Sep 14, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars linebacker Michael Batton (44) pre-snap in the second quarter at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sean Thomas-Imagn Images

Houston dominates Rice in annual Bayou Bucket game

Stacy Sneed rushed for 82 yards on seven carries and a long touchdown and Houston’s defense held visiting Rice to 159 total yards in a 33-7 win in the annual Bayou Bucket game on Saturday night.

Re’Shaun Sanford II added 71 rushing yards on 15 carries for the Cougars (1-2), who opened the season with losses to UNLV (27-7) and No. 15 Oklahoma (16-12).

Houston quarterback Donovan Smith completed 12 of 21 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for two scores.

Rice managed just eight first downs and was 0-for-10 on third downs until the final drive of the game, finishing 2 for 13.

The Owls (1-2) beat Houston in double-overtime last season.

Rice quarterback E.J. Warner completed 12 of 21 passes for just 50 yards with an interception.

Sneed scored on a 65-yard touchdown run to give Houston a 7-0 lead with 5:30 left in the first quarter.

Rice went its third straight drive without a first down and Mekhi Mews returned the ensuing punt 75 yards for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 14-0 with 3:49 left in the first quarter.

Stephon Johnson caught a 44-yard touchdown strike from Smith with 7:29 left in the first half, extending the lead to 20-0.

The Cougars were stopped on downs at the Rice 7-yard line late in the third quarter, but Jalen Garner intercepted a Warner pass two plays later and returned it to the 1-yard line. Smith scored one play later to extend the lead to 26-0.

Smith added a 37-yard touchdown run with 7:10 remaining in the game to extend the lead to 33-0.

Rice’s Dean Connors scored on a 4-yard run with 1:08 left to prevent the shutout.

After both teams went three-and-out on opening drives, Sanford’s 34-yard run on the first play of the second series moved Houston into Rice territory. J’Marion Burnette’s 14-yard run pushed the drive into the red zone, but Joseph Kim would miss a 31-yard field goal attempt after a shaky hold.

Rice had three first downs and 59 total yards in the first half, going 0-for-7 on third downs.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer (10) carries the ball against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Washington State defeats Washington in Apple Cup

John Mateer passed for one touchdown and rushed for two more as Washington State defeated Washington 24-19 in a neutral-site Apple Cup on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Lumen Field in Seattle, the home of the NFL’s Seahawks.

The Cougars (3-0) stopped Washington on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 1:07 remaining to preserve just their second victory in the past 14 rivalry games between the schools. WSU’s Kyle Thornton tackled Jonah Coleman for a 2-yard loss on the deciding option play.

The Huskies (2-1) had a 452-381 advantage in total yardage, but failed to finish drives and had to settle for four field goals by Grady Gross. Washington was penalized 16 times for 135 yards.
Mateer completed 17 of 34 passes for 245 yards and gained a team-high 62 yards on 16 carries.

The Huskies’ Will Rogers was 23-of-31 passing for 314 yards and a touchdown and Coleman rushed 14 times for 75 yards.

The Cougars took a 17-13 halftime lead as Mateer scored on runs of 23 and 25 yards. The latter came on a quarterback draw on third-and-20 with 21 seconds remaining in the half.

After turning the ball over on downs at Washington’s 10-yard line on their first possession, the Cougars opened the scoring on Dean Janikowski’s 44-yard field goal.

The Huskies answered with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Rogers to Giles Jackson, who caught eight passes for 162 yards.

Washington State regained the lead on Mateer’s 23-yard run.

The Huskies tied it at 10 on Gross’s 44-yard field goal on the opening play of the second quarter.

Gross added a 42-yarder to put the Washington up 13-10 before Mateer’s late score.

Gross kicked a 24-yarder on the Huskies’ opening possession of the second half to trim WSU’s lead to 17-16.

Mateer threw a 16-yard scoring strike to Josh Meredith to make it 24-16 with 5:44 left in the third quarter.

Gross added a 43-yarder on the final play of the third to pull the Huskies within 24-19.

–Field Level Media

Houston Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith (1) throws a pass during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Houston Cougars at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024.

Houston seeing improvement, eyes first ’24 win vs. Rice

Houston will try to put a dent in the win column when it hosts Rice in a nonconference game on Saturday night.

