Houston is heading into the kind of conference opener that can tell you a lot fast. No.
22 Houston travels to Lubbock on Friday night to face No. 13 Texas Tech in a Big 12 matchup that coach Willie Fritz didn’t try to dress up any other way.
“It’s a huge game...this is a great opponent. They’ve done a great job there. College Football Playoffs last year, won our conference, so it’s going to be a tremendous challenge for us,” Fritz said Monday during his weekly press conference.
That challenge is real, and Fritz made clear where it starts: the line of scrimmage. Houston got pushed around in last season’s meeting, a 35-11 loss at TDECU Stadium, and Fritz said his team has to be sturdier on both sides this time around.
“We’ve got to be better up front on both sides of the ball. They really dominated the defensive line.
I thought defensively we played well at times. We’re gonna have to play a clean game.
Can’t make simple mistakes, so we’re going to have to play really good,” Fritz said.
The Cougars’ mistakes last year were especially costly early, when two offensive turnovers helped Texas Tech seize control. If Houston repeats that kind of start, it will be in trouble again.
Fritz pointed to the work Houston has done in the trenches since then, both through the transfer portal and through internal development. He said the Cougars believe they have more answers up front now.
“We think we brought in some really good guys in the portal on the offensive line to join the guys that were already here,” Fritz said.
One of those pieces is preseason All-American left guard Shadre Hurst, who could give Houston a much-needed physical presence inside.
The same kind of upgrade, Fritz said, applies on defense.
“Same thing with the defensive line. We’ve got some guys we developed,” Fritz said. He then named a couple of key transfers, such as senior De’Marion Thomas and redshirt junior Ashton Porter, as well as redshirt freshman Travis Buhake, a young player who has developed.
That area will matter even more against a Texas Tech front that Fritz described as long, talented and built to overwhelm people. Houston ran for just over 100 yards in last year’s game, with only 37 of those coming from running backs, while the Cougars also gave up more than 200 rushing yards. That balance has to look different if they want a chance in this one.
“They’ve got a really talented defensive line. They build from up front to back,” Fritz said.
He also noted how much talent Texas Tech had to replace after sending several players to the NFL, including edge rusher David Bailey, who was taken No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft as the top prospect. Fritz said the Red Raiders have still managed to reload with size and length.
“Really big, long guys on the o-line and d-line,” Fritz said. He added that Texas Tech’s shortest offensive lineman was 6-foot-4.
Fritz also had praise for junior quarterback Will Hammond, who he said gives Texas Tech steady play and real versatility.
“I think he’s a very good quarterback. He’s got a lot of experience in the pocket. He doesn’t make very many mistakes…Don’t rest on Hammond, he can run the ball as well,” Fritz said.
And while Texas Tech’s defensive structure will look familiar, Fritz knows there’s a reason for that. Red Raiders defensive coordinator Shiel Wood held the same job at Houston in 2024 and helped turn the Cougars into a top-25 defense during a rebuilding season.
Now Houston heads into a road underdog spot with the task of matching Texas Tech’s physicality. If the Cougars can hold up in the trenches, Fritz believes they can make it interesting.
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Willie Fritz has been clear about where his team still needs to grow, pointing to better play on both the offensive and defensive lines as the next step. That makes this trip to Lubbock especially interesting for the Cougars, because the line of scrimmage figures to decide whether their momentum carries over or gets checked by a conference opponent still trying to sort through its own injury issues. [Read more 🡒]
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