Some things you need to know about Texans and Texas teams involved in sports after a Saturday of big wins for Texas-based college football teams: • • • • • • • 1. Aggies knock off No. Auburn 41-38< Freshman Kyle Allen threw four touchdown passes as Texas A&M upset No. 3 Auburn 41-38, throwing a monkey wrench in the College Football Playoff poll. ... The Aggies recovered two late fumbles to support the effort of the offense and return to the win column in the Southeastern Conference after three disappointing losses. ... The Aggies (7-3, 3-3) entered the game as 23-point underdogs. Auburn (7-2, 4-2) appeared to be driving toward a go-ahead touchdown before losing the ball twice on fumbles. ... First, Julien Obioha won a scramble for the ball at the two after Nick Marshall and Cameron Artis-Payne got tangled up in the backfield. It was a poor exchange, its something that never really happens, said Artis-Payne, who rushed for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns. ... The Aggies couldnt get away from their goal line before punting, and Trey Williams (Spring Dekaney HS) just managed to push the ball out of the end zone to avoid a safety on third down. ... Then, the Tigers drove inside the 30 for one more shot. Marshall appeared to be still checking to a different play when center Reese Dismukes snapped it on first down from the 28. ... It was just a miscommunication, Dismukes said. Alonzo Williams recovered with 54 seconds left, setting off a celebratory dance for players on the Aggies sideline and leaving most of the Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd in stunned silence. ... These past two weeks, no one really believed in us, but I feel like we always do our best when no one believes in us, A&M offensive lineman Mike Matthews (Missouri City Elkins HS) said. ... Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said stoppages to review several key plays late -- all upheld by replay officials -- were nerve-racking. Thats going to happen in big games and close games, Sumlin said. The ball bounced our way. ... The defending SEC champion and national runner-up Tigers had the nations longest home winning streak (14 games) end. Theyd won two straight on games that went down to the final play, and coincidentally the biggest play against No. 12 Mississippi was a goal-line fumble. ... Unlike his first career start -- a shaky 21-16 win over Louisiana-Monroe -- Allen was poised and steady in his second start -- the first on the road. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 277 yards with an interception, mostly avoiding miscues against a beleaguered Auburn defense. ... He definitely had a little swagger to him, Matthews said. He came in this game and he didnt seem like a freshman at all, he seemed like he has started four years at this university. ... Allen capped Texas A&Ms first two drives with long touchdown passes, 60 yards to Malcome Kennedy (Cayuga HS) and 36 to Josh Reynolds (San Antonio Jay HS and Tyler JC) for a 14-0 lead. Kennedy had 118 yards receiving and Reynolds also caught a seven-yard TD pass in the second quarter. ... He was a lot more relaxed tonight than a week ago, believe it or not, Sumlin said of Allen. I think that showed. Myles Garrett (Arlington Martin HS) blocked a field goal and Deshazor Everett returned it 65 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half, giving the Aggies a 35-17 lead. ... Auburn spent the rest of the game trying to peck away at that 35-17 deficit. Josh Lambo kicked much-needed field goals of 22 and 27 yards in the second half for A&M. ... • • • • • • • 2. Boykin, TCU dash past Kansas State 41-20< No apologies were needed this time for TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin (West Mesquite HS). A week earlier, Boykin was apologizing in the locker room for what he considered a subpar performance in a one-point win at West Virginia. ... Boykin ran for three touchdowns and passed for another to lead No. 6 TCU to a 41-20 victory over No. 9 Kansas State in a game with huge Big 12 and playoff implications. ... We just talked about winning. We just talked about beating Kansas State, coach Gary Patterson said. All that stuff doesnt matter. Hes a mature kid. Hes grown up and understands what youve got to do. ... Against Kansas State, the dual-threat junior set a career high with 123 yards rushing on 17 carries and completed 23 of 34 passes for 219 yards. Boykin had a two-yard TD run and a 10-yard scoring pass to David Porter (DeSoto HS) in the first quarter that put TCU up 14-0 against Pattersons alma mater. ... Aaron Green (San Antonio Madison HS) filling in for an injured B.J. Catalon (Houston Westside HS), ran 18 times for 171 yards for the Horned Frogs (8-1, 5-1) in their first-ever home game matching top-10 teams. Green had a 65-yard TD run in the third quarter. ... The end of Kansas States five-game winning streak created a three-way tie at the top the Big 12 standings with the Wildcats (7-2, 5-1), TCU and No. 10 Baylor (8-1, 5-1) with three games left in the regular season. ... In the College Football Playoff rankings, TCU is sixth, a spot ahead of Kansas State. Baylor is 12th. The new rankings come out Tuesday. The final poll in four weeks will take into account conference championships. ... If they cant see what we have in front of us, I cant help them, Patterson said when asked about his teams position. Bottom line is, there it is. Its laid out. Heres what youve got to