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Saturday NCAA Football Recap: Texas secures a winning season; Baylor and LSU destroy opponents
Dec 1, 2019, 4:06 pm
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Joe Burrow
Navy 56, Houston 41
Jamale Carothers rushed for career highs of 188 yards and five touchdowns for No. 24 Navy and the Midshipmen beat Houston 56-41 on Saturday. Houston receiver Marquez Stevenson collected 133 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches and receiver Tre'von Bradley caught three passes for 99 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars. Houston quarterback Clayton Tune threw for 393 yards, a career-high four touchdowns and four interceptions. The Cougars finished 4-8, the worst record since finishing 3-8 in 2004. "We didn't give up on the season," Dana Holgorsen said. "We didn't quit coaching. We didn't quit practicing. We didn't quit preparing. We didn't quit playing. Ever. Not in 12 games." Houston's season is over and hopefully the program makes coaching adjustments before the 2020 season.
LSU 50, Texas A&M 7
Joe "Superman" Burrow padded his Heisman resume with 352 yards-passing and three touchdowns in No. 1 LSU's 50-7 highlight-reel victory over Texas A&M on Saturday night to close out their first unbeaten regular season since 2011. "I thought it would just be an awesome tribute to the state, to the university," said Burrow of the name on his jersey reading "Burreaux," a spelling that evokes Louisiana's Cajun heritage. "It's been awesome not only for me, but for my family as well. ... I'm going to miss it with all my heart and I couldn't be more grateful." Star receiver JaMarr Chase racked up 197 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches for the Tigers. Chase's touchdowns built on the school record the Biletnikoff Award finalist broke two weeks earlier. Burrow has 4,366 yards and 44 touchdowns this season, destroying LSU single-season records in both categories and surpassing the SEC yards passing total which stood since 1998. "They kicked our butts," Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher said. "LSU's offense is outstanding." Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond completed just 10-of-30 passes for 92 yards and was intercepted three times by the Tigers defense. LSU faces off against Georgia in the SEC championship game on Saturday and the Aggies await their bowl invitation.
Texas 49, Texas Tech 24
Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw two touchdowns, ran for another score and Texas secured a winning season with a thrilling 49-24 win over Texas Tech on Friday. "We all know this is not where we hoped we would be to begin the season, but to send these seniors out (with a win) that was our mission," Texas coach Tom Herman said. "Nothing that happened prior to this week mattered." The Longhorns were down 14-0 in the first quarter before Ehlinger struck back with his first rushing touchdown in five games. The resilient quarterback finished with 348 passing yards and ran for 83 yards on 10 carries. Texas began the year ranked in the Top 10 and was badly tripped up in the second half of Herman's third season, yet avoided December pressure by guaranteeing a winning record regardless of what happens in the bowl season. The Red Raiders season is concluded and Texas awaits its bowl destination.
Baylor 61, Kansas 6
Running back JaMycal Hasty ran for three touchdowns, the Bears forced six Kansas turnovers and Baylor cruised to a 61-6 victory over the lowly Jayhawks on Saturday. Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer threw for 182 yards and one touchdown as the Bears matched the school record for wins. Only three times since Baylor's football program was founded in 1899 has the team won 11 games in a single season. "I'm really proud of them not just today but over the past two years, the process that they've had, the toughness, the grind," said Rhule. No. 11 Baylor now has a chance to avenge its only loss this season in a rematch against No. 7 Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game.
West Virginia 20, TCU 17
Sophomore quarterback Isaiah Esdale made an impossible over-the-shoulder 35-yard touchdown catch with 2:10 left, barely getting his feet inside the pylon and West Virginia closed out the regular season with a 20-17 win on Friday that kept TCU from becoming bowl eligible. The game-winning drive by West Virginia was extended by a pass interference call on a fourth down, and then TCU defensive back Ross Blacklock was ejected for a targeting hit on a third-and-12 incompletion. "Can't give ballgames away. ... Can't keep drives alive with personal fouls. Plain and simple," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "Only a few times in my life, since I've been here, that we've lost when I've held people under 300 yards. And that's happened twice this year." The Horned Frogs are not bowl-eligible for just the third time in Patterson's 19 seasons as head coach. Freshman quarterback Max Duggan finished 15-of-36 passing for 144 yards with two interceptions for TCU. The Horned Frogs open the 2020 season at California on September 5.
