TexSport Publications: October 2016

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Houston Texans outlast Detroit Lions 20-13

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 30, 2016) The Houston Texans started out slow but built momentum as the game went on to take a 20-13 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, October 30, 2016 at NRG Stadium in Houston. The win gives Houston a 5-3 record and places them at the top of the AFC South. The Lions drop to 4-4 and sit in third place in the NFC North.

It took the Texans until the second quarter to draw Lion blood and get on the scoreboard. They marched 61 yards in 12 plays, resulting in a six-yard pass from quarterback BrockOsweiler to tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz for the touchdown. Nick Novak’s extra point kick was good to give Houston a 70-0 lead with 12:36 remaining in the first half. Seven minutes later Houston added seven more points on a one-yard run by running back Lamar Miller and another extra point by Novak. The Lions cut the Texans’ lead to 11 when Matt Prater booted a 47-yard field goal with two seconds left in the first half. Houston extended their lead at the 5:51 mark of the third quarter with a 33-yard field goal by Novak. Novak added a 36 yarder in the fourth quarter to close the Texans’ scoring. Detroit score 10 points in the final period on a one-yard pass play, kicking extra point and a field goal.

Sunday’s game was the fourth matchup between the two squads. They first played on September 19, 2004 at Ford Field in Detroit where the Texans dropped a 28-16 decision. Their second game, on October 19, 2008 saw Houston come out on top 28-21 at NRG (then Reliant) Stadium. The most recent meeting, prior to Sunday’s game, was on November 22, 2012. The Texans downed the Lions 34-31 in overtime in Detroit.

Next up for the Texans is a November 13 meeting against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road. They follow that game up with a November 21 game against the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City, Mexico. The return to the friendly confines of NRG Stadium on Sunday, November 27 where they will face the San Diego Chargers with a 12 noon CT kickoff.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Incarnate Word Cardinals fall to SFA Lumberjacks 42-19

Trent Brittain (4) completed 15 passes for 170 for the Cardinals
against the SFA Lumberjacks,
Photo by Steve Slate, Used with permission.

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (October 29, 2016) The University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to recover from an early game deficit and dropped a 42-19 decision to the SFA Lumberjacks on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium in San Antonio, Texas. With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 1-8 for the season and 1-6 in Southland Conference play.

The Cardinals got on the scoreboard early in the game with a 24-yard field goal by Cody Seidel in the first quarter. The Lumberjacks responded in the second quarter with two touchdowns runs of four and six yards by Zach Conque. Incarnate Word added three point in the third quarter when Seidel booted a 19-yard field goal. SFA came right back, scoring two additional touchdowns late in the third quarter. The Cardinals scored a fourth quarter touchdown when Junior Sessions capped a nine play, 85-yard drive with a one yard scoring run. SFA added two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter before the Cardinals scored the final touchdown of the game on an 11-yard pass from Taylor Laird to Jordan Hicks.

UIW tallied 18 first downs, and 321 yards of total offense while Trent Brittain completed 15-of-31 passes for 170 yards and one interception. Cody Edwards caught six passes for 75 yards and Sessions tallied 16 carries for 36 yards.

Next up for the Cardinals is a Saturday, November 5 meeting with Southeastern Louisiana at home. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CST. The game will be homecoming for the Cardinals as they host Military Appreciation Day.

HBU Huskies rally to upset Lamar Cardinals 24-17

B.J. Kelly (5) and Tony Dawson (11) were the engines powering
the HBU offense in the Huskies' 24-17 win over the Lamar Cardinals.
File photo by Darla S Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

BEAUMONT, TEXAS (October 29, 2016) The Houston Baptist University Huskies used a balanced offensive and defensive effort to down the Lamar Cardinals by the score of 24-17 at Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, Texas on Saturday, October 29, 2016. The win was the third of the season for the Huskies and established a new record for wins in a season for the Huskies. They are 3-5 for the season and 2-4 in Southland Conference action. Lamar falls to 3-5 for the season and 3-3 in conference action. The win was also the first road victory for the Huskies in program history.

