense each week after surviving Houston challenge  dallasnews.com

LUBBOCK — No. 11 Texas Tech faced its toughest defensive challenge of the season against then-No. 22 Houston on Friday in a 28-26 victory preserved by stopping a 2-point conversion attempt. The Cougars (2-1) came to Lubbock averaging 562 yards of offense but were held to 458 by Tech. The Red Raiders (3-0) have allowed over 450 offensive yards in consecutive weeks, which is something that didn’t happen once for Tech in 2025. Head coach Joey McGuire said the defense is far from a finished product and will continue to grow on a weekly basis. The sentiment is shared by defensive coordinator Shiel Wood. “If we can keep winning and buy ourselves another week to get better with how we come back and practice, then that makes me happy,” Wood said.

“The best defenses that I’ve ever been a part of are the ones that get better and better throughout the year and are hopefully peaking and playing their best defense at the end of the season.” Wood’s 2025 unit ranked third in the nation in total defense by holding opponents to an average of 258.2 yards per game. He said that while this year’s defense isn’t playing at the same level, the players are striving every day to achieve as much as they can. “We want to be a