With a unit finally healthy, the head coach believes the Red Raiders can return to being one of the best defenses not just in the conference, but in the country.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The No. 13-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders escaped a conference opener with a clutch goal-line stand against quarterback Conner Weigman and No. 22 Houston, sealing a 28-26 win.
The Red Raiders sit 3-0 heading into the final non-conference game of the season against Sam Houston next week. They'll enjoy an extra day of recovery after the Friday-night affair with the Cougars.
Tech managed adversity on both sides of the ball to move to 1-0 in Big 12 play, beginning with the defense getting carved up in the first few minutes. The Texas Tech offense was also slow out of the gates, and before you knew it, Houston led 10-0, silencing the rowdy black-out environment at Galaxy Stadium before sunset.
The Red Raiders still have a long way to go in defending their Big 12 Championship and returning to the College Football Playoff.
Although McGuire says his team is "still finding ourselves" in multiple areas, he emphasized the health of the defense being a major factor in building momentum with the win over Houston.
Defensive end Trey White made his debut after transferring in from San Diego State, where he sat second among all FBS pass rushers in career sacks entering Friday's game.
White returned from a knee injury to add to that total by sacking Weigman in a much cleaner second-half effort by the Red Raiders defense. Texas Tech's star-studded defensive line also saw two sacks by Miami (Ohio) transfer Adam Trick and one from returning All-American A.J. Holmes Jr.
In the secondary, the Red Raiders welcomed back veteran starter Brenden Jordan, who was suspended for the team's first two games because of an internal rules violation.
White and Jordan's impacts on the game were "huge" in the eyes of McGuire, who is tasked with overcoming the loss of several defensive starters from one of the best units in the nation last year to the NFL.
READ MORE: Texas Tech Secondary Still A Concern?
So, can these Red Raiders be as good defensively as the 2025 squad?
"Give me two more games," McGuire smiled in response to whether he still believes that sentiment. "Let me have Trey White totally healthy and let me have BJ Jordan, and I'll answer that question, I promise."
McGuire noted that White was not fully 100 percent and might've played more snaps than the staff anticipated. Even facing the double-digit deficit and several long drives, Tech's defense prevailed when it needed to most.
"There was never a time that those guys got down, they just keep fighting," the coach said.
"I do, I just continue to believe that, as the season goes, we'll keep getting better and better."
