Thursday, December 31, 2020

Fights breaks out between Mississippi State, Tulsa players after final whistle of 2020 Armed Forces Bowl


By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

FORT WORTH, TEXAS (December 31, 2020) The Mississippi State Bulldogs downed No. 24 Tulsa Golden Hurricane by the score of 28-26 at the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Thursday. However, the action after the game garnered more attention and more media coverage than the actual game.

After the final whistle, the fans at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium saw a massive brawl break pout between players, managers and team support staff of both teams. While it is not clear what led to the incident, a number of players and coaches could be seen involved in the ugly scene along the sidelines. Tensions had been high during the entire game with both teams taunting each other before kickoff. It was not apparent what started the incident, but punches began flying and at that point, things got out of hands. 

A video clip (courtesy of CBS Sports)of the incident is posted above. Numerous players were invoo;led in the  melee and those involved surely will be identified. Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach was interviewed, and questioned about the fight, after the game. He stated, 

"It's dumb. The root of it's dumb, no matter what the root of it is. The root of it's dumb and the continuation of it's dumb. I would have that solidly in the category of dumb. Now where the dumb started, I'm not entirely sure."

Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery stated he did not know what started the fight either, but did say his players were supporting each other. 

"The one thing I'll say is our program, our guys, we're a team that is going to stand up for each other and we're going to battle. We talked about faith, family, football and family is going to take care of family. We're a team that has battled all year long. We battled again today and from that standpoint our guys are going to continue to protect each other and go from there." 

Look for further details to emerge regatding this incident in the coming days. 


Wednesday, December 30, 2020

McNeese State tops Champion Christian College for second game in a row

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved
By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (December, 30, 2020) The McNeese State Cowboys took a 15-point lead into the locker room at halftime and expanded that lead to 91-76 to down the Champion Christian College Tigers on Wednesday evening. The win raised the Cowboys record to 6-3 leading up to beginning Southland Conference play of Saturday. The game was played at Burton Coliseum, the long-time home of the Cowboys, due to the unavailability of H&HP Complex as a results of damage sustained during Hurricane Laura.

On Tuesday. McNeese State downs the Tigers 94-36 in the first game of their double header. On Tuesday, Jeremy Harrell led the scoring for McNeese with 16 points. Five other players scored in double figures, while Carlos Rosario (shown right) led the way with nine rebounds. On Wednesday, A.J. Lawson tallied 24 points with Rosario again pulling down nine rebounds.

When the Cowboys begin Southland Conference play on Saturday, January 2, they will face a Central Arkansas team that has a 1-7 record in 2020-2021. Their lone victory this season, a 92-28 win, came against the same Champion Christian College that McNeese State faced the past two games. Last season, the Cowboys dropped both games to the Bears, by the scores of 79-69 on January 4, 2020 in Conway, Arkansas and 82-76 on February 8 in Lake Charles. The Bears were 9-11 in conference play on 2019-2020 and 10-21 overall. The Cowboys were 15-17 for their season and 10-10 in conference.

Game time on Saturday is set for 4 p.m. CST.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

ESPN Events and Lone Star Sports & Entertainment Cancel Mercari Texas Bowl

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved 

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 29, 2020) ESPN Events and Lone Star Sports & Entertainment announced earlier today that due to an increased number of positive COVID-19 tests and other circumstances within the TCU football program, the 2020 Mercari Texas Bowl has been canceled.

“While we are disappointed in canceling this year’s game, we look forward to hosting both the Texas Kickoff and Texas Bowl next season,” said David Fletcher, executive director. “We appreciate everyone’s support, including our new title sponsor, Mercari.”

The 2020 edition, slated for December 31, was scheduled with the TCU Horned Frogs (6-4, 5-4 Big 12) facing the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-7, 3-7, SEC).



Alamo Bowl opponents have long history dating back to 1940.

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (December 29, 2020) When the No. 20 Texas Longhorns (6-3, 5-3 Big 12) take on the Colorado Buffaloes (4-1, 3-1 Pac-12) on Tuesday evening December 29, it will be the 19th time the two former Big 12 foes have faced off since 1940.

The Alamo Bowl will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2009. The Longhorns  holds an 11-7 record all-time against Colorado, including a 2-1 record in neutral-site meetings. 

