Tag Archives: Texas Football

We Aggies Really Don’t Care about UT Anymore, But Let’s Get a Dig in Anyway

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While getting stomped by Alabama at Kyle Field on Saturday, A&M football fans could at least revel in the fact that Texas had lost to TCU by a score of 50-7.  Except that the humiliating defeat happened two weeks ago before Texas pulled off a stunning upset of then No. 10 Oklahoma.  And when the Aggies played a No. 10 Alabama team what happened?  They were pummeled 41-23 giving up 3 – count ’em 3 – pick sixes.  But really, the Aggies don’t care about UT anymore.  They will much too busy finishing in 4th place in the West Division of the SEC to give a damn about what is happening in Austin.

Red’s Texas College Football Game of the Week

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The 5-1 15th ranked  Texas A&M Commerce Lions travel to Canyon this week to take on the West Texas A&M Buffaloes.

The Lions are coming off a close 38-35 win over pesky Abilene Christian.  The Lions powerful offense is averaging just over 45 points a game including a 63-0 thrashing of the hapless Tarleton Texans two weeks ago.  Led by Junior running back Richard Cooper from Angleton, the Lions are averaging almost 250 yards per game on the ground.  Complimented by a balanced corps of receivers, Senior quarterback Harrison Stewart from Yucaipa, CA might just be getting noticed by some pro scouts as he is averaging over 250 yards and 3 touchdowns per game with only 2 picks on the season.

The 2-3 West Texas A&M Buffaloes have played a brutal schedule having faced four top 20 teams so far this season.  They come into this game having lost a close one at 12th ranked Midwestern State last week.  Feature back Geremy Aldridge-Mitchell from Dallas simply knows how to find the end zone having scored all 9 of the Buffaloes rushing touchdowns this season.  His production is down a bit from his outstanding 2014 season when he was ranked 4th nationally in all-purpose yards at 203.73 per game, 9th nationally in kick returns at 29.9 yards per return, 4th in rushing touchdowns with 21,  and 19th in rushing yards with 1,342.  As goes Geremy, so go the Buffaloes.

It’s hard to go against the high-flying Lions in this one, but expect the Buffaloes to go down hard with plenty of action on Saturday.  Red wishes he could be there.  A&M Commerce 54 West Texas A&M 45.

Photo of Kimbrough Stadium in Canyon from http://www.d2football.com.

Red’s NFL Picks – Week 6

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Red’s NFL Picks – Week 5

“Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen, soccer is a gentlemen’s game played by beasts and US football is a beastly game played by beasts.”

Henry Blaha

Then what the hell is Australian Rules Football?

Red Rates Himself – Last week 5-1. For the season 23-7. Breathe on knuckles, rub on chest.

Your Beast of the East Pick of the Week: Patriots over Colts. Betting against the Patriots right now is like hitting on 19 when the dealer is showing a 10. You are going to lose. A team that makes LaGarrette Blount (aka the Fat Pig) look like a Pro-Bowl running back has so many tricks under the hoodie that you can’t even begin to imagine what they might pull out next. Meanwhile, the Colts may just have to be considering whether Matt Hasselbeck might be the answer to making this season relevant in the downbeat AFC South. So far the 40-year old husband of Fox & Friends star Elizabeth Hasselbeck (and if you haven’t watched Fox & Friends you are missing out on some great comedy as it features 2 of the stupidest people to ever appear on TV – but Red digresses) has been a better player than A. Luck, but Red doubts that Tony the Pagan would have the nerve to make that call. Well, this week it doesn’t matter. The Patriots are rolling along and the Colts are just another bump in the road. Red would take the Pats if they were giving away 20 – at minus 7.5 it seems like a no-brainer and that is when you have to watch out. The over is a hefty 55 which may be the largest number all season and to be avoided on principle. New England 44 Indianapolis 13.

Your Bigfoot Pick of the Week: Panthers over Seahawks. Loyal readers know that Red rarely ignores the triple reverse time zone, inverse latitudinal hex factor at work against the Panthers this week. But, rules are made to be broken. Red picked the Seahawks to make the playoffs but they are playing scared right now. There is no way the Panthers (even at 5-0) should win this one, but they appear to be in the running for Red’s 2015 “Team of Destiny”. If that don’t jinx ‘em nothing will. Red won’t touch this one, but hypothetically he would take Panthers plus 7 and seriously consider the under at 41. Carolina 19 Seattle 17.

Your King Kong Pick of the Week: Bengals over Bills. Another decent candidate for NFL Game of the Week and tops on Red’s personal viewing list this week. Red Rifle has another chance to show his chops against yet another vaunted defense. If the Bengals win this one and RR looks even halfway decent, he will started getting some run in the elite QB conversation. The way Red looks at it – if Tony Romo is elite then how is the Red Rifle not? Bills defense is still troublesome, but the offense is merely troubled. Who starts this week with Taylor possibly out? Red doesn’t like the Bengals giving up 3.5. Paradoxically, Red doesn’t’ like the Bills getting 3.5. You figure it out. Cincinnati 27 Buffalo 24.

