Stroud’s Rush and Pass Lift Texans Past Titans, 26-3

Houston’s touchdowns arrive after halftime

C.J. Stroud’s 2-yard run and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jaylin Noel provided Houston’s two touchdowns in a 26-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, at Nissan Stadium. The Texans, the visiting team, finished with 26 points while Tennessee, the home team, scored 3.

Stroud’s rushing score, followed by Ka’imi Fairbairn’s kick, moved Houston’s lead to 19-3 in the third quarter. In the fourth, Stroud connected with Noel for the game’s final points, with another Fairbairn kick making the score 26-3.

Field goals build Houston’s lead

Joey Slye opened the scoring for Tennessee with a 30-yard field goal in the first period. Fairbairn answered with a 45-yard field goal, leaving the score tied 3-3 after the first quarter.

Fairbairn then added field goals from 35, 26 and 53 yards in the second period. Those three kicks gave Houston a 12-3 lead at halftime. The quarter-by-quarter scoring was Houston 3, 9, 7, 7 and Tennessee 3, 0, 0, 0.

Stroud leads the passing numbers

Stroud completed 26 of 34 passes for 261 yards and one touchdown for Houston. Woody Marks carried 15 times for 62 yards, while Xavier Hutchinson had four receptions for 65 yards.

For Tennessee, Cam Ward completed 23 of 36 passes for 170 yards and had one interception. Tony Pollard carried 14 times for 52 yards, and Wan’Dale Robinson recorded six receptions for 53 yards.

Records and attendance

The result left Houston with a 1-4 record and Tennessee at 0-5. Attendance at Nissan Stadium was 52,097.

Sources

ESPN