Joey McGuire and the Texas Tech Red Raiders should be thoroughly impressed with the way their defense looks so dang dominant to get the season started. Through the first four games of the season, the Red Raiders (led by new defensive coordinator Shiel Wood) have completely changed the way they play on that side of the ball.
It’s crazy! As we enter week 6 of the 2025 college football season, the Red Raiders have the top-ranked run defense in the Big 12 when looking at rushing yards allowed per game. That’s an incredible improvement from what we saw out of Texas Tech a season ago.
Between the Red Raiders going in and hiring Wood away from the Houston Cougars and then the NIL-fueled transfer portal additions over the offseason, Texas Tech’s defense has drastically changed for the better this season.
Texas Tech’s run defense ranks No. 1 in Big 12 as Red Raiders head into road game vs Houston Cougars
Here’s where the Red Raiders rank vs. the rest of the Big 12 in rushing yards per game as we enter Week 6:
- Texas Tech Red Raiders - 56.3 yards per game
- BYU Cougars - 76.3 yards per game
- Arizona State Sun Devils - 78.2 yards per game
- Arizona Wildcats - 99.8 yards per game
- Cincinnati Bearcats - 107 yards per game
- Iowa State Cyclones - 118.2 yards per game
- Houston Cougars - 125.3 yards per game
- TCU Horned Frogs - 132 yards per game
- Utah Utes - 140.8 yards per game
- Kansas Jayhawks - 149.4 yards per game
- West Virginia Mountaineers - 153 yards per game
- UCF Knights - 163.5 yards per game
- Baylor Bears - 180.2 yards per game
- Kansas State Wildcats - 181.6 yards per game
- Colorado Buffaloes - 197.2 yards per game
- Oklahoma State Cowboys - 213 yards per game
It’s still really early in the season and there will certainly be some things that change as we go, but I don’t know how any Texas Tech fan could look at these stats and come away with anything but feeling encouraged over the potential that this Red Raiders team has. The fact that this defense is this good means that some truly special things are possible this season.