Austin Romaine already was a two-time second-team all-Big 12 pick before he joined the Texas Tech football team. In years to come, though, there's a good chance any discussion of Romaine will include that time he returned two interceptions for touchdowns only seven seconds apart.
That happened at the start of the second quarter in Tech's 49-14 victory over Sam Houston on Saturday, Sept. 26.
It made us ask: what are the most memorable pick-sixes in the Red Raiders' history? We reviewed more than two dozen such plays when Tech players intercepted and took it to the house. We settled on these based on historical significance, impact on the game and what they meant to a particular season.
Zach Thomas vs. Texas A&M in 1995
The final score: Texas Tech won 14-7.
The play: Thomas' 23-yard
interception return broke a 7-7 tie with 30 seconds left in the game.
The context: The Red Raiders snapped the eighth-ranked Aggies' 29-game Southwest Conference win streak.
Gene Darr vs. Arkansas in 1966
The final score: Texas Tech won 21-16.
The play: Darr, a defensive tackle from Cisco who wore No. 91, deflected a Jon Brittenum pass, picked it off, and ran it in from 20 yards. It stretched Tech's lead to 21-10 with 52 seconds left in the third quarter.
The context: Tech came into its season finale with a 3-6 record. Arkansas was 8-1, ranked No. 6 and the loss cost the Razorbacks a Southwest Conference championship and Cotton Bowl berth. The Associated Press later voted it the upset of the decade.
Jim Moylan at Arkansas in 1967
The final score: Texas Tech won 31-27.
The play: Moylan, a defensive tackle from Eastland who wore No. 78, scored on a 31-yard interception return TD off Ronnie South, who threw for 335 yards that day, including 70- and 77-yard scoring passes. The pick-six extended Tech's lead to 31-14 and stemmed the tide after Arkansas had shrunk a 24-0 deficit in the third quarter.
The context: It was the second year in a row Tech knocked Arkansas out of a bowl — the Razorbacks appeared Liberty Bowl-bound — and a pick-six by a defensive tackle from Eastland County played a key role both times.
Daniel Charbonnet vs. Texas in 2008
The final score: Texas Tech won 39-33.
The play: On a night mostly remembered for Graham Harrell's game-winning touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree, Charbonnet's interception and 18-yard return gave the Red Raiders a 29-13 lead midway through the third quarter.
The context: No. 6 Texas Tech knocked off No. 1, dealing the Longhorns their only loss of the season. Charbonnet, a senior safety, also had a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss to earn national defensive player of the week recognition.
Marcus Coleman at Texas in 1993
The final score: Texas Tech won 31-22.
The play: On an October afternoon with an 18-degree wind chill, Coleman picked off Shea Morenz and had clear sailing down the sideline to a 54-yard touchdown, putting Tech up 24-14 with 9:37 remaining. It turned the tide after Texas had nearly erased a 17-0 deficit.
The context: Neither team was very good that year: Tech finished 6-6, Texas 5-5-1. But all victories in Austin are a big deal for the Red Raiders, and this was only Tech's fourth, following victories in 1955, 1967, and 1989.
Marc Dove vs. Texas A&M in 1971
The final score: Texas Tech won 28-7.
The play: Safety Dale Rebold tipped a Lex James pass and Dove picked it off and wove his way 39 yards for a touchdown that gave Tech a 21-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. Dove had two interceptions in the game and recovered a fumble at the A&M 6-yard line, setting up Tech's first touchdown.
The context: Though Tech finished only 4-7 in '71, the Red Raiders led the nation in pass defense and Dove was the Associated Press defensive player of the year in the Southwest Conference. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound cornerback from San Angelo had 5 interceptions and returned two for touchdowns.
Dave Parks vs. Colorado in 1962
The final score: Texas Tech won 21-12.
The play: On a day of sleet and snow in Lubbock, Parks picked off Frank Cesarek early in the fourth quarter and went 98 yards to score. It remains the longest interception-return TD in Tech history.
The context: Parks' pick-six gave the Red Raiders a 21-6 lead. Good thing. Tech went into the game 0-8 and finished the year 1-9, the closest a Tech football team has ever come to a winless season.
Antwan Alexander and Kevin Curtis vs. Oklahoma State in 2000
The final score: Texas Tech won 58-0.
The plays: Alexander gave Tech a 28-0 second-quarter lead with a 45-yard pick-six and Curtis ran one back 55 yards to make it 48-0 in the third quarter.
The context: That was the last time the Red Raiders returned two INTs for TDs in one game until Romaine did it last week.
Richard Arledge vs. Houston in 1976
The final score: Houston won 27-19.
The play: No. 5 Tech trailed No. 9 Houston 27-5 when Cougars quarterback Danny Davis tried to pass from his end zone. Arledge was a defensive end from Richardson. His 7-yard pick-six with 6:37 left ignited a frantic comeback. Tech subsequently got a Rodney Allison-to-Billy Taylor touchdown pass and then reached the Houston 9 before defensive back Elvis Bradley made a game-sealing interception near the goal line.
The context: The week-nine loss ended Tech's undefeated regular season and ultimately cost the Red Raiders a Cotton Bowl berth.
Ken Perkins vs. Tulane in 1970
The final score: Texas Tech won 21-14.
The play: Perkins' 46-yard runback sparked a come-from-behind victory. That tied the score 14-14 with 8:34 left, and quarterback Charles Napper later scored the winning TD.
The context: It was Tech's first game under Jim Carlen and his new home uniform standard: white helmets. It was also the Red Raiders' first home game on artificial turf and matched two teams that wound up 8-4. Tech lost in the Sun Bowl and Tulane won the Liberty Bowl to finish with a No. 17 national ranking.
Ty Ardoin at Oklahoma State in 1997
The final score: Texas Tech won 27-3.
The play: Ardoin was a linebacker from Beaumont West Brook. His 50-yard runback midway through the fourth quarter provided the finishing touch as the Red Raiders spoiled senior day for the 24th-ranked Cowboys. It was Alamo Bowl-bound OSU's worst loss of the year.
Boyd Cowan vs. Kansas State in 1986
The final score: Texas Tech won 41-7.
The play: Early in the second half, the Red Raiders were trailing a Kansas State team coming off a 2-9 season. Then Cowan, a safety from Odessa, picked off a pass and returned it 83 yards to put Tech ahead to stay.
The context: It was David McWilliams' debut as Tech coach. The Red Raiders finished 7-5, ending a streak of seven straight losing seasons.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Austin Romaine had two pick-6s. Here we rank Texas Tech football's most memorable ever