do. Theyre smart kids. Theyre mature. They understand what weve got to do. ... TCU has games left at Kansas and Texas before the regular-season finale Dec. 6 at home against Iowa State. None of those teams has a winning record. This is almost like a once in a lifetime opportunity, Green said. We might potentially have a chance to play for a national championship. ... The Frogs played their fifth ranked opponent in six games. Their only loss in that span came four weeks ago at Baylor when they led by 21 points in the fourth quarter before the Bears kicked a field goal on the last play of the game for the win. ... TCU had two 100-yard rushers for the second time in three games, with this performance coming against the Big 12s best rushing defense at an average of 101 yards per game. The Frogs rolled up 553 total yards and the most points allowed by the Wildcats this season. ... On TCUs opening drive of the second half, Boykin took off on a first-down run from the K-State 19 and was in a sprint when he got inside the five and did a somersault, hurling himself into the air. Though he was unable to keep his balance when his heels hit the ground first, he quickly bounced up after landing in the end zone to give TCU a 24-7 lead. ... I can do, like, back flips all day. Well, I cant do a forward flip, but I did today, Boykin said. I cant necessarily do that on an everyday basis. ... • • • • • • • 3. Petty stands tall for Baylor in road win over Oklahoma< Bryce Petty (Midlothian HS) was ready for some football and definitely ready to play Oklahoma. ... The Baylor quarterback answered question after question after last weeks win over Kansas by saying he was ready for OU. He convinced doubters by completing 32 of 42 passes for 387 yards and a touchdown to help the 10th-ranked Bears roll past the 16th-ranked Sooners 48-14. ... This game, for me, was circled, dotted, starred, whatever you want to call it on the calendar, Petty said. I dont like to make that public because every games a big game, but I really wanted to win this game. ... It was Baylors first road win in 12 tries against the Sooners (6-3, 3-3 Big 12), and the Bears first road win against a ranked team since Art Briles took over as head coach in 2008. Now, Baylor is looking like the bully on the block. The defending conference champion Bears (8-1, 5-1) have won three of the past four meetings with the Sooners after losing the first 20. ... Baylor defeated the Sooners 41-12 last year in Waco. It means everything, Petty said. The coolest part about it is that its just the tip of the iceberg for this team. People still say, Yall are still Baylor. And its like, Yeah, we are Baylor. This is different. Corey Coleman (Richardson Pearce HS) set career highs of 15 catches and 224 yards. It was the most receptions ever by a player against the Sooners. Coleman also caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score as the Bears maintained their conference and national title hopes. ... Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight (San Antonio Reagan HS) was carted off after being sacked in the fourth quarter. The Sooners went for it on fourth down with just over 11 minutes remaining, but Knight was sandwiched between Grant Campbell and Shawn Oakman. He stayed on the field for several minutes before being was carted off. He moved his extremities before he left the field. ... Although OU coach Bob Stoops did not offer an update on Knights condition after the game or specify what the injury was, an Oklahoma spokesman said Knight walked out of the stadium on his own and will continue to be evaluated. Teammate Zack Sanchez said Trevor Knight is fine. He saw him in locker room and he was up and better. ... After the Sooners took a 14-3 lead, Baylor scored the next 45 points. Petty fired a 33-yard touchdown pass to Coleman that trimmed Oklahomas lead to 14-10 early in the second quarter. Bryce Hager (Austin Westlake HS) intercepted Knight and returned it to the Oklahoma one, and Devin Chafin (Burkburnett HS) scored on the next play to put Baylor on top 17-14. ... After a roughing-the-punter penalty kept a Baylor drive alive, Chafin scored from two yards out to bump Baylors lead to 24-14 -- the halftime score. Colemans five-yard touchdown run three minute left in the second half increased Baylors advantage to 31-14. Shock Linwoods (Linden-Kildare HS) three-yard touchdown run made it 38-14. ... • • • • • • • 4. Gray, Longhorns conquer Mountaineers 33-16< Johnathan Gray scored three touchdowns to help make No. 24 West Virginia blue with a 33-16 Texas win over the Mountaineers. ... Gray had 101 yards rushing and the Longhorns defense came on strong, keeping UWV out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. Gray scored on runs of 39, two and 15 yards as Texas (5-5, 4-3 Big 12) ended a streak of nine straight home losses to ranked opponents. The Longhorns need to win one of their final two games to be eligible for a bowl. ... Were not done. This is the first stepping stone toward getting that sixth win, Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks said. UT has Oklahoma State and No. 6 TCU left to play. ... Mountaineers quarterback Clint Trickett passed for 248 yards, but was sacked three times two turnovers and was tackled in the end zone for a late safety. ... Gray scored twice in the second quarter to propel Texas to 24-3 halftime lead. West Virginia made a late charge for a comeback with a score early in the fourth