No. 11 Texas Tech hosts Sam Houston at Galaxy Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, in what serves as the annual Agriculture Game and Parents Weekend on campus. The matchup closes out non-conference play for the Red Raiders before Big 12 action resumes the following week with a trip to Colorado. Texas Tech enters unbeaten at 3-0, fresh off a 28-26 win over then-No. 22 Houston, while Sam Houston (2-1) is coming off a bounce-back win over Nicholls State after an earlier loss to Troy. With Texas Tech sitting as more than a 30-point favorite, the bigger intrigue heading into kickoff may be health and depth rather than the final score. 

Texas Tech’s offense is starting to find its rhythm behind quarterback Will Hammond, who looked increasingly comfortable in the win over Houston, connecting on six completions of 20-plus yards while continuing his recovery from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season. The bigger storyline to watch, however, is tight end Terrance Carter Jr., who is considered a game-time decision after returning from a foot injury that cost him the Oregon State game. Carter has developed into one of the more productive tight ends in the country, earning Second-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2025 with 55 catches for 624 yards and five touchdowns, and his continued availability will be worth monitoring given a daunting stretch of Big 12 games looming. Up front, Texas Tech also made a notable change on the offensive line, permanently inserting junior Cash Cleveland at left guard in place of fifth-year starter Hunter Zambrano after the shift settled things down against Houston. Running back Cameron Dickey remains a focal point of the ground game as the Red Raiders look to control the clock against an overmatched Sam Houston front. 

Sam Houston counters with a passing attack that has been productive under head coach Phil Longo’s system. Quarterback Landyn Locke has thrown for 973 yards and nine touchdowns and just one interception this season, giving the Bearkats a real strength through the air even as their running game has struggled in recent weeks. Locke and Sam Houston’s receivers will need to lean heavily on the pass to keep pace, since the ground game managed little against both Troy and Tulsa earlier this season.

Key Players

Texas Tech

• QB Will Hammond — Finding his rhythm as he continues recovering from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season; hit six completions of 20-plus yards against Houston.
• RB Cameron Dickey — Focal point of the ground game as Tech looks to control tempo.
• TE Terrance Carter Jr. (Questionable) — Made his season debut against Houston after missing time with a foot injury; a game-time decision this week and one of the top tight ends in the country when healthy (55 catches, 624 yards, 5 TDs in 2025).
• OL Cash Cleveland — Newly installed permanent starter at left guard after a midgame shakeup steadied the offensive line against Houston.

Sam Houston

• QB Landyn Locke — Has thrown for 973 yards, 9 touchdowns and just 1 interception this season under head coach Phil Longo’s pass-heavy system.
• Bearkats passing game as a whole — Sam Houston’s clearest strength, needed to carry the offense against a run game that’s struggled against both Troy and Tulsa. 

Beyond the final score, this game is really about Texas Tech’s health and depth heading into the toughest stretch of its schedule. Carter’s status is the headline concern, but McGuire will also be watching how the reshuffled offensive line holds up and whether Hammond continues building rhythm before facing tougher competition. For Sam Houston, the challenge is more straightforward: see whether Locke and the passing game can produce anything against a defense with a talent level far beyond what the Bearkats have faced so far this season.