Houston (0-2) opened the season with a 27-7 home loss to UNLV and fell at No. 15 Oklahoma 16-12 last week.

The Cougars outgained the Sooners 318-249 in total yards, including 260-174 in passing yards, but came up empty on their final five drives of the game.

Still, Houston coach Willie Fritz saw plenty of improvement from the opening week.

“I think we cut in half the missed tackles from Week 1 to Week 2,” Fritz said. “I think we had seven (against Oklahoma). When you start to have less than 10 missed tackles in a ballgame, you’re really playing excellent defense. You’re doing a good job in tackling.”

Houston quarterback Donovan Smith bounced back from a poor performance against UNLV and completed 24 of 28 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown with an interception.

Defensively, the Cougars will continue to count on linebacker Michael Batton, who had nine tackles and two sacks against Oklahoma.

“He’s a really fun guy to coach,” Fritz said. “He’s got great speed, quickness, movement, loves the game. He can close on people. He knows when to go. He doesn’t have to reassess things. Once he makes a decision, he’s quick with the decision.”

Rice (1-1) is coming off a 69-7 home win against Texas Southern after dropping its season opener 34-14 to visiting Sam Houston. The point total against Texas Southern was the third most in school history and the margin of victory was the second largest.

Dean Connors needed just nine carries to accumulate 113 yards and three touchdowns against Texas Southern.

“There’s still plays that we need to improve on all throughout the game,” Rice safety Tyson Flowers said. “There’s stuff that we’re going to find when we watch the film that we need to correct if we want to continue to have the season that we want to have.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Brigham Young Cougars place kicker Will Ferrin (44) kicks the game winning field goal against the Southern Methodist Mustangs during the second half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Will Ferrin’s late field goal gives BYU 18-15 win over SMU

Will Ferrin kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:58 left Friday night to give BYU an 18-15 non-conference win over SMU in Dallas.

The Mustangs’ last gasp ended with 1:25 remaining when Kevin Jennings’ 4th-and-10 pass from their 40, intended for Jordan Hudson, fell incomplete at the
Cougars’ 20. The result enabled BYU to improve to 2-0 and dropped SMU to 2-1.

Jake Retzlaff completed 15 of 28 passes for the Cougars for 202 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, while Jennings was 15 of 32 for 140 yards with an interception. Mustangs starter Preston Stone played just three series and was 2 of 4 for 4 yards, absorbing three sacks.

SMU led 12-7 in the third quarter after Collin Rogers’ fourth field goal of the game when BYU answered with a 61-yard touchdown march. Enoch Nawahine scored on a 9-yard run at the 1:15 mark, followed by a two-point conversion pass.

Rogers’ fifth field goal, a 45-yarder with 6:17 remaining in the game, evened the score at 15. The Cougars responded with a 67-yard drive, getting a 37-yard run from Miles Davis on 4th-and-1 from their 48 to tee up Ferrin.

BYU initiated scoring on its second drive, marching 75 yards and finishing it with Retzlaff’s 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase, the second time the duo hooked up for a score in as many games.

That was it for the Cougars’ attack until their last drive of the half. They had four straight 3-and-outs, then were stoned on a 4th-down run at the 26 by an SMU defense that kept them from scoring points after BYU recovered a fumbled punt at the Mustangs’ 35.

SMU took a 9-7 lead at halftime thanks to Rogers’ three second quarter field goals. He boomed a career-long 53-yarder at the 13:06 mark, connected from 52 about seven minutes later and nailed a 38-yarder in the last minute.

The Cougars had a chance to take the lead at halftime but Ferrin misfired from 55 as time expired.

–Field Level Media

Aug 31, 2024; Lubbock, Texas, USA;  Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton (2) drops back to pass against the Abilene Christian Wildcats in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Texas Tech, Washington State to honor Mike Leach, light up scoreboard

Call it the Mike Leach Bowl.

Texas Tech and Washington State, two of the programs once led by the late offensive mastermind, are scheduled to meet Saturday in Pullman, Wash., on a day Leach will be inducted into the host Cougars’ Hall of Fame.

And there should be points aplenty.

“Man, I’m excited to go to Washington State and honor Mike Leach,” Texas Tech coach Joey Maguire said. “What better way to do that than have us there.”

Leach is the winningest coach in Texas Tech history and is third on Washington State’s list.