quarter, but Reed sacked Trickett for the safety. Those two points would loom large when the Mountaineers scored again but were still down by 10 and failed on a 2-point conversion. Gray put the game out of reach with his final touchdown with 3:06 to play. ... • • • • • • • 5. NBA Notes: Golden State beat Rockets in battle of unbeatens< The Golden State Warriors, coached by rookie head coach Steve Kerr, a former San Antonio Spur, beat the Houston Rockets 98-87 in a battle of unbeaten NBA teams. ... Houston played without center Dwight Howard (flu-like symptoms) and power forward Terrence Jones (bruised right leg), making things much easier for the Warriors inside. They outscored the Rockets 56-32 in the paint, and Warriors center Andrew Bogut dominated the glass in Howards absence, pulling down 18 rebounds. ... James Harden led the Rockets (6-1) with 22 points, and point guard Isaiah Canaan had 21 in place of Patrick Beverley, who was out with a hamstring injury. We were stagnant. We didnt move, Houston coach Kevin McHale said. We had too many turnovers, and we just ran out of gas. ... For the eighth straight game, the Rockets made at least 10 3-pointers. Dating to last season, they have the longest such streak in the NBA and are three games shy of the league record. ... • Anthony Davis driving layup with 6.6 seconds gave the New Orleans Pelicans a 100-99 victory over San Antonio at the AT&T Center. Tony Parker scored 28 points, Manu Ginobili added 17, Danny Green had 16 and Tim Duncan had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs. ... • • • • • • • 6. NBA Notes: Three Super Bowl rings stolen from Texans assistant< Crooks have stolen three Super Bowl rings from Houston Texans linebackers coach Mike Vrabels Houston-area home. Bellaire police said the burglars took his 2002, 04 and 05 Super Bowl rings Vrabel won while with the New England Patriots. ... Vrabel joined the Texans in January. He spent 14 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. ... • Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett (Alief Taylor HS and Texas A&M) is questionable for Sundays game at Green Bay because of a rib injury. Coach Marc Trestman says the Bears are hopeful he will play. ... • • • • • • • 7. College Notes: Rice wins sixth in row, beats UTSA 17-7< The Rice Owls beat UT-San Antonio 17-7 for their sixth straight win this season and their 10th consecutive homecoming victory, while continuing the most successful three-year run in school history. ... The Owls reached bowl eligibility for the third consecutive year. Im proud of these kids, we didnt play our best game as a football team, Rice head coach David Bailiff said. We figured out a way to win. These seniors have been a resilient bunch and they figure out ways to win. When you win games like this its because of your seniors. They know we wanted to get to six today and become bowl eligible. But we want to win some more football games. ... • Matt Davis (Houston Klein Forest HS and Tyler JC) moved SMU close to its first win of the year by completing 21 of 32 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown, and rushing for 181 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-28 to Tulsa. ... • • • • • • • 8. Fine 79: No. 9 Kennedale (10-0) wins 63-0< No. 9 Kennedale (10-0), already assured of the playoffs, beat No. 79 Fort Worth Diamond Hill 63-0 in the only Saturday game for Fine 79 teams. ... Games have been set for playoff qualifiers. Last weeks results and next weeks games for the Top 10 Fine 79 games include: No. 1 Allen (10-0) beat Plano East 35-13, plays Keller Central in Class 6A, Division I at 5 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. No. 2 Pearland (9-1) lost to Manvel 35-33, plays Deer Park in Class 6A, Division I at 7 p.m. Friday at TDECU Stadium in Houston. No. 3 Mesquite Horn (9-1) beat Dallas Lake Highlands 39-34, faces Irving MacArthur in Class 6A, Division II at 7:30 p.m. Friday at DeSoto. No. 4 Mansfield Timberview (9-1) beat No. 33 Mansfield Summit 48-31, faces Seagoville at 7 p.m. Thursday at Kincaide Stadium in Dallas. No. 5 Mesquite Poteet (9-1) beat Terrell 42-35, faces Dallas Wilson in Class 5A, Division II at 7:30 Friday at Williams Stadium in Garland. No. 6 Euless Trinity (9-1) was idle, faces South Grand Prairie in Class 6A, Division I at 8 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. No. 7 John Tyler (8-2) beat Nacogdoches 44-14, faces Texarkana in Class 5A, Division I at 7:30 p,m. Friday at Longview. No. 8 West Mesquite (9-1) beat Royse City 50-10, faces Carrollton Creekview in Class 5A, Division I at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Wildcat-Ram Stadium in Richardson. No. 9 Kennedale (10-0), already assured of the playoffs, beat No. 79 Fort Worth Diamond Hill 63-0 Saturday. The Wildcats face Wilmer-Hutchins in Class 5A, Division I at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Cedar Hill. No. 10 Arlington Lamar (8-2) beat No. 16 Arlington Houston 49-14 Thursday, faces Abilene in Class 6A, Division II at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene. • • • • • • • 9. FYI: This blog features Texas teams and athletes with Texas connections. It is compiled by retired newspaper journalist Bob Sonderegger (anglebob61@yahoo) who covered most of the teams mentioned. Your comments or additions are welcome.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 16:52:51 +0000
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