Houston secures a win without D'Eriq King and A&M narrowly staves off Kansas. Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State:

Saturday NCAA Football Recap: Tech gets hammered, Houston fights on, A&M escapes defeat

Kalah Winters
Sep 29, 2019, 2:32 pm
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 Houston 46, North Texas 25

After Houston quarterback D'Eriq King and receiver Keith Corbin announced they would redshirt the remainder of the 2019 season, running back Patrick Carr stepped up, running for 139 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Cougars to a 46-25 victory over North Texas on Saturday night. In the second half, receiver Marquez Stevenson scored on a dazzling 82-yard kickoff return, the first Cougar to score on a kickoff since 2016. Although it looks like Houston's offense was the hero on Saturday night, safety Grant Stuard was disrupting the backfield on defense like he paid rent there with 11 tackles for the Cougars. Clayton Tune was rocky but he certainly made a statement, completing 16-of-20 passes with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Courtney Lark in the first quarter. Houston is off next week and hosts Cincinnati on Oct. 12.

Oklahoma 55, Texas Tech 16

Superstar quarterback Jalen Hurts looked comfortable and focused on Saturday as he led the Sooners to a demoralizing 55-16 victory over Texas Tech. Hurts threw for 415 yards, three touchdowns and ran for another score in his first 400-yard passing game since transferring from Alabama. "He's seeing the field really well," Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. "He's understanding how we want to attack people. He was a little more confident today, a little bit more steady." Hurt's 485 yards of total offense ranks eighth in Oklahoma history. Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb dominated the backfield and finished with career highs of 185 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday. As if breaking individual records wasn't enough, Lamb was elevated to seventh in Oklahoma history in yards receiving. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Hurts, who threw his first interception of the season on a deflected pass in the third quarter. "We could have sat there and dwelled on it, pouted, whatever, but that's not the culture we have as a team," Hurts said. "We learn from it and move forward and keep the main thing the main thing." Oklahoma receiver Charleston Rambo, who entered the day leading the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns, had 122 yards receiving on just two catches in the first quarter. The Sooners entered the game leading the nation in offense and gained 642 yards. They have finished with at least 600 yards in each game this season. Oklahoma jumped to 4th in the poll after handling business against Texas Tech. The Sooners play at Kansas on Saturday.

Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 27

There's something freaky about these Texas A&M vs. Arkansas games: Even when the Aggies are favored by more than three touchdowns, the games always come down to the wire. Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, leading Texas A&M to a 31-27 victory over Arkansas on Saturday. Receiver Quartney Davis finished with two touchdowns and 62 yards receiving on 7 receptions for the Aggies. "I wouldn't say it's embarrassing. I've been playing this game for the past three years and it seems like every year it comes down to the wire," Davis said. "It's a pretty interesting game." The Aggies missed an opportunity to take the lead after lineman Justin Madubuike intercepted a pass by Nick Starkel at the goal line with 5:30 left in the first half. Instead, Dejon Harris picked up a fumble and returned it six yards for a touchdown on the next play, putting Arkansas within 14-10 with five minutes to play in the first half. "I had never had an interception in my life," Madubuike said. "I just looked up to see where the ball was and it just appeared right to my left peripheral. I turned and it was right there, and grabbed it and tried to run, and he tried to tackle me." The Aggies did just enough to hang onto the 23rd spot in the poll and will face second-ranked Alabama at home on Oct. 12.

TCU 51, Kansas 14

True freshman quarterback Max Duggan was nearly flawless in his second consecutive start, leading TCU to a 51-14 victory over Kansas on Saturday to open Big 12 play. Duggan led touchdown drives on each of his first-half possessions and finished 8-of-11 passing for 100 yards and two touchdowns. The Horned Frogs defense held Kansas to only 55 yards going into the fourth quarter and handed the Jayhawks their 46th consecutive Big 12 road loss. Duggan was replaced by graduate transfer Alex Delton halfway through the second quarter with TCU in a comfortable 28-0 lead. TCU plays its first Big 12 road game at Iowa State on Saturday.

