For a few minutes Saturday, Texas Tech looked ready to cruise.
Then things got weird.
Fortunately for the No. 11 Red Raiders, Austin Romaine had already provided enough fireworks to give Tech some breathing room before the offense temporarily went off the rails.
Romaine returned interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive Sam Houston throws, Cameron Dickey scored twice on the ground and Texas Tech pulled away in the second half for a 49-14 victory in Lubbock.
The win moves the Red Raiders to 4-0 and extends their home winning streak to 11 games. More importantly, Tech finally got the comfortable final score fans had been waiting to see.
Getting there wasn't nearly as comfortable.
Austin Romaine steals the show
If Romaine was waiting for his breakout moment as a Red Raider, he found it in spectacular fashion.
The Kansas State transfer intercepted two passes and returned both for touchdowns in the opening minute of the second quarter. Even more remarkably, the interceptions came on consecutive Sam Houston throws and against two different quarterbacks.
Romaine became the first FBS player to return interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive throws since Duke's DeVon Edwards did it against NC State in 2013.
He also became the first Texas Tech player to record two pick-sixes in the same game.
That wasn't all. Romaine finished with a team-high eight tackles, including five solo stops, giving Tech the type of impact performance it hoped to get when he transferred to Lubbock.
The Red Raiders suddenly had a 21-0 lead, and it appeared the rout was underway.
Not so fast.
Will Hammond's rough stretch keeps Sam Houston alive
One week after a strong showing against Houston, quarterback Will Hammond received a reminder that life as a first-year starter won't always be smooth.
Hammond threw three interceptions over the final 5½ minutes of the first half, including picks on three consecutive Texas Tech possessions.
One came when Hammond was hit while throwing from his own end zone, but the others were the type of mistakes Tech can't afford once Big 12 play takes over the schedule.
Sam Houston turned one of those turnovers into a touchdown and went into halftime trailing only 21-14.
That was the frustrating part for Texas Tech fans.
The Red Raiders had a chance to bury an overmatched opponent early and instead gave the Bearkats life. Against better conference competition, a stretch like that could turn a comfortable lead into a loss.
Hammond eventually finished 17-of-29 for 224 yards with one passing touchdown and three interceptions. He also contributed 36 rushing yards and scored on a 23-yard run in the fourth quarter.
It wasn't his best afternoon, but he didn't let a miserable second quarter ruin the entire game.
Texas Tech finally slams the door
Whatever concerns Tech created before halftime disappeared quickly after the break.
The Red Raiders scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter. Dickey's 13-yard touchdown run made it 28-14, and Hammond followed with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Coy Eakin.
Suddenly, it was 35-14 and Sam Houston's upset hopes were essentially gone.
Texas Tech outscored the Bearkats 28-0 in the second half while allowing only 78 yards and four first downs.
That's the type of domination Red Raider fans expected to see.
Dickey finished with two rushing touchdowns, while Tech's offense scored on four of its five second-half possessions before running out the clock on the final drive.
LaDamion Guyton gives fans another reason to be excited
Romaine wasn't the only defender who made Saturday memorable.
Freshman edge rusher LaDamion Guyton recorded the first two sacks of his college career, giving Texas Tech another glimpse of why there has been so much excitement surrounding the 17-year-old pass rusher.
Guyton reclassified and enrolled early, meaning he should still be playing his senior season of high school football.
Instead, he's already creating problems for college offensive linemen.
There is still plenty of development ahead, but the physical ability is obvious. If Guyton continues progressing, Texas Tech may have a special player coming off the edge sooner rather than later.
4-0 feels good, but the Big 12 awaits
Texas Tech got what it needed Saturday.
A win. A 4-0 record. A dominant second half. A historic afternoon from Romaine. Another encouraging performance from one of the youngest players on the roster.
Still, the first four games have left some unanswered questions.
Tech struggled to finish drives against Abilene Christian, needed a comeback at Oregon State, survived Houston's late two-point conversion attempt and then committed four turnovers against Sam Houston.
The Red Raiders have survived those mistakes. The Big 12 might not be so forgiving.
That's what makes Saturday's second half encouraging. After stumbling badly before halftime, Texas Tech came out and played like the No. 11 team in the country.
Now the challenge is doing that for four quarters.
The nonconference schedule is finished, Texas Tech is undefeated and the defending Big 12 champions are exactly where they want to be in the standings.
The easy part — if the first month can even be called easy — is over.
