No. 11 Texas Tech 49, Sam Houston 14
TEAM
• Texas Tech starts the season 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2011-13.
- Today’s game was the Red Raiders’ 48th win in their last 50 nonconference games at home. The Red Raiders have suffered just two losses over that span dating back to 2002 (Arkansas, 2014; Oregon, 2023).
- Texas Tech faced Sam Houston for the third time in program history on Saturday and the first time since the Bearkats joined the FBS level in 2023. The Red Raiders improved to 3-0 all-time against the Bearkats and have averaged 62.6 points per game in those wins.
- Texas Tech won its 11th consecutive home game, its longest home winning streak since a 12-game run from 2007-09.
- This is the 12th time in program history Texas Tech has started 4-0: 1938, 1941, 1976, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2025 and 2026.
- Texas Tech outscored Sam Houston, 14-0, in the third quarter and 14-0 in the fourth quarter after leading 21-14 at halftime. It was the first time Texas Tech had shut out an opponent in the second half since BYU in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Red Raiders improve to 33-4 when leading at halftime under Joey McGuire and 37-3 when leading after three quarters.
- A win next week over Colorado would mark Joey McGuire’s 40th career win at Texas Tech. He would become the seventh head coach in program history to reach 40 wins, joining Mike Leach, Spike Dykes, JT King, DeWitt Weaver, Dell Morgan and Pete Cawthon.
- Texas Tech is now 9-3 under Joey McGuire in games that kick off at 11 a.m. CT during his four-plus seasons. The Red Raiders have now won eight-consecutive regular season games that have started in the early time slot dating back to 2023.
THE OFFENSE
- Kenny Johnson’s 35-yard catch in the first quarter matched his season long and set up a 1-yard touchdown rush by Cameron Dickey for the game’s first score, making it 7-0. It was his team-best seventh explosive play of the year.
- Will Hammond had three interceptions in the first half. He had never previously thrown more than two in a game, which came once in the 2024 Liberty Bowl versus Arkansas. It was the most interceptions by a Red Raider quarterback in the same half since Jake Strong had three interceptions in the second half versus Kansas State on Oct. 14, 2023.
- Hammond answered with a strong second half. After going 9-of-16 for 130 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in the first half, he was 8-of-13 for 94 yards and scored on his only rush in the second half, a 23-yard TD run. He finished 17-of-29 for 224 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions for the game.
- Cameron Dickey finished with two touchdown runs and a season-high 91 yards. It was his fifth career multi-touchdown game. All five games were two-touchdown games.
THE DEFENSE
- Texas Tech manufactured three takeaways on Saturday, all interceptions. It was the Red Raiders’ first game this season producing more than one takeaway. Texas Tech doubled its takeaway count to six for the year.
- Austin Romaine intercepted passes on back-to-back plays in the second quarter and returned both for touchdowns. The first was deflected by Brock Golwas at the line of scrimmage and returned 15 yards for a touchdown. The next play was picked off and returned 31 yards for a score.
– It was the first time Texas Tech returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game since Nov. 11, 2000, versus Oklahoma State.
– The last Red Raider to have two interceptions in the same game was Ben Roberts in the Big 12 Championship Game last season versus BYU.
– The last Red Raider to return an interception for a touchdown was Skyler Gill-Howard, a 55-yard return for a touchdown versus Kent State last season.
– Coincidentally, Romaine’s last interception came against Texas Tech last season while a member of the Kansas State football program.
– Romaine became the first FBS player to record two pick-six interceptions on back-to-back plays from scrimmage since N.C. State’s DeVon Edwards did so against Duke in 2013.
- Peyton Morgan recorded his first career interception in the third quarter (6:26).
- Sam Houston quarterback Landyn Locke entered Saturday’s game ranked fourth in the FBS in passing yards per game, averaging 324.3 yards per game. The Red Raiders held him to 195 passing yards on 23-of-37 passing.
Release provided by Jay Strader Texas Tech Athletics