(AP Photo/Michael Conroy; previous weekly reviews are here)
Texans (3-7) backup QB Sage Rosenfels (13-18/192 yds/0 TD/1 INT) had another "Sage moment" (i.e., "what the hell was that?") when he threw his only interception of the game as the Texans were attempting to drive for a game-winning TD in the last minute. However, this loss was squarely on the shoulders of the Texans’ defense, which gave up almost 500 yards total offense and basically had no hope of stopping the Colts (6-4) after their receivers stopped dropping passes (they dropped at least a half-dozen in the first half, after which the Texans led 13-9). All Texans defensive coaches should have their résumés updated.
The Texans travel to Cleveland next Sunday to play the Browns (3-6) before returning home to play the Jaguars (4-6) on Monday Night Football the Monday after Thanksgiving.
In one of the biggest upsets of the weekend, the Cougars (6-4/5-1 C-USA) vaulted back into contention for the Conference USA Championship with a stunningly easy 70-30 romp over 25th-ranked Tulsa (8-2/5-1 C-USA).
Cougar QB Case Keenum (24-37/402 yds/6 TD’s/0 INT/43 yds on 4 carries and 1 rushing TD in 3 quarters!) continued his record-setting season, but the real story of this game for the Cougars was Olympic Trials sprinter Tyron Carrier going Donnie Avery on the Golden Hurricane, scoring 3 TD’s (2 receiving plus another on a 95 yd kickoff return) and generating almost 300 yds total offense (127 yds on 6 receptions/142 yds on 4 kickoff returns/23 yds on 4 carries).
By the way, there is almost universal joy around Houston that current Tulsa coach and former Rice coach Todd Graham got his rear-end handed to him by the Cougars. After his less-than-statesmanlike departure from Rice, Graham is not a particularly popular fellow in Houston football circles. The post-game handshake at midfield between Graham and Cougar coach Kevin Sumlin lasted about a split second.
The Cougars host UTEP next (5-5/4-2 C-USA) next Saturday afternoon before taking on Rice (7-3/5-1 C-USA) at Rice Stadium the Saturday after Thanksgiving in what is shaping up to be the game that determines the C-USA West division representative in the C-USA Conference Championship game.
The Longhorns (10-1/6-1 Big 12) did an impressive job in taking care of business under difficult conditions in Lawrence against dangerous Kansas (6-5/3-4 Big 12). Now, the Horns get to sit back and watch the outcome of next Saturday’s big game between 2nd-ranked Texas Tech (10-0/6-0 Big 12) and Oklahoma (9-1/5-1) in Norman and then prepare for what is shaping up to be a butchering of undermanned Texas A&M (4-7/2-5 Big 12) in Austin on Thanksgiving night.
I’m not sure what’s worse for the A&M (4-7/2-5 Big 12) faithful. That the Aggies were over a touchdown underdog to perennial Big 12 doormat Baylor (4-7/2-5 Big 12)? Or that the Aggies are so bad that they couldn’t come close to beating the spread against the Bears? Rest assured that the spread will be in substantial double-digits when the Aggies travel to Austin to face the Longhorns on Thanksgiving night. The Mike Sherman firing watch has already begun in College Station.
The Rice Owls (7-3/5-1 C-USA) were off this weekend. The Owls host Marshall (4-6/3-3 C-USA) next Saturday before ending the regular season in the annual big game against their cross-town rival, the Houston Cougars.