Good Morning Longhorn Fans!
Texas Longhorns 45, LaTech Dawgs 14
Texas opened the sesquicentennial of college football with a solid win over the visitors from Ruston. Sam Ehlinger looked great. The defense shut out the Bulldogs for the first three quarters, and the LaTech scores were meaningless fourth quarter touchdowns scores against mostly 2s and 3s in for the Horns on defense.
Y’all Ready?
Collin Johnson. Show me a better catch.
Louisiana State Tigers vs. Texas Longhorns
Biggest game in Austin in 50 years. Hottest ticket in the country. Sold out DKR. College Gameday. Top 10 matchup. Two storied programs. The words and phrases used to describe this game and the events and festivities surrounding are superlatives thrown about non-stop, like beads from a Mardi Gras float. The Entertainment & Sports Programming Network has promoted this game as much in the last few days as it has its own fortieth anniversary (I had a moment of complete discombobulation the other night when I looked up at the television and Chris Berman was talking on an Eighties-era SportsCenter set). This is Big Time College Football.
Prime time at DKR, and the stars will be out.
Bryan Carrington, Director of Recruiting for Texas Football, had to tweet out on Tuesday “ATTN Recruits: We are now at FULL capacity for the LSU game this Weekend! We are unable to accept any more RSVP’s and/or walk-ups for Saturday.” And we will have a town full of purple & gold glad Cajuns yelling Geaux Tigers and likely helping multiple bars, restaurants, and hotels set new liquor tax collection records.
College Game Day on the LBJ Library lawn, and our own Minister of Culture, Matthew McConaughey will be the guest picker.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. from Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Broadcast on ABC, with Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit in the booth and Maria Taylor on the sidelines. The A-team. On the radio with the Voice of the Longhorns, Craig Way, and Roger Wallace and my friend Quan Cosby. In Austin on the Horn 104.9, and KOKE-FM. In Carthage, on KGAS, 1590 AM. In Livingston on KETX 92.3. And in San Antonio on Clear Channel WOAI 1200.
Last time we played Louisiana State was the 2003 Cotton Bowl. A 35-20 Horns win. Last time we met them in Austin was 1954, more below.
The Official Preview:
https://texassports.com/news/2019/9/2/no-10-10-football-preview-lsu.aspx
Link to download the Game Notes.
https://texassports.com/documents/2019/9/4//2019_Game_Notes_2_LSU.pdf?id=13398
Texas is a 7 point home underdog (Vegas line opened at 4). Over/Under is 57.5. As has been noted ad nauseum (so why not one more time!), Coach Tom Herman is 13-2-1 against the spread and 8-2 at Texas. But only 2-0 in those games straight up. Last time was January 1 of this year, when Texas was an 11 point dog to Georgia; but as we know, that is an outlier, because Georgia didn’t want to be there, even though it should just mean more.
Texas is 9-7-1 all-time versus Louisiana State.
Out last meeting was the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 2003. Texas beat the Tigers soundly, 35-20. Chris Simms was 15-28-1 for 269 yards and 2 TDs. Selvin Young carried 11 times for 57 yards. Cedric Benson had 12 carries for 51 yards and a TD, plus 2 catches for 29 yards. Roy Williams with 4 catches for 142 and a score. David Thomas 4 receptions for 59. Sloan Thomas and B.J. Johnson ring a bell? Leading tacklers in order (this brings back good memories): Reed Boyd, Cory Redding, Derrick Johnson, Nathan Vasher, Michael Huff, Rodrique Wright, Dakara Pearson, Lee Jackson, Adam Doiron, and Rod Babers. That game, for those who don’t recall, was Mack Brown over Nick Saban. Two good football teams. Louisiana State would go on to win the 2003 title that year, and of course Texas would have a pretty good run themselves.
Forty years earlier, the 1963 Cotton Bowl, and the Tigers shutout Coach Royal’s Horns 13-0. Texas managed 80 yards rushing and 92 passing. That team would of course have a better fall of 1963 than that first day in January. But of note was the defense: Pat Culpepper led the team with 15 tackles, and Johnny Treadwell was second with 12 tackles. Perry McWilliams and Scott Appleton with 9 each, and David McWilliams with 8. Other players on that team who played that day, several of them on both sides of the ball: Duke Carlyle, Ernie Koy, John Allen Cook, and Charles Talbert.
Last regular season was in Austin in 1954. Ed Price’s Longhorns opened the season with a 20-6 win over the Tigers. Charles Brewer quarterbacked the Horns, and Delano Womack was the leading rusher, with 90 yards and TD.
