Week 6 was nothing to brag about in the Southwest Conference so instead we are starting off with a sweet video from our trip to Dallas to watch Texas ATM and Arkansas play in the New Cowboy Stadium.
Now that you are done laughing, let’s round up the results and hand out the Southies…
A Slow Start
Texas 38, Colorado 14 Texas was favored to beat Colorado by 30+ points but they were up only 4 at half after Colorado forced the Texas defense to step up and play in the first-half. Colt McCoy had another slow game but threw for 265-yds on 32/39 passes. He did throw another interception. The Longhorns defense and specials teams saved the by winning the second half 28-0 and forcing their will upon the disoriented Buffaloes. Jordan Shipley threw his name into the Heisman Race by catching 11-balls for 147-yds and a TD…he also added 74-yd punt return in the win. The Texas Longhorns will take on OU next weekend in Dallas.
No Hangover Arkansas 44, Auburn 23 Many pundits were saying Arkansas would have a hangover after their first SWC win over Texas ATM last week but the Razorbacks had other plans. They defeated no.17 Auburn at home by 21-pts and had their most complete game of the season by racking up over 490-yds of offense in the win. Michael Smith rushed for 145-yds and a TD in the win for the swine. Arkansas is now riding a two game winning streak going into their match-up with Florida.
5-points less
Oklahoma State 36, Texas ATM 31 The Aggies could not rebound from their devastating SWC loss to Arkansas last week as they lost a big game at home against the Cowboys. Jerrod Johnson had 3-tds and threw for 273-yds in the loss. The Aggies were up 15-14 at halftime but could not get anything going in the second-half and the Cowboys rolled from there on out. The Aggies gave up 169-yds on the ground to the Cowboys who were without their players Hunter and Bryant.
7-TDS in a WIN
Texas Tech 66, Kansas State 14 Backup QB Steven Sheffield made a big case for the starting QB job as he threw for 5-tds…in the first half. He also added two more in the second half and finished with 490-yds passing with 7-tds. That is all you need to know from this game. Now move on.
WINNING RECORD!! SMU 28, ECU 21 For the first time in my life, the SMU Mustangs have a record of 3-2. The Mustangs dominated the Pirates from ECU and were up 28-14 at one point in the game! The Mustangs lost last week in the Iron Skillet to TCU but rebounded nicely by defeating the Pirates. Bo Levi Mitchell had no interceptions and threw for 266-yds with 2-tds in the win! Back on Track UH 31, Miss. State 24 It took a devastating loss to UTEP to wake up the Cougars but they are now back on track. The Coogs defeated their SEC counterparts on the road and took care of a brutal stretch in their schedule with only one loss…to UTEP. Case Keenum threw the ball 52 times and completed 39 of them for 434-yards. The Coogs did allow 330 yards of rushing but it doesn’t matter because they won.
On the Road Again TCU 20, Air Force 17 The Horned Frogs faced a tough Air Force team on the road and pulled out a big win to stay alive in the BCS talk. The Horned Frogs led the whole game as they slowed down Air Force on the road. Dalton threw for 198-yds with no TDs. Ross Evans added two huge field goals to ice the game for TCU.
A tough loss Navy 63, Rice 14 The Rice Owls are 0-6 after losing to the Midshipmen at home by 49-pts. Navy’s offense ran all over the young Rice defense and racked up 471-rushing yards. It was a tough loss for a young team but Rice is hoping to rebound with 6 games left in the season. Fanuzzi added 2-tds and 2-ints in the loss.
No Griffin, No Win OU 33, Baylor 7 The Baylor Bears tried to keep it close on the road but could not as Sam Bradford led his Sooners to another win. The Bears only trailed by 7 going into the second-half but they could not get anything going into the second as they were shutout. Baylor only managed to get 6-yds on the ground against the Sooners.
Southies
Offensive Player of the Week QB- Steven Sheffield, Texas Tech: Sheffield threw 7-tds in the win and racked up an incredible 509-yds on offense by himself.
Defensive Player of the Week CB- Rock Dennis, SMU: The senior CB had an interception and returned it for 53-yds in the win for the Mustangs
Special Teams Player of the Week RB- Dennis Johnson, Arkansas: The Sophomore RB racked up 145-yds of kick returns including a long of 70-yds in the win Player of the Week WR- Jordan Shipley, Texas: The WR returned a punt for a TD and also caught a TD in the win over Colorado.
It took the city of Arlington to house the intense matchup between Texas ATM and Arkansas but it took two reporters from Houston to capture the greatness of the matchup. David and Raheel headed out to Dallas to cover the Arkansas domination and they will post up a great video with the sights and sounds this week…until then, let’s round up the results and hand out the Southies…
Southwest Win!