You’re Gargantuan Pick of the Week: Titans over Dolphins. Among the many candidates for this week’s Shit Bowl, but still unworthy. Mariota all but disappeared in last week’s loss to Buffalo but still had 100 yards more passing than Taylor (187 to 76). The Titans are coming off of two losses by a total of three points – so the 1-3 record is a bit deceiving. There is nothing deceiving about the abysmal Dolphins who are bad on both sides of the ball and have no running game. Titans must win this one to keep pace with the rest of the god-awful AFC South – a task which resembles keeping up with a two-legged dog. Red will take the over at 43.  Tennessee 29 Miami 21.

Your Chupacabra Pick of the Week: Cardinals over Stealers. This is your surprising NFL Game of the Week. Other than the blowout win against the Niners, the Stealers have been down to the wire in every game this season with each game decided by a score or less. On the other hand, except for the close loss to the Rams, the Cards have been spanking every team they have faced winning by an average of 25 points.   The Stealers won’t let that happen, but will struggle to keep up with the high-flying Cardinals offense.   With tired old Michael Vick under center, the Stealers must rely on Le’Veon Bell to carry the ball 35 times and eat some clock. He is certainly capable of doing that – even against the Cards outstanding defense. But it won’t be enough. The Cards have just enough to overcome a pesky Stealers team playing for a wildcard berth. Red likes Cardinals giving up 3 on the road, but won’t touch the over/under at 44.5. Arizona 26 Pittsburgh 21.

Your Gog and Magog Pick of the Week: Texans over Jaguars. This week’s Shit Bowl could have gone to so many games with deserving entrants – Titan/Dolphins, Ravens/Niners, Bears/Lions, to name a few. But the Texans and the Jaguars get the dishonor this week. The Texans keep finding ways to lose no matter who is guiding the ship. Past and future starter Brian Hoyer relieved the hapless Ryan Mallett last week, and even rallied the troops before throwing an awful last minute pick to sink the Texans ship against the struggling Colts. And what can you say about the Jags – who started their franchise like a house on fire making the playoffs in 4 of their first 5 seasons, played for two AFC Championships, but who have not posted a winning record since 2007. If the Texans can’t get a win here, pack it in and play for the No. 1 pick – again. Red would be a fool to recommend any bets here. Lock up the guns and ammo lest ye be tempted to blow a hole in the brand new 65 incher at the two minute warning of this pathetic poop party. Houston 19 Jacksonville 14.

Red’s Texas College Football Game of the Week

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This week the brilliant schedulers have a Thursday night match-up between SMU and University of Houston at lovely but usually empty TDECU Stadium (it just rolls off the tongue doesn’t it).  This normally would not matter much as the Cougars are clearly an afterthought on the Houston sports scene these days.  But the Houston Texans are also playing the Indianapolis Colts Thursday night in Houston.  Not only will no one be at the game, no one will be watching it either.  But they might just miss a good one.  The Dallas Morning News reports that the cocky Cougars are reported to have taped Mustang jerseys to the floor of the locker room so that they can walk on them all week. That’s just the sort of thing that can occasionally result in a come-uppance for a superior team.  There is absolutely no rational reason to think that the 1-3 Ponies can come into Houston and upset a team that is averaging 48 points and over 600 yards a game and is on the verge of its first Top 25 ranking in years.  UH quarterback Greg Ward is starting to get Heisman talk and while everyone focuses on the high-flying UH offense under new head coach Tom Herman, the Cougar defense has shown some mettle against a quality opponent like Louisville.  Well, all that isn’t going to deter Red from picking the upset here.  SMU 37 UH 31.

Red’s NFL Picks – Week 4

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“However, there are several differences between a football game and a revolution. For one thing, a football game usually lasts longer and the participants wear uniforms. Also, there are usually more casualties in a football game. The object of the game is to move a ball past the other team’s goal line. This counts as six points. No points are given for lacerations, contusions, or abrasions, but then no points are deducted, either. Kicking is very important in football. In fact, some of the more enthusiastic players even kick the football occasionally.”

Alfred Hitchcock.

Red Rates Himself – Last week 6-0. For the season 14-4. Boy Howdy!

Your North by Northwest Pick of the Week: Seahawks over Lions. Matt Stafford better strap ‘em on tight for this one. Seahawks feast on immobile overrated quarterbacks who are 0-3 and desperate. Seattle has a chance to right the ship and post at least a 2-2 mark against the NFC North. Even with the Beast possibly out, the Hawks have just enough offense in the tank to win what may be a closer than expected match-up of two underperforming teams. All that said it would not particularly surprise or displease Red to see Pete’s Pack at 1-3 and looking at a long difficult road to January. Stick with the under on this one. Seattle 13 Detroit 10.