HBU got on the scoreboard on their first possession of the game when quarterback B.J. Kelly rushed the final three yards of a 14-yard drive. Lamar fumbled the ball on their second play of the game. The mishandle gave the Huskies the ball Lamar 14-yard line. The took HBU four plays to cover the 14 yards. AlecChadwick booted the ball through the uprights for the extra point to give HBU an early 7-0 lead. Lamar responded with a touchdown and extra point seven minutes later when quarterback Chase Robinson completed a six-yard pass to Zae Giles and the kicking conversion by Juan Carranco. The drive covered 60 yards in four plays and lasted 2:24. Lamar took a 10-7 lead late in the second quarter when Carranco kicked a 26-yard field goal to cap a seven-play, 57-yard drive. HBU received the ball after the kickoff with 2:02 on the clock, getting three first downs but no points to close out the first 30 minutes of play.

Kelly got the fans in the stadium on their feet early in the third quarter with a 39-yard romp, taking HBU inside the Lamar red zone. Chadwick capped the drive with a 33-yard field goal to tie the score at 10. They added seven points at the 5:21 mark in the third quarter when Tony Dawson hit Mev Ajdin with a 31-yard pass for the score. Chadwick again split the uprights for the extra point to again take the lead 17-10. They added seven more points when Dawson connected with Isaish Hall with a 44-yard pass for the TD and the Chadwick extra point. Lamar responded four minutes later when Adam Morse completed an eight-yard pass to DeWan Thompson. The drive started when HBU fumbled the ball at their 46-yard line. The Huskies took the kickoff at their 33-yard line with 7:57 left in the game at the score in the score favoring HBU 24-17.

Next up for the Huskies is a Saturday, November 5, 2016 non-conference matchup against the University of Texas at El Paso Miners at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MST.

Second half rally leads Houston to 31-24 win over UCF

Photo by Robert H Kelly,
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 29, 2016) Trailing 21-3 at halftime, the No. 24 Houston Cougars scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to down the UCF Knights by the score of 31-24 in from of a crowd of 35,846 people at TDECU Stadium in Houston on Saturday, October 29, 2016. The win pushed the Cougars to 7-2 for the season.

After a three-and-out by UCF to begin the game, Houston took possession on their own 31-yard line. Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. received a bad snap, pushing the ball back to their 23-yard line. Three plays later, Ward, Jr. was intercepted on a pass intended for Chance Allen. The Knights took over on their own 46-yard line. Quarterback McKenzie Milton then engineered a 54-yard, seven-play drive the generated the first score of the game when running back Adrian Killins carried the ball the final six yards for the drive for the score. Matthew Wright booted the extra point to give UCF a 7-0 lead after 5:44 of play.

After beginning their third drive of the game, Houston advanced the ball into Knight territory when Ward, Jr. was intercepted for the second time in the first half on a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage. The knights took over and were not able to generate much offense, eventually giving the ball back to the Cougars. Houston ended their long drive of the season, in minutes, with a 31-yard field goal by Ty Cummings. The Cougars’ scoring drive lasted 7:37, covering 66 yards in 19 plays. UCF increased their lead to 14-3 with 3:06 remaining in the first half on a one-yard touchdown run by Dontravious Wilson and the kicking conversion by Wright. The drive covered 82 yards in 11 plays and lasted 3:36. Houston received the ball on their 27-yard and quickly began to move down the field. Five plays later, Ward, Jr. was again intercepted, giving the Knights possession on the Houston 47-yard line. It took UCF four plays and 26 seconds to put another seven points on the board to give them a 21-3 at halftime.

The Knights kicked off the third quarter will a 41-yard field goal by Wright. The Cougars promptly scored two touchdowns to cut the Knights’ lead to 24-17 on a one-yard run by Ward, Jr. and a six-yard pass from Ward, Jr. to Romello Brooker. UCF started the third quarter with possession of the ball. After three plays, Milton was sacked for a 12-yard loss, causing him to fumble. The ball was recovered by safety Garrett Davis, giving the Cougars possession on the UCF 24-yard line. Houston used three plays to cover the 24 yards and tie the game with a Duke Catalon 11-yard TD rush and another Cummings kick with 12:55 remaining. Five minutes later they sealed the win with a 14-yard run by Ward, Jr.