Arkansas 47, Texas ATM 19
Usually when Texas ATM and Arkansas meet up it is not in Dallas. Well this year it took the new Cowboy Stadium to capture the greatness of this rivalry. Texas ATM kept it close in the first quarter but Arkansas pulled away with 23 unanswered points in the second quarter to win the SWC matchup. Jerrod Johnson threw for 345-yards and 2-tds but it was his fumble in the second quarter in the redzone that changed the game. Texas ATM was down 14-10 with the ball on the Arkansas 15-yd line but Johnson fumbled and Arkansas returned the ball for a TD and made the score 21-10. From there Ryan Mallet and company dominated the classic matchup. Arkansas racked up 271-passing yards in addition to their 163-rushing yards.
Iron Skillet Served Up
TCU 39, SMU 14
The city of Dallas was the hub for SWC football as TCU and SMU matched up in another conference game that resulted in TCU out scoring the Mustangs 27 to 7 in the second half. Andy Dalton threw for 189-yards and 2-tds but the big play of the game was TCU’s Jeremy Kerley returning a punt for 71-yards to the house! Bo Levi Mitchell had an average game as his INTs numbers keep rising with his two from the game. The Mustangs kept the game close in the first half as they only trailed 12-7. SMU is now 0-1 in conference play after falling to the Horned Frogs.
Back on Track
Texas Tech 48, New Mexico 28
It took a TD on the final play of the game for Texas Tech to secure a 20-point win as they rebounded from a two game losing streak to improve to 3-2 for the year. Junior QB Steven Sheffield subbed in for started Taylor Potts in the second-half as Potts left the game due to a hard hit. Sheffield threw for 238-yds and 3-tds in the second-half. The Red Raiders defense gave up 431-yards in the loss thus raising some questions about their defense once again. Texas Tech turned the ball over 5 times in the loss.
No Griffin, No Problem
Baylor 31, Kent State 15
After losing Robert Griffin for the season last week, the Baylor bears were primed for an upset against Kent State but Coach Briles had different plans. The Bears rolled Kent State by forcing three turnovers in the win. Nick Florence did a fine job of filling in for Robert Griffin by throwing for 216-yards and rushing for 2-tds.
The Dream Shattered
UTEP 58, Houston 41
All dreams must come to an end but for Houston it came too early as they lost their bid to crash the BCS by falling to UTEP on the road. The Cougars offense racked up 664 total yards but their defense could not slow down Trevor Vittatoe and the Miners offensive mudslide. Earlier in the year, Texas beat UTEP by 50+ points. Heisman hopeful Case Keenum had a career day as he threw the ball 76 times, 536-yards and five touchdowns in the loss. the Cougars did not have a rushing TD in the loss. The Cougars were outscored 41-24 in the second-half.
A Second Half Collapse
Tulsa 27, Rice 10
It was a bad second half for the local universities in Houston as Rice was outscored by 17 points in the second-half by Tulsa. Rice was tied with Tulsa at the half but the offense disappeared in the second half. The Rice defense did a good job of slowing down the Tulsa offense as they held the offense to 385-yards and forced one turnover. Freshman QB Ryan Lewis threw for 99-yards and a TD in the loss. Rice is defeated in their young season.
Southies
Offensive Player:
QB-Ryan Mallet, Arkanas: In a big conference win, Mallet threw for 271-yards and 4-tds on the Aggies. This marks the second time Mallet has won a Southie.
Defensive Player:
LB/DE- Von Miller, Texas ATM: The outstanding Jack added to his season sack total by sacking Mallet for his 10th sack of the season.
Special Teams:
WR- Jeremy Kerley, TCU: The Junior WR returned a punt for 71-yards TD in the win over SMU
Player of the Week:
QB- Case Keenum, Houston: The Heisman hopeful threw for 536-yards and 5-tds in the loss.
In this world we have football and then we have the excitement of Southwest Conference Football! Saturday night proved to be one of the most exciting weekends in a long time for the Southwest Conference. The University of Houston hosted their neighbors from West Texas, the Red Raiders, in a match-up of heavy weights. The game came down to the wire and lived up to the hype, much like the Southwest Conference round up…let’s round up the results and hand out the Southies…
Back on Top
Houston 29, Texas Tech 28
In what was called the biggest game in the last 20-years for the Cougars, the team and Head Coach Kevin Sumlin delivered a win for the sold out crowd at Robertson Stadium. Case Keenum led his Cougars down the field with a 95-yard drive and capped it off with the go ahead score with 49 seconds left in the game. The Cougars were held to only 579-total yards but came up big when needed. Case Keenum added to his Heisman campaign by finishing with 435-yards and threw for a TD and INT. Coach Sumlin is now 2-1 in Conference play in his tenure at Houston. Taylor Potts tried his hardest to drive his Red Raiders to a win but could not. The junior QB finished with 321-yards and a TD in the loss. The Red Raiders are now 1-2 in Conference play after winning the SWC last year.
Farewell Robert Griffin, Farewell
Baylor 68, Northwestern State 13
Even though the Bears dominated Northwestern State, they lost in the long run as Sophomore QB Robert Griffin was hurt in the game after a hard tackle near the end of the first half. It was later reveled that Griffin had suffered a torn ACL and will be out for the season. By the looks of it, senior QB Blake Szymanksi will fill in for the talented Griffin. The Bears out gained the Demons 567-yards to 248-yards in the 55-point win.
