Local Rags 10/17

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North Texas is right back where it has spent a whole lot of time since the end of its breakout season of a year ago.
The Mean Green are once again evaluating their options at quarterback, this time in the days leading up to a game against Southern Miss on Saturday at Apogee Stadium.
UNT went through that process in spring practice and fall drills before settling on Josh Greer as its starter. The Mean Green switched to Dajon Williams and found some success before a flurry of key turnovers in a blowout loss to UAB on Saturday has once again put UNT back where it started.
This time around Williams and career backup Andrew McNulty will compete for the starting job at a time UNT is looking to rebound from a 2-4 start. Whoever starts will get the next crack at replacing Heart of Dallas Bowl MVP Derek Thompson and bringing the Mean Green out of a two-game slide to open Conference USA play.
UNT has turned the ball over seven times in its last two games with Williams accounting for all but one of them. UAB returned two Williams interceptions and a fumble for a touchdown in a 56-21 win on Saturday. One of those turnovers came on a pass Williams tossed into the flat where UAB cornerback Darius Williams picked it off and returned it for a touchdown that particularly perturbed UNT coach Dan McCarney.
There was no UNT player in the area.
“When you just flip the ball out there and just give up turnovers and points and don’t understand the importance of taking care of the football, then why would I put that guy back out there again?” McCarney said. “He [Williams] has to learn from it and improve. We will figure out as practice goes on this week who will start. Whoever we put out there had better take care of the ball better than we did the last two weeks.
“That is an injustice to our whole football team when you turn it over seven times, and it wasn’t just like we turned it over in minus territory, we were just giving them touchdowns.”
Williams did not attend UNT’s weekly press conference, but did address the turnovers he committed after the game.
“I was trying to make something happen,” Williams said. “I have learned that isn’t the right thing to do. I have to keep learning and grinding.”
Williams has shown signs of progress since being named the Mean Green’s starter after showing flashes of potential in the second half of a loss to Louisiana Tech on Sept. 11. He threw three touchdown passes in UNT’s games against Nicholls and Indiana and has seven touchdowns on the year to go along with four interceptions.
Now Williams will have to hold off McNulty, who came on to throw for 167 yards and a touchdown against UAB. The junior came on after McCarney benched Williams in the second half after he threw for 124 yards and a touchdown.
McNulty has thrown for 222 yards and a touchdown on the season. If McNulty were to start, he would be UNT’s third starter in seven games.
“We are absolutely confident,” offensive lineman Mason Y’Barbo said of UNT’s ability to find a quarterback it can win with. “It’s a matter of who is going to go in there, be relaxed and execute.”
UNT changed its offense to fit Williams’ talents that include his ability as a runner and accuracy throwing the ball on the run after benching Greer, who is more of a pocket passer.
McNulty is also an athletic quarterback who can handle playing in that type of offense.
UNT’s decision on whom to start could be predicated largely on who the coaching staff believes will best take care of the ball.
McCarney has put an emphasis on taking care of the ball and avoiding turnovers throughout this four-year tenure at UNT.
UNT tied for 15th nationally with a plus-11 margin last season, but is tied for 88th this year with a deficit of two.
“If you don’t take care of the football on offense, you can’t win in high school, junior high, college or the NFL,” McCarney said.
“Right now our guys hear that, but we don’t act on it. We don’t respect the football. A lot of that was Dajon [Williams], not all of it, but a lot of it. He has to get over it, learn it and figure it out.”

 

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[h=4]Safeties among players dealing with injuries[/h]Safeties Lairamie Lee and Sheldon Wade are both on a day-to-day basis due to undisclosed injuries.
Lee warmed up for UNT’s game against UAB, but was unable to play and was replaced by former Guyer standout John Schilleci in the starting lineup. Wade was injured during the game.
UNT also played without key backup cornerback Zac Whitfield, who suffered a concussion in practice last week.
The Mean Green struggled with a shuffled lineup in their loss to the Blazers.
UAB quarterback Cody Clements picked UNT apart, throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns while completing 17 of his 22 pass attempts.
UNT could also soon have running back Jeffrey Wilson back, possibly for its game against Southern Miss.
Wilson started UNT’s game against Louisiana Tech, but suffered an undisclosed injury after rushing for 16 yards on three carries. He has 94 rushing yards on the season.

