Austin Romaine Pulls Off The Nearly Impossible For Texas Tech
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Austin Romaine didn't just have a big game for Texas Tech against Sam Houston. He produced one of the rarest defensive sequences college football has ever seen.
The Texas Tech linebacker returned interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive defensive snaps during the Red Raiders' 49-14 victory Saturday, becoming only the second FBS player ever to accomplish the feat.
MORE: A Tale of Two 15s: Romaine, Hammond Lead Texas Tech Over Sam Houston
Two plays. Two interceptions. Two touchdowns.
And now Romaine has been named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for a performance that completely changed the game.
Texas Tech was leading just 7-0 when Romaine took over early in the second quarter. He intercepted Sam Houston quarterback Landyn Locke and raced to the end zone.
On the Bearkats' next offensive snap, Romaine did it again against a different quarterback.
Suddenly, a one-score game was 21-0.
"I sent him a couple texts this morning and then I talked to him in the locker room before the game," Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said afterward. "Go out and be Austin Romaine, go be that guy."
He certainly did.
Romaine finished with eight tackles and two interceptions, becoming the first Big 12 player since Kansas State's Bobby Walker in 2002 to return multiple interceptions for touchdowns in the same game.
According to the Big 12, Romaine is just the second FBS player ever to record pick-sixes on consecutive snaps. Duke's DeVon Edwards accomplished a similar feat against NC State in 2013.
The timing couldn't have been much better for Texas Tech.
The No. 11 Red Raiders had another uneven start offensively against Sam Houston, and Romaine's two touchdowns gave Joey McGuire's team some breathing room before the offense eventually took control.
Texas Tech pulled away after halftime, scoring 28 unanswered points over the final two quarters and improving to 4-0.
For a team with bigger goals than simply piling up regular-season victories, Romaine's emergence could matter considerably.
Championship-caliber defenses need players capable of changing games themselves.
MORE: Austin Romaine Makes Texas Tech History With Back-To-Back Pick-Sixes
Against Sam Houston, Romaine didn't just change the game.
For two straight snaps, he owned it.
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