Domination Nation
Texas 64, UTEP 7
According to Headcoach Mack Brown, the Horns won all phases of the game on Saturday. Well, the score also indicated that statement as the Horns blew out the Miners in Austin. Colt McCoy was intercepted in the first quarter but regrouped and had a good game where he racked up 286-yards and 3-TDs. D.J. Monroe returned a kick-off for 91-yards to add to his Special Teams Player of the Year resume. Jordan Shipley was solid once again in the win as he caught 122-yds and a TD. The Longhorns also added 4-rushing TDs in the win to show that their ground game is ready for any comers. The Horns are off next week before they take on Colorado.
Working the Road Magic
TCU 14, Clemson 10
In what was marked as the toughest out of conference game for the Horned Frogs, TCU dominated Clemson on the road and pulled out a huge win to stay in the conversation for a BCS bowl. Andy Dalton threw for 226-yds and 2-TDs in the win. The TCU defense held C.J. Spiller to 112-yds on 26 carries in the win. TCU is now getting ready for the first SWC game as they take on SMU for the battle of the Iron Skillet this weekend
The Final Tuneup
Texas ATM 56, UAB 19
In their final tuneup before Conference play, the Aggies came out and sent a message by beating down on UAB. The Aggies ran 82 plays and gained over 540-yards of total offense. Jerrod Johnson was stellar going 23/29, 290-yds and 3-TDs. The Aggies ground game also added 236-yds and 5-TDs in the win. The Aggies have scored atleast 38 points in all of their wins this season. The Aggies now get ready for Conference play as they travel to Dallas to take on Arkansas.
A Brutal Stretch
Alabama 35, Arkansas 7
The Razorbacks scheduled a tough out of conference slate for the season to get ready for the Southwest Conference play, but now that idea has backfired on them as they are heading into their marquee game on a two game losing streak. Arkansas could not muster any run offense as they only gained 63-yards in the loss. Ryan Mallet only passed for 160-yards and could not attack the Alabama defense like he did to Georgia. Alabama QB Greg McElroy threw for 291-yds and 3-TDs in the win. Arkansas now gets ready for their match-up with the Aggies in Dallas
Defeated
Vanderbilt 36, Rice 17
Rice fought hard in the first-half by scoring 10-points and holding Vandy to 10-points…the second-half was a game of shame. Rice let Vandy out score them 26-7 and lost at home for the first time this season. This was Rice’s first home game of the season. Rice unleashed Freshman QB Ryan Lewis in the game. Lewis threw 2-INTs. Rice is now defeated for the season and host Tulsa this weekend.
Southies
Offensive Player of the Week
RB-Baron Batch, Texas Tech: Batch ran for 114-yds and scored 2-TDs in addition to his 39 receiving yards. This is the first time Batch has won a Southie.
Defensive Player of the Week
LB- Marcus McGraw, Houston: The Sophomore LB had 19-tackles, 7 solo, and added one sack in the win for the Cougars. This is his first Southie.
Special Teams Player of the Week
RB- D.J. Monroe, Texas: The standout Freshman added to his highlight tape by running back a kickoff for 91-yards. This is his second TD returned on a kick-off. This is also his second Southie Award.
Player of the Week:
QB- Case Keenum, Houston: Keenum threw for 435-yds and ran in the go ahead TD in the Cougars win over Texas Tech. This is his second Southie this season.
Southwest Conference Teams in National Rankings:
Texas (2)
Texas Tech (11)
Houston (12)
Next Week:
New Mexico at Texas Tech
UTEP at Houston Texas ATM vs Arkansas (in Dallas) TCU vs SMU
Tulsa at Rice
Kent State at Baylor
Texas-bye week
Tune in Monday at 7 p.m. as Raheel Ramzanali and David Nuno continue hosting the Southwest Conference Show on 1560 The Game.
Week 3 might be in the books after a titan match-up of Texas vs Texas Tech but gosh darn it the book is still open waiting for more great Southwest Conference stories! This was a week of triumph and upsets topped off by an offensive display the Southwest Conference has never seen before by Arkansas. Let’s round up the results and hand out the Southies…
Revenge too late… Texas 34, Texas Tech 24 In what was marked as the revenge game of the year, Texas defeated Texas Tech at home in front of over 101,000 people! Texas Tech kept this game close by picking off Colt McCoy twice, once in the redzone, but never capitalized as they only scored 3-points in the first-half. Colt McCoy threw for 205-yds and a TD but it was the play of former QB John Chiles that captured the imagination of Texas fans. The former QB lined up in the “Wild-Cat Q” Package and rushed for 34-yds and also caught 3-passes for 30yds. Taylor Potts did an outstanding job for his first road start by throwing for over 400-yds and 3-tds. The Red Raiders racked up over 400 total yards on the Longhorns and made it hard on the Horns to pull away. the play of the game came in the 4th quarter when Sergio Kindle sacked Taylor Potts and knocked off the QB’s helmet and caused a fumble. The Horns also had one punt return for a TD by Jordan Shipley. The Horns are now undefeated in conference play.