 

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[h=4]McCarney: Sacks more than an offensive line problem[/h]UNT has surrendered sacks at a remarkably low rate over the past few years.
The Mean Green led the nation with just six sacks allowed in 2012 and followed that performance by allowing 11 last year, when the Mean Green ranked seventh nationally.
UNT’s two-year total of 17 was the best in the country.
The Mean Green have struggled to maintain that level of success heading into their game against the Golden Eagles and have allowed 14 sacks this season, including five against UAB.
UNT has shuffled its lineup in terms of its offensive front, but McCarney said the Mean Green’s issues go well beyond chemistry up front.
“Part of the problems that he had on Saturday, when you are supposed to throw the ball at a certain time and be in a place where you are supposed to throw the ball from and don’t do that, you don’t give that offensive lineman a chance to do his job,” McCarney said. “A lot of that stuff had nothing to do with the offensive line.
“The passing game is timing. Where are you supposed to be and when are you supposed to get rid of the ball? If you don’t, it’s not the offensive line’s fault.”
UNT had a veteran quarterback who was in the right spot more often than not the last few years in Derek Thompson. The Mean Green have started two quarterbacks this season in Josh Greer and Dajon Williams, a redshirt freshman who is still adjusting to the college game.
All five of UAB’s sacks came when the Blazers got to Williams.
UNT’s goal throughout McCarney’s tenure has been to get the the Mean Green’s five best offensive linemen on the field. This season that often has forced Cyril Lemon, a preseason All-C-USA selection, to move from his natural position of guard to tackle.
Lemon has played both spots this season and will continue in that role when UNT faces Southern Miss.

 

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LSU will play Miami in the Cowboys Classic at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 1, 2018.
It will be the 13th meeting between the schools and the first regular-season matchup since 1988.
Future Cowboys Classic games include Alabama-Wisconsin in 2015, USC-Alabama in 2016 and Michigan-Florida in 2017.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/10/16/6206653/lsu-miami-to-play-in-2018-cowboys.html#storylink=cpy

 

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TCU coach Gary Patterson confirmed that starting quarterback Trevone Boykin sustained an injury to his non-throwing wrist during TCU’s 61-58 loss to Baylor, but will be fine to start in Saturday’s home game against Oklahoma State.
The injury hasn’t hindered Boykin’s play during practice, Patterson said. “He’s been awesome.”
Boykin practiced in a soft cast this week and walked off the field Wednesday with it on his left wrist. Patterson said Boykin will wear the cast Saturday as well.
“It will be where he can manage it and do the things he needs to do,” Patterson said after Wednesday’s practice.
Patterson said the injury is similar to one that former Horned Frogs linebacker Tank Carder sustained during a Wednesday practice at TCU and was able to play the following Saturday.
Patterson said he didn’t know Boykin was injured, but thinks it happened early in the game.
“He’s a tough kid,” Patterson said.
Garman efficiency
Oklahoma State starting quarterback Daxx Garman’s strength is something TCU is very familiar with — the deep pass.
Since taking over for Denton Guyer alumnus J.W. Walsh in the Cowboys’ second game of the season against Missouri State, Garman has thrown for 1,361 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 272.2 yards per game.
“He’s more efficient,” Patterson said. “He’s not as good a runner as Walsh, but I think he probably throws the ball a little better than Walsh. He’s got a really good arm, and he’s got good people around him.”
Garman, a junior, transferred to OSU in 2012. He is seeing his first playing time since 2009, before he transferred to Southlake Carroll.
He was ruled ineligible by the UIL State Executive Committee for transferring for athletic reasons and did not play a down for the Dragons.
Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill saw his first action as starting quarterback for the Dragons that season in Garman’s stead.



Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/10/15/6204091/tcu-notes-boykin-injured-wrist.html#storylink=cpy

 

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Let me say this about Garman and SLC.
He came here to play for the Dragons. The district, read other schools in the district, were able to vote against it. Unprecedented , in the UIL. Granted his folks still had a home in Okla, and he couldn't play up there due to transfer rules. THey way it was done here was ridiculous. Everyone did see it for what it was, but the kid didn't get to play his senior year, any where.
It's not unheard of in Texas High School Football. We have strict residency rules when it comes to eligibility.
Mojo had gone undefeated and won the first round playoff game when some concerned citizens pointed out that a young man lived on "the wrong street corner".

 

[dilaudid8]

press bol my man

 

[Elbutre88]

that garman situation was pretty entertaining when it happened. his dad at the gas station is still one of my favorite local news clips. daxx can't throw intermediate passes for shit, but his long ball is awesome, always has been.

 

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that garman situation was pretty entertaining when it happened. his dad at the gas station is still one of my favorite local news clips. daxx can't throw intermediate passes for shit, but his long ball is awesome, always has been.

And you know we are pretty strict on residency, but they obv wanted him playing at a high profile program when OK said no way/no mo.
I remember when Blake Cantu's mom started selling real estate in Southlake. Everyone was crying foul etc....
Kid's got a couple of rings.

 

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COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M receiver Malcolme Kennedy has become the voice of inspiration, if not an agent of change, for the Aggies’ football team this season.
Teammates and coach Kevin Sumlin cited Kennedy’s fiery halftime speech as a rallying point during a 35-28 victory over Arkansas on Sept. 27. It did not hurt that Kennedy, a fifth-year senior, caught the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime despite dealing with the early stages of a shoulder injury that has caused him to miss the last two contests.
Kennedy, the team leader in receiving yards per game (75.6), is expected to return to the lineup Saturday when No. 21 A&M (5-2, 2-2 in SEC) meets No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Along with defensive end Julien Obioha, cornerback Deshazor Everett, safety Howard Matthews and offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, he is part of a small core of veterans who contributed to the Aggies’ program-turning triumph during the team’s last visit to Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Sumlin said Saturday’s plan in A&M’s return to the 101,281-seat venue will be to “lean on those guys who have helped us in that atmosphere. But we don’t have a bunch of them.”
Key among that group is Kennedy, whose 24-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter provided the game-winning points in 2012. Two years later, Kennedy’s tangibles and intangibles will be tested when a young team seeks to break a two-game losing streak on national television (2:30 p.m., KTVT/Ch. 11).
“We missed him a lot. Not just for his play, but for his leadership. For him being able to snap people out of funks and things like that,” quarterback Kenny Hill said. “He’s got a knack for that. People listen to him and follow him.”
Hill, a sophomore from Southlake Carroll, struggled with interceptions (five) and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown during A&M’s back-to-back losses with Kennedy unavailable. Kennedy, a former high school quarterback, understands his presence provides a security blanket for Hill that no other teammate can offer.
“He always talks about the middle of the field and how he wants me there. So I think that’ll give him some more comfort, having me back,” Kennedy said. “He’ll be ready to play. And he’ll play with a chip on his shoulder in this game.”
That would be an advisable approach for all Aggies. A&M enters as an 11-point underdog in a venue where Alabama has won 12 consecutive home games. The Crimson Tide’s last home loss came Nov. 10, 2012, to A&M. Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder joined Sumlin in appealing to veterans who were part of that victory to share their insights with A&M’s younger players.
“I think they have to. I told those guys they need to step up and lead the way again this year,” Snyder said.
Kennedy embraces that role. Sumlin embraces having him as a sounding board.
“For what he does, and how he does things, do we need him? Yes,” Sumlin said. “He wanted to have a word with the team and I let him do that. So it looks to me like he’s ready to go.”
Following Kennedy’s only other speech this season, A&M rallied from a 21-14 halftime deficit to defeat Arkansas. In Monday’s talk, Kennedy said he told teammates they must “face the problems that we have,” bond together and treat Tuscaloosa like any other venue.
“The young guys ask, ‘How is it there?,’” Kennedy said. “Alabama is one of those places that, as you grow up as a kid, you watch the dynasty and the empire that they’ve created, especially under (coach) Nick Saban. You really can’t imagine it. But when you get there, you realize you’re just playing football. You just have to say, ‘The more people, the bigger the stage, the better you play.’ So we accept that role.”
That approach worked two years ago. Kennedy remembers vividly and hopes history will repeat itself.
“The most partying we did was in the locker room,” Kennedy said. “We tore that locker room up. I just remember thinking to myself, ‘Man, we’re going to have to pay for something.’ We were wild and it was fun.
“We got back and there were thousands of people waiting on us (in College Station). It was one of the most memorable moments I’ve had. It just made us believe in ourselves. Everybody around the conference started respecting us for the ream we really were.”
After two consecutive losses, teammates hope Kennedy can help A&M rediscover that team Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
ead more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/10/17/6208863/am-hopes-kennedys-return-to-lineup.html#storylink=cpy

