Arizona · W 34-26
7 tackles, 3 for loss, 1 sack
The other 7 games average 5 tackles. This one was 2 above.
4 stories in the last 30 days, from 3 outlets.
John Curry
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Third year in the same linebacker corps at Texas Tech. A game that shows it: 8 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against Houston — Week 3, 2026.
42 tackles · 1 sack
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
42 tackles. 1 pass defended. 3 interceptions. 4.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 3 outlets
Austin Romaine and John Curry lead Texas Tech defense in win over Arizona
On3 Oct 31 · 1 outlet
from 4 outlets
Austin Romaine and John Curry lead Texas Tech defense in win over Arizona
On3 Oct 31 · 1 outlet
On36 Days Until Kickoff: John CurryAug 30
247SportsJohn Curry is an X-factor for Texas Tech's defenseOct 20On3
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal247SportsLubbock Avalanche-JournalEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named John Curry vs Abilene Christian.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Texas Tech | 42 | 22 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2025 | Texas Tech | 73 | 38 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 4 | -- |
| 2024 | Texas Tech | 34 | 17 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | 1 |
| Career | 149 | 77 | 8.5 | 1.5 | 5 | 4 |
Last game (Wk 9): 7 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 33-10vs Abilene Christian | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-24@ Oregon State | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 28-26vs No. 22 Houston | 8 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Wk 4 | W 49-14vs Sam Houston | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 29-7@ Colorado | 7 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 53-25vs Arizona State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-37@ Cincinnati | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 34-26vs No. 22 Arizona | 7 | 6 | 3.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 3.0 TFL |
| Total | 42 | 22 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 |
Oct. 31 · W 34-26 vs Arizona, play by play
A big game: 7 tackles, including 2 more for loss, 1 sack, tied for 4th-most tackles for loss in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
Sacked the quarterback for a 5-yard loss. Fourth quarter, up 27-23.
Against his own season: his best backfield disruption game of the season so far.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 4 tackles for loss, 1 of them a sack, in the 8 games with play by play.
How Texas Tech’s defense played that day
Arizona’s 12 drives: 7 stopped · 5 scored. While the game was within a score they held 7 of 11. His sack came with Texas Tech up 4.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles, including 1 interception. His interception ended Arizona State’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. Second quarter, up 40-10. Ended Arizona State’s drive (int).
A defensive touchdown: his interception was returned for the score. 7 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted, returned 0 yards for the score. Fourth quarter, made it 22-7.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 7 of his 8, sacks included.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles, including 1 interception, 1 pass broken up. His interception ended Abilene Christian’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted. Third quarter, up 17-3. Ended Abilene Christian’s drive (int).
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -18 to +16 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
42tackles this seasonTFL rate
11%4 TFLSack rate
2%1 sackPD rate
2%1 pass breakups42 tackles · 4.5 for loss · 1 sack · 3 interceptions.
3 seasons under Joey McGuire — 27-8 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 5.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Road3g | 5.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 5.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 5.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Joey McGuire
Pass share
43.2%
236 pass / 310 run
Plays / game
68.2
8 games
Team sack rate
4.2%
260 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #29 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #38 of 73 Big 12 LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
The No. 1,403 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Big 12 as a senior.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 32 games over three seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Joey McGuire.