Jump on the Jerrod Train… Texas ATM 38, Utah State 30 Now granted the Aggies played Utah State, a WAC school (what a fake conference), but they sure did look sharp as Jerrod Johnson threw for 322-yds and 4-TDs in the domination of the Aggies of Utah State. Texas ATM moved to 2-0 for the season and looks to have its offense going in the right direction as they ran 85 plays accounting for more than 570-yds. Christine Michael rushed for 95-yds but did not notch a TD. The Aggies had a few problems on defense as the State Aggies threw for 334-yds and had a 121-yd rusher in Robert Turbin. The Aggies have one more out-of-conference game against UAB before they open up conference play against Arkansas.
A Let Down… UConn 30, Baylor 22 After going on the road and defeating Wake Forest, The Baylor Bears could not keep the magic going at home as they fell to UConn. Robert Griffin rushed for 2-tds but did not throw for one and only accounted for 119 passing yards, a conference low for QBs in week 3. The Bears trailed 27-14 going into the 4th and tried to make it interesting late but their offense could not muster anything up. The Bears only had 266 total yards, a low for them in the young season, against a UConn offense that put up 382 yards. The Bears also gave up 285 rushing yards in the loss. Art Briles will now get his team ready for Northwestern State and try to get his team back on the winning track.
56 Reasons to be Happy… TCU 56, Texas State 21 Coming into the season everyone was talking about TCU’s defense, however, the offense was the story on Saturday as the Horned Frogs put up 56-points against the Bobcats. Andy Dalton passed for 222-yds and a TD but it was Joseph Turner who stole the show with 129-yds and 3-tds! The Horned Frogs racked up 508-yds in the win and moved to 2-0 on the season.
So Close… Washington State 30, SMU 27 The Mustangs were faced with the tough challenge of taking on Washington State on the road but the Mustangs responded and made it interesting. It took overtime to subdue the fighting Mustangs as they battled all the way through against the Cougars. Bo Levi Mitchell made a big mistake in OT by throwing his fourth interception of the night. The Cougars took the ball and kicked the game winning FG to send the Mustangs home with their first loss of the season. The Mustangs put up gaudy numbers as they racked up 504-yds in the loss. This marks the first SWC loss to the Pac-10 this season.
A Shootout in Fayetteville… Georgia 52, Arkansas 41 What do you get when you combine for 93 total points, over a thousand yards of offense and 10-throwing TDs? You get the annual Georgia vs Arkansas out-of-conference match-up. This was a burner of the barn as both team put up huge numbers in what was thought to be a defensive battle coming in. Ryan Mallet threw the ball 39 times for 408-yds and 5-tds but it was not enough for the win. Greg Childs showed his potential as a no.1 WR by catching for 140-yds and 2-tds in the loss. Arkansas put up 485 total yards in the loss. The Razorbacks have one last out-of-conference game before taking on the Aggies in SWC play.
A Fight to the End… Oklahoma State 41, Rice 24 The Rice Owls were the darling of the conference last years…this year not so much. Faced with another tough test, the Rice Owls went on the road and lost to Okie St. The Owls made it tough for the Cowboys in the second-half as they scored 21-pts but it was too little too late. Rice put up 377-yds of offense with their split QB system of Fanuzzi and Shepherd. The Rice Owls are now defeated for the season and currently sit in last place in the conference.
Southies Awards
QB- Ryan Mallet, Arkansas: The transfer QB threw for 408-yds and 5-tds in the loss for the Razorbacks. This marks the first time the sophomore QB has won a Southie Award.
DE- Sergio Kindle, Texas: The standout defensive player had a big sack on Taylor Potts in the 4th quarter in addition to his three QB hits and two solo tackles.
WR- Jordan Shipley, Texas: He scored Texas’ only TD in the first half on a 46-yd punt return in a win over Texas Tech. This marks the second time Jordan has won the award.
QB- Taylor Potts, Texas Tech: The first time starter went on the road in his second conference game and carved up the Texas defense with 420-yards and 3-tds in the loss.
Tune in Monday at 7 p.m. as Raheel Ramzanali and David Nuno continue hosting the Southwest Conference Show on 1560 The Game.
…AND YOU SHOULD HEARÂ WHAT THEY SAY WHENÂ THEY’REÂ NOT TALKING ABOUT FOOD!
Southbound Food is a raucously funny, no-holds-barred radio show about food (and so much more) featuring Chef Bryan Caswell of Reef and Little Bigs, Jenny Wang from imneverfull.com and Houston Chowhounds, and Lance Zierlein, Danny Vara and Frank Bullington from 1560 The Game.
Southbound Food airs on 1560TheGame at 1560AM in Houston, Texas on Saturdays at 11am.
