As expected, it was men against boys as the Texans (1-4) went down without so much as a whimper against the Pokes (3-2). The Texans defense played well for a half as Houston actually led 6-3 at the half. However, the utter incompetence of the Texans’ offense wore the defense down in the second half as the Texans committed all seven of their penalties and turned the ball over three times on two David Carr interceptions and a fumble by kickoff returner Edell Shepherd. With the Texans facing the Jaguars twice as well as the Giants and the Titans over the next month, the best that Houston can realistically hope for is a 2-7 record when the schedule gets a bit easier in late November and early December when the Texans play the Bills, the Jets, the Raiders and the Titans again in consecutive games. This is a brutally bad football team.
The Aggies (6-1; 2-1) finally got their first quality win of the season, beating a Missouri (6-1; 2-1) team that has achieved a good record to date by mirroring A&M’s approach of scheduling weak non-conference opponents. Nevertheless, the win was a good one for the Ags, who used a balanced attack to dominate the second half after the teams finished the first half tied at 17. The Aggies are not a real good team yet, but they can be reasonably effective when they do not turn the ball over, force a few from the other team (Mizzou had three, including one while a receiver was about to score a TD) and control time of possession (41:30 to 18:30 in this game) by hammering their one-two tailback punch of 275 lbs Javorskie Lane and burner Michael Goodson. QB Stephen McGee also had his best passing game to date, going 20-24 for about 185 yards. And it was a nice touch that the same Aggie cornerback who got torched on the late TD play in the Tech game made the play to cause the fumble by the Mizzou WR who was going into the end zone. The Ags — who remain unranked in the first BCS rankings — now go on the road to play Oklahoma State (4-2; 1-1) and Baylor (3-4; 2-1), both of which are capable of beating the Aggies. The Ags then close out the season against Oklahoma (4-2; 1-1) and Nebraska (3-0; 6-1) at home and Texas at Austin.
After essentially sleep-walking through a first quarter in which they allowed Baylor to take a 10-0 lead, the Longhorns (6-1; 3-0) woke up and pounded the Bears over the next three quarters to win easily as QB Colt McCoy set a Texas record with six TD passes. The 9th-ranked BCS-rated Horns now face their toughest test of the season next week as they travel to Lincoln to face Nebraska (6-1; 3-0). Although the Horns will be favored, there is cause for concern — they are getting dinged with injuries to several key players, something that Texas was able to avoid during last season’s magical ride to the National Championship. This next game could be where the Horns stub their toe during the Big 12 season.
How ’bout them Owls (2-5; 1-2)? Given a repreive from a game-ending interception by a fumbled return, savvy Rice QB Chase Clement (over 330 yards total offense) found stud WR Jarett Dillard on a 9-yard fade route for a TD with 3 seconds left to pull the win out for the feisty Owls. Rice now has a rough road trip against Central Florida, UTEP and Tulsa before returning home to close out the season against East Carolina and SMU. But don’t be surprised if the Owls win another 2-3 games down the stretch. Both Clement and Dillard are the real deal.
The Cougars (4-3; 2-1) once-promising season continues to go by the wayside as another shoddy defensive effort, poor special teams play and an anemic rushing attack combined to cause the Coogs to lose their third straight game. The Cougars still have a chance of turning their season around as they play their next three, tough C-USA games at home (UTEP, Central Florida and Tulsa), but the increasingly-mediocre defensive and offensive line play indicates that the Cougars will muddle through the remainder of their season.