30 Greatest Games in Texas Tech History
No. 3 – vs. Texas A&M 1995
The third greatest game in Texas Tech history was actually one of the most boring games in program history until the final minute of play when a Texas Tech legend was born.
The No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies came into Lubbock with a 29-game Southwest Conference winning streak. What’s more, Texas Tech had not beaten the Aggies since 1989, which did not sit well with senior linebacker Zach Thomas.
With the game tied at 7 and just 0:45 left in regulation, Texas A&M started a drive at its own 14. Knowing that a tie would be as damning as a loss, Aggie coach R.C. Slocum tried to win the game on the arm of quarterback Corey Pullig.
The A&M quarterback never saw Texas Tech’s all-American linebacker Zach Thomas when he let fly a third down pass with 0:37 left to play. Thomas intercepted the pass and returned it 25 yards for one of the most iconic touchdowns in Texas Tech history.
Already a west Texas hero, the play made Zach Thomas a Red Raider legend.
Twenty years later, Thomas was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. And though Thomas had one of the greatest careers of any linebacker in NFL history, no play he ever made meant more to him than his interception to beat Texas A&M in front of his home fans.
Next: @ Texas A&M 2002