What a great weekend for the Southwest Conference! Every Southwest Conference team playing a non-conference week won their game and brought great pride to our mighty conference…yes even SMU won their out-of-conference game! The highlight of the weekend was the University of Houston defeating former Southwest Conference School Oklahoma State on the road…This once again shows that the Big 8 is inferior to the Southwest Conference. Let’s round up the results and hand out the Southies…
Conference Domination! Houston 45, Oklahoma State 35 Head Coach Kevin Sumlin was not surprised that his team beat down on the fifth ranked Cowboys on the road, but the rest of the nation was truly mesmerized by a Southwest Conference team defeating a Big 8 opponent on the road. Case Keenum threw for 366-yards and three touchdowns as he lead his Cougars to a 21-point 4th quarter and a win in Stillwater. The Cougars held a 24-7 lead at halftime but gave it up shortly after in the 3rd quarter as they were down 28-24. With the start of the 4th quarter came the start of a new dynasty, the COOGHAS! Bryce Beall scored two touchdowns and Jamal Robinson picked off Zac Robinson to seal the deal. This marks the first time in 20-years that the Cooghas are ranked in the top 25 as they start the week ranked 21.
Conference Play Starts… Rice 10, Texas Tech 55 In the first Conference game of the season, the Rice Owls and Texas Tech Red Raiders battled it out for supremacy but in the end Texas Tech stood victorious like Xerxes from 300. The Red Raiders racked up over 560 yards of total offense and Taylor Potts added 7-touchdowns as he threw for 456-yards. The Rice Owls kept it close in the first half as they only trailed 14-3. The Red Raiders started off the second half by scoring 28 unanswered points and sealed the deal on a 34-yd pass from Potts to Eric Stephens. The Owls are now 0-2 for the season as Tech moves to 2-0 and undefeated in Conference play.
Wild in Wyoming… Texas 41, Wyoming 10 In what was proclaimed the biggest moment in the history of Wyoming football, the Longhorns took a caravan of football up to Laramie, WY for the first ever football game in Wyoming. Colt McCoy and the Horns got off to a slow start as they only led by 3-points at the half (13-10) due to an emotional first-half by the Cowboys. The Horns eventually got it together as they scored 28 unanswered points and held the Cowboys to no points in the second half. Colt McCoy threw for 337-yds and three touchdowns. James Kirkendoll had his biggest game as a receiver by catching for 102-yds and a touchdown. The Horns now get ready for their first conference game as they host Texas Tech.
Starting things up… TCU 30, Virginia 16 TCU started their 2009 campaign on the road as they went up to Charlottsville to take on the Cavaliers of Virginia. TCU got off to a hot start as they were up 24-0 going into the 4th. Andy Dalton threw for 177-yds and a TD but the story of the game was Ross Evans as he went 3/3 on FG attempts and accounted for 12-pts in the win.
This is not a typo… SMU 35, UAB 33 We promise this is not a typo: SMU has doubled their win total from last year by beating UAB on the road! Let the celebrations begin!! Bo Levi Mitchell, he is the QB for SMU, threw for 353-yds and three touchdowns and helped the Mustangs gain 437 total yards. The Mustangs jumped off to a 28-7 lead in the first half before UAB went on a scoring binge and cutting the lead to 28-27. UAB eventually got within 35-33 and failed to convert a 2-point conversion. Win SMU. This is a big day for the Mustangs so we are proclaiming this day National SMU Day in the Southwest Conference.
Southies Awards
Offensive Player of the Week: QB- Case Keenum, Houston: The Junior QB threw for 366-yds and three touchdowns on the road as he helped the Cooghas win their biggest game in 20-years. This marks the 2nd time Keenum has won a Southie Award.
Defensive Player of the Week: CB-Jamal Robinson, Houston: The Junior QB intercepted Zac Robinson in the 4th quarter and returned it for a TD. That TD made it 45-35 and helped bring the fat lady out for her final song. This is the first Defensive player of the Week Southie for the University of Houston since 1989.
Special Teams player of the Week: K- Ross Evans, TCU: The Sophomore Kicker went 3/3 on his FG attempts and accounted for 12 of the 30 points for TCU on the road.
Player of the Week: SMU Mustangs: The Mustangs as a team win player of the week honors as they doubled their win total from last year by winning their second game of the year! Congrats to the mighty Mustangs…you make us proud…unlike Rice, who lost.
Week 3: Texas Tech @ Texas* Rice @ Oklahoma State Utah State @ Texas A&M Texas State @ TCU SMU @ Washington State Georgia @ Arkansas UConn @ Baylor HOUSTON-OFF
Tune in Monday at 7 p.m. as Raheel Ramzanali and David Nuno continue hosting the Southwest Conference Show on 1560 The Game.
Conference play is here! Conference play is here!! The Southwest Conference will be kicking of Conference play with a marquee match-up of two potent offenses as Rice heads up to Lubbock to take on Mike Leach and the Red Raiders! Let’s now take a look at this week in the Southwest Conference…
Rice at Texas Tech*
Texas Tech hosts Rice as both teams start up conference play in the 2009 season. Texas Tech, the defending Southwest Conference champs, will have to score early and often as Rice is fielding a young and explosive team that can gain momentum fast. Last week, first time starter QB Taylor Potts threw three interceptions on his way to a win. Potts will have to cutback on turnovers against a young and dangerous Rice defense.
