THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORT
Weekend NCAA football recap: Big wins for Texas and LSU, more disappointment from Houston
Sep 22, 2019, 2:38 pm
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Orgeron's explosive offense is only getting better and Herman's defense is laser-focused. Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State and with LSU:
Tulane 38, Houston 31
Houston blew a 21 point lead and the Green Wave rallied to a 38-31 victory Thursday night. Week after week, the Cougars further solidify my lack of faith in their ability to secure the win in the second half. Houston was off to a spectacular start; 17 seconds into the opening drive, D'Eriq King dropped a dime to Marquez Stevenson for a 75-yard touchdown. King threw for 229 yards, two touchdowns and ran for another score, breaking the FBS record for going 15-straight games with both a running and a passing touchdown. Keep in mind all of that explosiveness was overshadowed by a lackluster performance from the Cougars in the second half in which their only score was a made field goal by Dalton Witherspoon. Tulane receiver Jalen McCleskey scored on a 53-yard catch-and-run with three seconds left to seal the win for the Green Wave. McClesky finished with four catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns for Tulane. Green Wave quarterback Justin McMillan had 7-of-20 completed passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Houston is on the road against North Texas next Saturday night.
Auburn 28, Texas A&M 20
Although freshman quarterback Bo Nix did not put up flashy numbers for Auburn on Saturday, he didn't make any big mistakes in his first true road game and Auburn coach Gus Malzahn was pleased with his performance. "He's got something special to him," Malzahn said of Nix. "He's not your normal freshman. We knew that when we recruited him. One thing that I like is the moment ain't too big for him." Nix threw a touchdown pass and Ja'Tarvious Whitlow rushed for a score, helping No. 8 Auburn build an early lead and withstand a late surge from Texas A&M to get a 28-20 win over the 17th-ranked Aggies. Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond cut the lead to 21-10 with his first scoring pass early in the fourth quarter before Auburn added a rushing touchdown. Mond hit Ainias Smith with a 15-yard TD pass with just over two minutes left but Auburn recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. Mond finished with 335 yards passing but the Aggie's running game was held to just 56 yards. Auburn is expected to maintain its poll position but the Aggies will most certainly plummet in the poll or fall out altogether after the home loss. Texas A&M meets Arkansas in Cowboys Stadium next Saturday.
LSU 66, Vanderbilt 38
The fourth-ranked Tigers aggressive style offense is making waves around the nation and paying off for LSU in a major way. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow threw a school-record six touchdown passes and 398 yards, leading the undefeated Tigers to a 66-38 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Tigers scored their most points this season and the most ever in regulation against an SEC opponent. Burrow once again capitalized on the highlight reel opportunity, becoming the first LSU quarterback to throw for 350 yards or more in three consecutive games. His 357 passing yards before halftime also was the most in school history. "It's good," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. "I think that there's more to come. I really do. I think Joe is a fantastic player. He has a fantastic coach in [offensive coordinator] Steve Ensminger. We have a great plan, and as long as we protect the quarterback we're going to make big plays here at LSU." Burrow finished 25-of-34 before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter, marking the third time he has been subbed out early due to a lopsided score this season. The star quarterback is now 100-of-124 passing (80% completion) for 1,520 yards and 17 touchdowns in LSU's first four games. Four of Burrow's six TD passes went to receiver Ja'Marr Chase. The sophomore made TD grabs of 64, 25 and 51 yards in the first quarter, adding a 16-yarder in the third. Chase finished with 10 receptions for 229 yards, the most by an LSU receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2013. Expect LSU to hold their position within the top five based on the Tigers final victory margin. LSU is off next week before hosting Utah State on Oct. 5.
Texas 36, Oklahoma State 30
Sam Ehlinger threw four touchdowns for the third time this season and the No. 12 Longhorns' defense held Oklahoma State in check for most of the game to tough out a 36-30 victory Saturday night to open Big 12 play. The Longhorns' defense was locked in, holding OKST's Chuba Hubbard, the nation's leading rusher, to just 121 yards on 37 carries and two scores. Tylan Wallace, who tied for the national receiving lead with six touchdowns, was scoreless against the Longhorns and only had two receptions in the second half for the Cowboys. "The two guys were really hard to stop, I thought we did an admirable job of it", Texas coach Tom Herman said. "That's about as good as you're going to do against those two guys. ...We gave up big plays but bowed our backs when our back was against the wall." Ehlinger finished 20-of-28 with 281 yards passing. OKST coach Mike Gundy will likely feel some heat about decisions that cost the Cowboys valuable points. If OKST kicker Matt Ammendola had been allowed to kick his fourth and fifth field goals of the game, the Cowboys would have been tied after Hubbard's late score. Texas has a bye week next weekend, giving the battered Longhorns some much-needed time to heal bumps and bruises. Look for Texas to move up in the poll as No.7 Notre Dame, No. 10 Utah, and No. 11 Michigan all lost. Texas visits West Virginia on Oct. 5.
