Texas Tech is turning to a different name at left guard, and the move comes with some bite.
Cash Cleveland, one of the quieter pieces of the Red Raiders’ roster before last Friday night, has earned the starting job for this week’s home game against Sam Houston. The shift follows his impact in Texas Tech’s 28-26 win over Houston, when he stepped in for Hunter Zambrano and helped steady an offense that needed a jolt.
Cleveland’s presence seemed to change the mood up front. Once he settled in, Texas Tech’s run game started to find its rhythm after opening the night stuck in neutral. At one point in the second half, he made his point plainly, pounding his chest while looking toward the Red Raider sideline and urging offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich to keep feeding the ground game.
That kind of edge is hard to ignore, especially on an offensive line that has been looking for a spark.
Cleveland is listed as the starter at left guard over Zambrano for #TexasTech. https://t.co/qVJXZW8fW3
- Keith Inglis (@KeithInglisDT) September 21, 2026
The junior from Rockwall, Texas, is 6-foot-2 and 300 pounds and is now in his second season in Lubbock after beginning his college career at Colorado. As a true freshman in 2024, he started four games for the Buffaloes as a walk-on and played well enough to earn freshman All-American honors from On3, 247Sports, and Pro Football Focus.
He transferred to Texas Tech after that season and served as the main backup to center Sheridan Wilson. In 2025, despite an early-season injury, he appeared in six games. Coming into 2026, that was supposed to be his role again.
But Texas Tech’s rushing attack has not matched the preseason expectations. The Red Raiders have not topped 175 rushing yards in any game this season and are averaging 4.2 yards per carry, down from the 4.6 they posted in 2025.
That’s a problem for a line that was supposed to be better. Zambrano and Louisville transfer Jordan Church arrived with the kind of size and experience that made them look like upgrades at guard, but the group hasn’t taken over a game yet this year.
Through three opponents, Tech has not controlled the line of scrimmage for a full four quarters. The Red Raiders rank 72nd nationally in rushing yards per game at 165.3.
That matters even more with Will Hammond making his first start at quarterback and still working back into form after tearing a ligament in his right knee last season. The idea was to lean on the run game early and often, especially with three running backs the program believes can play in the NFL.
Instead, Texas Tech has nine more passing first downs than rushing first downs so far.
Now the Red Raiders are hoping Cleveland can be more than just a feel-good story off the bench. He gave them a lift against Houston, and he’ll get a chance to show whether that energy can carry into week four.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Faces A Tough Terrance Carter Jr. Decision This Week
Terrance Carter Jr. is back in the conversation for Texas Tech just as the schedule starts to get more serious. The tight end made his season debut against Houston after missing the opening stretch with a foot injury, and his track record in past years has made him an important piece whenever hes available. Now the Red Raiders are trying to balance what he can give them against the risk of pushing him too soon.
For Week 4 against Sam Houston State, Carter is listed as a game-time decision, which leaves the staff with a familiar late-week dilemma. Texas Tech has to decide whether to use him now or protect him for the Big 12 games ahead, where his health could matter far more than a single nonconference matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Just Sent A Message Fans Have Been Waiting For
Texas Techs climb in the AP poll gave the Red Raiders another sign that the buzz around this start is becoming harder to ignore. After taking down No. 22 Houston 28-26 in their Big 12 opener, Joey McGuires team moved up two spots to No. 11, while Houston fell three places to No. 25. It was the kind of result that carries more weight in September than a simple conference win, because it came against a ranked opponent and on a stage where early momentum can shape the rest of the league race.
McGuire pointed to the groups resilience and to key contributions across the roster as reasons Texas Tech held on in a tight finish. For the Red Raiders, the ranking bump is nice, but the bigger takeaway is what it says about where this team stands now: they can take a punch, answer back and leave a ranked opponent with a loss in a game that mattered. The challenge, as always, is turning that kind of performance into something they can keep stacking. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Has An Offensive Question Fans Can't Ignore
Texas Tech left Houston with a 28-26 win, but the box score only told part of the story. The Red Raiders got enough offensively to survive a tight finish, and the film review points to a clear pattern: when J'Koby Williams and tight end Terrance Carter Jr. were involved, they made it count. Both were efficient with limited touches, giving Texas Tech reason to think its playmakers can do more if the offense finds a way to feature them earlier and more often.
Carters usage is especially worth watching because he was likely not at full health, which helps explain some of the restraint. Texas Tech also leaned on a different running back late while trying to protect the lead, a move that made sense in the moment but leaves the broader question intact for the next few weeks. If the Red Raiders want their offense to be more than just functional, they may need to decide which weapons are going to define it when the game is still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]