1953, a 20-7 LSU win in Baton Rouge. 1952 saw Texas whip the Tigers in Baton Rouge 35-14. Texas beat the Tigers 21-6 on December 9, 1950 in Austin. A 33-0 win for the Horns in Austin on September 18, 1948. Dana X. Bible coached the Horns to a 34-0 win in 1941.
1938, a 20-0 LSU win in Austin. In 1937, Texas played at No. 6 LSU, losing 0-9.
But in 1936, #13 Louisiana State came to Austin for the first game of the season on October 3. It was front page news, and my former law partner and Longhorn Team Captain, the late Clint Small, was right there. Texas and LSU would play to a 6-6 draw. (My thanks to Matt Dow and Clint Small, grandson of Clint Small and son of Ed Small, who also played for the Longhorns for the photo of the front page).
A tough season, as Texas would go on to beat the Land Thieves in Dallas the next weekend, but then drop 4 straight SWC games to BU, Rice, Southern Methodist, and Texas Christian. A long road trip to No. 2 Minnesota and a 19-47 loss, before a 7-0 Thanksgiving day win over Texas Agricultural & Mechanical. That season ended with a 0-6 loss to No. 18 Arkansas in Little Rock. The 1930’s were not kind to Texas football. (Texas lost at LSU in 1935, 6-18).
Louisiana State Tigers
Ed Orgeron brings a top Tiger team to town. LSU whipped Georgia Southern last week, 55-3. 472 yards of LSU offense, 122 on the ground and 350 through the air. LSU has a new passing game coordinator, Joe Brady from the Saints. He is already making a difference. If our defense plays up to potential, I am not worried.
Tiger D held GSU to 98 yards – 74 yards on 39 attempts (1.9 ypc) and 24 yards passing (4-11).
Tiger QB is Joe Burrow. Highly touted, he was 23-27 for 278 yards and 5 scores. Pretty good. Myles Brennan in relief was 7-12 for 72.
Louisiana State is, like Texas, a college blue blood. Three National Championships. In 1958, No. 1 in both AP and UPI. 2003, Nick Saban coached the Tigers to a 21-14 win over the Land Thieves to win a BCS Championship. In 2007, LSU under Les Miles beat The Ohio State University™, 38-24. Eleven Southeastern Conference titles, including 2001, 2003, 2007, and 2011. One Heisman, Billy Cannon in 1959.
Louisiana State has never beaten a non-conference AP Top 10 team on the road. Tigers are 0-11 all time. Let’s make it 0-12.
Last year’s stats.
Offense – 2018
| Statistic | Louisiana State | Texas |
| Rushing Offense | #59 – 173.6 ypg | #91 – 153.1 ypg |
| Passing Offense | #67 – 228.5 ypg | #35 – 258.5 ypg |
| Total Offense | #69 – 402.1 ypg | #58 – 411.6 ypg |
| Scoring Offense | #38 – 32.4 ppg | #45 – 31.1 ppg |
| First Downs | #39 – 22.7/game | #31 – 23.2/game |
| Third Down Conversions | #57 – 40.0% | #18 -46.4% |
| Red Zone Offense | #27 – 88%/52% | #83 – 82%/66% |
| Penalties | #88 – 6.4/g; 61.1 ypg | #98 –7.4/g; 63.9 ypg |
Defense – 2018
| Statistic | Louisiana State | Texas |
| Rushing Defense | #34 – 138.6 ypg | #28 – 131.4 ypg |
| Passing Defense | #38 – 200.1 ypg | #110 – 261.4 ypg |
| Total Defense | #25 – 338.7 ypg | #67 – 392.8 ypg |
| Scoring Defense | #26 – 21.8 ppg | #57 – 25.9 ppg |
| First Downs Allowed | #44 – 19.5/game | #67 – 20.6/game |
| Third Down Conversions | #34 – 35.4% | #109 – 44.3% |
| Red Zone Defense | #84 – 85%/58% | #17– 76%/57% |
For a top program, that is a terrible Red Zone Defense stat.
Not shown above from 2018: LSU was bad in 2018 when it came to sacks (2.69 per game, tied for 102 nationally and the worst in the $EC) and TFL (6.85 per game, tied for 100 nationally).
For entertainment, you can’t beat Coach O. Worth a half hour on YouTube.
Example:
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=20534119
Texas Depth Chart
The big story this week has been the Texas running back situation. Yes, it is an issue. There are now 3 men listed as RB for Texas. Only one of them was in the running back room a month ago. It looks to me like Roschon Johnson will be more than fine playing the position. Also there if we need him is Mason Ramirez, a walk-on defensive back now an RB with a scholarship.