Houston @ Oklahoma State
Head Coach Kevin Sumlin will take his Cougars on the road as 15 point underdogs and try to upset the no.5 team in college football Oklahoma State. The last time the Cougars met their brethren from the Big 8 was last year when the Cowboys defeated the Cougars 56-37. Look for a lot of points in this battle of explosive offenses led by explosive players.
Texas at Wyoming
Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy and his best friend Jordan Shipley will take Texas to the promise land, Wyoming, for the first time in the School’s history. This will be the first time a Southwest Conference school has stepped foot the providence of Wyoming. Last week, Wyoming barely beat Weber State. Weber isn’t even a state.
SMU at UAB
Did you enjoy SMU’s win last week? Well, that’s a feeling you wont be feeling again for a while. SMU will get back to its shameful ways this weekend as they travel to UAB for their yearly whooping in this annual out-of-conference game.
TCU at Virginia
Last week while TCU was off, Virginia lost to William & Mary. It’s one thing to fall to William, but also to Mary?! SHAMEFUL! TCU will look to start off it’s season on the right foot as they travel to Virginia to hand the Cavaliers a good ‘ol Southwest Conference beatdown!
Tune in Monday at 7 p.m. as Raheel Ramzanali and David Nuño guide you through the Southwest Conference with the official Southwest Conference Show! The guys will be live at Buffalo Wild Wings in Rice Village so stop on by and celebrate the SWC with them…This week on the show, Coach R.C. Slocum will join the guys to talk about this year’s Southwest Conference matchups and how he won the conference three times!
What an exciting way to start the 2009 Southwest Conference season! Â The Conference went a stellar 7-1 in all of their games…including a win by Souther Methodist University! Â Let’s recap all of the games and also hand out our weekly Southies (our version of the weekly awards in the Southwest Conference)…
Biggest Win:
Baylor 24, Wake Forest 21
Second year coach Art Briles won his biggest game at Baylor by defeating Wake Forest on the road 24-21. This was also the Robert Griffin Show as the outstanding quarterback went 15-of-24 with 136 passing yards and a TD in addition to his 41 rushing yards.  The Baylor Bears were up by 3 at halftime until they decided to enforce their Southwest Conference Powers on the inferior Wake Forest team  by scoring 14 points in the 3rd quarter.
National Title Run Starts:
Texas 59, Louisiana-Monroe 20
Colt McCoy threw one interception for the Longhorns but it was his 78-yard TD pass to Jordan Shipley that people will remember as the play that sealed the deal. Â The Heisman hopeful threw for 317-yards and became the first Texas Longhorn to throw for more than 10,000 yards in the Southwest Conference. Â While throwing for 317-yards might have helped Colt in his quest to become the SWC player of the year, he also helped his bestfriend Jordan Shipley’s resume to become SWC player of the year. Â The Longhorns have never lost an opening game under headcoach Mack Brown.
The Start of a New Era:
Texas A&M 41, New Mexico 6
All summer long the story around College Station was freshman running-back Christine Michael and boy did he deliver the newspapers on Saturday as he rushed for 93-yards on 11 carries and a TD as the Aggies defeated the country of New Mexico 41-6. Â Head coach Mike Sherman won his first opener as a Southwest Conference Coach as he lost last year to Arkansas State. Â Junior QB Jerrod Johnson threw for 349-yards and 2-TDs in the route.
Pott it up!
Texas Tech 38, North Dakota 13
Taylor Potts is not a household name in the SWC but after Saturday Night’s performance the QB just might become a big time name in the great conference. Â The junior QB threw for 405-yards and 2-tds as the Red Raiders rolled North Dakota 38-13. Â Potts also threw 3-interceptions but also added two rushing TDs for the Red Raiders.
The Lone Letdown…
UAB 44, Rice 24
The Rice Owls, not the SMU Mustangs, were the only team to lose in week 1 for the SWC. Â The Owls were faced with a tough challenge as they opened on the road against UAB and standout QB Joe Webb. Â The Owls allowed 516 total yards and 44 points as their young defense could not stop the Blazers. Â Rice QB Nick Fanuzzi added 154-yards of offense in split duties with QB John Thomas Shepherd who threw for 81-yards and in INT. Â The Rice Owls were no match for their out-of-conference opponents but expect Coach Baliff to have his team ready for Texas Tech in their SWC Opener.
8 Touchdown Start…
Houston 55, Northwestern State 7
The Coogas opened up their season with a romping of FCS school Northwestern State as Case Keenum went 23/30 for 359-yards and 4-TDs in his quest to become Cooga of the Year. Â The Coogas are looking to make serious noise in the conference with an offense that racked up 538 yards with 8 TDs…Head Coach Kevin Sumlin is now 2-0 in opening games as a SWC coach.
Hogwild…
Arkansas 48, Missouri State 10
Arkansas got off to an impressive start to their 2009 season by beating up on a random school from Missouri. Â Ryan Mallet threw for 309-yards and a TD to start off his year as a QB in the SWC. Â Coach Petrino’s defense held MSU to a total of 82-rushing yards in the opener.