Your Suspicion Pick of the Week: Raiders over Bears. Is it wrong for Red to pick on the Bears for an easy one in the “W” column every week? Yeah, but remember that Red has been on the Raiders bandwagon since the beginning of the season. Latavius Murray is looking like an All-Pro so far and the Lil’ Carr-Amari Cooper connection is working well enough to have the Raiders in the playoff hunt already. Those are words that not a lot of your professional prognosticators are willing to throw around just yet. Red aint scared. Meanwhile, Bears could hardly look worse having been outscored more than 2-1 in their first three games while posting a mighty four touchdowns. Look for the Raiders to mop the field with the Bears on Sunday. Oakland 33 Chicago 6.

Your Psycho Pick of the Week: Jaguars over Colts. Needs no explanation. Jacksonville 17 Indianapolis 6.

You’re The Wrong Man Pick of the Week: Chargers over Browns. Reports are that 3 Browns players were complaining that John F. Football should be the starting QB. Reports also are that 50 other players vehemently disagree. JFF is definitely your man if you have a couple of wide receivers who can pluck his thrown up for grabs wounded ducks out of the air against an also-ran secondary. McCown is your man if you like consistent mediocrity and semi-competent game management. In other words, for the Clowns it doesn’t really matter who is taking snaps. Meanwhile in Chargerland, if their offense can’t exploit the Browns awful defense at home in the balmy warmth of Southern California, it’s going to be a long cold season. San Dieago 34 Cleveland 13.

Your Foreign Correspondent Pick of the Week: Jets over Dolphins. Red would like to see a game at Wembly someday, but he hopes it will be a Champions League Final with Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, not this week’s Shit Bowl (Red admits that he is uncertain exactly how to translate Shit Bowl into English English). Don’t let this one interrupt your Sunday morning coffee and bagel. Resist the temptation to pour that cup of hot joe over your head before you switch over at half-time to watch the Arsenal-Man U match on NBCSN. Wake Red up when this doleful dung duel is over. New Jersey 24 Miami 21.

You’re Notorious Pick of the Week: Falcons over Texans. Last week Red commented that if he kept picking the Texans he will eventually get it right. Well he did, but Red isn’t pushing his luck on backing the Texans. Falcons are looking very real and the Texans aren’t the type of team that exposes the underlying falsity of a pretender. Julio Jones is on track to be MVP – except that if he stays on that track – the award will go to Matty Ice. That’s just the way it is in the NFL. Texans’ defense continues to disappoint in all categories except perhaps giving up stupid touchdowns. That won’t do it against the high-flying Falcons.  Atlanta 32 Houston 17.

Red is not picking the Cowboys/Saints game this week because Las Vegas has pulled the line. If the pros won’t pick it, then neither will Red.

Red’s Texas College Football Game of the Week

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This week Red features the oldest extant rivalry in Texas college football – the aptly named “Battle of the Piney Woods” between the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks and Sam Houston State University Bearkats.  Heading into the 90th meeting, SHSU leads the series 53-35-2.  SHSU has been the dominant team for the better part of a decade with a shot at the FCS national title in recent years.

Since 2007, the winner has hauled away a 21-pound solid tombstone shaped pinewood trophy that somewhat bizarrely displays replica pistols. The logos from both universities are engraved on the handle of the pistols above name plates that will display the outcomes of the contest for the next two decades.   Previously, a pair of Colt Walker Pistols were awarded to the winning team, but the pistols have vanished.  Perhaps, just as well.

The 12th ranked Bearkats roll into NRG stadium in Houston with a 1-2 record having posted a very respectable score in a closer than expected 59-45 loss to Texas Tech and losing a heartbreaker to an up and coming Lamar team 49-46.  They mopped the floor with pathetic newcomer Houston Baptist last week.  Look for the Bearkats to be loaded for bear with their powerful offense taking charge.  SHSU averages an astounding 635.3 yards total offense and 51.3 points per game.  The Bearkats rank No. 1 among FCS teams in scoring, No. 2 in passing offense and No. 10 in rushing offense.

In contrast, SFA comes in at 0-4 with the season lowlight so far being the 70-7 butt-whipping put on them by the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth.  There really isn’t much to say as this really just isn’t a very good football team right now.  They could turn it all around with a win this big rivalry game – but Red isn’t going there.

Red calls it for the Bearkats over the Lumberjacks by a “We’re Leaving Early to Get a Cold One” score of 57 -13.  Let’s hope the roof is open.

