Texas Tech football: What to know about the Houston Cougars

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Nov 14, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; South Florida Bulls wide receiver DeVontres Odoms-Dukes (18) attempts to make a reception as Houston Cougars cornerback Shaun Lewis (39) defends during the third quarter at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Their defense is experienced…but not all that great

Often, sports fans believe that improvement is linear. In other words, we believe that a senior is going to be a good player just because he’s a senior or that players get incrementally better with each passing season. But the reality is that experience doesn’t always translate into quality results.

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That’s why Tech fans shouldn’t fear this Houston defense. Sure, the main bullet point that the people in H-Town are touting is that the Cougars will return virtually their entire starting defense from a season ago. But does that mean that their defense will be solid?

Last year, the Cougars allowed nearly 400 yards of offense per game. What’s more, they let five of the eight teams they faced top the 30-point mark.

But one thing they did do well was get after the QB. They finished the season No. 16 in the nation in sacks per game at 3.00.

However, keep in mind that they have lost their top pass rusher from 2020, Peyton Turner, to the NFL meaning that their attack has lost some of its bite. They also saw leading tackler, LB Grant Stuard, leave the program in hopes of an NFL future. Those two losses are massive and are going to be almost impossible for the Cougars to replace.

So while this defense is going to be no pushover on Saturday night, it is far from being the Steel Curtain. Rather, it is an experienced unit that had more downs than ups last year, and that gives us reason to believe that the Texas Tech offense will be able to have success in this matchup.

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