The Lone Star Update
Photo Credit: USA Today
In the largest bye week of the year, seven Texas-based teams rested on Saturday, while the other six slugged it out in week seven. Here is the roundup of college football in the Lone Star State last week.
Baylor Bears (2-4)
IDLE WEEK
Baylor, on a three-game losing streak, has had the misfortune of playing two straight ranked opponents. Their next opponent, Texas Tech, is not ranked but is still an intimidating opponent at 5-1.
Houston Cougars (2-4)
IDLE WEEK
Houston is coming off of a massive win against TCU, which could become a pivotal moment in the Cougars' season. The Cougars will try to build momentum as they take on the Kansas Jayhawks, who are 1-5 after a crushing loss to Arizona State.
North Texas Mean Green (5-1)
North Texas def. FAU 41-37
UNT stormed back from their bye to a thrilling comeback victory against the Florida Atlantic Owls. Chandler Morris had 336 passing yards and four touchdowns, though he did throw a pick in the third quarter. Opposing quarterback Cam Francher dazzled as well, completing 22 of 30 passes for 351 yards, three scores, and a pick. DT Sheffield was Morris’s top target, snagging 11 passes for 126 yards and two scores. Shane Porter led the Mean Green running game with nine carries and 72 yards.
The two squads exchanged touchdowns to open the game, but after the Owls muffed a punt UNT took a 14-7 lead. FAU clawed back in the second, drilling a field goal and then completing a 28-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead. UNT tied it once again on a field goal of their own, but another passing touchdown and field goal from FAU put the Owls ahead 27-17.
Down 10, it took a hefty effort from the Mean Green offense to get back into the game. They started the second half by driving 65 yards for Makenzie McGill II to pound the ball in but were felled after the Morris interception led to another FAU touchdown. However, UNT made it a one-score game with a field goal before the fourth. Florida Atlantic yet again extended the lead with a field goal, putting North Texas down by 10 with only four minutes in the game. Morris completed a series of throws to quickly get the Mean Green in scoring range, capitalizing on an eight-yard touchdown toss to Sheffield.
UNT’s defense did their part, forcing a quick three-and-out to get the offense the ball back with two minutes to spare. Running back Shane Porter had a miraculous 34-yard run to get the ball within the five, and on third down the Morris-Sheffield duo gave the Mean Green their first lead since the first half. The wild match boosted UNT to a 5-1 record, lifting them to 2-0 in the AAC and third place behind Army and Navy. Their next game is a trip to Memphis to take on the 5-1 Tigers.
Rice Owls (2-4)
Rice def. UTSA 29-27. See UTSA below.
Sam Houston Bearkats (5-1)
IDLE WEEK
Sam Houston is a win away from their first FBS Bowl Game. The young program has impressed by attaining a 5-1 record that includes strong wins against programs like Texas State and Hawaii. They face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in week eight.
SMU Mustangs (5-1)
IDEL WEEK
In the bye week, SMU actually jumped from 25th to 21st in the AP Poll. At 5-1, the ‘Stangs have a chance to sneak into the ACC Championship and maybe into the college playoffs. They will take on Stanford on the road in week eight.
TCU Horned Frogs (3-3)
IDEL WEEK
At 3-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play, Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs will look to turn their season around against the Utah Utes. After a 4-0 start, the Utes have lost back-to-back games and look much more beatable. If TCU can’t pull out the away win, they have a daunting matchup in week nine against Texas Tech.
Texas Longhorns (6-0)
Texas def. Oklahoma 34-3
Texas clashed with Oklahoma in the iconic Cotton Bowl for the 120th rendition of the Red River Rivalry. With Oklahoma sporting a severely injured wide receiver core, the Longhorns stifled the Sooner offense, allowing just 89 yards on the ground and 148 in the air. After an early interception and a rough first quarter, Quinn Ewers found his footing and went 20-29 for 199 yards and a score. Quintrevion Wisner chopped up Oklahoma for 9.1 yards per carry, dashing in for a touchdown and accumulating 118 rushing yards. Gunnar Helm was the top pass catcher for Texas, hauling in five passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Oklahoma actually put the first points on the board, kicking a 42-yard field goal in the first. Texas clamped down on the Sooners after that, forcing five punts, two fumbles, and a turnover on downs in their following eight drives. As for Texas, it was Helm to score the first touchdown, followed shortly by Silas Bolden and Wisner in the second quarter. In the second half, Bert Auburn nailed two field goals, and Ewers broke the plane on a run play. Anthony Hill Jr. terrorized Oklahoma all afternoon, accumulating 11 tackles, three and a half of which were for a loss, as well as forcing a fumble. In total, the Longhorns defense tallied five sacks.
The rout of 18th ranked Oklahoma cemented Texas’ number one rank, but they still will have a tough task in proving it in week eight when the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs come to town.