 

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COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M receiver Malcolme Kennedy has become the voice of inspiration, if not an agent of change, for the Aggies’ football team this season.
Teammates and coach Kevin Sumlin cited Kennedy’s fiery halftime speech as a rallying point during a 35-28 victory over Arkansas on Sept. 27. It did not hurt that Kennedy, a fifth-year senior, caught the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime despite dealing with the early stages of a shoulder injury that has caused him to miss the last two contests.
Kennedy, the team leader in receiving yards per game (75.6), is expected to return to the lineup Saturday when No. 21 A&M (5-2, 2-2 in SEC) meets No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Along with defensive end Julien Obioha, cornerback Deshazor Everett, safety Howard Matthews and offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, he is part of a small core of veterans who contributed to the Aggies’ program-turning triumph during the team’s last visit to Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Sumlin said Saturday’s plan in A&M’s return to the 101,281-seat venue will be to “lean on those guys who have helped us in that atmosphere. But we don’t have a bunch of them.”
Key among that group is Kennedy, whose 24-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter provided the game-winning points in 2012. Two years later, Kennedy’s tangibles and intangibles will be tested when a young team seeks to break a two-game losing streak on national television (2:30 p.m., KTVT/Ch. 11).
“We missed him a lot. Not just for his play, but for his leadership. For him being able to snap people out of funks and things like that,” quarterback Kenny Hill said. “He’s got a knack for that. People listen to him and follow him.”
Hill, a sophomore from Southlake Carroll, struggled with interceptions (five) and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown during A&M’s back-to-back losses with Kennedy unavailable. Kennedy, a former high school quarterback, understands his presence provides a security blanket for Hill that no other teammate can offer.
“He always talks about the middle of the field and how he wants me there. So I think that’ll give him some more comfort, having me back,” Kennedy said. “He’ll be ready to play. And he’ll play with a chip on his shoulder in this game.”
That would be an advisable approach for all Aggies. A&M enters as an 11-point underdog in a venue where Alabama has won 12 consecutive home games. The Crimson Tide’s last home loss came Nov. 10, 2012, to A&M. Defensive coordinator Mark Snyder joined Sumlin in appealing to veterans who were part of that victory to share their insights with A&M’s younger players.
“I think they have to. I told those guys they need to step up and lead the way again this year,” Snyder said.
Kennedy embraces that role. Sumlin embraces having him as a sounding board.
“For what he does, and how he does things, do we need him? Yes,” Sumlin said. “He wanted to have a word with the team and I let him do that. So it looks to me like he’s ready to go.”
Following Kennedy’s only other speech this season, A&M rallied from a 21-14 halftime deficit to defeat Arkansas. In Monday’s talk, Kennedy said he told teammates they must “face the problems that we have,” bond together and treat Tuscaloosa like any other venue.
“The young guys ask, ‘How is it there?,’” Kennedy said. “Alabama is one of those places that, as you grow up as a kid, you watch the dynasty and the empire that they’ve created, especially under (coach) Nick Saban. You really can’t imagine it. But when you get there, you realize you’re just playing football. You just have to say, ‘The more people, the bigger the stage, the better you play.’ So we accept that role.”
That approach worked two years ago. Kennedy remembers vividly and hopes history will repeat itself.
“The most partying we did was in the locker room,” Kennedy said. “We tore that locker room up. I just remember thinking to myself, ‘Man, we’re going to have to pay for something.’ We were wild and it was fun.
“We got back and there were thousands of people waiting on us (in College Station). It was one of the most memorable moments I’ve had. It just made us believe in ourselves. Everybody around the conference started respecting us for the ream we really were.”
After two consecutive losses, teammates hope Kennedy can help A&M rediscover that team Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
ead more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/10/17/6208863/am-hopes-kennedys-return-to-lineup.html#storylink=cpy

