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Saturday NCAA Football Recap: Big wins in the Lone Star State in Week 4
Kalah Winters
Sep 23, 2018, 3:32 pm
Tech is on a roll. Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images
Emphatic victories for Texas Tech and Texas in Week 4. Here’s how it went down:
Houston 70, Texas Southern 14
The Tigers were no match for the swift-moving offense of the Houston Cougars. Junior quarterback D’Eriq King was 20-of-25 with 200 yards, three touchdown passes and one rushing score as the Cougars rolled to a 70-14 blowout victory over Texas Southern on Saturday.
Alabama 45, Texas A&M 23
Sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was a force to be reckoned with, completing 22-of-30 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns for the undefeated Crimson Tide, including his first pass of the game to sophomore receiver DeVonta Smith for a score. Even Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher was impressed with Tagovailoa. "He's good. I mean he's good," Fisher said. "He's got good people around him. I mean he's got really good people around him, and we tried to pressure him and he scrambled and they've got a good scheme, and they did a good job. He was very effective at what he did, and we've got to play better." This was ‘Bama’s first test against a ranked opponent and they proved they are the top team in the nation for a reason. Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond got beat up pretty bad in Saturday’s game, completing only 16-of-33 passes for 196 yards, two interceptions and was sacked seven times.
Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma State 17
Alan Bowman shined in his Big 12 debut as the Red Raiders rolled over No. 15 Oklahoma State on Saturday night. The freshman quarterback has kept Tech undefeated since losing McLane Carter to injury in the season opener. Bowman was 35-of-46 with 397 yards and two touchdowns, securing the Raider’s first victory against the Cowboys sine 2008. Senior receiver Ja’Deion High led the Raiders in catches with eight receptions for 79 yards. Demarcus Felton rushed for 121 yards and two scores for Tech in their 41-14 victory over the Cowboys.
Texas 31, TCU 16
The formerly losing Longhorns are back and better than they have been in a long while. Sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger was 22-of-32, threw for 255 yards, two touchdowns, and one rushing score in the Longhorns emphatic victory over the Frogs on Saturday. The Texas defense forced four turnovers, three of which were by TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson in the third quarter. "There's a grit to this team that's a lot of fun to be around," Texas coach Tom Herman said. "All (the win) does is validate the fact that we have taken another step. We have many steps left to take." Texas receiver Colin Johnson finished with 124 yards on seven receptions, including a 31-yard touchdown catch that gave Texas the lead in the second half. It is safe to say the Longhorns are going to be a conference championship contender. Hook ‘em!
Baylor 26, Kansas 7
Sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer was 19 for 27, threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns for the Bears in their Big 12 conference opener against Kansas on Saturday. "He just scored. ... The ball's moving," Baylor coach Matt Rhule said. "Keeping us alive with his feet. I thought that was the x-factor early on, was Charlie making some of those plays." Brewer also rushed for 56 yards, leading Baylor to a 26-7 victory, breaking a rare winning streak for Kansas.
Southern Miss 40, Rice 22
Sophomore quarterback Jack Abraham passed for 428 yards and four touchdowns leading Southern Miss to a 40-22 victory over Rice on Saturday in the Conference USA opener for both teams.
UTSA 25, Texas State 21
Bobcat quarterback Taylor Vitt was 15-of-22 with 192 yards in Saturday’s loss to UTSA. Sophomore kicker Jared Sackett held kicked three long field goals for the Roadrunners as they held off the Bobcats for the third time.
LSU 38, Louisiana Tech 21
This game was surely not supposed to be as close as it was for so long and if you ask LSU coach Ed Orgeron, the Tigers we not playing to win. "We won the game, but it wasn't good enough," Orgeron said. "Obviously, we're not happy." LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was 16-of-28 passing for 191 yards. Despite being projected to lose by three touchdowns, LA Tech quarterback J’Mar Smith threw for 330 yards and three scores, giving LSU a run for their money.