Houston has three games remaining in their 2016 season, with the next two games at home. On Saturday, November 12, they will face Tulane on Homecoming weekend. They will follow that up with a Thursday, November 17 matchup against No. 5 Louisville and will close out the regular season when they travel to Memphis for a Friday, November 25 contest.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

HBU Huskies fall to Nicholls Colonels in 2OT 33-30

By Robert H Kelly

Alec Chadwick (38) scored 12 points on
three field goals and three extra points for HBU in the
Huskies 33-30 loss to the Nicholls Colonels.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography,
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 16, 2016) With the score tied at 27 after 60 minutes of play, the HBU Huskies and Nicholls Colonels continued to battle in double overtime before Nicholls gained a three-point advantage to down the Huskies by the score of 33-30 at Husky Stadium in Houston on Saturday, October 15, 2016. The 3,217 fans in attendance at Houston Baptist University witnessed Nicholls take a 7-3 lead after 15 minutes of play. The Huskies scored early in the second quarter to take a 10-7 lead at the 14:22 mark. That followed with two Nicholls’ TDs, allowing the Colonels to take a 21-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The Huskies came roaring back in the third quarter, scoring 10 points on a six-yard pass from Tony Dawson to Ricardo Barnett and a 35-yard Alec Chadwick field goal and an extra point conversion after the touchdown. Nicholls countered with two field goals of 44 and 35 yards by David McKey. HBU’s 24-yard run by Dawson and a Chadwick extra point tied the game at 27 at the end of regulation. In overtime, Chadwick booted a 35-yard field goal to pot the Huskies up 30-17. Nicholls capped the game with a 12-yard run by C.J. Okpalobi.

With the loss, the Huskies fall to 2-4 for the season and 1-3 in Southland Conference play. Nicholls raised their season record to 3-3 and 3-1 in conference play. Next up for the Huskies is a 4 p.m. CT matchup against Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday, October 22, 2016 in Hammond, Louisiana. They will return to Husky Field to face the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks on Saturday, November 12, 2016, with a 2 p.m. CT kickoff.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Houston Cougars stop Tulsa on last-second play to down the Golden Hurricane 38-31

Dillon Birden (25) scored three touchdowns in
Houston's 38-31 win over Tulsa.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 15, 2016) With the Houston Cougars leading 38-31 and only seven seconds remaining in the game, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane had the ball on the Houston two-yard line on a second-and-goal play. All they needed to was punch the ball into the end zone and kick an extra point to send the game into overtime. However, as it is in so many sporting events, Houston had another idea and stopped Tulsa on the one-yard line to secure their sixth win of the season and move them to 3-1 in American Athletic Conference play. The 38,221 fans in attendance at Houston’s TDECU Stadium on Saturday, October 15, 2016 saw a classic struggle of two very good football teams that both desired a win, with only one walking away victorious.

Houston did not take long to begin their new winning streak, scoring after 2:23 of play when Dillon Birden carried the ball the final 17 yards of a 76-yard drive for the first touchdown of the game. Ty Cummings added the extra point to put the Cougars up 7-0. Tulsa responded five minutes later with a Redford Jones 32-yard field goal to cut Houston’s lead to 7-3. Cumming added a 33-yard field goal with 1:54 remaining in the first quarter to give Houston a 10-3 lead after 15 minutes of play.

In the second quarter, the Cougars added seven more points on a six-yard carry by Mulbar Car and another Cummings extra point. The Golden Hurricane scored two touchdowns in the final 2:55 of the first half to tie the score at 17. Corey Taylor scored on a two-yard run while Dane Evans rushed for a one-yard touchdown. Jones added both extra points to cap the scoring after 30 minutes of play.

Mulbar Car (34) scored the Cougars'
scored third TD in Houston's
38-31 win over Tulsa.
Photo by Darla S Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved

In the third quarter, both teams battled back-and-forth with neither team able to get an advantage until Houston marched down the field and took back the lead 24-17. Birden scored his second TD of the game on a six-yard run with 13 seconds to go in the quarter. Cummings added the extra point to close out the quarter. The Cougars extended their lead to 14 when Birden scored his third touchdown of the game; an eight-yard rush, and another kick by Cummings at the 8:29 mark in the fourth quarter. It took only 1:26 for the Golden Hurricane to again cut the Houston lead to seven on a 38-yard pass from Evans to Justin Hobbs and Jones’ extra point. With 3:31 left in the game, Tulsa tied the score at 31 on a three-yard run by James Flanders and another Jones conversion. Houston came right back and sealed the win with a 24-yard fumble recovery Emeke Egbule returning it for the score. Evans was sacked for a eight-yard loss on a first and ten play from their own 33-yard line. Houston now leads the series 23-18. Last year, Houston downed Tulsa by the score of 28-24 on October 3 in Tulsa.