Longhorn Nation, meet David Gbenda. Six feet tall, 220, an All-American out of Cinco Ranch in Katy. As a linebacker. Yes, he was No. 40 on the Austin American-Statesman’s Fab 55. “all-state and two-time all-district player … named 2018 All-USA Texas second team … participated in the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game … one of three linebackers named 2018 first-team “Tops in Texas” and to the Super Team by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football”.
I think Texas and the Tigers match up really well. This should be, and I hope it is, a very good football game. Texas knows it can play with heavies from the Southeast Conference.
Overall talent-wise on defense, Louisiana State probably has the edge. But despite our lack of depth at running back, I lean Texas on offense.
I give the nod to Texas, mainly because of Tom Herman and Todd Orlando. I think the difference makers on the field will be the obvious. If Sam Ehlinger plays well, Texas wins. If Joe Burrow plays better, it might be tough.
Louisiana State Tigers 24, Texas Longhorns 31
Previews on the Interwebs
Jeff Howe on Horns 247 (the old Horns Digest)
From Cody Daniel on BON:
Wescott Eberts on BON:
Texas Pregamer: LSU.
https://www.barkingcarnival.com/2019/9/6/20852420/texas-pregamer-lsu
And the most interesting side story of the weekend. In 2016 as LSU was looking for a new coach, they were chasing the hot kid on the block, Tom Herman of the University of Houston. Sports Illustrated has a great article on it, with good sources.
https://www.si.com/college-football/2019/09/02/tom-herman-texas-lsu-ed-orgeron
Louisiana State University
Laissez les bonne temps roulez!
Louisiana State has become one of those “go-to” schools for kids in Austin and around Texas to go to. Like Ole Miss, a very fun, large state school with a great tailgating tradition, which also happens to be 81 miles from New Orleans.
But starting with the Interwebs, the 3 of the first 4 questions listed under “People also ask” when I googled Louisiana State University:
- What GPA do you need to get into LSU?
- Is LSU a 2 or 4 year college?
- Is LSU a party school?
The answers: 3.0 unweighted academic GPA based on 19 core units; neither, usually 5 years; and are you kidding me? Of course it is a party school.
Best I can tell, LSU doesn’t even get included on most of the party school lists because it isn’t a fair fight. LSU is professional. For example, Best Colleges has Tulane #1, Delaware #2, Georgia #3, WVU #4, and Texas is at #8. Ole Miss at 18, and the Southern Methodists at 21. LSU is not on the list.
https://www.bestcolleges.com/features/best-party-schools/
Barstool Sports had West Virginia #1, Miami (the real one, in Ohio) at #9, Ole Miss at #21, and Texas at #25.
FOX Business has Syracuse at the top, Alabama #2, and Delaware #3.
A website called Stacker had a credible list. Tulane at #1, Georgia #2, WVU #3, Texas at #10, Southern Methodist at #12, Ole Miss at #17, LSU at #23, Delaware at #35 (makes more sense), Texas State at #41, and Virginia at #47.
But of all I have learned in the last few days learning about Louisiana State, the most devastating is this: Official Name is Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College.
Founded in 1853 near today’s Pineville as Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy. Modeled after Virginia Military Institute, the first superintendent was William Tecumseh Sherman. He resigned when the Civil War began, and the institution closed for most of the War. The school started meeting in Baton Rouge in 1869, officially becoming Louisiana State University in 1870. In 1874, the Louisiana legislature established Louisiana State University Agricultural & Mechanical College as a Morrill Act of 1962 land grant college, which operated in New Orleans until 1877 when it merged with Louisiana State University, thus today’s name.
LSU today has a 650 acre main campus in Baton Rouge, dedicated in 1926.
A long list of famous alumni. A few noted here. In the arts and media, composer Bill Conti, CNN’s Don Lemon, Lindsey Pelas (if you know, you know), author and film critic Rex Reed, and Joanne Woodward. In sports, too many too name, but top of my list: Pistol Pete Marovich, & Shaquille O’Neal, and Bob Pettit in basketball; Alex Bregman & Mike Fontenot in baseball. In politics, Governor Edwin Edwards, Hubert Humphrey, and James Carville.
But my favorite: General Claire Lee Chennault, native of Commerce, Texas, and founder and commander of the famous Flying Tigers.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Texas Longhorns
A very nice win for Coach Herman and the Horns, although costly as we learned on Monday. Jordan Whittington’s exacerbation of his sports hernia, and surgery this week in Philadelphia, was by far the biggest post-game news. But we shouldn’t let that take away from the importance of this win.
Condensed game – 40 minutes.
I didn’t have time to watch a full replay of the game with the remote. So here are my highlights.
First possession and drive was rock solid, keyed by Duvernay’s 36 yard kickoff return that set Texas up on its own 43. Second play of the season was Keontay Ingram rushing for 19 yards. Five passes later (4 to Duvernay, including TD) Texas was on the board.
