Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State and with LSU:
Saturday NCAA Football Recap: Texas teams win big in Week 11; LSU holds off Alabama
Nov 10, 2019, 1:30 pm
Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State and with LSU:
Joe "Superman" Burrow completed 31-of-39 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns, leading the first ranked Tigers to a wild win over No. 2 Alabama on Saturday. 'Bama rallied from a 33-13 halftime deficit to put the Crimson Tide within a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The game lived up to the hype as a duel between high-powered offenses and star quarterbacks. "He's one of the best we've had here," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said of Burrow. "But we've still got four games left and we're going down the road, we're going to try to win every game and we're going to bring a championship back to Louisiana." 20 days after ankle surgery, Alabama quarterback Tug Tagovailoa was 21-of-40 for 418 yards and four touchdowns with an interception and a fumble. Tagovailoa was called a "game-time decision" all week and appeared to be limping after the game, but he kept Alabama in the game. "He said he could play in the game, he wanted to play in the game and he thought he could go out and do a good job," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "I think he was a warrior in terms of what he did." LSU faces Mississippi on the road Saturday night.
Once again, kicker Cameron Dicker bailed the Longhorns out with a game-winning field goal. Dicker's flawless 27-yarder lifted Texas to a 27-24 victory over Kansas State on Saturday. "It could have been a really, really bad scene," Texas coach Tom Herman said. "The win is obviously very important for us. The way that it happened, to be down 14-0 in the blink of an eye ... We put ourselves on the ropes (this season) and we took a step toward swinging and scratching and clawing our way off." Dicker has now kicked two game-winners on the final play this season. The first came on a 33-yarder to beat Kansas on Oct. 19. Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson threw for a career-high 253 yards most of which came in the first quarter. Thompson passed for just 36 yards in the second half. "I thought he hung in there really well," Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. "They were bringing pressure and we were barely getting guys free." The Texas defense looked better than it had all season with a secondary return from All-Big 12 safety Caden Sterns. The secondary didn't force any interception but it kept the opposing receivers from running wide open all over the field. "We showed you all that this is what happens when we're fully healthy," Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn said. "This is a great team. Our defense is really good. We've just been hurt." Texas is on the road against Iowa State No. 16.
No. 11 Baylor needed three overtimes to hold off TCU and get its 11th consecutive victory. Receiver Denzel Mims made a leaping 4-yard touchdown for the Bears to beat TCU 29-23 on Saturday. Mims matched his three touchdown receptions in regulation with three more in overtime, including a lunging grab for a 20-yard score on fourth down in the second overtime. "I knew it was crunch time and it was time for like grown-man football," said Mims. After being shut out in the first half, Baylor needed kicker John Mayers' 51-yard field goal just to stay in the game with 36 seconds left in regulation. This is the seventh time in two seasons that Baylor has won after a fourth-quarter comeback and the 11th straight win for the Bears since losing to TCU last November. The offensive struggles for the Bears continue as the sole undefeated team in the Big 12 managed only 294 total yards of offense, 90 of which came in overtime. "Winning is never ugly," Rhule said. "I've lost a lot, and I'll take this any day of the week." Baylor hosts No. 9 Oklahoma in a huge Big 12 matchup on Saturday. TCU is on the road Saturday against Texas Tech.
Texas Tech quarterback Jett Duffey threw for one touchdown and moved the offense at will to beat West Virginia 38-17 on Saturday, handing the Mountaineers their fifth consecutive loss. Duffey's touchdown boosts his total scores to 10 after taking over for the injured Alan Bowman in mid-September. Duffey finished 24-of-34 for 354 yards passing. West Virginia quarterback Austin Kendall was intercepted twice and fumbled the ball on fourth down in the first quarter. West Virginia's losing streak is its worst since losing five straight in 2012. Texas Tech hosts TCU nest Saturday.
Texas State kicker Joshua Rowland drilled a 31-yarder late in fourth quarter lifting the Bobcats to a 30-28 victory over South Alabama on Saturday. Quarterback Tyler Vitt completed 23-of-33 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the Bobcats first win of the season.
As we're waiting for the top dominoes like Juan Soto to fall in free agency, the market is in a bit of a holding pattern. But we are seeing reports about some possible landing spots for players like Alex Bregman and Yusei Kikuchi.
With Kikuchi specifically, his agent Scott Boras is letting it be known that the market for him is very strong. Not only did he pitch at an All-Star level once joining the Astros, but he also brings something else to the table that many other free agents don't.
Because Kikuchi was traded at the deadline, he wasn't eligible to receive a qualifying offer. Which means any team that signs him won't have to give up any draft capital, thereby increasing his value on the market.
We noted an article by Eric Cole on Climbing Tal's Hill that made some interesting points on this situation. In a way, the Astros “unlocked” Kikuchi, helping him reach his full potential, and now he may sign with one of Houston's top competitors.
According to the article, the Rangers, Orioles, Red Sox, Twins, and Tigers have reportedly shown interest in signing him.
Plus, the 'Stros had to pay a steep price for him, trading away three prospects from an already depleted farm system. And with the benefit of hindsight, Kikuchi didn't even pitch in the postseason and the Astros were swept in the Wild Card round.
To be fair, one could argue the club may not have made the postseason without him. But at the end of the day, the organization is down three prospects and didn't win a single playoff game.
The trade market
Chandler Rome of The Athletic recently reported that the Astros have discussed the possibility (in-house) of trading Ryan Pressly, who is due $14 million this season. The team could certainly use the salary relief, but moving him could be tricky, as Pressly has a full no-trade clause.
If a team is willing to pay the majority of his contract, Houston shouldn't expect much in return when it comes to prospects. However, if the Astros are willing to eat a good portion of his salary, that could change.
But the problem is, moving Pressly is mostly about shedding money from the payroll. So it doesn't make a lot of sense to trade him without any significant salary relief.
To be clear, it's not as if the team wants to kick Pressly to the curb, but they could use that $14 million to add to the Bregman fund, or upgrade another spot on the roster.
Updates on Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia
GM Dana Brown shared some thoughts on the outlook for both pitchers last week. Garcia is expected to be ready to pitch this spring after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
With McCullers, it's more of a wait and see. Lance is playing catch, and Brown said his return this spring is still a possibility. But at this point, the fact that his recovery is taking so long isn't a good sign. And it seems like every time he ramps up, another setback occurs.
Where does Roki Sasaki land?
Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki is generating a lot of interest on the market. But according to reports, it doesn't sound like the Astros are in the mix as possible suitors.
It won't be from lack of trying, we're sure they've made the necessary phone calls. But it does make us wonder, do free agents still see Houston as a destination where they can compete for championships each and every year? And let's be real, moving on from Bregman won't help with that perception.
You know the deal! Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Stone Cold 'Stros (Brandon Strange, Charlie Pallilo, and Josh Jordan) break it all down! Also, we recorded a video about the Astros' offense earlier this week. Click here if you missed it!
For Astros’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo on our Stone Cold 'Stros podcasts!Episodes drop on Mondays and bonus episodes are released on Wednesdays when the news cycle dictates.