 Baylor 23, Iowa State 21

As much as I like to harp on the importance of defense, field goals can really make or break a team that has blown a 20-point lead. Baylor coach Matt Rhule passed on a field goal attempt after redshirt freshman John Mayers badly missed a kick in the first half. Then the kid got another chance from the same distance of the early miss and he slipped in the 38-yarder with 21 seconds left for the first field goal of his career, elevating the Bears to a narrow 23-21 victory over Iowa State on Saturday. "Best one of my life so far, I think," Mayers said. "It was good to have to get another chance because a lot of times you don't as a kicker. The offense did a heck of a job to get the ball down there, and I was glad to get an opportunity." Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer finished 26-of-45 with 307 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Bears are at Kansas State next Saturday.

Texas State 24, Nicholls  3

Bobcats quarterback Gresch Jensen threw two touchdowns in the second half and ran for another score, leading Texas State to a 24-3 victory over Nicholls on Saturday night. The Bobcats face UL Monroe at home on Oct. 10.

Louisiana Tech 23, Rice 20

Louisiana Tech quarterback J'Mar Smith ran for a touchdown in overtime and lifted the Bulldogs to a narrow victory over Rice in Houston on Saturday night. The Owls are on the road against UAB on Saturday.

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THE NCAA REWIND

Saturday NCAA Football Recap: Baylor is still undefeated; LSU continues its quest for perfection in Week 8

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Maybe Bad Baylor isn't so bad after all. Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State and with LSU:

Houston 24, UConn 17

While my thoughts on the Cougars' coaching staff have not changed since last week, defensive back Grant Stuard further solidified my views that he is quite possibly the most disruptive player in college football. He's hungry and it shows. Stuard had 15 tackles, including a touchdown-saving effort to stop a 58-yard run by UConn's Kevin Mensah in the Cougars' 24-17 win over the Huskies on Saturday. While some credit the win to Houston coach Dana Holgorsen's son, Logan, I know the victory would not have been possible without Stuard. Dana Holgerson was caught on the sideline in the second quarter making a profanity-riddled comment about his players' inability to be coached which, to me, speaks volumes about his inability to communicate effectively with his team. "I say things all the time I don't mean," Holgorsen said. "In the heat of the battle, things on the sidelines, hot mics or cameras getting caught. My guys know good and well what I think of them, how hard I'd coach them and how much I think of them and how much I appreciate everything that they do." People who "appreciate" you show it. That's all I'm going to say about that. The Cougars return home to No. 19 SMU on Thursday night.

Texas 50, Kansas 48

Dicker. Kicker. On the brink of a massive upset by an unranked opponent, it was up to quarterback Sam Ehlinger and kicker Cameron Dicker to bring it home for the Longhorns. And they delivered. Ehlinger drove the Longhorns to the Jayhawks 21-yard line, putting Texas within field goal range with 1:11 left to play. Dicker kicked a 33-yarder as the clock expired to lift the Longhorns to a 50-48 victory, bringing an end to a fourth quarter scoring shootout that saw schools exchange six touchdowns, two field goals and a blocked extra point for a two-point safety. "I love kickers," said Herman, who makes a joke of not saying a kicker's name, and still didn't in his postgame news conference. "I'm glad that we have the one we have." Ehlinger finished with 399 yards passing, four touchdowns and added another 91 yards on the ground. "A win's a win," Ehlinger said. "Very thankful we were able to pull that out." Despite having the worst offense in the Big 12, the Jayhawks were explosive under recently promoted offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon. "I got guys that are fighting like hell to be a part of what we're doing here and Dearmon is one of them," Kansas coach Les Miles said. Despite the win, Texas could drop in the polls after nearly losing to the worst team in the Big 12. Texas is on the road against TCU next Saturday.