First defensive series was equally solid. Basically shutdown D except for one big pass play (26 yards), but a big sack by Overshown on third and 12 ended that Bulldog drive.
Next Texas possession had a solid mix of plays, and we saw Jake Smith targeted several times. Ehlinger closed with a touchdown pass to Collin Johnson. Bad news was that several folks think the play before the score, the pass and then nice run by Jordan Whittington, was when he got hurt, exacerbating the sports hernia.
Anyway, 2 possessions, 2 touchdowns.
Good defense next series, with Jacoby Jones forcing the fumble and Team Captain Brandon Jones of Nacogdoches, Texas recovering. At the LT 37.
Keontay for 9, then Brennan Eagles first career touchdown catch, a beauty, for a 28 yards score.
3 possessions, 3 touchdowns.
J’Mar Smith engineered a good drive after that, going 51 yards on 11 plays before the Dawg kicker was short.
A 3 and out for the Horns, then on the second play of the next LaTech possession, Ossai with a great interception and 16 yard return to the LT 31. I expected 6, but nice to see Dicker the Kicker drill a 43 yard field goal. 24-0 Texas, and just under 3 minutes in the half. Texas got a 3 and out, and had 1:38 to work with, but a sack of Sam on third down, and then Dicker missed a 49 yarder wide right.
Second half, and LA Tech moved the ball half the field before Texas held on fourth and 1. Good play by Chris Brown.
A really nice drive from Texas, as Sam and the offense executed well. Last two plays were a 22 yard pass to Duvernay to the LT 25 and then a 25 yard TD Pass to Eagles.
Horns held on fourth down on the next LT series, and Texas took the ball down the field yet again. Ingram caught two passes (21 yards and 14 yards) and had a 13 yard run in that 61 yard drive, and he got to carry it in from the 1 to score.
So Texas lead 38-0 with 2:44 minutes to play in the third. Game over. The starters played really well on both sides of the ball, and we would head to the fourth pitching a shutout.
As we got in the fourth quarter, we would see something we haven’t seen in a while. Lots of 2s and 3s playing, and our starting quarterback sit. LaTech did finish the drive they had started in the third with a touchdown; Texas went backwards 3 yards on Casey Thompson’s first series; and then La Tech worked a good 71 yard drive for another score. 38-14 Texas.
A couple of series later, DeMarvion Overshown got an interception at the LT 27, which set up Casey Thompson and the Horns. Roschon Johnson with a couple of runs and a catch, then Thompson with a 2 yard score.
45-14 Texas. I was predicting mid 40’s to teens, with the possibility of Texas breaking 50 if the defense scored. Recall that Joseph Ossai had an 82 yard pick 6 called back on a tough roughing the passer penalty.
Individuals.
Sam Ehlinger looked as solid as a quarterback can look. 28-38, 276 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus our second leading rusher with 34 yards on 8 carries. Only “mistake” was when he lowered his shoulder to deliver a block on an Ingram run. Sam. Come on kid.
Ingram looked good. Only 78 yards, but was on 11 attempts, for a 7.1 yard average. Herman and his staff can do a lot with that kind of average (and it wasn’t skewed by one or two long runs; his long was 19).
Roschon Johnson will be fine at running back.
I thought the offensive calls and Sam’s reads were exceptional. In the passing game, great balance. The receiver corps (+ Ingram) looked like this (catches, yards, scores, long):
Johnson (4, 59, 1, 27)
Eagles (3, 59, 2, 28)
Duvernay (9, 55, 1, 22)
Ingram (3, 43, 0, 21)
Smith (4, 31, 0, 18)
Whittington, Johnson, and Brewer each had 2 catches, and Pouncey and Epps each with 1.
Defense was top notch. McCulloch led with 8 tackles (6, 2). Caden Sterns was everywhere, had 7 tackles (5, 2). Brandon Jones 7 (4, 3). Chris Brown and B.J. Foster with 6 each. Jalen Green, Josh Thompson, and Joseph Ossai with 4 each. Brown, Thompson, Ossai, Roach, and Overshown all with tackles for loss (Overshown had the sack).
I would say an “A” performance all the way around. Only blemishes were the Collin Johnson fumble and the missed long field goal at the end of the first half.
Cedric Benson
A wonderful tribute to Cedric from the Longhorn Network. Well done Ande and Nick & LHN team.
Frank Denius Family Texas Athletics Hall of Fame
Great video from LHN with CDC
The End Zone Club
One of Austin’s treasures is my friend Ed Clements. A couple of weeks ago, Ed hosted and emceed a Texas Longhorn and College Football preview lunch at Headliners Club with Ron Franklin and Cedric Golden. It was really, really good. Ron and Ced both like Texas and believe we can compete for the conference title. Both agreed this LSU game will be tough.