SMU 41, TCU 38
SMU quarterback Shane Buechele was 23-of-34 passing for 288 yards with two touchdowns and ran for another score, as SMU held off No. 25 TCU for a 41-38 victory on Saturday, snapping a 7-game losing streak in the 99th meeting between the schools. TCU quarterback Max Duggan finished 16-of-36 for 188 yards passing and three touchdowns. Veteran running back Xavier Jones ran for 79 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown, and caught a 3-yard TD early in the fourth quarter to put the Mustangs up 38-24. "It's a simple thing. We got outplayed. We got outcoached," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. TCU will fall out of the top 25, a week after getting ranked. The Horned Frogs host Kansas next Saturday to open Big 12 Conference play.
Baylor 21, Rice 13
Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer threw for 303 yards and a touchdown, leading Baylor to a close 21-13 win over Rice on Saturday. "I believe this with all my heart -- we needed that game," Baylor coach Matt Rhule said. "We needed that experience." Baylor receiver Chris Platt finished with five receptions for 85 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown pass from Brewer with five minutes left in the second quarter. The Owls had the ball and a chance to tie with three minutes left to play but two sacks ended the drive. Rice's band played the Village People's "YMCA" as dozens of students rushed the field donning rainbow flags during halftime. A Baylor spokesperson told the Houston Chronicle the school's administration declined earlier this month to officially recognize an LGBTQ -student group on campus. Baylor hosts Iowa State on Saturday to open Big 12-Play.
Texas State 37, Georgia State 34
Joshua Rowland kicked a 35-yard field goal for Texas State and the Bobcats snapped Georgia State 37-34 in a triple-overtime nail-biter to open Sun Belt Conference play Saturday night. Quarterback Gresh Jenson completed 16-of-24 for Texas State.
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As Opening Day draws near, the Astros have a renewed sense of optimism thanks to some savvy offseason moves made to bolster their roster and keep the team's championship window open for the foreseeable future.
This year, the lineup will look a little different without Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. Still, Houston has multiple players on this team who could have breakout seasons and fill the offensive void left behind by the two departing All-Stars.
Cam Smith
During the offseason, the Astros made the controversial choice to trade Tucker to the Cubs for Isaac Parades, Hayden Wesneski and Chicago’s highly rated prospect Cam Smith.
Parades and Wesneski were acquired to give Houston a third baseman and another potential starting pitcher to add to their rotation. Smith was supposed to be a prospect with high potential who could become a good player in the coming years. However, the Astros likely did not expect the 22-year-old to break out during Spring Training as he did.
The former Florida State Seminole had an impressive .342 batting average with four homers. He also showcased he can play multiple positions, having spent time at third base and in right field during Grapefruit League games.
Smith was getting reps in the outfield as a way to get his bat in the lineup and has looked good out there so far.
Thanks to his stellar play during Spring Training, Smith earned a spot on the Astros' Opening Day roster, becoming the third-fastest position player in MLB history to make the majors having only played 32 minor league games. Houston has found their new everyday right fielder and another lethal bat to add to the lineup for the foreseeable future.
“His approach at the plate, his swing decisions, how hard he’s hitting the ball, we need some of that type of hitter in our lineup, something last year that we somewhat struggled with. If we could add players like him in our lineup, it would stretch our lineup even further.” Astros’ manager Joe Espada said about Smith.
Zach Dezenzo
The Astros' other Spring Training breakout player was Zach Dezenzo, who just earned his first-ever Opening Day roster spot.
The 24-year-old hit .415 (17-for-41) with two homers and made appearances at multiple positions this spring, further solidifying his spot on this roster as a necessary depth piece.
The former Ohio State Buckeye made the big league roster as a utility player, as he can play both corner outfield field positions in addition to first and third base.
“He’s had a great spring.” Espada said about Dezenzo. “His defense in the outfield has been better than what I thought. He actually picked up on it pretty quickly”.
With the recent news that Jon Singleton was cut, and Christian Walker is dealing with an oblique injury, it would seem Dezenzo has a chance to see most of his playing time at first base and fill in at third base or left field this season when needed.
Jeremy Pena
Houston's best hitter during Spring Training wasn’t Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez or Yanier Diaz, but instead was Jeremy Pena.
The 27-year-old is entering his fourth big league season with the Astros and is looking to recapture some of the offensive magic he had during his 2022 rookie campaign.
Pena has seen his OPS drop slightly over the last three years, but could become one of the best hitters in the Astros' lineup this season with the amount of work he put into his swing during the offseason.
The fruits of his labor paid off, for Houston’s shortstop had a .475 batting average with two homers and drove in 10 runs during Spring Training,
Despite the roster turnover, the Astros still have an elite team in place to compete for the top spot in the American League West and become a playoff team again.