Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State:
Saturday NCAA Football Recap: Baylor remains undefeated; Houston still doesn’t know which way is up
Nov 3, 2019, 12:32 pm
Photo by Getty Images
UCF 44, Houston 29
My annoyance with Dana Holgorsen know no bounds. The Cougars have only won three games this season and it's starting to feel like Holgorsen is attempting to introduce tanking to college football. But the gag is, the only thing a 3-5 record gets you in college football is bad recruits. I digress. Houston actually started off pretty well in their 29-44 loss to UCF on Saturday. The Cougars jumped out to an early 10-0 lead on Mulbah Car's 37-yard touchdown run and a 45-yard field goal by Dalton Witherspoon. UCF pulled away with three third-quarter touchdowns and Houston never recovered. Houston quarterback Clayton Tune finished 18-for-30 for 179 yards, one touchdown and one interception. UCF quarterback Dillion Gabriel hit 21-of-30 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Houston is off next week to hopefully do some soul-searching before hosting Memphis at home on Nov. 16.
Oklahoma State 34, TCU 27
Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard racked up 223 yards and two long touchdowns, leading the Cowboys to a 34-27 victory over a TCU team with one of the best defensive coached in college football. According to a TCU spokesperson, Hubbard became the first player to rush for at least 200 yards against TCU in Gary Patterson's 19-year run as head coach. "When Chuba gets through there, nobody can catch him," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. "That makes him different than other players." OKST quarterback Spencer Sanders threw for 158 yards and two touchdown passes to Dillon Stoner who finished with three receptions and 93 yards for the Cowboys, who became bowl eligible for the 14th straight year. The Horned Frogs entered the day allowing just 103.7 yards rushing per game but surrendered 307 on Saturday. TCU hosts an undefeated Baylor on Saturday.
Texas A&M 45, UTSA 14
The Aggies fell behind early on Saturday against UTSA and needed a spark to bounce back and secure the victory. Isiah Spiller was the match that lit the flame for Texas A&M. The freshman running back set season highs with 217 yards rushing and three touchdowns, leading the Aggies to a demoralizing 45-14 victory over UTSA. "He was the catalyst today," Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said of Spiller. "He's growing each and every day." The Aggie's win over UTSA is their third straight victory and makes them bow-eligible for the 11th-straight season. Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond threw for 211 yards, one touchdown and a one-yard touchdown in the ground to lift the Aggies to 42-7 in the fourth quarter. UTSA quarterback Lowell Narcisse threw for 90 yards passing and racked up 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground before suffering a right thumb injury early in the third quarter. The Aggies are off next week and host South Carolina on Nov. 16.
Baylor 17, West Virginia 14
Bad Baylor has come a long way from their one-win 2017 season. The 12th-ranked Bears put on a defensive showdown on Thursday night to hold off West Virginia and improve to 8-0. Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense blocked a late field goal, securing Baylor's 17-14 victory over West Virginia. This marks the first time Baylor has won a game when scoring less than 20 points since 2006. "A tremendous, tremendous defensive game," coach Matt Rhule said after the 17-14 victory over West Virginia on Thursday night. "We are still learning that it's OK just to play defense and not worry." Bad Baylor is the only undefeated Big 12 team and one of eight among FBS teams. Baylor's defense may have won the game but its offensive line was all but useless, allowing Brewer to be stuffed by West Virginia eight times. The game-winning play came when Baylor nose tackle Bravvion Roy blocked Casey Legg's 48-yard field goal with 3.5 minutes left. "A lot of guys hurt in that locker room. I hurt for them," first-year Mountaineers coach Neal Brown said. "I hurt because they invested. They came up short. I don't' know if we necessarily got beat, but we came up short." Baylor travels to TCU to face the Horned Frogs next week.
Louisiana 31, Texas State 3
Running back Elijah Mitchell rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries for the Rajin' Cajuns and Louisiana-Lafayette clobbered Texas State 31-3 on Saturday. Bobcat quarterback Tyler Vitt finished 24-of-34 for 206 yards-passing and two interceptions for Texas State.
Marshall 20, Rice 7
Isaiah Green threw for 269 yards and a touchdown and Marshall rolled to 20-7 victory over winless Rice on Saturday.
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Astros set for pivotal homestand, demotion marks new chapter for Houston
Aug 28, 2024, 10:49 pm
Yordan Alvarez hit three home runs and rookie Spencer Arrighetti carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning as the Houston Astros routed the Philadelphia Phillies and Taijuan Walker 10-0 on Wednesday.
3 HR GAME. YORDAN ALVAREZ. pic.twitter.com/HAR3XZhqYa
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 28, 2024
Arrighetti, a 24-year-old right-hander, shut down the NL East-leading Phillies through seven innings and lost his no-hitter in the eighth inning when leadoff hitter Austin Hays reached on an infield single. Third baseman Shay Whitcomb just missed gloving the ball, and shortstop Jeremy Peña couldn’t throw out Hays after fielding the ball deep in the hole at shortstop. Whitcomb entered as a defensive replacement after Alex Bregman was hit in the head by an 88-mph pitch from Michael Mercado in the seventh inning.
Arrighetti (7-11) was lifted with two outs in the eighth, finishing with 11 strikeouts and four walks while allowing two hits in his longest outing as a professional in either the majors or minors. He was trying to become the fourth pitcher in the big leagues to toss a no-hitter this season, joining teammate Ronel Blanco, who no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays on April 1. Bryan King worked 1 1/3 innings and combined with Arrighetti to limit the Phillies to three hits.
Alvarez hit the first of his three homers in the fourth inning off Walker, a two-run, opposite-field shot. He took Mercado out of the park in the seventh and eighth innings to finish with four hits and four RBIs. It was his third career three-homer game.
Chas McCormick also went deep for the AL West-leading Astros, who avoided a three-game sweep while winning for just the third time in nine games. Houston matched its season high with 18 hits.
Walker (3-6) was tagged for six runs on 13 hits in six innings. The Phillies have lost his last nine starts. The 32-year-old right-hander signed a four-year, $72 million deal prior to the 2023 season.
Jose Altuve got Houston on the board in the first inning by stealing home. With runners on first and third, Walker threw to first to keep Peña close. First baseman Bryce Harper lost track of the speedy Altuve, who slid in past Harper’s throw after the two-time MVP realized Altuve was running.
Arrighetti took over from there, striking out four of the first five Phillies he faced. A sixth-round pick in the amateur draft, Arrighetti entered the game 6-11 with a 4.94 ERA and having allowed 112 hits in 116 2/3 innings. He was in great shape with his pitch count through seven innings, having thrown 53 of his 86 pitches for strikes.
Houston left fielder Mauricio Dubón kept the no-hit bid alive with a leaping catch of Brandon Marsh’s fly ball against the wall for the final out of the seventh inning. Houston has 17 no-hitters in franchise history.