Houston head coach Tom Herman discussed the defense's performance with the press after the game.

On the confidence of the defensive after the last two games “They ran for under 100 yards and we’re built to stop the run. We’ve got to get better against the pass. Last week, from a defensive standpoint, we flushed that. Your defense is so different defending the triple option that we’ll worry about that the next time we play a triple-option team. It has no bearing on the way our defense played tonight because the alignment, assignments and techniques are all different. I didn’t sense any doubt from our defense. It’s apparent we’ve got to get better in our pass defense and coverage. Again, as statistics go, we dodged a statistic tonight. Which is, win or lose against Navy the last three or four years, teams’ winning percentages are awful the week after Navy. In 2014, teams were 1-11 the weeks after they played Navy, win or lose. I don’t know what the stat is this year, but I’m proud of our defense after getting so banged up in that game against Navy, then having to re-adjust the entire defensive scheme in such a short week. (Tulsa) is a really good offense and really tough to defend because of their scheme and the way they spread the field. We know we have to improve, there’s no doubt about that. To do it the week after playing Navy was very good.”

The Cougars will hit the road next weekend to face instate rival SMU. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Houston is 20-10-1 lifetime against the Mustangs. In 2015, the Cougars downed SMU 49-28 in front of 25,204 fans at Houston’s TDECU Stadium. After the win, Houston broke into the national rankings, debuting at No. 24 in the AP poll.

Readers can view a slide show of photos from the game by Darla S Tamulitis of La Vita Loca Photography by clicking here.

Houston HC Tom Herman Press Conference: Houston Cougars 38, Tulsa Golden Hurricane 31

Saturday, October 08, 2016

Dynamo Face Colorado Rapids Tonight for Noche Naranja

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

Perfect weather as Dynamo host Tim Howard, second-place Rapids in Hispanic Heritage Night matchup

HOUSTON (Saturday, October 8, 2016) – The Dynamo host the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m. CDT tonight at BBVA Compass Stadium on Noche Naranja presented by XFINITY. Tonight’s weather forecast calls for clear skies and temperatures in the upper-70s at kickoff. The game will be broadcast over-the-air in Houston on KUBE 57 (channel guide), with pregame coverage starting at 7 p.m. The game can be heard in English on CBS Sports Radio 650 AM (KIKK) and the Radio.com app and in Spanish on Univision Radio 1010 AM (KLAT).

The Dynamo celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month tonight with Noche Naranja. The festivities include a pregame concert in the Bud Light Beer Garden with Bachata artist Antony Torres as well as Grupo KACHE, which combines traditional Latin flavor with modern rhythms. At halftime,Ballet Folklorico Azteca de Houston will perform on the field.

Fans may ride METROrail to the stadium free of charge tonight by showing their game ticket. The Green Line and Purple Line both serve the EaDo/Stadium station on Texas Ave. in front of BBVA Compass Stadium. The free METROrail offer is available for every Dynamo game this season.

Dynamo F Will Bruin and D Sheanon Williams both can make their 175th career regular-season appearance tonight. MF Boniek García can make his 117th career MLS regular-season appearance to pass Geoff Cameron for 10th on the club list. García also can set an MLS career-high with his 28th appearance of the season. Finally, García and MF Collen Warner have each set an MLS career-high with 18 consecutive MLS starts and can extend the streaks tonight.

The Rapids have engineered a drastic turnaround from 2015 to 2016 and are tied for the second-most points in MLS (51) after finishing in last place in the Western Conference with 37 points a year ago. Led by third-year head coach Pablo Mastroeni, the Rapids have the best defensive record in MLS by a wide margin, with just 27 goals against in 30 games.