Ed recently celebrated 30 years with KLBJ radio, originally being hired by Lady Bird (Claudia Taylor) Johnson.
Ed and his son Ben host a great football radio show on KLBJ on Saturdays from 5 pm to 6 pm – The End Zone Club – broadcast from Dirty Martin’s on Texas game days.
https://www.newsradioklbj.com/end-zone-club
Polls
AP Top 25: Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, Land Thieves, Ohio State, Louisiana State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, and Auburn. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical is 12, and Iowa State is 25.
Coaches Poll: Clemson, Roll Tide, UGa, Land Thieves, The Ohio State University™, Louisiana State, Michigan, L’Université de Notre Dame du Lac, Texas, Florida. Texas Agricultural & Mechanical is 11.
Week Two in College Football
Big XII
K State hosts Bowling Green out of the MAC. 11:00 am. Wildcats are 24 point favorites, and the over/under is 58.5. Should be an easy win for the Purple Cats.
West Virginia ventures west to play Southeast Conference Missouri Tigers, who are neither in the south nor the east. 11:00 a.m. from Columbia, on ESPN2. Mizzou favored by 14, and the over/under is 62.5. Hope the Mountaineers can pull of the win so that the Big 12 can go 2-0 against the $EC this weekend.
Baylor with a winnable game against UT San Antonio. 3:00 p.m. BU favored by 25, and the o/u is 57.5.
The No. 4 Land Thieves host FCS South Dakota in Norman. 6:00 p.m. on closed circuit at the stadium and at the Barracuda and at VFW Post 1317. The Coyotes lost last week to Montana, 17-31. SD plays in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, which counts among its members the mighty North Dakota State Bison (multiple time FCS National Champions), Youngstown State Penguins (a coaching hotbed, with 4 national titles under Jim Tressel in the 1990’s), Indiana State Sycamores (Larry Bird), Missouri State Bears, South Dakota State Jackrabbits (who dang near upset Minnesota last week), Southern Illinois Salukis, Illinois State Redbirds (traitors; Go Cubs), Western Illinois Leathernecks, and the Northern Iowa Panthers (see below). Yes, some good college football teams. But why would Oklahoma waste a game on South Dakota? Why does Rice play Texas? No line.
Kansas gets Coastal Carolina in Lawrence. 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+, and the Jayhawks favored by a whopping 7 points. O/U is 53.5. Might be an interesting game to the 427 people who would rather pay to watch that game instead of LSU and Texas.
McNeese at Okie A&M. 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. No Line.
Texas Tech with UTEP at home. 7:00 p.m. The Miners with a 34-0 win last week over Houston Baptist have a stiffer test this week. Sand Aggies are favored by 34.5, and the O/U is 65. Should be a beating.
Top 25
Friday Night
Boise State entered the rankings at No. 24 after the big win over Florida State. They get Marshall at home on the Smurf Turf Friday night. 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2. BSU favored by 12, and the over/under is 57.5.
Saturday
A ton of early games. That Noon start in the Eastern time zone is popular.
Cool game in the Big House, as Michigan hosts Army. 11:00 a.m. on FOX. Black Knights are 22 point road dogs, and the over/under is 48. Take Army and the points. Have fun Dan!
The Ohio State University™ also with 11:00 a.m. Big 10 action on ABC. Hosting Cincinnati who is coming off a surprisingly easy win over UC Los Angeles last Saturday in the Rose Bowl (24-14). Won’t be easy this week, as the Buckeyes are 16 point favorites (I agree). Over/under is 53. Over/under on LSU/Texas promo spots is 17.
Rutgers at No. 20 Iowa. 11:00 a.m. on FS1. Iowa favored by a solid 20, and the over/under is 49.5. Should be an easy home win for the Hawkeyes.
No. 21 Syracuse at Maryland. 11:00 a.m. on ESPN. Terps are favored by 1.5, and the o/u is 57.5.
Northern Illinois at No. 13 Utah. 12:00 noon on the Pac12 Network, from Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utes favored by 22.5 over the Salukis (I don’t write Salukis in my newsletter twice very often). O/U is 46.5.
No. 1 Clemson hosts No. 12 Texas Agricultural & Mechanical. 2:30 p.m. on ABC. The aggies are 17 point underdogs (down from an opening line of 19.5), and the over/under is 63.5. Good luck ags!
No. 17 Wisconsin at home in Camp Randall with the Chippewas. Central Michigan a 35 point road dog, and the O/U is 52. CMU coming off a 38-21 win over Albany.
