MARCH MADNESS
Injuries a factor in Cougars' Sweet 16 loss to Duke
Apr 3, 2024, 10:56 am
Tough break for the Coogs. Photo via: Wiki Commons.
Jamal Shead buried his head in his arms at his locker as reporters shuffled away from their postgame interview with the Houston point guard.
The top-seeded Cougars had just lost to Duke 54-51 in the Sweet 16 on Friday night, with Shead missing the final 26 minutes after the All-American sprained his right ankle.
“You say, well, who is your point guard to replace Jamal?” coach Kelvin Sampson said. “We don’t have a point guard to replace Jamal. We’ve had guys to go in and rest him, but get him back in.”
There was no going back in for Shead, and no moving on to the Elite Eight for the third time in his four years with the Cougars, which included a Final Four run when he was a freshman in 2021.
The fortunes of the Cougars changed dramatically with 6 1/2 minutes left in the first half when Shead planted his foot on a drive, turning it awkwardly as he continued the play and missed a contested layup.
In obvious pain, Shead went to the floor under the basket, reached at his foot and then pulled his jersey up over his face. After being tended to by an athletic trainer, Shead walked gingerly past the Houston bench and into the tunnel toward the locker room.
It was a different kind of pain as he rested his head on the left shoulder of teammate Ja'Vier Francis in a somber Houston locker room.
“I hate that it ended like this,” Shead said. “I wish I could have got back out there and at least been in the fight. It would have been different if I could have at least limped around a little bit and fought a little bit. Just been in the fight with them until the end. It didn’t happen that way.”
X-rays showed no fracture and Shead's injury was diagnosed as a severely sprained ankle, CBS Sports reported.
The CBS broadcast at halftime showed video of Shead coming out of the locker room, using a scooter with his right knee resting on that, and no sock or shoe on the foot he hurt, while using his left leg to move.
Shead spent the second half on the bench, a black warmup top covering his jersey but still in shorts. There was never any indication he would return.
After Emanuel Sharp's 3-point attempt in the final seconds fell short and fourth-seeded Duke inbounded to run out the clock, Shead stayed in his seat for a couple of minutes before limping off the floor toward the locker room.
“It doesn’t feel like a fair fight,” Sampson said. “You would have to take maybe two of theirs to equal one of Jamal. That’s how good he was. You don’t have another one of those. You don’t have the best defensive player in the Big 12. You don’t have a guy that made all the big shots at the end.”
Shead had two points on 1-of-5 shooting with three assists and two steals while playing the first 13 minutes.
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The Houston Texans were trailing 6-0 and facing third-and-16 from their 17 late in the first half of their wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers when quarterback C.J. Stroud fumbled the snap.
The play looked to be heading for disaster. But instead, Stroud grabbed the ball and evaded the rush to find Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard gain.
The Texans went on to score a touchdown on that drive as the first of 23 straight points as they rallied for a 32-12 win.
They’ve advanced to the divisional round for a second straight season where they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.
Coach DeMeco Ryans called Stroud salvaging that play the play of the game and raved about his second-year quarterback.
“That’s what it looks like when your best players step up and make the plays,” Ryans said. “That’s what playoff football is about. That’s what being a big-time player in the league is about.”
Even after he made the play, Stroud was unhappy because he fumbled the snap. But he felt much better when he looked to his sideline after the throw.
“And everybody was turned up, and that turned me up, because I was still kind of mad at myself,” he said. “Those are the type of plays that change momentum, and a team can rally around plays like that.”
Stroud threw for 282 yards with a touchdown pass to Nico Collins and an interception. He joined Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy as quarterbacks to win playoff starts in each of their first two seasons.
Stroud also ran for 42 yards, highlighted by a career-long 27-yard run to help set up a field goal that put the Texans up 10-6 at halftime.
Stroud, who is not known for his scrambling ability joked about his “slow speed.”
He said the long run energized him.
“I felt my joy coming back after I got up, and it’s just one the best feelings in the world,” he said. “After you make a play, you’re just turned up and your teammates are turned up with you. That’s one of the best feelings in the world. I think that gave our team juice. I think me using my legs is definitely going to be helpful this postseason.”
Ryans was thrilled to see Stroud doing whatever he had to do to lift his team to the victory.
“That’s what you call (putting) the team on your back,” he said.
What’s working
The Texans intercepted Justin Herbert a career-high four times after he had thrown just three interceptions all season. All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley had two picks and Eric Murray returned one 38 yards for a touchdown. Rookie Kamari Lassiter had the other interception to join J.J. Watt as the only rookies in franchise history to have an interception in a playoff game.
Houston’s four interceptions are a franchise record for a playoff game and Murray’s interception return for a score was the fourth in the postseason in team history.
What needs help
For the Texans to have a chance against the Chiefs, they’ll have to take better care of the ball after committing three turnovers Saturday.
John Metchie fumbled after a catch on Houston’s first offensive play. Stroud threw an interception in the second quarter and Joe Mixon lost a fumble early in the third quarter.
Stock up
CB D’Angelo Ross was a special teams star Saturday. He blocked a punt in the first quarter before returning a blocked extra point for two points in the fourth.
The blocked punt was the first in a playoff game since the 2021 season and the PAT return was the first in NFL playoff history.
Stock down
LG Tytus Howard gave up a sack and had two penalties Saturday.
Injuries
The Texans didn’t have any injuries in Saturday’s game.
Key number
168 — Houston’s 168 yards rushing Saturday were the second most in a playoff game in franchise history behind the 188 the team gained in its first-ever postseason game in 2012. Mixon led the way with 106 yards for his eighth 100-yard game this season.
Up next
The Texans play in the divisional round for the sixth time in franchise history where a win will earn them their first trip to the AFC championship game.