The Cyclones play a big one while other offenses hope to keep rolling
Big 12 Report: Texas takes step back
Sep 12, 2019, 12:03 am
The Cyclones play a big one while other offenses hope to keep rolling
Joe Burrow has the Tigers looking good in Austin đŻ
â Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 8, 2019
LSU up 20-7 at half vs. Texas
(via @CBSSportsHQ)pic.twitter.com/QNT03JgeVw
The Longhorns couldn't get it done. They played their ass off in their second half but the Tigers were too tough down the stretch. Joe Burrow made every throw he needed to make and is clearly not last year's Joe Burrow. The Texas offense was inconsistent on the ground but got some solid runs from Roschon Johnson.
I truly believe if Keaontay Ingram doesn't drop the touchdown early Texas wins. I also believe if Todd Orlando doesn't blitz on 3rd and 17 in the fourth quarter Texas wins as well. Just a baffling move by Orlando.
Texas is clearly an elite team, but LSU was just better Saturday night. The Longhorns have no margin for error if they have designs on a playoff berth. Only perfection from here on out can get them into the playoff. That likely means two wins over Oklahoma.
DEVIN DUVERNAY KEEPING TEXAS ALIVE! pic.twitter.com/dUxUqTFPDc
â ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 8, 2019
Texas WR Devin Duvernay
When Texas needed something, they found Duvernay. He finished the day with 154 yards on 12 catches with two scores. He was a key player all night and in the biggest moments he was making plays in Austin.
Oklahoma State WR Tylan Wallace
How about five catches in back to back weeks. This week though, Wallace made it even better. He almost doubled his week one yardage total with 180 yards and added an extra score over week one with three touchdowns this week. He's a talented pass catcher in a conference loaded with them.
AMESDAY IT IS!
â College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 8, 2019
For the first time ever, we're coming to Iowa State!
(đ @HomeDepot) pic.twitter.com/ST9zP3fDDV
Iowa State and Iowa play for potentially the worst-named trophy in sports in the Cy-Hawk Trophy. That being said, this game is usually very fun to watch. Iowa has won four straight and Iowa State isn't nearly as talented as last year but with College Gameday in town, and potentially the last year with Cyclones coach Matt Campbell coaching in this one, it should be a blast.
This game also has a decent implication for the Big 12 as a whole. Imagine if Iowa State beats ranked Iowa and is undefeated on Nov. 11 when they play Oklahoma. That would be a huge feather in the Sooners cap or put the Cyclones in the Big 12 driver's seat.
Rondale Moore put up video game numbers vs. Vanderbilt đ€
â Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) September 8, 2019
13 REC
220 YARDS
TD
Top WR in the nation? pic.twitter.com/Gtty40m2xm
TCU's safeties
They have to try to cover Rondale Moore. Oh my. One of the most dynamic players in the nation will be a tough cover. Vanderbilt had trouble with him and they're better on defense than TCU. That being said, TCU sees spread success each year. It will be fun to see if they can contain the Heisman candidate.
Iowa State RB Johnnie Lang
When you are playing Iowa you are going to have to match their physicality. Lang has to be able to run the ball, you can't just throw and throw against Iowa that won't work. Lang will have to help the Cyclones control the clock if they have a lead. If they are behind, they have to keep some semblance of balance
1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma State
3. Texas
4. Baylor
5. Texas Tech
6. TCU
7. Iowa State
8. Kansas State
9. West Virginia
10. Kansas
All-Star balloting opened up this week for what used to be known as the Midsummer Classic in Major League Baseball. I guess some still refer to it as such but the All-Star Game has been largely a bore for many years, though the honor of being selected on merit remains a big one. As always, fans can vote at all positions except pitcher. The fan balloting has resulted in mostly good selections for years now, though pretty much all teams still do silly marketing stuff trying to drum up support for their players. The Astrosâ part in that silliness is their campaign to make it the âAll-âStrosâ game on the American League squad in Atlanta next month. Itâs one thing to be supportive of your team, itâs another to be flat out ridiculous if voting right now for Yainer Diaz, Christian Walker, Yordan Alvarez, Mauricio Dubon, or Cam Smith. The Astros tried to game the system in submitting Jose Altuve as a second baseman where the competition is weaker than it is in the outfield, but given Altuve has played only about 25 percent of the games at second base this season he should not be an All-Star second baseman selectee for what would be the tenth time in his career.
Isaac Paredesâs recent freefall notwithstanding, he has a legitimate case as a backup third baseman, especially with Alex Bregman likely missing more than a month of games due to his quad injury. Jake Meyers is having a fine season but is obviously not an All-Star-worthy outfielder unless he is sensational for the rest of June. That leaves Jeremy Peña, who is simply the best shortstop in the big leagues so far this season. To be clear, no team in baseball (including the Astros) would rather have Peña going forward than the Royalsâ Bobby Witt Jr., but weâre talking about the here and now. There are another 100 games to be played, but Peña not only is about a lock to deserve his first All-Star nod, but he is in contention to put in the books the greatest season ever by an Astro shortstop.
Over his first three seasons, Peña was a consistently mediocre offensive player. His highest batting average was .266, best on-base percentage .324, top slugging percentage .426. He is blowing away all those numbers thus far in 2025. While unlikely to come close to reaching his preseason goal of 50 stolen bases, Peña is swiping bags at the best success rate of his career. Add in Peñaâs stellar defense and that he has played in every Astrosâ game so far this season, and Peña has been irrefutably one of the 10 best and most valuable players in the American League. You could certainly argue as high as top three.
If Peña's productivity holds up for the rest of the season there are only three other seasons posted by Astro shortstops that are in the same league as what would be Peñaâs 2025. Carlos Correa has two of them. Lack of durability may be the biggest reason Correa is not tracking to be a Hall of Famer. In only two seasons as an Astro did Correa play in more than 136 games. He was fabulous in each of them. 2021 was his peak campaign, playing in 148 games while compiling an .850 OPS, winning a Gold Glove, and finishing fifth in AL MVP voting. Correaâs Baseball-Reference wins above replacement number for 2021 was 7.3. Peña is at 3.6 with nearly 20 games still left before the midway point of the schedule.
For the other great Astro shortstop season you have to go back to 1983. Dickie Thon turned 25 years old in June of â83. He put up a .798 OPS, which gains in stature given Thon played his home games in the Astrodome when the Dome was at its most pitching-friendly. Thon won the Silver Slugger Award as the best offensive shortstop in the National League, and played superior defense. His Baseball-Reference WAR number was 7.4. He finished seventh for NL MVP playing for an 85-77 Astrosâ squad that finished third in the NL West. Dickie Thon looked like an emerging superstar. Then, in the fifth game of the 1984 season, a fastball from Metsâ pitcher Mike Torrez hit Thon in the left eye, fracturing his orbital bone. Thon missed the rest of the â84 season. While Thon played in nine more big league seasons, his vision never fully recovered and he was never the same player. Itâs one of the biggest âWhat if...â questions in Astrosâ history.
Arms race
Players and the Commissionerâs Office pick the All-Star pitching staffs. Unless he suddenly starts getting lit up regularly, Hunter Brown can pack a bag for Georgia. Framber Valdez wouldnât make it now but has surged into contention. Josh Haderâs first half is going vastly better than last yearâs, so he is in line for a reliever spot.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold âStros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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