Texas bested the Buffaloes in the 1975 Bluebonnet Bowl by the score of 38-21, and the 2005 Big 12 Championship Game, 70-3. The Buffaloes were victorious in the 2001 Big 12 Championship Game, winning by the score of 39-37. 

The Longhorns have won seven of the last eight meetings, including  the last five, when Colorado was still a member of the Big 12 Conference. Texas has scored at least 30 points in 13 of their 18 all-time meetings against the Buffaloes, including each of the last seven matchups. 

Monday, December 28, 2020

Alamo Bowl set for Big 12-Pac-12 matchup: Texas vs. Colorado


By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (December 28, 2020) The 2020 edition of the Valero Alamo Bowl is set for an 8 p.m. CST kickoff at The Alamodome. The No. 20 Texas Longhorns (6-3, 5-3 Big 12) is led by heach coach Tom Herman will face the Colorado Buffaloes (4-1, 3-1 Pac-12), with first-year head coach Karl Dorrell.
 
Herman is in his sixth season overall as a head coach with a career record of 53-22 (.707). He is in his fourth season at Texas with a mark of 31-18 (.633). He won his 50th career game as a head coach in a 27-16 triumph over Baylor on Oct. 24, 2020 and his 30th game at Texas one week later, as the Longhorns bested West Virginia, 17-13, in Austin.

His 30 wins are the fourth-most by a UT coach during his first four seasons at the helm in Austin and has a career mark of 15-10 against top-25 opponents, 6-6 against top-10 foes and 3-3 versus teams ranked in the top five.  Including the 2020 season, Herman has spent 17 of his 23 seasons as a coach in the state of Texas on the collegiate level. 

The 27th head coach in CU history,  Dorrell started 4-0 in his CU coaching career; only Harry Heller (won his first seven in 1894), Willis Kleinholtz (six in 1905), T.W. Mortimer (five in 1900) and Rick Neuheisel (five in 1995) won as many or more to open their CU careers (and Dorrell was OC on Neuheisel’s staff). Dorrell was the sixth CU coach to open 3-0 in conference games, but the first since Jim Yeager in 1941. On Decemeber 22, he was named the Pac-12’s Coach of the Year (presented by Nextiva), the sixth coach to be recognized throughout CU’s history with the honor. 

 Of the 23 new head coaches in 2020, he was the last of the group who was undefeated come Dec. 6.  He is the third CU head coach to lead the Buffs to a bowl game in his first season, joining Neuheisel (’96 Cotton) and Gary Barnett (’99 Insight.com). In addition, he is the first CU coach in his first season to have his team go from unranked to ranked (No. 21 AP, No. 22 USAT/Coaches on Dec. 6; No. 21 CFP on Dec. 8).

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Katy advances to UIL Region 3 Division 2 6A final with 49-24 win over Shadow Creek

 

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

ARCOLA, TEXAS (December 26, 2020) After giving up a 41-yard field goal four minutes into the game, the No. 9 Katy Tigers scored 21 unanswered points in just over six minutes to down the No. 21 Shadow Creek Sharks by the score of 49-24 at Freedom Field on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers took a 35-10 lead the locker room at halftime, in route to their win. They will face League City Clear Falls on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at Katy ISD Legacy Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CST.

Shadow Creek started off the scoring with a 41-yard field goal by Matt Allison at the 8:12 mark of the first quarter. Katy responded with three touchdowns before the Sharks were able to score again. Sophomore quarterback Caleb Koger threw two passes; one of 50 yards to Nic Anderson, and another of 41 yards to Fuller Shurtz, for the first two Tiger scores of the game. Katy followed that up with a one-yard run by Jalen Davis for a TD to cap their scoring before the Sharks were able to again get on the scoreboard. Shadow Creek was able to score their first touchdown when DeJuan Lewis recovered a blocked Katy punt, returning it for the score. Katy added seven more points with seven seconds remaining in the first half on a six-yard pass from Koger to Isaiah Smith and a Nemanja Lazic extra point. Lazic scored all seven of the Tigers' kicking conversions.