The defense has been anchored by goalkeepers Tim Howard and Zac MacMath (six shutouts in 17 starts). Howard has started 13 of the last 14 games and recorded seven clean sheets after joining the Rapids in July following 10 seasons with Everton in the Premier League. Howard has 110 caps for the United States National Team and was the starter at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. The defense also includes Axel Sjöberg, Jared Watts, Marc Burch and Eric Miller.

Veteran midfielder Sam Cronin leads the club in starts (30) and minutes (2,676). Designated Player Shkëlzen Gashi has seven goals and four assists this season and played for the Albania national team at UEFA Euro 2016 this summer. Marlon Hairston has three goals and five assists, Dominique Badji has two goals and an assist in his last four starts and Texas native Dillon Powers has made 26 appearances this season.

Tonight is the penultimate home game of the season for the Dynamo. Following the game, the Dynamo visit the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday (9:30 p.m. CDT kickoff; ROOT SPORTS). Houston will host the LA Galaxy on Sunday, October 16 in the final home game of the season

Friday, October 07, 2016

Tigers UANL shuts out Santos Laguna 3-0

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 7, 2016) Tigres UANL came onto the pitch at the start of the game and scored two goals in the first 33 minutes of play to take a 3-0 win over Santos Laguna in Mexican League soccer action at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas on Friday, October 7, 2016.

In the 14th minute, Tigres got on the scoreboard with a nice shot by forward Damian Alvarez. Santos continued their attack, putting pressure on the Tigres' defense. Defenseman Alberto Acosta went down in the 20th minutes and after a short time; got up and walked down the field to shake off the mishap. He stayed in the game and did not appear to be hindered in his play.

Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

Tigres doubled their lead to two in the 33rd minute when midfielder Lucas Zelarayan found himself in the "right place at the right time" and booted the ball past Santos goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin. They added an insurance goal in the 66th minute when forward Luis Quinones came off the bench and received the ball at the right post. After some give-and-take with his defender, he chipped the ball into the goal with his right foot for the score.

Next up at BBVA Stadium on this Houston soccer weekend will be a Saturday, October 8 matchup between the Houston Dynamo and the Colorado Rapids with a 7:230 p.m. CDT start. Sunday, October 9 will be the NWSL championship game with the Washington Spirit facing the Western New York Flash.

Wednesday, October 05, 2016

Texans down Titans 27-20

Will Fuller V (15) scored two touchdowns, one of them on a punt
return, to lead the Texans scoring against the Titans.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 2, 2016) The HoustonTexans finally got their offense on the right track in the first quarter and as a result, downed the Tennessee Titans 27-20 at NRG Stadium in Houston on October 2, 2016. The Texans scored 14 points before the Titans could get on the scoreboard. Quarterback Brock Osweiler came right out, from the beginning of the game, and engineered the two first quarter touchdowns in their first two possessions of the game.

The first TD came at the 10:31 mark in the first quarter, when the Arizona State alumni connected with C.J. Fiedorowicz on a 14-yard pass; to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive. Five minutes later, he hit Will Fuller V with a short five-yard pass for the second Houston TD of the game. Nick Novak split the uprights for both extra points, to give the Texans a 14-0 lead at the 4:34 mark in the first quarter. The Titans cut the Texans’ lead to 14-3 with a 48-yard Ryan Succop field goal with 3:36 left in the first quarter.

C.J. Fiedorowicz (87) caught four passes for 48 yards and
one touchdown before leaving the game with an injury.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016, All Rights Reserved.

The Texans continued their third drive of the game into the second quarter; adding a 53-yard field goal by Novak to increase their lead to 17-3. The Titans were not to be outdone, scoring two touchdowns by Demarco Murray on runs of two-yards and one-yard to tie the score with 2:28 left in the half. The Texans regained their lead at the seven-second mark of the first half when Novak booted a 45-yard field goal to close out the score at 20-17 after 30 minutes of play.

Succop evened the score with a 26-yard field goal to cap the Titans’ first possession of the second half, to conclude a 59-yard drive that took 13 plays. The Texans wasted no time in their attempt retake the lead. The Titans, on a 4th and 10 play with 1:12 remaining in the third quarter, sent in Brett Kern to punt. The punter, who played his college ball at Toledo, kicked the ball 45 yards to the Houston 33 yard line. There id was caught by Fuller, who promptly rambled 67 yards down the right side of the field for his second touchdown of the game. Novak booted the extra point to put the Texans up 27-20 going into the fourth quarter. The punt return by Fuller was the first by a Texans player since 2013.

