Texas Tech stays perfect, dominates Houston 35-11

For the first time in over a decade, Texas Tech football has started a season 5-0, and they’re doing it with a style that looks more like a statement than a streak. The 11th-ranked Red Raiders flexed their depth and balance Saturday night in Lubbock, taking down previously unbeaten Houston 35-11 in front of a raucous home crowd.

Quarterback Behren Morton was efficient and explosive, finishing with 345 yards through the air and a touchdown. But the story of the night may have been running back J’Koby Williams, who punched in two touchdowns and gave the Red Raiders a physical edge near the goal line. Together, the offense controlled the game despite some early struggles in the red zone.

Early on, it looked like Texas Tech might let Houston hang around. The Red Raiders had to settle for three field goals on their first three scoring drives, holding just a 9-3 lead late in the first quarter. But then came the turning point. Morton dumped a short pass to Cameron Dickey, who broke two tackles and sprinted 69 yards for a highlight-reel touchdown. That quick-strike play gave Tech breathing room, and they never looked back.

Houston, meanwhile, had problems from the start. Quarterback Conner Weigman managed just 71 yards and an interception before leaving late in the second quarter with an apparent injury. Backup Zeon Chriss-Gremillion provided a spark with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Amare Thomas just before halftime, cutting the deficit to 25-11, but that was as close as the Cougars would get. Chriss-Gremillion finished with 93 passing yards and 59 rushing yards, but a second-half interception stalled any hopes of a comeback.

Defensively, Texas Tech looked the part of a top-10 team in waiting. Jacob Rodriguez’s first-half interception set up Williams’ first score, and the Red Raiders bottled up Houston’s rushing attack outside of Chriss-Gremillion’s scrambles. Over five games, Tech has now outscored opponents 243-56, winning every matchup by at least 24 points. That level of dominance is hard to ignore.

The win keeps Texas Tech firmly in the national conversation. With Penn State and Texas both losing on Saturday, Joey McGuire’s team is in position to climb even higher in the polls. The Red Raiders last started 5-0 in 2013, when they opened 7-0 under Kliff Kingsbury. Now, a decade later, they look poised to make another run at national relevance.

Bottom line: Texas Tech is for real, and with their mix of offensive firepower and suffocating defense, they’re looking less like a dark horse and more like a legitimate playoff contender.