Sunday’s Dolphins-Jets game wasn’t exactly must-see TV for the rest of the country, but Texas Tech fans had plenty to watch. Miami and New York brought together a cluster of Red Raider alums, and the biggest name to shine was Dolphins receiver Caleb Douglas.
Douglas delivered the plays that mattered most in Miami’s 28-25 win, the Dolphins’ first victory of 2026. He caught touchdown passes of seven and 63 yards, good for the first two scores of his NFL career. Miami didn’t ask a lot of him - he was targeted just three times - but he made those two catches count, and his long fourth-quarter touchdown turned out to be the difference.
Caleb Douglas took this one all the way.
MIAvsNYJ on CBS/Paramount+
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- NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026
For Douglas, it was also a return to the field. He hadn’t played since September 20, the second week of the season, after missing three straight games with an ankle injury.
When he has been available, though, he’s been productive. He opened the year with five catches for 94 yards against the Las Vegas Raiders, then added two receptions for 19 yards against the San Francisco 49ers.
Even with all that missed time, he still sits third on Miami’s roster in receiving yards, a strong start for the rookie third-round pick.
The Dolphins’ defense also featured another Texas Tech rookie in Jacob Rodriguez, though his day was quieter. He finished with four tackles, which was his low for the season. Even so, Rodriguez entered Sunday ranked fourth in the NFL in tackles, a reminder of how steady his first pro season has been.
Veteran linebacker Jordyn Brooks, another former Red Raider, was the most active Texas Tech defender on the Miami side. He paced the Dolphins with nine tackles, including five solo stops and two tackles for loss. Brooks has 51 tackles through six games this season, putting him on track for his sixth straight 100-tackle campaign.
New York also had a Texas Tech connection on the field in rookie outside linebacker David Bailey. He registered four tackles and a half-sack. Bailey, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has already piled up 5.5 sacks, 31 tackles and three forced fumbles, a strong early return on that draft status.
Neither the Dolphins nor the Jets has done much winning this year, so the matchup wasn’t going to move the needle nationally. But for Texas Tech followers, it was a clear reminder that the Red Raiders’ NFL pipeline is very much alive - and that several members of the 2026 draft class are already making their mark.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Suddenly Has A Quarterback Problem Joey McGuire Can't Ignore
Will Hammonds rough outing against Cincinnati only sharpened the question hanging over Texas Techs offense: how long can the Red Raiders ride with inconsistent quarterback play before it starts costing them in the Big 12? Hammond finished 24 of 37 for 227 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, and it came in a game where the offense never fully found a rhythm. For a program trying to stay in the mix, the margin for error is getting thin.
The timing makes the issue even more pressing, with a stretch of games ahead against offenses that can force Texas Tech to keep pace. Joey McGuire has reason to think about every option on the depth chart, including backup Tommy Castellanos, because the Red Raiders need more than competence at quarterback if they want to hold up in conference play. Whether the answer is a reset, a rotation, or simply sharper execution, the next move at the position could shape where this season goes from here. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Just Gave Knights Fans A Poll Shaking Statement Win
Texas Techs first loss of the season landed in the kind of chaotic week that can reshape a poll in a hurry. Around the country, five ranked teams fell to unranked opponents in Week 7, a jolt that included No. 2 BYU and No. 8 Texas Tech going down for the first time after both had spent the season building momentum and credibility.
The Red Raiders also had to watch one of the weekends loudest results come from UCF, which stunned BYU in double overtime and sent a ripple through the rankings picture. Add in South Carolinas late-field-goal win over No. 11 Tennessee and the rest of the upset-heavy slate, and Texas Tech suddenly finds itself part of a broader AP Top 25 shake-up rather than just reacting to its own setback. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Faces A New Rankings Problem After Its First Setback
USCs loss at Wisconsin added another wrinkle to a college football weekend already full of rankings chaos, and the ripple effects should reach well beyond the Trojans. The No. 16 Trojans were beaten 24-7 by an unranked Badgers team in a game that stood out for all the wrong reasons, including the lowest-scoring outing of Lincoln Rileys head coaching career. With several ranked teams stumbling, including BYU, Texas Tech, Tennessee and Iowa, the AP Top 25 is set for another shakeup.
For Texas Tech, the bigger issue is not just where the Red Raiders land in the poll, but how unstable the race around them has become after their first setback. USCs second loss puts the Trojans in a tougher spot with a demanding stretch ahead, and another defeat would make a College Football Playoff berth feel remote at best. In a season where one upset can rewrite the picture in a hurry, every ranking adjustment now carries more weight for the teams clustered near the middle of the board. [Read more 🡒]