An old Big 8 match-up in Boulder, as the Buffs host No. 25 Nebraska. 2:30 p.m. on FOX. This is a big rivalry. Huskers favored by 4, and the o/u is 64.5.
No. 2 Alabama at home with the New Mexican Aggies. Tide favored by 55.5, and the o/u is 65. New Mexico State lost at Washington State 58-7 last weekend. Tide will win. Cover 55.5? Hmmm. 3:00 p.m. on $EC Network.
No. 3 Georgia, who lost to Texas in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2019, gets Murray State between the hedges in Athens. 3:00 p.m. on ESPN2. No Vegas lines. I am guessing if I was making book, I would have Georgia at -52.
Mike Leach and his No. 22 Washington State Cougars have Northern Colorado in Pullman. I rarely have to look up a team or its abbreviation. UNCO was new to me, best I recollect. 4:00 p.m., and no line.
Battle of formerly obscure Florida schools, as Florida Atlantic is at home with No. 18 UCF. 6:00 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. UCF favored by 10.5, and the over/under is 68.
Coming off the thrilling win over Oregon, No. 10 Auburn is back on the plains hosting Tulane. Tigers favored by 17, and o/u is 52. 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2. War Eagle to win and cover.
Florida gets Tennessee Martin in the Swamp. 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU. No Vegas line.
Buffalo at PSU, 6:30 pm on FOX. PSU favored by 31.
Undefeated Nevada at 0-1 No. 18 Oregon. 6:30 p.m. on Pac12 Network. Ducks favored by 24.5, o/u is 61.5.
Western Michigan at No. 19 Michigan State. 6:30 p.m. on the BTN. Sparty favored by 15.5. I have to give the MAC credit – they step out and step up every year. Michigan State will get a decent game from WMU but roll to a win.
Cal at No. 14 Washington. 9:30 p.m. on FS1. Huskies favored by 14 and over/under is 43.5. Should be an easy home win for U-Dub.
10 days ago, the Stanford at Southern Cal game looked to be an amazingly good second week of the season conference game. But last week’s tragic season-ending injury to USC QB JT Daniel changed the landscape for the 2019 Trojan campaign. No. 23 Cardinal is still a 3 point underdog, over/under at 43. 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. So good news if we can get out of the parking lot after the Texas win – catch the second half of some decent Pac12 football match-ups.
Other Games of Interest
Friday Night
The University of Virginia (founded 1819) gets the College of William & Mary (founded 1693) at home Friday night. 7:00 p.m. on the ACC Network. No Vegas line.
Rice is a 19 point home dog to Wake Forest. 7:00 p.m. on CBSSN.
Saturday
Miami hosts Tennessee Tech at Yager Stadium in Oxford, Ohio. 1:30 pm on ESPN+. No Vegas line, but if you are interested, I know who to call.
Bobcats at home the Cowboys from Wyoming. Texas State 7 point home dogs. 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+. I-35 is going to be just splendid Saturday afternoon.
North Texas and the Southern Methodists meet at Gerald J. Ford Stadium at 6:00 p.m. Ponies favored by 3.5, and over/under is 73. On ESPN3
Brigham Young at Tennessee is of interest mainly because while Tennessee didn’t make the newsletter last week given their low quality opponent, Georgia State, it turns out that the Panthers played quite a game with the Vols. Really good actually. More below. I am stunned Brigham Young is a 4 point underdog. Over/under is 52.5. 6:00 p.m. on ESPN.
First weekend of partying in the Grove this Saturday. Ole Miss welcomes the Pigs to Oxford. 6:30 p.m. (SECN), which means a full day of incomparable Ole Miss-style tailgating under the oaks. Rebs favored by 6. Over/under is 50.5. Hotty Toddy!
Miami (FL) goes to Chapel Hill to face Mack Brown’s undefeated Tarheels. 7:00 p.m. on the ACC Network. Heels are 5 point home dogs. Over/under is 47.5. Good luck Mack!
The Week that Will be, from HornMafia:
Last Week in College Football
Big XII
I thought that 14 point line for the Cowboys was a bit high, but being the first game of the season, who knew. I sure wasn’t expecting Okie A&M to come out firing like they did and hang 52 on the Beavers. Chuba Hubbard carried 26 times for 221 yards and 3 scores as OSU beat OSU 52-36. And it wasn’t that close.
If you told me last week I had to wager on the Iowa State game with Northern Iowa, I would have suppressed a grin as I handed over my bet on the Cyclones. UNI gave ISU all they could handle, as Iowa State need three overtimes to win 29-26.
Kansas wins! 24-17 over Indiana State.
First game of the season. FCS James Madison University at West Virginia under a new head coach. Vegas had WVU favored by 7. Mountaineers 20, Dukes 13. How do they now?
