Sunday, December 30, 2007

22 OF USA TODAYS 24 ALL-USA TEAM MEMBERS PLAYING IN 2008 U.S. ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWL

(SAN ANTONIO, TX-December 30, 2007) Twenty-two of the 24 players named today to USA Today’s All-USA football team will be playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on January 5, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. The announcement further solidifies the U.S. Army All-American Bowl’s superiority as high school football’s premier All-American game. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a classic East vs. West match-up featuring the nation’s top 84 high school football players from across the country. The game will be televised live on NBC at 1:00 p.m. (EST). The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is owned and operated by SportsLink.

USA Today’s Offensive Player of the Year (Terrelle Pryor) and Defensive Player of the Year (Patrick Johnson) are also two of the six finalists for the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award, which is given to the nation’s most outstanding senior in high school football. The U.S. Army Player of the Year will be crowned during the U.S. Army Awards Dinner on Friday, January 4, 2008, in San Antonio. The winner will be presented with the Ken Hall Trophy, modeled after Ken “Sugar Land Express” Hall, high school football’s all-time leading rusher.

“We have always believed we have the premier All-American game, with the nation’s premier talent. This certainly validates our claim,” said SportsLink Chairman Doug Berman. “We think this game will be one of the best ever in terms of the talent, excitement and energy on display.”

Since its inception, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl has been considered the nation’s premier All-American game by high school football players, coaches, and fans from across the country, as it’s the preeminent launching pad for America’s future college and NFL stars. Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Adrian Peterson and Brady Quinn all made their national debuts as U.S. Army All-Americans. Last year the U.S. Army All-American Bowl set its own attendance record, as more than 35,000 fans attended the game at the Alamodome. For more information on the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and its related events visit www.usarmyallamericanbowl.com & www.goarmy.com. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is owned by SportsLink, a New Jersey-based sports marketing and event management company.

Other national sponsors of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl are Russell Athletics, Reebok, San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau, PlayStation, Schutt Sports, Deloitte, Gatorade, NCSA, and QBU.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

TCU Defeats Houston 20-13 at Texas Bowl

By Robert H. Kelly

(HOUSTON, TX, December 28, 2007) TCU tailback Justin Watts scored a fourth-quarter, go-ahead touchdown as TCU's defense shut down Houston en route to a 20-13 victory in the Texas Bowl on Friday.

The Horned Frogs came close to surrendering a 10-point lead with just over three minutes to play, but defensive end Chase Ortiz capped off an all star night by denying Houston quarterback Case Keenum the end zone with one second to play.

It was TCU’s third straight bowl win while the Cougars dropped their eighth straight bowl game, dating back to the Sun Bowl of 1981.

Trailing, 20-10, with 3:17 left in the game, Houston kicker T.J. Lawrence made it a one-possession game with a 32-yard field goal. But when an onside kick failed and the Horned Frogs downed a punt at the two-yard line with 1:30 remaining, it looked like the Cougars were done for the night..

Not wanting to lay down and die, Houston drove all the way down to the Horned Frogs' 19-yard-line with time left on the clock. The Cougars had three shots at the end zone, with two passes falling short, before Ortiz ended the game.

The Horned Frogs took the lead for the first time when Watts scored on a seven-yard run with 14:28 left in the game. The touchdown culminated a 13-play, 80-yard drive.

Horned Frogs place kicker Chris Manfredini knocked in a pair of second-half field goals to combine with Watts in helping TCU rally from a 10-7 halftime deficit.

Both teams struggled in the first half on the offensive end of the ball with the Houston scoring their only touchdown on a bit of razzle-dazzle. Facing 2nd-and-12 at its 33-yard line, Houston produced the biggest play in Texas Bowl history when Keenum scrambled to his right and when he could not find an open receiver, ran back to his left before connecting with a wide-open Andre Kohn for a 67-yard touchdown.

Kohn freed himself from defenders past the Horned Frog secondary and was not touched until he reached the goal line, giving the Cougars a 7-0 lead with eight seconds left in the first quarter.

TCU, however, answered that score following the Cougars' kickoff. The Horned Frogs marched 75 yards in 11 plays with quarterback Andy Dalton finishing the drive with a 3-yard run.

Dalton completed 21-of-30 passes for 249 yards in the victory, to become TCU's career leader in both pass attempts and completions. He was rewarded at the game's MVP at the post game awards ceremony

Friday, December 28, 2007

Kingwood, Cy Springs Score Upset Wins at Campbell Center

By Robert H. Kelly

Two Houston area basketball teams upset national ranked foes in opening games of the Houston versus the Nation tournament at the Campbell Center.

The Kingwood Mustangs defeated De La Salle (Minnesota) 41-30 on Thursday while Cy Springs Panthers knocked off Montverde Academy (Florida) 65-59 on Frdiay afternoon. De La Salle was ranked number 2 in the nation by ESPN prior to the game.

Kingwood, which started slow in the first half, poured it on in the 4th quarter with a 10-1 run to clinch the win.

"We knew they were a mirror image of how we play," said Royce Huseman, Kingwood head coach. "They're a very strong team defensively, but we were able to change some things and pull away from them."

Cy Springs fresh off winning the Houston ISD Jaycees/Reebok Tournament last weekend, pressed the Eagles from start to finish and relied on scoring from wings Phillip McDonald and Erik Williams to get the job done.

The tournament continues on Friday with final games on Saturday
.

Texas Bowl 2007

The 2007 edition of the Texas Bowl will see the Houston Cougars (8-4) facing off against TCU (7-5), representing the Mountain West Conference in the 25th meeting of these Texas football powerhouses. Game time is set for 7:30pm CST in Houston’s Reliant Stadium.

Houston has been to a bowl game in four of the past five years, while TCU finds itself playing in a bowl game in Houston for the third time in seven years.

TexSport Publications will be reporting live from the game with senior writer Robert Kelly reporting with updates as the game progresses.

Check back for updates as game time approaches. Game updates will be posted at Texas Bowl 2007.