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The NFL Draft, NBA playoffs, and NHL playoffs all dwarf baseball in the sports pecking order this week, but that doesn’t detract from the Astros playing their best stretch of baseball in the still young season. Following up taking two of three from the previously sizzling hot Padres by sweeping the Blue Jays three straight has the Astros’ record at a just fine 13-11 as they open a three-game weekend series in Kansas City. 13-11 may not sound special, because it isn’t, but having come home from St. Louis last week with the record at 8-10 makes 13-11 a quality leap. Plus, a 13-11 pace over 162 games extrapolates to 87 wins, which last season were enough to win the American League West and for an AL Wild Card spot.
Batter up!
While no one will be confusing the potency of this Astros’ lineup with those of the 2017 or 2019 juggernauts, some welcome perking up may have kicked in, despite Yordan Alvarez still not getting rolling. After Joe Espada gave Christian Walker a “mental rest” game off Monday, Walker produced a three-hit game Tuesday and a two-hit follow-up Wednesday, including a home run. Walker’s .202 batting average and .640 OPS are still lousy, but a much lesser grade of lousy than the statistical abyss he was in starting the Toronto series. Yainer Diaz has been much worse than Walker to this point. Diaz managed at least one hit in all three games of the Jays series. Baby steps. He is still sitting on an unacceptable three walks in 78 plate appearances.
Speaking of hits and walks, Jeremy Pena carries a 14-game hitting streak into the weekend. One-quarter of the way to Joe DiMaggio’s big league record! Willy Taveras set the Astros’ record with a 30-gamer back in 2006. Pena hasn’t been crushing it during the streak, during which he has just two multi-hit games. He’s had stretches where he has hit better and slugged harder (2022 postseason anyone?), but while too small a stretch to declare a leap has been made, it is noteworthy that over the 14 games Pena has drawn six walks. That gives him eight free passes in 24 games this season. More math fun! That’s one walk drawn per three games, which over 162 games would make for 54. Last season in 157 games played Pena drew a paltry 25 walks. Add in that his defense has been superb so far this season with a number of fabulous plays made and just one error committed, and Pena could be making modest offensive improvement that makes him a meaningfully better player.
Furthermore speaking of hits and walks, it’s been a struggle on both fronts the last couple of weeks for Jose Altuve. A two-week funk does not represent a crisis, but there are troubling trends that bear watching as Altuve sets to turn 35 years old May 6. Over his last 14 games, Altuve’s OPS is a sub-Maldonadian .547. In this stretch he has two doubles as his lone extra base hits and drawn just two walks. Altuve has struck out 22 times in 24 games. Setting aside the short 2020 COVID season when Altuve never got it going, last year he had the worst strikeout percentage of his career, while his walk rate was his worst since 2015. So far this season, Altuve’s strikeout rate is more than 20 percent worse than last year’s, with his walk rate down 30 percent from 2024. He is hitting line drives at a much lower rate than ever before, and struggling to get the ball in the air. The season still isn’t 20 percent old, but since Altuve last season finished with his lowest OPS (.790, again, exempting 2020) since 2013, and his current .728 OPS is 62 points lower than that, the antennae of at least mild concern are up. This is the first season of Altuve’s five-year 125 million dollar contract extension. Remember, the Astros would not offer Kyle Tucker a contract that took him to age 35.
Bringing the heat!
Hunter Brown makes his next start Sunday in Kansas City. Good luck Royals! Until getting a doubleheader against the pathetic Rockies Thursday, K.C. was averaging under three runs per game. Brown's earned run average through five starts is 1.16! It's waaaaay early to focus on this, but the best season ERA for an Astro pitcher who qualified for the statistical lead (one inning pitched per team game played) belongs to Nolan Ryan who posted a 1.69 in the strike-shortened 1981 season. Over a full-schedule season, Justin Verlander's 1.75 in 2022 is the standard. Brown has fired 24 consecutive shutout innings. Ryan Pressly holds the Astros’ record with 38 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. Orel Hershiser set the Major League record by finishing the 1988 regular season with a ridiculous 59 straight shutout innings. Yes he won the National League Cy Young Award. The Cy Young is strictly a regular season award. Hershiser in 1988 also won the League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award, and World Series MVP.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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