LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech linebacker Austin Romaine became the first FBS player in 13 years to return two interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive throws, Cameron Dickey ran for two scores and the No. 11 Red Raiders beat Sam Houston 49-14 on Saturday.
Both pick-6s by Romaine came in the opening minute of the second quarter, and were against different quarterbacks.
“I was in disbelief that I did it twice in a row,” Romaine said. “It was crazy.”
The Red Raiders (4-0) extended their home winning streak to 11 games, their longest since 12 in a row from 2007-09.
A nearly five-TD favorite, Texas Tech led only 21-14 at halftime before Dickey's second scoring run, a 13-yarder, and Will Hammond's 21-yard TD to Coy Eakin in the first five minutes after the break.
Hammond finished 17-of-29 passing for 224 yards, but threw three interceptions in the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half — though Sam Houston (1-3) got only seven points off those. Hammond added a 23-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
“I'm excited about being 4-0. I’m proud of these guys, how they came out in the second half,” Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “But it happened again. We’ve got way too many self-inflicted wounds in the first half. That’s why we’re playing close games. That’s what we’re allowing people to be in the game or why we are allowing it to be a closer game than it should be.”
Landyn Locke, who came in as one of only three FBS quarterbacks with at least 300 yards passing in each of their first three games, completed 23 of 37 passes for 195 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Bearkats.
Romaine, a transfer from Kansas State, had clear paths to the end zone both times while becoming the first Tech player with two pick-6s in the same game. The last time the Red Raiders did was when Kevin Curtis and Antwan Alexander both had one in a 58-0 win over Oklahoma State on Nov. 11, 2000.
“He’s really been pressing. He hasn’t played the way he wants to play and expects to play,” McGuire said. “I sent him a couple texts this morning and then I talked to him in the locker room before the game. ... Go out and be Austin Romaine, go be that guy. And he showed up today, I thought he played free.”
Navy’s Dashaun Peele returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Charlotte in 2024, but Romaine is the first FBS player with pick-6s on consecutive throws since DeVon Edwards for Duke against North Carolina State in 2013.
Hammond's first interception was caught in the end zone by Caesar Magee with 5:19 left in the first half. Hammond later had consecutive throws picked off, the first when he was hit throwing out of his own end zone and led to Locke's 9-yard TD pass to Chris Reed two plays later.
Locke also had a 52-yard TD pass to Tim Burns.
Texas Tech freshman edge rusher LaDamion Guyton got his first two career sacks.
“It’s great to see Guyton show up,” McGuire said.
Guyton was supposed to be a high school senior this season, but reclassified to the Class of 2026 and was an early enrollee during the spring.
Sam Houston: The Bearkats, in only their fourth FBS season, lost 55-0 at No. 8 Texas last year in their only other game against a Top 25 team.
Texas Tech: In the end, the Red Raiders got the expected lopsided win in their last nonconference game. But the first month of the season was a grind for the defending Big 12 champions. They had trouble finishing drives in their opener against FCS team Abilene Christian, had to rally to win at Oregon State and had to stop a 2-point conversion in the final minute to beat Houston.
Texas Tech plays its first Big 12 road game at Colorado on Oct. 3. Sam Houston has an open date before playing at Liberty on Oct. 8.
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Texas Tech wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) makes a catch as Sam Houston State safety Jace Arnold defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Chase Seabolt)
HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Rain began falling Saturday as Hurricane Nolo bore down on the Hawaiian Islands, with officials warning about the potential for flash floods, dangerous winds and extreme surf in areas still recovering from previous storms.
Nolo was churning very slowly south of the Big Island with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph). Its center was about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south of Hawaii's southernmost point, and it was forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane through the weekend while traveling westward to the south of the islands.
While direct landfall by the storm's center was not expected, forecasters said it could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island expected to see rainfall totals up to 20 inches (51 centimeters). Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.
“Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.
The humanitarian nonprofit group CORE and other partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that has been active since August's Hurricane Lala.
Residents are still recovering from Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.
About a dozen people were in the water Saturday morning at Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo on the Big Island, despite signs saying the strand was closed. Andrea Gill was out for her regular swim before heading back home to hunker down with family.
“I hope it stops just sitting there and moves and goes somewhere else,” Gill said.
Shop owners boarded up businesses, and events were canceled. Gill said storms are common, but hurricanes are rare. She was holding out hope that the islands might not get the full impact.
“We're used to lots of rain. We're not used to wind. So it's always a blessing when we don't get the wind from the hurricane,” she said.
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the state Friday, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.
Hawaii officials told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating hundreds of Hawaii National Guard members.
Hawaii County authorities on the Big Island urged people in flood-prone areas to consider taking refuge at shelters or elsewhere.
Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell returned to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in preparation for the storm.
The Pacific has been unusually active this season, according to weather service lead forecaster Bob Oravec, with storm activity running above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season. He said that pattern is consistent with El Nino years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.
Meanwhile Mexico was under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it headed toward the Baja California Peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast. Polo had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph), making it a Category 4 storm, but it was expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall Monday.
One of the towns in the hurricanes projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast where access to basic needs is already fickle.
“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”
The town has only had full-time electricity for a couple of years, and it still experiences frequent outages. Without power, residents can’t refrigerate food or pump water. The closest gas station is so far away that fuel is stored in and sold from tanks, and supply frequently runs out if there is high demand.
Robles Meza said the community feels left to brace itself for the storm without the help of authorities.
“We must prepare on our own — each of us protecting our homes and belongings,” she said, adding that she wished officials would pre-position heavy machinery for clearing roads, along with emergency generators.
For now, she said, the only plan is to convert the local elementary school into a shelter.
“While this is important, we also have other impacts to consider,” Robles Meza said, like what the town will do if it is cut off from help.
San Juanico has experienced late-summer storms, but Polo feels different, said Jeffrey Westman, an American who was first drawn to the town’s world-class surf break 40 years ago and owns a property there.
“During the last couple of years, the storms have felt big and strong and scary,” said Westman, 63, who was in Europe at the moment but worried for the locals, particularly about their ability to receive food deliveries or reach larger grocery stores if road access is cut off.
Washed-out roads could also block access to the closest medical facility, about 80 minutes away in Ciudad Constitucion.
Westman said hopes Polo behaves as some past storms have, losing intensity before reaching the peninsula.
“A lot of times they do start petering out,” he said. “I’m hoping that’s the case.”
Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.
Kawika Ige fishes as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man walks past a closed ticket counter for Southwest Airlines lined with sandbags at Hilo International Airport as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Chase Gabin fishes among the rocks as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Louie Taasan places sand bags along his driveway as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Kenzielynn Kekoa, center, of Hilo, Hawaii, helps her family fill sand bags as Hurricane Nolo approaches in Hilo, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