Wake Red Up for the 4th Quarter

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The long-term trend for college football games is just that – go to a game and you are in for the long-term.  The average length of an average college football game is creeping towards 3:30 with perhaps as many as 20 games this year stretching to an intolerable 4 hours.  If you think that’s bad, the problem seems to be descending to lower levels of the sport.  Red attended a high school game 3 weeks ago that lasted 3:45!  And they play 12 minute quarters.  That didn’t stop the first quarter from lasting an hour.  It wasn’t helped by the fact that the refs called 62 penalties including two when one of the teams was taking a knee to run out the clock at the end of the game.  Really?  Don’t get Red wrong, he likes his football alright, but who has 4 hours to waste on something other than golf?  The Wall Street Journal details the decline in timeliness of America’s still favorite sport.

As Red has said many times, “the best thing about soccer – 2 hours.”

Houston Texans Update

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We have good news and bad news for Houston Texans fans.

The Good News: After beating the mighty Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who were the BNL worst team in football last season) the Houston Texans are now in first place in the god-awful, pathetic excuse for a professional football division that is the AFC South.

The Bad News:  After beating the mighty Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who were the BNL worst team in football last season) the Houston Texans are now in last place in the god-awful, pathetic excuse for a professional football division that is the AFC South.

Red’s NFL Picks – Week 3

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“You never lose a game if the opponent doesn’t score.”   Darrell Royal.

Thanks, Daddy D. We’ll file that in the almost a tautology column.

Red Rates Himself – Last week 3-3. For the season 8-4.

Your Never Lose Pick of the Week: Patriots over Jaguars. Every year some wretched excuse for an NFL franchise digs deep into their hip pads and pulls out a win over a team they have no business beating. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, this is not that week. There will be no – On Any Given Week – inspirational speech after this one. Red does believe that the Jags are going to better than predicted. But the most we can say this week is, “That on any given week the Patriots are likely as not to kick ass and take names.” New England 42 Jacksonville 27.

Your Don’t Score Pick of the Week: Raiders over Browns. An unlikely candidate for Red’s NFL Game of the Week – but here it is. JFF against Lil’ Carr. JFF can be successful if he has receivers that can go up and pull up for grabs throws out of the air. Oh wait, this just in – 36 year-old journeyman Josh McCown to start on Sunday for Browns. Red feels better about this pick already. Raiders will not make the playoffs but they will be hanging around for a long while and surprising a lot of folks – including Browns’ fans this weekend. Oakland 33 Cleveland 30.

Your Texas Long- Something or Another Pick of the Week: Falcons over Cowboys. Some claim the Falcons are the surprise team of the league so far. Not Red. He had them coming out of the box strong and hanging on to win a weak-kneed NFC South. For Red, the Cowboys are the surprise team – surprised that they keep getting handed wins. Don’t expect the Falcons to fail to show up for 3 quarters like the Giants and Eagles. Oh, and throw in the fact that Romo and Bryant are out – while the Falcons seem remarkably healthy – and it is hard to see Das Boys keeping this one close. Expect the Falcons to dominate possession – which might be the best thing that could happen to a Cowboy offense looking for a grip. One thing is for certain, barring a tie there will be one fewer undefeated team on Monday. Atlanta 29 Arlington 10.

Your Daddy “D” Stands for Dump Pick of the Week: Seahawks over Bears. Since this is the week’s only matchup of winless teams, it is by default this week’s Shit Bowl. Plus, it’s just fun to put the reigning NFC champions in the Shit Bowl. This one could get ugly or perhaps, Red should say, uglier. Don’t give into temptation and turn on a rerun of Sex in the City. No. You have to stick it out and watch every play of this turgid turd tussle. Seattle 24 Chicago 3.

Your Double D Pick of the Week: Broncos over Lions. Red really needs to stop picking against home teams, but he just can’t here. The Lions appear to be in disarray on offense with a complete inability to move the ball on the ground. Red challenges you to name a Lions running back. Hmmm, Red thought so. On the other hand, the Broncos offensive line is pathetic and ol’ PMS can’t get hit like he did last week and end up spending the rest of the season hanging of Kubiak’s shoulder on the sidelines telling him what play he should be calling. For the PMS fans out there – I know who you are – don’t miss this game. With the bruising front 7 the Lions have it could be the last of PMS you will see for a while. Did Red just talk himself out of picking the Broncos. Well, not quite. Denver 27 Detroit 20.

You’re Who I am Kidding Pick of the Week: Texans over Buccaneers. Red figures if he keeps picking the Texans he will eventually get it right. Probably not a winning strategy. But if the Texans stink, the putrid odor of the Bucs isn’t far behind. This really should be this week’s Shit Bowl, but rules are rules. Texans win when their defense gets on the board. They do it this weekend. Offense does enough to not lose this one – but just barely.  Houston 21 Jacksonville 20.