Six months ago, in his first session with Lubbock media, A.J. McCarty inevitably was asked about the interception he returned for a touchdown against the Texas Tech football team when he was playing for Baylor. That came during a 45-17 Bears victory in 2022 at Jones AT&T Stadium, before McCarty traded green and gold for scarlet and black.

"I hope I can do it here in the next couple of years for this fan base," McCarty said in March, "and not the other one."

The Red Raiders' new safety delivered on Saturday night, on the same field. McCarty had another pick-six, this one from 51 yards in the fourth quarter of a 44-41 victory against Cincinnati.

"I'm thinking straight crib, both times," McCarty said. "I see the ball. First thing I'm thinking, I'm going to take it to the house."

The Brownwood graduate's heroics gave Tech a 41-27 lead, its first breathing room all night, and appeared to be a knockout blow. Maybe the Red Raiders, down 14-3 early, were going to finish with authority.

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Texas Tech football goes down to the wire in three of first five games

Alas, that's not how the Red Raiders have been operating this season. In the last 12-plus minutes, the Bearcats scored two touchdowns and missed a field goal as time ran out that would have sent the game to overtime.

The Red Raiders, 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12, are being put in pressure situations a lot so far, and they're coming through. They outlasted Abilene Christian 52-51 in overtime, having to foil a two-point conversion that would have won it for the Wildcats. They turned back Arizona State 30-22, recovering an onside kick after the Sun Devils made it a one-possession game with 1:39 left.

On Saturday, the Red Raiders matched potent offenses with Cincinnati and came out ahead, making them 3-0 in games that go down to the wire. It's a good thing for Tech that most of the big guns were firing. Behren Morton, Tahj Brooks, Coy Eakin, Josh Kelly all contributed significantly.

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Their performances came at an opportune time because Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby, a Texan from Lake Dallas, threw for 426 yards and four touchdowns. Two of his receivers topped 100 yards. For the third week in a row, the Red Raiders let a short little pass turn into something it shouldn't have: a 75-yard touchdown by North Texas, a 66-yard pass play by Arizona State that set up a touchdown, and now a 71-yard TD by Cincinnati running back Manny Covey on a screen pass.

That came two plays after the McCarty pick-six that had the potential to put the game away.

Bralyn Lux, Chapman Lewis hurt as Texas Tech football's Big 12 schedule ramps up

The Red Raiders deserve some credit. Top cornerback Bralyn Lux missed his second game in a row and third this season. Then the top three at free safety all got hurt, most notably Chapman Lewis, who tweaked a hamstring in the first quarter and didn't return.

In the investing world, there's a saying you never go broke taking a profit. In sports, you never lose ground in the standings winning, even if it's not by a lot and even if you give up 40.

Soon, though, the Red Raiders won't be able to get away with it. Soon as in next week, probably. Under new coach Brent Brennan, Arizona's follow-up to a 10-win season in 2023 season hasn't been smooth. But Noah Fifita worked some of his magic and the Wildcats reasserted themselves Saturday night with a 23-10 win on the road at No. 10 Utah.

No receiver the Red Raiders have seen so far comes close to Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, a 6-foot-5 playmaker. Heaven help the Red Raiders if they go into Tucson without Lux and Lewis.

"He's going to catch the ball," Tech coach Joey McGuire said of McMillan. "If he's not the first receiver, I don't know who is. He's a number-one draft pick. You've got to understand that he's going to catch the ball. ... We do feel like there's a chance for us to get healthier. Lux is trending in a really good direction. We didn't feel like we could play him tonight, but we're hoping we get him back. That always helps."

Getting to the quarterback also would help. With edge players Joseph Adedire, Dylan Spencer and Charles Esters out from the get-go this season, Tech's seemingly plentiful depth at those spots was immediately tested. Esters played Saturday for the first time this season, started even. And although inside linebacker Ben Roberts's hit on Sorsby led to McCarty's pick-six, the Red Raiders have only four sacks in five games.

Those are issues for the Tech staff to figure out ASAP.

For now, the Red Raiders have won all their close games, are unblemished in the Big 12 and tied for the conference lead.

That's where they hoped to be at the end of September.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How long can Texas Tech football live dangerously? | Don Williams