Saturday NCAA Football Recap
Expected victories and losses throughout the Lone Star State in Week 8 of college football
Oct 21, 2018, 2:45 pm
Major Applewhite and the Cougars are on a roll. Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images
Let’s admit it - this week panned out exactly as we expected. Here’s what happened:
Houston 49, Navy 36
Star quarterback D’Eriq King and the dazzling Cougar offense rallied in the second half to overcome a 24-21 deficit to defeat the Midshipmen 49-36 on Saturday afternoon. "It's great to be a Cougar and see home-grown talent like D'Eriq continue to make play after play," Houston coach Major Applewhite said. "We just need to get more guys like him." King was 25-or-38 passing with 413 yards, three touchdowns and one rushing score. Receiver Marquez Stevenson caught eight passes for 141 yards and rushed for a score for the now bowl-eligible Cougars. Senior corner back Nick Watkins scored on a perfectly timed 50-yard interception in the fourth quarter, securing the win for Houston. "I'm proud of the way they responded," Applewhite said, "because we didn't always play well in the first half."
Oklahoma 52, TCU 27
The ninth-ranked Sooners dominated from start to finish and bounced back from thier only loss, rolling over TCU in for a 52-27 victory on Saturday. "It was just perfect how the game unfolded, we came out and played like we were capable of, carrying over some momentum we had," Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. The Horned Frogs were held to a mere 275 total yards and two offensive touchdowns. Freshman running back Kennedy Brooks ran for 168 yards and two scores on 18 carries and sophomore Trey Sermon ran for 110 yards and two scores on 17 carries. This win marks the Sooners’ 18th consecutive road victory. Oklahoma has not lost consecutive games in the regular season since 1999 and could be on the path to the College Football Playoff. TCU has a road game against Kansas next Saturday and OU is home for the first time in short of a month to play Kansas State.
Texas Tech 48, Kansas 16
Alan Bowman stuns in every game he plays and Saturday’s 48-16 victory over Kansas was no exception. Playing for the first time since suffering a partially collapsed lung three weeks ago, the freshman quarterback completed 36-of-46 passes with 408 yards and three touchdowns for the Red Raiders. "It's been a while. We just wanted to make sure practice went well. Didn't want any setbacks," coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "We felt confident ... a few days after he got out of the hospital that he'd be ready for this date. We just wanted to make sure he held up, felt good. His breathing was fine." Texas Tech receiver Antoine Wesley had nine receptions for 155 yards and one score.
LSU 19, Mississippi State 3
What should have been a exciting victory was spoiled for Tigers fans after LSU linebacker Devin White was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter, making him ineligible in the first half of the Tigers’ upcoming game against undefeated, top-ranked Alabama. White seemed to lower his head as he slammed into Mississippi quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, seconds after he released a pass that was intercepted by defensive back Kristian Fulton. Not only was LSU penalized for targeting, two flags were drawn for unsportsmanlike conduct for excessive celebration, resulting in 45 yards in penalties on one play. "I've got to look at it. The call is the call. They reviewed it," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. "That's the rule. The rule is you can't lead with your head." Quarterback Joe Burrow was 16-of-28 with 129 passing yards for the Tigers.
Florida International 36, Rice 17
Junior quarterback James Morgan, completed 20-of-29 passes for 229 and two touchdowns, leading the Panthers to a dominating victory over the Owls on Saturday night.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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