Battle of inches: No. 22 Houston falls to No. 13 Texas Tech 28-26 - The Daily Cougar

The Red Raiders entered the week three matchup as the higher-ranked team, but Houston came in hot off a win over Oregon State and a shutout over Southern. That resume made the Cougars look like a real threat to knock off Tech in front of the home crowd. Houston head coach Willie Fritz said before kickoff that his team would need a clean performance, calling Tech "by far the best team we've played so far."

Clean was the operative word. Houston ended up on the losing side of a two-point game, the kind of finish that comes down to a handful of plays instead of one blowout sequence. For a Cougars team trying to prove it belongs among the Big 12's best, a narrow road loss to a ranked opponent still counts as a statement. Just not the one they wanted.

The win keeps Texas Tech unbeaten against a team that arrived in Lubbock with real momentum and a top-25 ranking. Beating a team that had just shut out an opponent and knocked off a Pac-12 program carries weight this early in conference play. Houston leaves Lubbock still ranked, still dangerous, and still searching for the finishing touches that separate close losses from statement wins.

Both locker rooms know how close it was.