​Kansas State 24, TCU 17

It's been a long time coming for Kansas State. Junior quarterback Skylar Thompson threw two touchdowns that sparked a late game surge to top TCU 24-17 in Kansas State's first win on over a month and their first Big 12 win of the season. "Just the toughness and resolve because he got hit a lot and he always just kept coming back," Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said of Thompson. The Wildcats finished with only 266 yards in a game that felt like TCU should have won. "I mean, we practice what they do and then we react to whatever else they do," TCU cornerback Julius Lewis said. "We've got to keep working." TCU hosts Texas on Saturday.

Texas A&M 24, Mississippi 17

After trailing midway through the third quarter, Texas A&M defensive tackle Justin Madubuike made two game-changing plays that elevated the Aggies to a 24-17 comeback victory over Ole' Miss in Saturday night. "I just tried to put myself in position to make big plays for my team," said Madubuike, who finished with five tackles, including a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. "It's blocking a ball, sacking a quarterback and all those little things that helped us come out with a win." Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond was 16-of-28 for 172 yards passing and 76 yards rushing on 15 carries. The Aggies host rival Mississippi State on Saturday.

LSU 36, Mississippi State 13

Another week of college football brings about another opportunity for me to rave about the amazing Joe Burrow. The Starkville crowd got a glimpse of Burrow's backside after the star quarterback was pulled to the ground by his pants during his third sack of the game. "I heard there was supposed to be a full moon in Starkville tonight," Burrow joked. Burrow finished 25-of-34 with 327 yards passing and four touchdowns to break LSU's season record with 29 in the No. 2 Tigers' 36-13 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday. "It's a testament to him, the receivers, the offensive line, the coaches," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. "But we're just getting started. Our team is not satisfied." We know, coach. You're never satisfied and that's probably why the Tigers are so gosh darned talented. In Burrow's postgame comments, the team leader made it clear he and Orgeron are of one mind in their relentless quest for perfection. "If we play like this next week (versus No. 11 Auburn), we'll lose," Burrow said. "I think we're going to have to execute much better in the red zone than we did this week, because I don't think we'll get as many chances." At a glance it's hard to find fault in the final score for LSU. The Tigers had 415 yards of offense and forced three turnovers against Mississippi State. However, LSU struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, having to settle for field goals on its first three drives. "We didn't play our best game today, but I knew this day was going to come, and I'm proud of our defense," Orgeron said. "Your offense is not going to play great, on fire every week." Mississippi State freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader threw for 238 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice by the Tigers. Expect LSU to hold its poll position after taking care of business on the road against an unranked opponent. LSU hosts No. 11 Auburn next week.

​Baylor 45, Oklahoma State 27

Somehow, some way, Bad Baylor has managed to go undefeated for seven-straight games this season. Don't worry, I'm just as shocked as you. Baylor was the four-point underdog going into Saturday's game against Oklahoma State and for the first three quarters, we learned why. Oklahoma State led at halftime, in the third quarter and in the fourth. Baylor responded with 21 unanswered points in the final 10 minutes to beat the cowboys 45-27 on Saturday. Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer completed 13-of-17 passes for 312 yards and one touchdown and ran for another score to extend the Bears' winning streak to nine games, the third longest in program history. "I thought we showed heart and I was very appreciative of our guys' effort," Baylor coach Matt Rhule said. "We knew eventually we were going to be OK. I think our team felt like, if we just hang in there, eventually we'll make enough plays to win. I thought everyone stepped up and it was a great team win. It wasn't perfect but they didn't panic." Bad Baylor will probably move up a few spots in the rankings but that's contingent upon how the teams ahead of them fare. Baylor is off next week and faces West Virginia at home on Oct. 31.

Iowa State 34, Texas Tech 24

Iowa State quarterback Brock Burdy threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns to rout Texas Tech 34-24 on Saturday. Freshman running back Breeve Hall ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Cyclones to victory. Texas Tech plays at Kansas next Saturday.

UTSA 31, Rice 27

The Rice Owls fell to 0-7, losing at UTSA. This might have been the last chance for Rice to win a football game, as they went in favored.

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