How Texans' defensive effort sets stage for heavyweight title bout
TEXANS ON TAP
20 November 2023
The Houston Texans secured a big victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, despite some struggles with turnovers from quarterback CJ Stroud.
Which is a departure from recent games, when Stroud was able to lead his team on game-winning drives in consecutive weeks. This past Sunday, Houston had to rely on their defense late in the game, with the offense unable to score any points in the second half.
The return of Derek Stingley has already made a significant impact as he came away with a big interception. Plus, linebackers Blake Cashman (19 tackles) and Christian Harris (5 tackles, 2 passes defended) had strong performances as well.
Cashman especially deserves credit, as he played out of position at Mike linebacker, with Denzel Perryman missing the game due to suspension.
By finishing the game strong and notching another win, the Texans now have the division crown in their sights, with Trevor Lawrence and the first place Jaguars coming to NRG this Sunday.
Plus, with another quality performance from Stroud and a win on Sunday, it would be hard to argue against the Texans having the best QB in the division, and possibly the MVP of the league.
Don't miss the video above as we react to the Texans' clutch win over the Cardinals and examine what this performance means moving forward.
Houston cruises past BYU to secure victory in Big 12 semifinals
Mar 15, 2025, 2:07 pm
Emanuel Sharpe scored 26 points, LJ Cryer had 20 and second-ranked Houston stifled No. 17 BYU in a 74-54 victory Friday night that moved the Cougars into the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the second consecutive season.
Milos Uzan added 14 points and Mylik Wilson pulled down 13 rebounds, helping the tournament's top seed jump to a big early lead and roll into Saturday night's matchup with Arizona on a 12-game win streak.
Houston (29-4) played without J'Wan Roberts, its leading rebounder, after he sprained his ankle early in the second half of the Cougars' quarterfinal win over Colorado. Roberts watched from the bench with his right foot in a walking boot.
He got to watch quite a defensive show by one of the nation's best.
Houston forced BYU to miss its first nine shots, including seven from beyond the arc, where coach Kevin Young's team had set a Big 12 Tournament record with 18 made 3s on its way to 96 points in a quarterfinal win over Iowa State. That nearly seven-minute lull allowed Houston to roar to a 15-0 lead that it spent the rest of the game protecting.
BYU trimmed its 40-21 halftime deficit to 13 midway through the second half but never threatened to come all the way back.
Keba Keita had 14 points and 12 rebounds for BYU. Dawson Baker scored 11 points and Richie Saunders had 10.
Takeaways
BYU still has not won a conference tournament title since 2001 in the Mountain West.
Houston lived up to its billing as the nation's No. 1 team in defensive efficiency.
Key moment
Sharpe converted a four-point play with 13:40 left in the first half to give Houston its 15-0 lead.
Key stat
Houston has beaten BYU by an average of 25.5 points in their two games this season.
Up next
Houston will play the Wildcats for the Big 12 title.
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