The visiting Red Raiders (1-0) are coming off a 52-51 overtime victory against Abilene Christian last Saturday, while the Cougars (1-0) routed Portland State that day 70-30. Texas Tech gained 539 yards and Washington State amassed 637.

“I think it’s the exact same,” Cougars coach Jake Dickert said of the two offenses. “I think they call things the same. They signal things the same … it’s gonna be about execution. I think we’re very familiar with it, but at the same time, what makes (Tech’s) offense hard is every week is different. You see something one week and you can practice it, and it’s completely different in a new formation.”

The Red Raiders’ Behren Morton completed 30 of 42 passes for 378 yards — one shy of his career best — and a career-high five touchdowns, and Tahj Brooks rushed for 153 yards and a TD. Josh Kelly, who played last season at Washington State, had 10 receptions for 156 yards and one touchdown.

Texas Tech, which was a 31 1/2-point favorite in its opener, will have to improve on defense.

“Holy moly … we have a lot of things we have to fix to get better, and we’ve got to do ’em in a hurry,” Maguire said.

The Cougars’ John Mateer was 11-of-17 passing for 352 yards and five TDs in their opener, with Kyle Williams making four catches for 141 yards and two scores and Kris Hutson adding four grabs for 101 yards and a TD. Wayshawn Parker added 96 yards and a TD on just eight carries for Washington State, which scored 49 points in the first half.

Texas Tech and Washington State will be meeting for the third time overall and the first time since 1964, when the Red Raiders beat the Cougars for a second straight year.

–Field Level Media

Nov 4, 2023; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Jahiem White (22) runs the ball and avoids a tackle from Brigham Young Cougars defensive end Blake Mangelson (93) during the second quarter at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia runs all over BYU 37-7

Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson Jr. each rushed for more than 100 yards to help West Virginia run over visiting BYU 37-7 Saturday night in Morgantown, W.Va.

White carried the ball 16 times for 146 yards and Donaldson racked up 102 yards and two touchdowns for the Mountaineers (6-3, 4-2 Big 12), who became bowl eligible with their sixth win.

The Mountaineers rushed for 336 yards and piled up 567 yards of total offense. Quarterback Garrett Greene threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-24 passing.

BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff, starting for the injured Kedon Slovis, passed for 210 yards and completed 24 of 42 attempts in his first FBS action.

The Cougars (5-4, 2-4) lost their second straight conference road game after compiling only 277 yards of offense, including just 67 rushing.

West Virginia scored on its opening drive to seize control early. Moments after Donaldson prolonged the possession with a fourth-down conversion run, the sophomore’s 2-yard touchdown run put the Mountaineers up 7-0.

West Virginia then forced BYU to turn it over on downs near midfield and grabbed a 14-0 lead thanks to another Donaldson scoring plunge, this one from 1 yard out. That score was set up by a 30-yard pass from Greene to Traylon Ray.

Michael Hayes made it 17-0 with a 46-yard field goal early in the second quarter after the Mountaineers again forced BYU to turn it over on downs.

Greene hooked up with Preston Fox for a 12-yard touchdown reception and Hayes chipped in a 22-yard field goal for a 27-0 halftime lead as time expired in the second quarter.

BYU’s best scoring opportunity of the first half was thwarted when Aubrey Burks stripped the ball out of Parker Kingston’s hands on the West Virginia 18-yard line after a big pickup.

Hayes hit his third field goal, a 23-yarder, and Kole Taylor hauled in a 43-yard touchdown reception for a 37-0 lead.

BYU missed a 50-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

Aidan Robbins finally put the Cougars on the scoreboard with a 10-yard run with 6:24 left in the game. It was BYU’s first touchdown in 10 quarters, going back to its win over Texas Tech two weeks ago.

–Field Level Media

Oct 21, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports

Bucky Irving stars as No. 9 Oregon knocks off Washington State

Bucky Irving rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns and also scored on a reception as No. 9 Oregon rebounded from its lone loss of the season to defeat Washington State 38-24 Saturday afternoon in a Pacific-12 game in Eugene, Ore.

Bo Nix, who broke the Football Bowl Subdivision record for a quarterback with his 54th career start, completed 18 of 25 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score for the Ducks (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12), who lost 36-33 last week at Washington in a top-10 showdown. UO’s Jordan James added 103 yards rushing.