THEY WON!!!!
SMU 31, Stephen F. Austin 23
This is not a typo, the Mustangs won their opening game of the 2009 season by beating SFA by 8-points. Â We are very proud of the Mustangs for not brining great shame to our great conference. Â With the win, the Mustangs matched their win total from last year. Â Keep us proud!!
Southies Awards
Offensive Player of the Week:
WR-Jordan Shipley, Texas: Â The White WR caught eight passes for 180-yards and a TD. Â This is the third time the WR from Texas has won a Southie.
Defensive Player of the Week:
DT- Phillip Taylor, Baylor: The Junior DT caught his first career interception against Wake Forest in the win for Baylor.
Special Teams Player of the Week:
RB- D.J. Monroe, Texas: Â The freshman running back returned a kick-off for an 89-yard TD as the Horns defeated ULM in their opener.
Player of the Week:
QB- Jerrord Johnson, Texas A&M: After being named the starting QB for the Aggies, the QB delivered big time in his first game as he threw for 2-tds on 349 yards and added another rushing TD with 57-rushing yards. Â This is the first time a “Jerrod” has won player of the week honors for the SWC.
This Week in the Southwest Conference (September 4, 2009)
Finally the time has come for Southwest Conference Football to start! This is a promising year for the great conference in which we boast two BCS Bowl contenders in Texas and Texas Christian University but also have perennial powerhouses on the rise in the University of Houston and Baylor. Week 1 boasts a lot of interesting match-ups for Southwest Conference teams as they get ready to embark on a tough and dangerous Southwest Conference schedule. Let’s now look at This Week in the Southwest Conference…
Louisiana-Monroe at #2 Texas: This is the first time in the history of the Southwest Conference that a team is returning a Heisman Trophy runner-up and starting the season in the top 2. Texas will look to start their national champion campaign against a strong and formidable opponent in Louisiana-Monroe. The Horns will be looking to answer questions at running back and the defensive line before they start conference play. The Horns bring back one of the most dangerous offenses in the SWC led by Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley. In what should be an easy game for the Horns at DKR Memorial Stadium, expect Coach Mack Brown to experiment with a lot of running backs as he did not have a 1,000 yard rusher for the first time in his tenure in the SWC.
#17 Texas Christian University- OFF WEEK
North Dakota at Texas Tech: After winning the Southwest Conference last year, Texas Tech is looking to repeat and impose it’s offense on the rest of the conference. This will be significantly harder as Mike Leach is replacing record setting QB Graham Harrell and Biletknoff Award winning wide receiver Michael Crabtree. The Red Raiders will be starting Junior QB Taylor Potts who has already thrown for 409 yards and three touchdowns as a player in the Southwest Conference. Expect Coach Leach to unleash a furious beat down on the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota to show the college football nation that the Red Raiders intend to make the Southwest Conference a three team race.
Rice at Univeristy of Alabama-Birmingham: In an alternate universe where the Southwest Conference was disbanded, Rice vs UAB would be a big conference game but since Rice is a thriving member of the SWC, this game is nothing more than a tune-up to Rice’s conference opening game in Week 2 with Texas Tech. Rice is coming off a great 10-win season where they have to replace QB Chase Clement, TE James Casey and WRJarett Dillard. First time SWC coach David Bailiff will have to hope his team does not look ahead to their big SWC match-up against Texas Tech next week. UAB will be a tough team to defense as they run the spread offense with QB Joe Webb and company. Rice will be playing both Nick Fanuzzi and John Thomas Shepherd at QB in the season opener.
Northwestern State vs Houston: The “Coogas” were pegged as the official darkhorse to win the Southwest Conference at the SWC Media Day and Coach Sumlin will be ready to make the miracle run at the title with a potent offense. His first test will be the mighty Demons of the Football Champion Subdivision. The toughest challenge for Coach Sumlin will be keeping his guys focused on the Demons and not looking ahead to their Week 2 opponent Oklahoma State of the Big 8. Look for the Cougars to have a crisp game as Coach Sumlin is a master motivator and the returning Rookie Coach of the Year in the SWC.
Baylor at Wake Forest: The Robert Griffin Party will have to commence on the road as Head Coach Art Briles and the Bears open up on the road against Wake Forest. This game will be a good measuring stick for the Bears as they look for their first winning season in the SWC since 1995 when they finished 5-2 in the conference. Baylor has been pegged as a team on the rebound due to a dangerous offense led by efficient QB Robert Griffin and a defense that is better than SMU’s and Arkansas’ defense.
Missouri State vs Arkansas: Arkansas was one of only three schools last year to finish without a win in the SWC. The Razorbacks will be looking to shake the cobwebs off against Missouri State so they can be sharp for their biggest game of the year on October 3rd when they host Texas A&M in their only SWC game. The Razorbacks should take care of business against Missouri State but they also scheduled tough warm-up games against SEC opponents #13 Georgia and #5 Alabama.