Sand Aggies stomp Montana State 45-10. Talked to friend who went. 98 degrees.
Talk about lines. Baylor favored by 38 over the Lumberjacks. Final was 56-17. Nice cover Bears.
K State 49-14 over Nicholls.
Texas Christian beats the Golden Lions of Arkansas-Pine Bluff 39-7.
The Land Thieves played before a national audience Sunday night, and Jalen Hurts looked good. I don’t complement anything associated with OU very often, but Lincoln Riley is a dang good offensive coach. Land Thieves get a 49-31 win over Houston, but the Cougars cover.
Top 25
Michigan State beat Tulsa 28-7, but the Golden Hurricane covered.
Wisconsin destroyed Charlie Strong’s South Florida Bulls 49-0, easily covering the 11 point line.
The Ohio State University™ 45-21 over Florida Atlantic, but FAU covered (27.5).
Nebraska was favored by 36.5 over South Alabama and didn’t even score that many. 35-21.
Washington 47-14 over Eastern Washington.
Alabama 42-3 over Duke, easily covering the 33.5 point line.
Idaho 7, PSU 79.
Stanford 17-7 over Northwestern. Cardinal covered; I was wrong.
I thought the 18 point line seemed low, and Syracuse shutout Liberty 24-0.
Georgia wanted to be in Nashville, and so they beat Vanderbilt 30-6. Bulldogs covered (22.5).
Louisiana State with a beat down of Georgia Southern, 55-3.
Michigan unable to cover at home, but beating Middle Tennessee 40-21.
Oregon and Auburn played a whale of a game in Jerry World, with Bo Nix connecting with Williams who made a catch and LJH-esque dive into the endzone to win it for Auburn 27-21. Quite a game.
Miami (Ohio) lost at Iowa 38-14.
The Washington State Cougars destroyed New Mexico State 58-7, easily covering the line (31.5) and hitting the over (63.5). I don’t think Leach likes aggies.
Notre Dame was favored by 19. Fighting Irish beat Louisville 35-17. O/U was 54.
Other Games of Interest
So the game that wasn’t listed as being of interest last week was Tennessee at home with Georgia State. The line was Vols by 26. A home opener at Neyland Stadium. Georgia State started playing football in 2010. The Panthers had never beaten a Power 5 team. They play in the Sun Belt and went 2-10 last year. Rocky Top indeed. Georgia State 38, Tennessee 30.0
Rice must have played well, losing 7-14 to Army. I hope this means that Rice has gotten better, because if Army is that bad Saturday in the Big House it is going to suck for the Black Knights.
Ole Miss having some tough times. Lost to Memphis 10-15. But the Rebs covered! Hotty Toddy! By the way, the over/under was 66. Really a big miss by Vegas.
Holy Cross 7, at Navy 45.
Congratulations Mack! North Carolina scored 15 in the fourth quarter to rally for a win over the Gamecocks, 24-20. Coach Brown showed off his moves in the locker room after the game. I hope Sally gets him some dancing lessons.
Last time I saw dancing like that was after a Lakers NBA title and Mike Madsen set the world record for worst white man dancing of all time. It should be safe for a long time, even if North Carolina keeps winning.
The Hoos with a big road win over Pitt, 30-14. Nice cover too.
Virginia Military Institute goes down at Marshall, 17-56. Maybe another long season for the Keydets.
Southern Methodists with a win over Arkansas State 37-30. Shane Buechele was 30-49, 360 yards, no scores, one pick.
Abilene Christian at North Texas. UNT was favored by 20.5. Eagles win by 20, 51-31.
UTEP barely beat Houston Baptist, 36-34
UT San Antonio 35-7 over the Incarnate Word Cardinals.
Terrible news from Los Angeles. Southern Cal quarterback JT Daniel suffered an ACL tear and is out of the season. His parents came by the Juan Heisman Tailgate last year. Southern Cal won the game 31-23 over Fresno State, but their season is now in the hands of a true freshman. Fight on.
The Juan Heisman Tailgate
The Juan Heisman Tailgate Crew is ready for an epic tailgate! We will have plenty of Dulce Vida Tequila, Marcus and Otis will have the pit and the food line humming, and my friend Brian Newell will be there tending bar. Lots of Texas Beer Company beer. Menu includes brisket, ribs, venison sausage, and pork tenders. We will be there all afternoon, but the real festivities will get going around 3:00. For those of you attending for the first time, and it sounds like there might be quite a few of you, our general protocol is you don’t need to bring anything, but we appreciate a donation in the tip buckets. Suggested lagniappe is $20 if you are drinking alcohol, $10 if you are just there for some food and sodas. However, two suggestions for this week in addition. We don’t provide wine, so if you are a wine drinker please bring a bottle or two. Also, We have a ton of tequila and the other basics, but I am never offended by the offering of a bottle of your choice to the cause.
