Where on earth did that come from?
In a game in which no one gave them much of a chance of staying close, much less winning, the Texans (2-4) played the Jaguars to a standstill for the better part of three quarters and then put them away with by capitalizing on a couple of 2nd half fumbles. Rookie RB Wali Lundy gave the Texans their first presence this season in the running game with 93 yards on 19 carries and QB David Carr was efficient in the passing game while throwing TD passes (to WR Andre Johnson and rookie TE Owen Daniels) with no interceptions. With a winnable game next week at 1-5 Tennessee, the Texans could be 3-4, the first time that they have sniffed the .500 mark since the final game of the 2004 season.
The Jaguars came into this game off of a bye week after creaming the Jets 41-0. They were looking at the Texans game as being a nice scrimmage before next week’s showdown with the Eagles. It didn’t turn out that way. Coaching an NFL football team must be a very trying experience.
Texas Longhorns 22 Nebraska 20
On walk-on, second-string kicker Ryan Bailey’s 22-yard field goal with 27 seconds to go, Texas (7-1, 4-0) turned back improving Nebraska (6-2, 3-1) and reinforced its throne atop the Big 12. Poised redshirt freshman Colt McCoy was 25 of 39 passing for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns, while his favorite target — junior wide receiver Limas Sweed — had 8 catches for 120 yards, including a 55-yard TD. But make no doubt about it, this was another rock’em, sock’em defensive battle that ultimately turned on the Texas defense forcing a fumble in Nebraska territory with just over two minutes to go. The Horns have now won a team-record 16 consecutive road games and 28 of their past 29. They travel to Lubbock next weekend to play the up-and-down Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3, 2-2).
Texas Aggies 34 Oklahoma State 33
Facing a 4th and 13 situation with less than 3 minutes to go and behind 27-20, Aggie QB Stephen McGee completed a short pass to 275 lbs Aggie RF Jovorskie Lane, who lumbered 17 yards for a first down that kept A&M’s tying TD drive alive. Then, McGee completed another short pass for a TD as time was expiring and massive Aggie DT Red Bryant blocked OSU’s PAT kick in overtime to secure the victory for the Aggies (7-1, 3-1), who are certainly one of the most entertaining teams in college football this season. The improving McGee — who is a redshirt sophomore — had another solid game, completing 17-of-26 for 192 yards with 2 TDs, no interceptions to go along with 85 yards rushing on 17 carries. The Aggies face another potential close game next Saturday at Waco against Baylor (4-4, 3-1), but they finally appear to be turning the corner.
The Cougars (5-3, 3-1) are difficult to pin down. After starting the season in promising fashion with four straight wins, they lost three straight and were down 14-3 after the first quarter of their game Saturday night against a decent UTEP (4-3, 2-1) team. Then, right when the season appeared to be teetering on the brink, the Coogs pummeled the Miners 31-3 over the final three quarters of the game to win going away. The Cougars are dinged up on the offensive line, but when QB Kevin Kolb and crew get rolling, they are a formidable unit. Nevertheless, the defense remains shaky, which means that none of the Coogs’ remaining games are a lock. The Cougars play a reeling Central Florida (2-5, 1-2) team next week at home.
The feisty Owls (3-5, 2-2) are making my earlier predictions of success for the team look good. QB Chase Clement had another good game (16-29 for 170 yds, 2 TD’s 0 INT’s, 14 carries for 67 yds), but the star of this game for the Owls was RB Quinton Smith, who sliced his way through UCF’s defense for 183 yards on 21 carries. Rice stays on the road against UTEP next week and then Tulsa the week after that before closing the season at home against East Carolina and SMU. The Owls could still win a couple more games, which would be a tremendous accomplishment for first year coach Todd Graham and his staff.