Costal Carolina 24, Texas State 21
Quarterback Bryce Carpenter completed 10-of-11 passes for 114 yards and a score and the Chanticleers beat the Bobcats 21-24 on Saturday. Texas State quarterback Tyler Vitt led Texas State on a nine-play, 71-yard scoring drive to get the Bobcats within three points but Costal Carolina recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock. Vitt finished 23-of-33 passing for 285 yards and two TDs with one interception for the Bobcats, who lost their final three games.
Rice 30, UTEP 16
Running back Ashton Walter ran for a touchdown and a career-best 149 yards and Rice beat UTEP 30-16 on Saturday in its season finale.
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The Astros didn’t get the sweep, but they did get something they desperately needed, a series win and a few signs that this offense might be coming to life at just the right time.
Carlos Correa continues to make a strong case that Houston was the right move. He’s slashing .346/.393/.538 with a .931 OPS through his first six games back in an Astros uniform. Correa looks comfortable again, and the lineup around him is starting to benefit.
Jesús Sánchez has been a revelation as well. His top-end bat speed has always been intriguing, and now it seems the Astros are beginning to unlock it. Astros GM Dana Brown loves the upside, and with two more years of control after this one, Houston is optimistic about what Sánchez can become. He's made a strong early impression.
Even though Spencer Arrighetti’s line in the finale (3.2 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 5 K) wasn't pretty, there were encouraging signs in his return from the IL. He got plenty of swings and misses, and some of the damage came on infield hits. The hope is that with a little more sharpness and a little less bad luck, Arrighetti can turn outings like this into something far more productive.
Any word on Yordan?
All of this comes as the Astros wait on Yordan Alvarez. The lineup already looks much deeper with Correa, Sánchez, Yainer Díaz and Christian Walker trending up. Yordan and Jake Meyers could push this group into another gear. But for now, Yordan still hasn’t faced live pitching, so the wait continues.
The Astros chose not to address pitching at the deadline, putting their bet on internal reinforcements. That approach is about to be tested. Cristian Javier is nearing his return and could be back after one more rehab start, or even sooner. Lance McCullers is expected to throw a bullpen and make a rehab start before returning. Luis Garcia and J.P. France aren’t far off, either. But all will come back on pitch limits, so the bullpen will be stretched.
Vintage Javier
One thing working in Javier’s favor is his velocity. It’s back to the level he had during his most successful stretches. However, command remains a major concern. He’s issued 10 walks over just 9.2 innings in his three starts for Sugar Land.
In his best season - 2022 - Javier's average fastball velocity was 93.8 mph. It fell to 92.7 in 2023 and then 91.7 in 2024 (obviously due to injury). Getting to 93.8 is a great sign. https://t.co/OhHTlP2NtH
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) August 6, 2025
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This weekend’s showdown in the Bronx carries major weight for the Astros, with the Mariners closing in fast and a red-hot Red Sox team waiting for them back home on Monday.
The rotation thins out quickly after Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez, who are lined up to pitch Friday and Saturday. The Astros can’t afford to waste starts from their top two right now. Not while waiting on everyone else to get right. The offense will need to do its part, and there’s reason to believe it can. Over the last 30 days, Yainer Díaz (.304/.317/.519, 4 HR) and Christian Walker (.253/.326/.458, 4 HR) are both hitting at, or above their career norms.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are reeling. Their playoff position is slipping. Their confidence is shaken. And now here comes Houston. Winners of the three biggest October series between these two teams over the last decade.
Altuve and Correa. Brown and Valdez. The Bronx in August. The stage is set.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode on Thursday!
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