Texas A&M Aggies (5-1)
IDLE WEEK
The 14th-ranked Aggies go into week eight with a 5-1 record and Conner Weigman back at the helm. Their opponent will be Mississippi State, who is 1-5. The Bulldogs are coming off a game in which they only lost by 10 to Georgia, however. It’s Texas A&M’s game to win, but the Bulldogs will look to complete a shocking SEC upset.
Texas State Bobcats (4-2)
Texas State def. Arkansas State 41-9
The Bobcats ripped the Red Wolves to shreds on Saturday, scoring five touchdowns en route to a 41-9 massacre. Jordan McCloud had arguably his best game of the season, completing roughly 83% of his passes for 325 yards and four touchdowns, and rushing for another. Though he didn’t find the end zone, Ismail Madhi shined with 164 yards on 17 rushes. Joey Hobert topped the receiving core with two touchdowns and 101 yards, and Jordan Polk led the Bobcat defense with seven tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. In total, the Texas State defense did not allow any touchdowns to Arkansas State.
The Red Wolves took the first lead on an early field goal, but it took McCloud and the Bobcats only six plays to drive down the field and score a touchdown to respond. Later in the first, McCloud got his rushing touchdown to cap an 11-play, 86-yard drive. Junior Treylin Payne picked off ASU quarterback Jalyen Raynor, but it didn’t lead to points. Arkansas State again opened the second quarter with a field goal, after which Texas State drilled a field goal of their own. ASU had the final score of the first half, a 25-yarder from Clune Van Andel, but Texas State held a 17-9 lead following two quarters of play.
The remainder of the game was Texas State only, as McCloud found Jaden Williams for a touchdown on the first drive of the half and then Hobert later in the third quarter. He connected with Hobert again in the fourth for an eight-yard strike, and Mason Shipley hit a 29-yard field goal for a final score of 41-9. At 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference, Texas State is in the mix for a conference championship. Their next game is against 2-4 Old Dominion.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-1)
IDLE WEEK
The Red Raiders are on the outside looking in on the AP Poll, earning 18 votes in the most recent poll. They have a date with the Baylor Bears, the 83rd meetup of the storied “Texas Shootout” rivalry.
UTEP Miners (0-6)
Western Kentucky def. UTEP 44-17
Yet again, UTEP failed to find the win column in 2024, making them one of only three winless FBS programs. Western Kentucky tacked on 44 points on the Miners in the crushing defeat. UTEP used two different quarterbacks, starting first with Cade McConnell (3-7, 96 YDS, TD, INT) and then moving on to Skyler Locklear (11-17, 82 YDS). The Miners primarily ran the ball, as running back Ezell Jolly gained 119 yards on 27 attempts.
In the first quarter, WKU got the first score, but McConnell equalized on a 76-yard touchdown to Kenny Odom. Before the end of the quarter, the Hilltoppers’ Michael Mathison rushed it into the end zone for a 14-7 score. The touchdown was the beginning of a 20-0 run that concluded at the half. Down 27-7, UTEP’s Corey Wren flipped the field on a 100-yard kickoff return. Later in the quarter, Buzz Flabiano made it a 10-point game with a 42-yarder.
Unfortunately, that was all she wrote for the Miner offense, which failed to produce any more points in the game. Mathison caught two touchdown passes, and a WKU field goal made it a blowout. At 0-6, the Miners have to face FIU in week eight in their fight for their first win.
UTSA Roadrunners (2-4)
Rice def. UTSA 29-27
In a game that had six lead changes, Rice narrowly came out on top in the closing moments of the exciting match. Owls quarterback EJ Warner was 25-39 with 347 yards and two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Opposing gunslinger Owen McCown had an excellent game as well, completing 28 of 43 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, while also leading the Roadrunners with 53 rushing yards. Rice’s top defensive player, Sean Fresch, had 11 tackles.
The first quarter went without a single score, as Rice fumbled the ball away and UTSA missed a field goal. UTSA finally broke the drought with a field goal in the second, which started a streak of seven straight scoring drives between the teams. Warner dashed for a touchdown, then McCown threw for one. Just before the second quarter closed, the Rice kicker drilled a field goal to limit their deficit to 9-10.
Warner passed for his first touchdown of the night, and a two-point conversion gave them a 17-10 lead. Tate Sandell, the Roadrunners kicker, knocked one in from 52 yards, but it didn’t prevent the Owls from extending their lead to 23-13 before the final quarter. McCown and the Roadrunners made an impressive rally, scoring two massive touchdowns en route to a 27-23 lead.
With two minutes on the clock, the Owls marched down the field, and on third-and-eleven, Warner passed to Matt Sykes, who scored the game-winner. Only 0:04 remained on the clock when Sykes scored, allowing no time for McCown and the Roadrunners to make a miracle play. Both teams moved to 2-4, with Rice going on to play Tulane and UTSA tasked with facing Florida Atlantic.
