Syracuse wins 2013 Texas Bowl with 21-17 win over Minnesota

Syracuse quarterback Terrel Hunt was selected the MVP
of the 2013 Texas Bowl.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2013 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (September 29, 2013) Regaining the lead on a 12-yard run by game quarterback Terrel Hunt with 1:14 remaining in the game, the Syracuse Orange held on the defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers by the score of 21-17 in the Texas Bowl held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on Friday evening, December 27, 2013.

The Orange went into the fourth quarter with a 14-3 lead, but Minnesota scored two touchdowns within three minutes of each other to take the lead for the first time in the game.

The first score of the game occurred at the 10:04 mark in the second quarter when Jerome Smith scampered one-yard to cap off an 11 play, 80 yard drive to give Syracuse a 7-0 lead.

Minnesota came back with no time remaining in the first half with a Chris Hawthorne 41-yard field goal to make the score 7-3.

Syracuse upped the score to 14-3 at the 2:57 mark in the third quarter on a Hunt five-yard run and a Ryan Norton extra point.

Minnesota then scored their two fourth quarter touchdowns to make the score 17-14 prior to Hunt’s late fourth quarter score.

Members of the Syracuse Orange hoist the
2013 Texas Bowl trophy.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved

With the win, Syracuse lifted its season record to 7-6, while the Golden Gophers fell to 8-5.

Hunt, who was selected the game’s MVP by a vote of the media, passed for 188 yards, while competing 19-of-29 passes and one touchdown.

In addition, he rushed for 89 yards on 15 carried and scored tow touchdowns on the grown.

For Minnesota, quarterback Mitch Leidner completed 11-of 22 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

David Cobb carried the ball 18 times for 91 yards for the Golden Gophers.

Minnesota became the first team to appear in the Texas Bowl twice. The Golden Gophers met Texas Tech in the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, where they lost by the score 34-31 to the Red Raiders.

The total paid attendance for the game was 32,327.

The 2014 edition of the game will feature teams from the SEC and the Big 12 facing off at Reliant Stadium.

The date for the 2014 game has yet to be determined.

2014 Houston College Classic set for February 28-March 1

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2013 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 24, 2013) The Houston Astros have announced the field for the 2014 Houston College Classic to be held at Minute Maid Park on February 28-March 2, 2014 in Houston, Texas.

The Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls will join four other teams from Texas in only the second time tournament history that all the teams competing will be from Texas.

Houston, who finished in second place in Conference USA in 2013 with a 36-22 record, will face Texas Tech at 12:05 p.m. on Friday, February 28, Texas at 3:35 p.m. on Saturday March 1, and TCU at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday, March 2.

The 2013 Conference USA champion and Super Regional finalist Rice Owls, will play Texas at 7:05 p.m. on February 28, TCU at 7:05 p.m. on March 1, and Texas Tech at 1:35 p.m. on March 2.

The Texas Longhorns, who are ranked number 20 in the 2014 Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll, finished with a 27-24 overall record in 2013, with a 7-17 record in the Big 12 Conference.

Texas Tech tallied a 26-30 overall record in 2013, finished in eighth place in Big 12 action, while TCU finished in seventh place with a 29-28 overall record and a 12-12 mark in the Big 12.

Sam Houston State University will round out the tournament field, playing TCU at 3:35 p.m. on February 28, Texas Tech at 12:05 p.m. on March 1, and Texas at 10:05 a.m. on March 2.

Houston and Rice have played every year since the tournaments inception in 2001, with the Texas Tech Red Raiders participating eight times.

Houston Cougars come up short, fall to San Jose State, 72-68

Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2013 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 7, 2013) Despite career scoring highs by Jherrod Stiggers (shown at left) and Brandon Morris, the Houston Cougars men’s basketball team could not overcome a late game surge by San Jose State; falling to the Spartans by the score of 72-68 in front of 3,105 fans at Hofheinz Pavilion on Saturday, December 7, 2013.

The Cougars, who lead by 13 points with 8:38 remaining in the game, were outscored 25-8 to close out the game, and as a result, dropped their second game in a row and four of their last five.

Rebounding was an issue in the loss, with no Cougar pulling down more than five boards.

Head coach James Dickey addressed the lack of rebounding in the post-game press conference:

“We were standing around too much. We knew that they were going to play soft and collapse. That’s the way they play. They were going to play the gaps. You can’t fall into that trap, and we did. I just didn’t do a good enough job getting our guys moving and popping. We stood around, and as a result we got tentative and, that’s what that defense is designed to do. I didn’t prepare our guys as well as I needed to.”

Offensively, the Cougars shot 49.7% from the field and scored only 27 points in the second half.

The Spartans, on the other hand shot near 50% from the field (48.9%), while making 93% of their free throws.

Stiggers, who was 6-of-14 from the field, scored a career high 20 points and was 4-of-4 in free throws.

Morris contributed 17 points, along with five rebounds and three steals.

TaShawn Thomas, who was honored prior to the game as the newest member of the 1,000-Point Club, scored 10 points.

With the loss, the Cougars fall to 6-4 for the season and will return to action on Monday, December 9, 2013 when they face Alcorn State with a 6:30 p.m. tip-off at Hofheinz.