Bless Their Hearts
I enjoyed aggie jokes when I was in junior high. It somewhat amazes me how much I still enjoy Boudreaux and Thibodeaux jokes. Thanks to Brad Hawley for the supply.
The Louisiana State Police had gotten wind that illegal cock fights were becoming big in the rural areas around Lafayette. They decided to send in Boudreaux, their best undercover detective. Boudreaux spent several weeks doing surveillance and came back to headquarters to report the results of his investigation. Boudreaux say, “Der is tree main group in dis cock fightin’ bisness.” “Who are dey?”, his Sergeant asked. Boudreaux replies, “De Aggies, De Cajuns, an de Mafia.” “How you know?”, asked the Sergeant? “Well,” says Boudreaux, “I done seen da cock fight, Cher. I knowed da Aggies was involve when a duck was entered in de cock fight.” “What about the others?” questioned the Sergeant. “Well, I knowed da Cajuns was involve when sumbody bet on da duck. You know dem Cajuns, dey drink too much an say ‘Aw, what da hell?’, an dey’ll do anyting dats kinda crazy.” “Mais, Boudreaux,” axed the Sergeant, “How you know da Mafia’s involve too?” Boudreaux say, “Dat’s de easyiest part. De damn duck won !!”
Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were taking an employment test. Boudreaux leaned over to Thibodeaux and whispered, “Tib, complete this sentence, ‘Old MacDonald had a _______.'”
Thibodeaux replied, “Farm, you idiot.”
“How do you spell that?” asked Boudreaux.
“Man, you dumb,” said Thibodeaux. “E-I-E-I-O.”
Three Cajuns were at work when Alphonse Carmouche suddenly died of a heart attack.
Thibodeaux says, “I know where he stayed, but I don’t know his family. How are we going to break the news?”
Boudreaux says, “Don’t worry. I am plumb full of tact and know what to do.”
So Thibodeaux and Boudreaux went to Carmouche’s house and rang the doorbell. When his wife answered, Boudreaux says, “Hello, are you da widow Carmouche?”
She replied, “My name’s Carmouche, but I’m not a widow.”
“The hell you ain’t.”
Gameday
I am pretty sure this will be the largest crowd ever in the history of Texas football. Maybe not in the stadium with the construction, but in and around DKR. So allow plenty of time to get over there, and a few extra minutes to get to and in the Stadium, be it from Juan Heisman or any other tailgate party.
Don’t forget the clear bag policy.
Washington & Lee
The General open play tomorrow with Dickinson at Wilson Field. 1:00 p.m.
Preview and game notes:
https://www.generalssports.com/sports/fball/2019-20/releases/20190902g2j6v5
Music
Well, tough decision on music this week. I enjoy zydeco (check out the Evangeline Playboys), jazz is always a good call (Wynton Marsalis is a favorite, as is Harry Connick, Jr.), plenty of good blues out of Louisiana. Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Kid Ory, and Jelly Roll Morton. Fats Domino. Dr. John. Trombone Shorty, The Neville Brothers. A cocktail at the Ritz-Carlton and catching a set with Jeremy Davenport is always on the list when in the Big Easy. There is no way I could pick and choose among the dozens of artists and bands from New Orleans and Louisiana or pick 5 or 6 (or 10) songs.
So instead, I want to say thanks to Kevin Russell and his great swamp boogie band, Shinyribs. He has been very good to HAAM.
East Texas Rust
Bolshevik Sugarcane
Take Me Lake Charles
I Got Your Medicine
Hey Pocky A-Way
Me & Paul
And from The Gourds, Gin and Juice (NSFW)
HAAM
The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians provides access to healthcare for Austin’s working musicians, most of whom live at or near the Federal poverty level. Live music is the soul of Austin, and keeping those musicians alive and well is HAAM’s mission.
Our biggest fundraiser is HAAM Day, which also happens to be one of the most fun and coolest days in Austin every year. This year, HAAM Day is September 24. Starting about 6:00 in the morning, and continuing all day and night, you can go to places all over Austin and hear live music. Whole Foods is our Presenting Sponsor, and there will be great performances there. Downtown office buildings, restaurants, bars, and a diverse bunch of businesses will support HAAM on September 24, and you can too.
To sponsor:
https://myhaam.formstack.com/forms/2019haamdaysignup
God Bless Texas
Tim Taylor
HOOK EM HORNS!!
© Timothy C. Taylor, Sr. 2019. All Rights Reserved (as to original material).
www.jw.com/ttaylor
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