The Cougars (4-3, 1-3), who were ranked No. 13 earlier this month, suffered their third consecutive defeat.

WSU’s Cameron Ward was 34-of-48 passing for 438 yards and a touchdown. Lincoln Victor made a school-record 16 catches for 161 yards.

After leading 17-13 at the half, the Ducks pulled away in the third quarter.

A screen pass to Irving turned into a 42-yard touchdown as he raced down the left sideline.

After Washington State’s Dean Janikowski kicked a 50-yard field goal, the Ducks responded with another TD, with Irving rushing 43 yards up the middle to make it 31-16.

Nix tossed a TD pass to Tez Johnson on third-and-goal from the 17 with 8:53 remaining. Johnson had a team-high six receptions for 94 yards.

Ward threw a 16-yard scoring strike to Isaiah Hamilton with 52 seconds left to cap the scoring.

The Ducks stopped WSU on fourth down three times, including on consecutive possessions in the second half.

The first half went back-and-forth.

The teams traded field goals in the first quarter, with Janikowski kicking a 36-yarder and the Ducks’ Camden Lewis answering from 27 yards.

The Cougars regained the lead on a 4-yard touchdown run by Nakia Watson.

Oregon pulled ahead on a pair of 2-yard TD runs, by Irving and Nix, the latter with 44 seconds left in the half.

Ward drove the Cougars down the field and Janikowski booted a 33-yarder with one second remaining to trim Oregon’s lead to four points.

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) passes against the Brigham Young Cougars during the game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

TCU routs BYU behind Josh Hoover’s first start, 4 TDs

Redshirt freshman Josh Hoover threw for 439 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start as TCU destroyed visiting BYU 44-11 in a Big 12 matchup in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday afternoon.

Hoover, taking over for the injured Chandler Morris, spread his touchdowns among four receivers and completed throws to 13 players overall. He went 37-of-58 passing with two interceptions after entering the game 14 of 23 for 171 yards in parts of five games previously.

JP Richardson made six catches for 104 yards and one score for TCU (4-3, 2-2 Big 12).

BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis managed only 152 yards passing and was intercepted once. The Cougars (4-2, 1-2) trailed 14-0 less than five minutes into the game and never threatened. They had only 27 total yards in the first quarter and were outgained 584-243 overall.

Keelan Marion rushed 3 yards for a touchdown and Chase Roberts caught the 2-point conversion for BYU with 3:15 left in the first half, but it came after TCU had built a 24-0 lead. The Horned Frogs then answered the Cougars’ score with an 81-yard march, capped by Hoover’s 7-yard pass play to Savion Williams with 40 seconds left for a 31-8 lead.

TCU added a touchdown on the first possession of the third quarter via a 14-yard pass to Warren Thompson, and the rout was on at 38-8.

BYU entered the game after a bye week, but its troubles started on the third play from scrimmage. Slovis threw an interception over the middle to Millard Bradford, who took it back 35 yards for a touchdown.

When the Cougars went three-and-out, the Horned Frogs’ offense took over. They needed only seven plays to go 68 yards, the last a 42-yard touchdown reception as Richardson bounced off a pair of would-be tacklers en route to the end zone.

TCU then added a field goal by Griffin Kell and a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jared Wiley to widen the lead to 24-0.

BYU’s Will Ferrin and Kell traded field goals in the third quarter, and Kell kicked his longest of the day, a 47-yarder, with 6:18 left in the game.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith (1) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Sam Houston State Bearkats at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

QB drama highlights Houston visit to Texas Tech

There will be no shortage of emotional pomp and circumstance on Saturday when Houston faces Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, in a meeting of Big 12 teams desperate to find their stride.

The Red Raiders (1-3, 0-1 Big 12) will induct linebacker Matt Wingo and quarterback — and later coach — Kliff Kingsbury into the school’s Hall of Fame, while coach Mike Leach will be recognized in the Hall of Honor. Leach, who died last December, is the winningest coach in program history.

But the real drama will be under center, as former Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith will start for the Cougars (2-2, 0-1), while Behren Morton will serve as signal-caller for the Red Raiders after starter Tyler Shough broke his fibula in a 20-13 loss to West Virginia last weekend.

Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire praised Smith for how he handled the transfer process and said him suiting up for the opponent adds a “cat-and-mouse part” to the game.

“Hate facing him, but I was just as fired up as anybody when (Houston coach Dana Holgorsen) named him as the starter because I’m a big fan of that kid,” McGuire said.

“He’s seen our defense and will definitely study it all week, it gives us an advantage as well to know his arm angles and how he reacts — when he is going to pull it down and run.”

Meanwhile, the Cougars must contend with a Morton-led offense that sputtered on the road against the Mountaineers until back-to-back scoring drives supplied a flicker of hope. But when the Red Raiders had to have a touchdown late, Morton failed to complete a pass on Texas Tech’s final drive of the game to finish the day 13-for-37 passing for 158 yards and a TD.

Holgorsen tagged Morton as “more of a gunslinger” than Shough and said he expects the change at quarterback to prompt the Red Raiders to adjust their approach to feature running back Tahj Brooks, who averages 6.7 yards per carry and 104.3 yards per game.

Brooks has rushed for 307 yards over the past two weeks, tallying a career-best 158 versus Tarleton State before racking up 149 against West Virginia.

“They have one of the best backs in the Big 12,” Holgorsen said. “I think they’re going to continue to run the ball more.”

Saturday marks the first meeting between the teams as Big 12 foes. Houston is 18-15-1 in the all-time series.

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2023; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward (1) is chased out of the pocket by Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Maema Njongmeta (55) in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Pac-2 party: No. 21 Washington St. hosts No. 14 Oregon St.

The championship of the Pac-2 will be on the line Saturday when No. 14 Oregon State plays No. 21 Washington State in Pullman, Wash.

Wait, what?

OK, it’s still the Pac-12 for now. And a mighty impressive one, with eight teams ranked in the top 12.

But a year from now, when Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington bolt for the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado join the Big 12; and Cal and Stanford set sail for the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Beavers and Cougars will be all that’s left of the so-called Conference of Champions.

“We belong in the Power 5,” Washington State coach Jake Dickert said on ESPN after his Cougars defeated then-ranked Wisconsin 31-22 on Sept. 9.

The Cougars (3-0), who have also won handily at Colorado State and against Northern Colorado, have adopted an “us-against-the-world” philosophy.

“Washington State’s gonna thrive … The Cougars are gonna make it,” Dickert said. “Cougs vs. everybody.”

WSU’s Cameron Ward has completed 77 of 107 passes (72.0 percent) while throwing for 990 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions as the Cougars have averaged 48.3 points per game.

Ward has found plenty of rest in the two blowouts, keeping him fresh for conference play.

“It’s helped me physically for sure, to start Pac play,” Ward said. “The past three games, they really don’t mean anything. Everything comes down to this Saturday.

“This is what we worked for this summer. It all comes down to Saturdays. We try to go 1-0. So it’s a mindset, but it for sure helps me physically.”

The Beavers (3-0) easily defeated San Jose State and UC Davis to open the season before a 26-9 victory against visiting San Diego State last weekend.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, a transfer from Clemson, has completed 42 of 68 passes for 630 yards and six TDs with two interceptions. He has also rushed for four scores.

Oregon State running back Damien Martinez has 351 yards on 40 carries.

Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith has generally steered clear of discussion of the Beavers’ future past this season.

“We’re focused with the task at hand, what is right in front of us,” Smith said. “I totally agree with Coach Dickert in regard that Oregon State and Washington State belonging and competing at the highest level.

“There’s a proven product, not just in football but in all sports. Both … have had serious success and that should continue.”

Instead, Smith has kept focused on Saturday’s conference opener.

“The meaning is Game 1 of conference play, and you want to get off to a good start,” Smith said. “It’s going to be competitive over there and obviously, we’re trying to win the game. Those are the kinds of things I think about.”

Pullman has been a tough place for the Beavers to play in recent seasons.

In 2019, Max Borghi scored a touchdown with two seconds left to lift Washington State to a 54-53 victory. Two years ago, WSU prevailed 31-24 after the Beavers’ potential tying drive stalled inside the Cougars’ 10-yard line with 33 seconds left.

Smith said those losses should serve as motivation for the Beavers this week.

“I think it helps. They do carry it, and they recognize how tough it is to win up there,” Smith said.

–Field Level Media