The Longhorns hold off the Cowboys to begin conference play
Big 12 Report: Texas takes step in right direction
Sep 26, 2019, 8:52 am
The Longhorns hold off the Cowboys to begin conference play
π€@TexasFootball put a stop to Oklahoma State's 4-game winning streak agains the Longhorns with a 36-30 win.
β FOX Sports (@FOXSports) September 22, 2019
Catch all the highlights in our 60' in 60" πpic.twitter.com/3fUVfjIpEC
Texas 36 Oklahoma State 30
The Longhorns held off the Oklahoma State Cowboys for their first Big 12 win of the season. The Cowboys held a slight lead for a while but Sam Ehlinger and company were way too much for the Cowboys defense. This is a really solid win for the Longhorns as Oklahoma State has one of the best offenses they will face outside of Oklahoma. It was really important for Ehlinger after the disappointing performances against the Cowboys in the past.
SMU 41 TCU 38
Not the best showing for TCU as they drop a pseudo-rivalry game. They got smoked in the first half and had to play catch up but it wasn't enough. Nobody is sure if TCU is going to figure it out on offense and their defense isn't near as good as it has been on occasion. This is a bad loss for Gary Patterson's bunch.
Sam Ehlinger last night against Oklahoma State was dealing βΒ
β Cam Mellor (@PFF_Cam) September 22, 2019
On throws outside the numbers:
6-of-8
117 yards
3 TD
0 INT
Even when blitzed:
6-of-8 (also)
49 yards
1 TD
0 INT
Big game from a big player.
Texas QB Sam Ehlinger
Ehlinger balled out against the Cowboys. He was amazing after failing more than a few times against the Cowboys in the past. He looked every bit the leader and playmaker the Horns need him to be.
Iowa State QB Brock Purdy
Finally some offensive excellence from Purdy, even if it was against ULM. He finished with 435 through the air and four touchdowns. The Cyclones have had a disappointing start but what they want to accomplish in the Big 12 is still in front of them. If they get this Brock Purdy they will be a tough out for a lot of teams.
It's Monday, and that means we π to next weekend at @BUFootball's next opponent: Iowa State
β Baylor Athletics (@BaylorAthletics) September 23, 2019
π» vs. πͺοΈ
ποΈ Saturday, September 28
β° 2:30 P.M.
π McLane Stadium
πΊ ESPN
ποΈ https://t.co/IpzhY8akpoΒ pic.twitter.com/VVw3KH1Kgk
Iowa State at Baylor
This wouldn't have been the matchup if Texas Tech had a healthy QB. They don't so a refreshed Brock Purdy takes on fellow gunslinger Charlie Brewer in Waco. This has shootout potential and the winner could have the inside track on a top four finish in the conference. We could see Brock and Brewer combine for a ton of yards and touchdowns.
BREAKING: Texas Tech QB Alan Bowman went to the locker room after suffering an injury on the first Red Raider offensive possession of the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/U8Z5S5kqdF
β Eric Kelly (@EricKellyTV) September 15, 2019
Texas Tech's Quarterback
Alan Bowman is down and whoever starts for Texas Tech has a tall task. Head coach Matt Wells better have them ready to play or the Red Raiders will get embarrassed in Norman. The Sooners can score at will, even with Tech playing slightly better on defense than recent memory. If the Texas Tech chosen starter doesn't play well it will be a long trip back home.
1. Oklahoma
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma State
4. Baylor
5. Kansas State
6. Iowa State
7. West Virginia
8. TCU
9. Kansas
10. Texas Tech
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
βHader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.β
And while it's easy to say βsuck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,β if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold βStros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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