The No. 22 Houston Cougars came up just short on Friday night as the No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders moved to 3-0 on the season.

The 28-26 loss showed that Houston may be better than some might expect, but it also showed some concerning problems with the Cougars.

The Good: Houston Is Legit

Houston might fall out of the AP Top 25 after this loss, but this game, which came down to the final minutes, showed they're a good team. Houston certainly would've liked to capitalize on their strong start to the game and a couple of nice interceptions, but despite the loss, the Cougars played well.

Houston falls to 2-1, but its chances of competing for the Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff spot aren't dead. Unfortunately, after this loss, the odds of reaching the CFP or the Big 12 title game are both significantly worse, but Houston may have just played its hardest game of 2026.

Houston lost, but they fought tooth and nail to take down the Red Raiders. The same thing can't be said about their 35-11 loss in 2025 against Texas Tech.

The Bad: Houston Couldn't Capitalize On Their Early Surge

Houston came out strong, driving 63 yards and finishing with a field goal. After going up 3-0, however, Thomas Castellanos, the backup QB of the Red Raiders, threw an interception on their first offensive play for Texas Tech on a ball he was trying to throw away.

Cornerback Will James's interception set up Houston for a 55-yard drive that ended in the end zone. Houston went up 10-0 and was looking very good. Then, the Red Raiders proceeded to go backward and punt the ball on a 3-and-out, giving the Cougars a perfect chance to go up by three scores and start to beat down on the Red Raiders.

Unfortunately, the Red Raiders held Houston, and the Cougars decided not to go for it on a 4th-and-2 on their own 48. From there, the momentum shifted back toward Texas Tech. The Red Raiders had an impressive second quarter and even had a 14-10 lead before a great TD catch by WR Koby Young gave Houston the lead back.

CB Julien Mayo made an equally impressive interception to seal the lead for Houston heading into the half. But even with the nice ending to the first half, the Cougars couldn't contain Will Hammond and Co., as Texas Tech outscored Houston 14-3 to take a 28-20 lead late in the second half.

A remarkable TD drive by Conner Weigman gave Houston a chance to knot things up with only 49 seconds to go, but Weigman's scramble on the two-point attempt fell just centimeters short of the goal line.

Houston lost by two points despite looking like they might dominate the Red Raiders in the first quarter. No one expected Houston to run Texas Tech out of its own building, but the Cougars' wasted start wasn't great to see.

The Ugly: The Secondary Struggled

Will Hammond went 17/27 for 257 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. These numbers aren't too insane, but after the first quarter, it felt like the secondary just couldn't get off the field.

The secondary did come up with two impressive interceptions, but it felt way too easy for Texas Tech to get first downs after Houston's initial surge. The Red Raiders went 6/10 on 3rd down, which is a pretty ugly number to see for Houston's defense.

While Will Hammond made plays and was sacked only once, the secondary was hard to watch because it made too many mistakes and couldn't get off the field when it needed to. Getting more pressure on the QB will be critical in the future, but covering guys is just as important.

After game three, Houston clearly needs to address its pass defense. Braden Atkinson threw for 376 yards in Week 1, immediately raising questions about the secondary's effectiveness. This game certainly didn't put any worries to bed.

This loss doesn't mean hope is gone in Houston. Plus, the Cougars probably impressed many people who didn't take them seriously. But wasting the early surge and failing to defend the pass weren't ideal.

Houston visits Georgia Southern next as they look to bounce back in a big way.