Texas Tech gets its final non-conference test Saturday morning, and the setup is simple enough: the 10th-ranked Red Raiders are at home in Galaxy Stadium, trying to move to 4-0 against Sam Houston.
Texas Tech is coming off a 28-26 win over Houston that kept the Red Raiders unbeaten at 3-0. Sam Houston arrives at 1-2 and fresh off its first win of the season, with the Bearkats trying to spring a massive upset.
There was already some pregame movement for Texas Tech before kickoff. At 9:27 a.m., it was reported that Terrance Carter Jr. was set to miss the game. Then at 10:00 a.m., Jett Carpenter was announced as Texas Tech’s starting tight end in Carter’s place.
Warmups offered another small clue at 9:48 a.m., when Will Hammond was seen running deep receiving routes and some receivers were throwing passes. Make of that what you will.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, and the game will air nationally on TNT.
JB Long and Mike Golic Jr. will handle the broadcast, with Allie Laforce reporting from the sideline. Streaming is available through Sling with a subscription.
Texas Tech is expected to release an injury update about 45 minutes before kickoff.
The Red Raiders were picked in our preview to win 42-10, and the early-season results so far have been exactly the kind of start Texas Tech wanted. The schedule has included wins over Abilene Christian, Oregon State and Houston, with Sam Houston next on the list before Big 12 play ramps up.
Texas Tech’s 2026 schedule continues after this one with a trip to Colorado on Oct. 3, then home games against Arizona State, Arizona, West Virginia and TCU, plus road trips to Cincinnati, Oklahoma State and Baylor.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Blowout Still Left One Big Question Behind
Texas Techs 49-14 win over Sam Houston was the kind of result that can make a September afternoon look easy from the outside, even if the path there had a few rough patches. The Red Raiders opened sharply, then hit a messy second quarter when quarterback Will Hammond threw multiple interceptions, but the offense settled back in and the defense took over from there, turning the game into a runaway.
Austin Romaine was right in the middle of it with a pick-six and eight tackles, and the Red Raiders defense squeezed Sam Houston into just 78 second-half yards. Freshman pass rusher LaDamion Guyton also flashed enough to add another encouraging note, even if the more interesting question coming out of the day is how Texas Tech sorts through the quarterback picture after a win that still left some of its biggest decisions hanging. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Loses A Key Passing Weapon At The Wrong Time
Texas Tech is heading into its next game with another hole to fill in the passing game, as tight end Terrance Carter Jr. is expected to sit out after hurting his AC joint against Houston. It is a frustrating turn for a player who has already been slowed by a foot injury earlier this season and has yet to find much rhythm in 2026, leaving the Red Raiders to keep adjusting around one of their more versatile options.
The timing matters because Carter was supposed to be part of a passing attack that could use every dependable target it can get, especially with conference play always tightening the margin for error. In his absence, Texas Tech will lean on its other tight ends to absorb the snaps and try to keep the offense on schedule, but the bigger question is whether Carter can get back on the field soon enough to reclaim a role that has been difficult to establish. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Defense Just Delivered An Early Warning To Everyone
Texas Techs defense wasted no time making a statement in Week 4, and Austin Romaine was at the center of it. The senior linebacker, a transfer from Kansas State, turned consecutive interceptions into touchdowns against Sam Houston quarterbacks Landyn Locke and Brett Holloway, helping the Red Raiders race out to a 21-0 lead and putting the game firmly in their control early.
Romaine had entered the day with only one career interception, so the sudden burst of playmaking stood out even before the scoreboard did. Now he has two pick-sixes, and the way Texas Techs defense cashed in on those mistakes offered an unmistakable reminder that this group can change a game in a hurry when it gets a chance. [Read more 🡒]