 

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October was already going to be a physical test for TCU.
Now, just halfway through, it has also become an emotional test.
“On Saturday night, I can’t lie — I was sitting there hurt. We were hurt,” receiver Kolby Listenbee said.
Head coach Gary Patterson saw it. Tears fell to the floor in the locker room after last week’s 61-58 loss to Baylor.
The Horned Frogs, aching from exhaustion after blowing a 21-point lead over the final 11 minutes when they were so close to tilting the balance of power in the Big 12, could do nothing else. They had to let it out.
And by Sunday, they had to let it go.
“We got back, and we had to shake it off, and the next day we had practice,” Listenbee said. “We had meetings. We watched video. And we learned from our mistakes. We came back, and we didn’t even worry about it. We’re worried about Oklahoma State.”
Oklahoma State, which comes to Amon G. Carter Stadium at 3 p.m. Saturday, is the third game in the set of four October games that promised to shape the season, for better or worse, for the Horned Frogs.
They can still make it for better — a winning month, in other words. But Step 1 was letting go of Saturday night in Waco, and the first practice afterward gave an indication that was happening. Patterson called it better in energy than the first practice after the Oklahoma upset.
At a minimum, it was unlike any practice this year.
“We just had a different mind-set, because now we know what it feels like to lose,” defensive end Josh Carraway said.
“I feel like we’re just mature now,” Listenbee said. “We still have a young football team, but we’re mature. We weren’t going to let it affect us and determine the rest of our season. It’s just one game, and you don’t know what can happen. Baylor can lose to someone else, and we can still win the Big 12 championship. We just really didn’t even, like, dwell on it too much. We just got our focus and kept on going.”
The Frogs don’t have another loss to give if they want to have a chance to reach their top goal. But as they work to get there, they have to balance the regret of the Baylor game against the promise of the rest of the season.
“Everybody was heartbroken, but it’s time to move on now,” Carraway said. “It’s all about focusing and just trying to get better. Our ultimate goal is to win the national championship, so we know that the league, each week you’re going to play a Top 25 team. So it’s nothing really unexpected, to each week play somebody like that. It can be demanding, but this is what we wanted.”
The past two weeks tested the Frogs against the conference’s top two preseason favorites. But even after the remaining October games against Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, tests will come at West Virginia, home of the conference’s best receiver, and Kansas State, led by venerable coach Bill Snyder. And off in the distance is a Thanksgiving night game at Texas.
That is a long time to be focused.
“This would be the first time where I’ve had to play Top-5, Top-15 teams in a three-week stretch,” running back B.J. Catalon said. “It just shows the strength of the Big 12, honestly. It just shows that this is a conference that can compete with all the other conferences out there in the Power 5. Us being in this conference now, we know we have to play four quarters and show up every week.”
That is why emotional discipline will matter for the Frogs now, knowing what they left behind at Baylor.
“It was a bit difficult knowinig we could have made some other plays out there,” Catalon said.
But no one let negative emotion become part of the week, Listenbee said. That was important, he said.
“We could have been moping around, like maybe the previous few years or whatever, and been arguing or pointing fingers,” he said. “We just came together as a team, and we’re looking forward now. We’re motivated and hungry that we’re going to try to find a way, no matter what.
“Last week was a learning experience. Now we can put that behind us.”
What to watch
1. Quarterback care. Trevone Boykin will be playing with a hurt left wrist. The first thing OSU will want to do when Boykin runs is see if he can hold on to the ball.
2. Clock control. It is an unspoken regret that the Frogs did not burn more time with a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter last week. Can they if they get another chance?
3. Measuring up. The Frogs are at a disadvantage in size against the OSU receivers. The cornerbacks will have to compete in with confidence, even after last week.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/10/17/6208812/next-step-tcu-aims-high-after.html#storylink=cpy