Saturday, October 01, 2016

HBU Football Falls at Western Kentucky, 50-3

Tony Dawson was 10-of-20 for
107 yards against WKU.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis,
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2016 A Rights Reserved

Junior wide receiver Ethan Fry catches 5 passes for 70 yards.

From HBU Media Relations Department

BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY (October 1, 2016) Western Kentucky rolled up 535 yards of total offense to down HBU, 50-3, in the Huskies’ first-ever matchup against an FBS opponent Saturday night at Houchens-Smith Stadium.

Senior quarterback Tony Dawson completed 10-of-20 passes for 107 yards and added 24 rushing yards, while senior running back Craig Bell led the Huskies (2-3) with 43 yards on 15 carries. Junior wide receiver Ethan Fry caught a season-high five passes for 70 yards.

Junior linebacker Garrett Dolan made eight tackles, while freshman safety Nicholas Smith made seven. Junior linebacker Cody Moncure, freshman defensive end Andre Walker and junior safety La’Travien Gee each had a sack, with Gee’s forcing a fumble. Sophomore kick Alec Chadwick provided HBU’s only score with a field goal, while junior punter Chrisitian Guzman averaged 42.1 yards on seven attempts.

Mike White completed 11-of-13 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns for WKU (3-2), while Anthony Wales rushed seven times for 87 yards and a score. Nicholas Norris’s only carry netted an 85-yard touchdown and he made two catches for 53 yards and Quinton Baker rushed 10 times for 71 yards. Taywan Taylor caught seven passes for 146 yards and a touchdown.

Keith Brown led the Hilltoppers with 10 tackles, and Masai Whyte chipped in with eight. Drew Davis added an interception, the first thrown by HBU this season.

WKU had 283 passing yards and 252 rushing yards, while HBU gained 138 passing yards and 86 on the ground. The Huskies’ interception was the only turnover of the game and the two teams combined for only eight penalties for 63 yards.

Wales scored on a 45-yard touchdown run on WKU’s opening possession. The Huskies moved the ball well on their first possession, but the Huskies’ turned the ball over on downs at the WKU 40. Norris scored on a 34-yard touchdown pass from White to make the score 14-0.

Chadwick got the Huskies on the board with a 25-yard field goal with 34 seconds left in the first quarter. The make was his seventh of the season, breaking the HBU single-season record of six by Travis Shinn each of the past two seasons.

Norris caught a 19-yard touchdown from White, then Skyler Simcox nailed a 50-yard field goal. The Huskies pinned the Hilltoppers deep inside their own territory after Gee’s strip sack of White, but WKU overcame the near-turnover as Taylor scored on an 80-yard touchdown pass from White just before halftime to make the score 30-3.

Norris opened the third-quarter scoring with his 85-yard touchdown run, then Nacarius Fant had a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown. Marquez Trigg capped the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run.

The Huskies will have a week off before returning to Southland Conference play against Nicholls for Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at Husky Stadium.

No. 9 North Shore pounds C.E. King 56-3

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 1, 2016) The No. 9 North Shore Mustangs racked up 35 points in the first quarter to lead the to a 56-3 win over C.E. King High School in UIL District 21-6A action at Galena Park ISD Stadium in Houston on September 30, 2016. The Mustangs racked up 474 yards of total offense in route their their fourth win of the season; including a 2-0 record in district play. Their dominating rushing game, which C.E. King could not contain, tallied 369 yards as opposed to 40 yards for Panthers.

Badie Bryant accounted for three of North Shore's touchdown; a one-yard run and 24-yard pass reception in the first quarter and a two-yard run in the second quarter. Thomas Davis tallied two score; a 102-yard kickoff return 14 seconds into the game. He also added an 82-yard airfat (an interception returned for a touchdown)

Photo by Richard Fletcher, BigShot SnapShots
Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved
Used with permission.

with 1:19 left in the first quarter. The lone Panther score came in the second quarter on a 35-yard field goal bu Jonathan Morales. Next up for the Mustangs is a Friday, October 7 road match up against Humble Atascocita. C.E. King will play Humble Summer Creek on the same date.

