COLLEGE REWIND
Weekly NCAA football recap: Big wins for UH, TCU, Tech and LSU
It was showdown weekend in the Lone Star State with most Texas teams facing off. Taking a look back at key Texas colleges and schools of interest:
Houston 24, Navy 14
The H-Town Takeover showed what they were made of in their battle against Navy on Friday morning. Sophomore quarterback D’Eriq King completed 21 of 27 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown and ran for two scores against the Midshipmen. In their lowest scoring game of the season, Navy was shut out by the Cougar defense for the entire second half. Proud Houston coach Major Applewhite said the Cougars “played like we could play.” Houston awaits its bowl game and opponent. Navy is off for two weeks before facing off against Army.
TCU 45, Baylor 22
Star TCU quarterback Kenny Hill put on a spectacular show against the Baylor Bears on Friday, throwing for three touchdowns, 325 yards and scoring on a three-yard touchdown run. This win for the Horned Frogs earned them a spot in the Big 12 championship game against No. 3 Oklahoma. TCU defensive end Mat Boesen set a TCU single-game record with 5½ sacks against the Bears. Freshman quarterback Charlie Brewer was 19 of 29 passing for 301 yards and two touchdowns for Baylor. The Horned Frogs will get their much desired rematch against the Sooners on Dec. 2.
Texas Tech 27, Texas 23
Senior quarterback Nic Shimonek managed to save his team’s chances for a winning season in the fourth quarter. Benched for the final game of the regular season, Shimonek said “I told him he was about to run out of time and then he put me in,” referring to coach Kliff Kingsbury. Shimonek delivered in a major way, completing two fourth quarter touchdown passes, leading Tech to a 27-23 victory over Texas. Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw for 239 yards and a touchdown.
LSU 45, Texas A&M 21
Danny Etling threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Tigers to what coach Ed Orgeron called a “remarkable” 45-21 victory over the Aggies. Texas A&M quarterback Nick Starkel threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times in what was likely head coach Kevin Sumlin’s last game at A&M.
North Texas 30, Rice 14
Mason Fine led North Texas to a 30-14 victory over Rice, passing for 195 yards and a touchdown. Fine set a North Texas single-season record with 27 touchdown passes. The Mean Green will go for their first ever C-USA championship against Florida Atlantic next Saturday. The Owls finished off a 1-11 season.
Troy 62, Texas State 9
Quarterback Brandon Silvers completed 22 of 30 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns, leading Troy to a blowout victory over Texas State on Friday. The Trojans managed to convert four Bobcat turnovers into 24 points.