There isn’t a single defense in the Big 12 that is allowing fewer yards per game than what the Texas Tech Red Raiders are doing. This feels like such a remarkable accomplishment given the history of this program and what the 2024 Texas Tech team ranked in this regard, go ahead and give Red Raider defensive coordinator Shiel Wood all the oil money possible.
He deserves it.
Last season, Texas Tech was averaging 462.7 yards per game on offense, which is really solid. The bad thing is the Red Raiders were giving up 460.2 yards per game on defense.
So, you can probably guess as to how impressive the season was if the defense was giving up just about as many yards as the offense was gaining on a weekly basis. It wasn’t great. It’s actually really impressive that Texas Tech won eight games last year.
Big 12 stats, Week 10: Texas Tech’s defense beats out the rest of the Big 12 in total yards allowed per game
This is what it looks like in the Big 12 for Texas Tech and all of the other defenses in the conference:
- Texas Tech Red Raiders - 264.6 yards per game
- Utah Utes - 285.4 yards per game
- UCF Knights - 292.9 yards per game
- Arizona Wildcats - 292.9 yards per game
- BYU Cougars - 318.3 yards per game
- Houston Cougars - 330.8 yards per game
- Arizona State Sun Devils - 334.6 yards per game
- Iowa State Cyclones - 353.4 yards per game
- Cincinnati Bearcats - 368.8 yards per game
- Kansas State Wildcats - 367.9 yards per game
- TCU Horned Frogs 378 yards per game
- Kansas Jayhawks - 391.4 yards per game
- Baylor Bears - 403.1 yards per game
- West Virginia Mountaineers - 407.3 yards per game
- Colorado Buffaloes - 427.6 yards per game
- Oklahoma State Cowboys - 456.5 yards per game
This year, things are so totally different from what Texas Tech’s defense was accomplishing a season ago. The Red Raiders have arguably the best defense in the Big 12 (and very clearly the Big 12’s best defense in so many regards and stats).