Sam Houston dominates SFA 63-28 in Battle of the Piney Woods

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 1, 2016) Scoring 28 points in the first quarter, the No. 2 Sam Houston State Bearkats used an effective passing game to down Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks by the score of 63-28 in the Battle of the Piney Woods at Houston's NRG Stadium on Saturday, October 1, 2016. The Bearkats have won the past six matchups and 13 of the past 17 games. This year's game, the 91st edition, makes the match up the third longest continuous college football rivalry in Texas.

After five minutes of back-and-forth football, the Bearkats found their way into the end zone on a 37-yard pass from quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe to wide receiver Yedidiah Louis for the first touchdown of the game. The score capped a four-play drive at the 9:20 mark in the first quarter. They added another another touchdown two minutes, 32 seconds later when Briscoe found wide receiver Davion Davis open down the left side of the field; flinging him a 57-yard pass for the score. On the ensuing kickoff, SFA's Trevon Smith caught the ball and advanced it to their own 13-yard line, With a hard hit on Smith, Bearkat safety P.J. Giddens forced Smith to fumble; which was recovered by linebacker Santiago Montoya. As a result, Sam Houston took over on the SFA 18-yard line. Three plays later, Briscoe handed-off the ball to running back Corey Avery, who rambled the final seven yards of the possession for the Beatkats' third touchdown in less than four minutes. They added their fourth touchdown of the first quarter when Briscoe hit Nathan Stewart with a 73-yard bomb at the 2:39 mark. Four minutes later, in the second quarter, Briscoe again connected with Stewart on a 39-yard pass to take the score to 35-0 with 12:13 left in the first half.

The Lumberjacks finally found the endzone two minutes after Bearkats' fifth touchdown when quarterback Zach Conque hit fullback Jabralon Allen with an 18-yard pass for the TD. Kicker Storm Ruiz added the extra point to cut the Bearkat lead to 35-7. However, Sam Houston would not allow their lead to be cut, and added another Briscoe to Louis pass of 17 yards to post a 42-7 lead with 7:29 remaining in the half. Sam Houston score three additional times in the third quarter. Briscoe continued his air assault with touchdown passes to Collin Rison and Deon Hutchinson, while Corey Avery added a 21-yard rushing touchdown. The Lumberjacks added 14 points to their total in the third quarter with two touchdown passes and extra points. They also added a fourth quarter TD to their close out the scoring in the game.

Offensively, Briscoe completed 25-of-33 passes for 438 yards and seven touchdowns. Stewart caught five apsses for 183 yards, while Louis added seven catches for 119 yards. Both Stewart and Louis accounted for two touchdowns each of the Bearkats total.

Sam Houston head coach K.C. Keeler stated after the game:

I thought going in that this was possibly the best opponent that we had on our schedule. We have tremendous respect for Stephen F. Austin. But we really have had two good weeks of focused practice and it was good to see us continue to push through after not playing, what we feel, was our best football earlier in the year. I think we have gotten that mentality that we are going to have tremendous preparation as we move forward and I think we played a pretty good game tonight.

He also commented about how good the Bearkats offense is:

It’s tough to find a weak spot on our offense. We have really talented skill kids, like Nathan Stewart who is a true freshman. To have a third running back like Remus (Bulmer), are you kidding me? He starts for everybody in this league. And Jeremiah has really blossomed as a quarterback and his leadership skills are special. It’s been powerful to see him take this team over. With the tempo and the confidence we play at, I think the sky is the limit for this offense.

The two schools have played each other eight times in Houston. The Kats and the Jacks battled to a 14-14 draw in the Astrodome in 1976. Sam Houston now holds a 54-35 all-time lead, with two ties. Today's win ties the longest winning streak of a school at six.. The Bearkats also won six straight games between 1937-1946.

Houston Cougars vs Connecticut Huskies on September 29, 2016

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2016 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (October 1, 2016) Click here to view a slideshow of photos, by Darla S Tamulitis of La Vita Loca Photography, of Houston Cougars vs. Connecticut Huskies on Thursday, September 29, 2016.