New Mexico at Texas A&M: Last year the Aggies finished 0-3 in Conference play and almost lost to New Mexico. The Aggies pulled off a thriller against New Mexico, a team that won 4 games, but that game only pointed out the holes for first year SWC Coach Mike Sherman. Coach Sherman is looking to start his Sophomore campaign on a hot start as his first 7 games only have two conference opponents (Arkansas and Texas Tech).
Stephen F. Austin at SMU: The Mustangs brought great shame upon the Southwest Conference last year by finishing 1-11 and that lone win came against Texas State, a school, so they really finished 0-10. Let’s hope June Jones does not bring more embarrassment to the great SWC by losing to the Lumberjacks. The last time the Mustangs had a winning record was in 1997 finishing at 6-5.
Tune into the Southwest Conference Show every Monday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. as RaheelRamzanali and David Nuño provide the only hard-hitting SWC talk in the nation. You can e-mail the show at SWC@1560thegame.com
1560 The Game is proud to announce that we are the home for the Southwest Conference Football Show! Every Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Raheel Ramzanali and David Nuño will break down all the big match-ups in the Southwest Conference and all the teams that make up our great Conference! Keep up-to-date with all the news and standings here on 1560thegame.com!
The 2008 Standings
Recap of the 2008 Season and Preview for the 2009 Season:
What an exciting year it was for the Southwest Conference in 2008! We had three teams finish in the top 12 of the AP Top 25 poll (Texas at 4, TCU at 7 and Texas Tech at 12) and even had Rice receive 8 votes to be in the AP Top 25! The Southwest Conference was part of some marquee games and match-ups as Texas and Texas Tech were in the mix for the National Title all year long. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma Sooners from the Big 8 beat out both teams by percentage points to be in the BCS Title Game. Last season was also a year of revival as Rice finished 10-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference. The Southwest Conference is a conference of excellence and tradition and every team last year showed their true value to College Football. Let’s recap some of the teams from last year:
The University of Texas finished no.4 overall in the country with a record of 12-1 and a conference record of 4-1 with wins over Texas A&M, Rice, Baylor and Arkansas. The Longhorns look to make their second trip to the BCS National Title Game this year as they open the season as no.2 team in all of college football. The Longhorns are the only team to play in BCS Bowls from the Southwest Conference. Texas brings back Heisman Runner-up Colt McCoy and his star-studded offense. If Colt McCoy wins the Heisman this year, he will be the first player from the Southwest Conference to win it in the 2000’s.
Texas Christian University finished no.7 overall and was in the mix to make a BCS Bowl Game until they lost to Utah late in the season. TCU finished 11-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference with a win over SMU 48-7. TCU heads into the 2009 season ranked as No.17 so expect a lot of fireworks from the Horned Frogs and their quest to win the Southwest!
Texas Tech for many years has competed to win the Southwest Conference but has always fallen short…that changed last year when the Red Raiders finished 11-2 overall and 4-0 in Conference play with a huge win over Texas in Lubbock. This marked the first time the Red Raiders won the conference under head coach Mike Leech and his dangerous offense. This year should be different as the Raiders are replacing standouts Michael Crabtree and legendary college football QB Graham Harrell.
One of the best stories last year in the SWC was the battle for Houston as Rice and the University of Houston put up great records to take control of the Bayou City. In the end, Rice won the Bayou Bowl and walked away with a better record and a cooler mascot. The “Coogas” however did not walk away in shame as they put up an impressive 8-5 overall record and 1-1 in conference play. As Rice reloads this year, the Coogas look ready to dominate the City as Coach Sumlin starts his second season in the SWC.
Let’s move down to Waco where the Freshman of the Year is ready to make noise and become the Sophomore of the Year…Robert Griffin. The young QB lead Baylor to a 4-8 record and a 1-2 conference record under Coach Art Briles. If you remember, Art Briles transferred from rival Southwest Conference school the University of Houston last season and brought along recruit Robert Griffin. The Bears are geeked about the chances of making a strong run at the Conference Title with Griffin and Briles at the helm.
Now to the bottom feeders of the great conference, Texas A&M, SMU and Arkansas combined to win 10 games last years and went 0-8 in Conference play. Texas, Texas Tech, TCU and Rice all finished with 10 wins or more. Sad.
While these three teams were not good last year, they are looking to turn it around with coaches and recruits. Texas A&M is excited to have another year with Head Coach Mike Sherman and Jerrord Johnson at QB. Will the Aggies finish with more than 4 wins overall and no wins in conference play? We can only wait and see…
While we wait, lets quickly glance at what SMU and Arkansas did last year…SMU finished 1-11 under Head Coach June Jones and did not win a conference game. Arkansas did not fair any better as they were also defeated in Conference play at a mark of 0-1. Hey, at least Arkansas finished 5-7 overall unlike SMU who couldn’t win for the sake of the Conference.
This should be an exciting year in the Southwest Conference with teams making a run for the BCS National Title and some BCS Bowl Games so put on your seat belt and tune into 1560 The Game every Monday Night at 7pm to 9pm for the best Southwest Conference talk this side of the Mason Dixon Line.