Shadow Creek was able to score two additional touchdowns in the game; the first with 21 seconds left in the third quarter, on a 16-yard pass from Kyron Drones to Carlton Guidry. The second came with 82 seconds left in the game on a pass from Drones to Greg Hancock. Katy added insurance scores at the 8:47 in the third quarter on a 55-yard pass from Koger to Taylor Saulsberry, along with a 29-yard pass from Aiden McKinney at the 5:44 mark of the fourth quarter.

Friday, December 25, 2020

Mercari Texas Bowl to feature Arkansas vs. TCU


By Chris Price
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved 

HOUSTON, TEXAS (December 25, 2020) The 15th edition of the Texas Bowl will be held Thursday, December 31, 2020, with a new title sponsor. Mercari, a Japanese e-commerce company founded in February 2013 and currently operating in Japan and the United States, has signed on as the title sponsor of the game.

The New Year's Eve matchup will feature the Arkansas Razorbacks, representing the SEC and the TCU Horned Frogs, representing the Big 12. The former Southwest Conference foes have met 70 times previously, with Arkansas holding a 44–24–2 series lead, though this will be their first postseason meeting. The two teams last met in 2016 and 2017, as part of a home-and-home series, with each team winning their respective away contest.

Arkansas enters the game with a 3–7 record, having played an all-SEC schedule, under first-year head coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks are appearing in their first bowl game since the 2016 Belk Bowl. They are making their second Texas Bowl appearance, with the first coming in a win over Texas in 2014.


TCU enters the game with a 6–4 record, 5–4 in conference play, under 20th-year head coach Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs are appearing in their first bowl game since the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl. They are making their second Texas Bowl appearance, with the first coming in a win over Houston in 2007.

Thursday, December 24, 2020

North Shore Mustangs downs Katy Tompkins, 47-22 in UIL playoff action


Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (December 24, 2020) The No. 1 North Shore Mustangs pushed their season record to 13-0 as they downed No. 6 Katy Tompkins by the score of 47-22 at Legacy Stadium in Katy. The win moved the Mustangs into the UIL Region 3 Division I finals against the winner of the Ft. Bend Ridge Point vs. Humble Atascocita game, which will be played on December 26 at TDECU Stadium. 

The Mustangs jumped out to a 20-0 lead before the Falcons could get on the scoreboard; holding them to a mire 192 yards of total offense. Auburn bound quarterback Dematrius Davis completed 14-of-18 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, he carried the ball 12 times for 84 yards and four rushing touchdowns. Shadrach Banks caught 11 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns.  Davis' rushing scores came on runs of nine yards (3:27-1st), 23 yards (5:21-3rd), three yards (8:31-4th), and seven yards (4:35-4th). Banks touchdowns were results of passes from Davis; 80 yards at the 1:50 mark in the first quarter and 28 yards with 5:13 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Charles King also caught a 41-yard pass from Davis for a touchdown.

Marquis Shoulders scored all three of Tompkins touchdowns. The first came at the 6:18 mark in the second quarter on an 18-yard pass from quarterback Jalen Milroe. His second score came in the third quarter as a result of a 76-yard kickoff return. The third was an 85-yard run with 10:07 remaining in the game.

The 22 points scored by Tompkins was the second most from a North Shore opponent this season. Klein Collins scored 23 points against the Mustangs on October 1.





Sunday, December 20, 2020

North Shore Mustangs downs Pearland Dawson in UIL playoff action

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved

WEBSTER, TEXAS (December 17, 2020) Scoring all of their points before their opponent could manage to reach the end zone, The No. 1 ranked North Shore Mustangs downed Pearland Dawson by the score of 38-7 at Challenger Columbia Stadium. The win raised the Mustangs record to 12-0 for the season.

Auburn Tigers' commit Dematrius Davis continued his record-setting senior season; completing 12-of-20 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown. In addition, he rushed for 63 yards on 10 carries for two touchdowns. The Mustangs tallied 417 yards of total offense, holding Dawson to 239 yards. Davis connected with Jhalyn Bailey with a 55-yard pass for another North Shore score.  Shadrach Banks scored on a 29-yard run at the 2:43 mark of the third quarter.  Jacoby Davis contributed to the Mustangs' scoring with a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown with 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Dawson's long touchdown came on a Ja'Den Stewart 14-yard run.