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AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK EIGHT-
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Your chises have always been the best man.
Cheers to trying to revive the section. I'll be following.
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WEEK NINE
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RICE OWLS (1-4, 1-0)
VS.
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (1-5, 0-2)
For the Outlaws, a two-week open competition on the offense resulted in just two changes in the starting lineup, but they spoke volumes about the offensive shift going forward. And against the Owls, WTU executed that new plan well, running the ball a season-high 43 times for 158 yards. This not only relieved the pressure on struggling quarterback James Hartman, but also opened up play action opportunities that the team used to throw three touchdowns through the air. But in the end, it was their defense's inability to contain the opposition well enough that lost the game. Rice hit a 29-yard field goal as the last second ticked off the clock to secure a 24-21 victory on the road, remain undefeated in the conference, and put together a two-game winning streak after starting the year with four straight losses.
James Hartman wasn't spectacular under center, but he did complete 11 of 23 passes for 149 yards, all three of the team's touchdowns, and just one interception. His success was due in large part to the ground game, where newly-crowned starter Max Drew and backup Chaz Foreman combined for 152 yards off 33 carries. Drew led the charge with 19 carries for 90 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per touch (one full yard better than Foreman) to cement himself in his new starting role, and possibly bring more carries his way in the upcoming weeks. As for the receiving corps, true sophomore C.J. Bellamy led the team with three catches for 58 yards and two scores, and new starter Nathan Hills (TE) had a 28-yard TD reception. Defensively, the Outlaws recorded two sacks and an interception, but also allowed over 400 yards of total offense and six redzone trips in the loss. And yet despite that, the team was in it until the end, matching Rice score for score until the final play of the game.
"This is a tough loss for the team," said head coach Major Applewhite after the game. "I felt like we made great strides on offense in these last two weeks, and we really came out and executed our plan well. Our players were amped up, and we all felt like this was a winnable game...we just couldn't pull it out in the end. But we stayed competitive throughout the whole game, and the guys played with a lot of heart and determination. If we can play like that week in and week out, we'll win more games than we lose going forward, I can promise you that."
On the other side of the ball, it was all about the rushing attack on Saturday as the team racked up over 200 yards on the ground. And perhaps none were more important to that success than the third-year sophomore at quarterback, Taylor McHargue, who completed five of ten passes for 37 yards, and also rushed for 27 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game midway through the second quarter with a high ankle sprain, an injury that will keep him sidelined next week. Senior Nick Fanuzzi did a decent job as his replacement, completing 8 of 14 passes for 174 yards and one interception. But player of the game honors went to junior Sam McGuffie, who rushed for 116 yards and a score on 22 carries for an average of 5.2 yards every time he touched the ball. As for the defense, senior Scott Solomon (DE) led the charge with eleven tackles and a sack as the team recorded one turnover, held the Outlaws to just over 300 yards, and allowed just one trip to the redzone with no points scored. Going forward, the Owls will look to continue their newfound success when they stay on the road to face off against UL Monroe (2-4) before returning home for a three-game stretch against UTEP (4-4), winless Texas State, and the Tulane Green Wave (4-3).
Next week, WTU will stay at home to play host to in-state rival North Texas (3-3, 1-2), who are currently in the middle of a five-game stretch of road games. Losers in two of their last three games, the Mean Green are a team trying to right the ship and stay competitive in the race for a conference title. No one player will be more important to their success than senior Lance Dunbar at runningback, who has carried the ball 99 times this year for an impressive average of 6.3 yards per touch, and has rushed for over 100 yards in four of the team's six games.
Rice Owls at West Texas Outlaws Oct 22, 2011 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE Rice Owls (2-4, 2-0) 7 7 0 10 24 West Texas Outlaws (1-5, 0-2) 7 7 0 7 21 Team Stats Comparison RICE WTU Total Offense 428 307 Rushing Yards 217 158 Passing Yards 211 149 First Downs 24 17 Punt Return Yards 42 33 Kick Return Yards 61 187 Total Yards 531 527 Turnovers 1 1 3rd Down Converstion 7-13 (53%) 9-15 (60%) 4th Down Conversion 0-0 (0%) 1-3 (33%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 6-3-1 (66%) 1-0-0 (0%) Penalties 7-66 7-35 Posession Time 30:38 29:22 Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING RICE WTU 6:19 (RICE) TD: Taylor McHargue, 3 yard run 7 0 2:40 (WTU) TD: Nathan Hills, 28 yard pass from James Hartman 7 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING RICE WTU 11:11 (RICE) TD: Taylor McHargue, 2 yard run 14 7 3:25 (WTU) TD: C.J. Bellamy, 28 yard pass from James Hartman 14 14 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING RICE WTU 8:28 (RICE) TD: Sam McGuffie, 3 yard run 21 14 3:47 (WTU) TD: C.J. Bellamy, 21 yard pass from James Hartman 21 21 0:00 (RICE) FG: Chris Boswell, 29 yard kick 24 21 Comment
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AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK NINE-
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Some damn tough losses man, but your team is decent just gotta get some consistency going.
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Just caught up with this. I really like the idea, hope you keep it going.Comment
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At least you aren't getting blown out every game.Comment
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Good to see ya man.
Our saving grace is playing in the worst conference in football. I'm hopeful we can win three or four in the division.
On a side note, I'll be taking a short break at the end of this season to set up my NFL report. Should be back in by Friday or Saturday, so expect an update then.Comment
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WEEK TEN
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NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN (3-3, 1-2)
VS.
WEST TEXAS OUTLAWS (1-5, 0-2)
During the bye week, the Outlaws' coaching staff began retooling the offense towards a more run-focused approach. Against Rice, the team showed improvement. But in their second game against the Mean Green, the new playcalling scheme worked to perfection. West Texas came out of the gates running the football successfully, which opened up opportunities in the passing game. Combined with a terrific defensive effort, the Outlaws easily secured their first Sun Belt win in school history with a 38-21 decision over North Texas.
The Outlaws were the first team to post points on the scoreboard, and never trailed in what was their most impressive game of the year. Newly-crowned starting runningback Max Drew opened the game with a 3-yard TD run, but North Texas responded with a 28-yard pass from Derek Thompson to B.J. Lewis. It took WTU just 63 seconds to regain the lead as James Hartman found Michael Maynard for a 61-yard bomb, set up by a play action where the defense took the bait. The Mean Green knotted the score up again in the 2nd quarter with a 20-yard TD pass from Thompson to Brelan Chancellor, but the Outlaws added two field goals in the final six minutes of the half to take a 20-14 lead into the locker room. In what proved to be a defensive third quarter, James Hartman's 7-yard TD run and ensuing successful two-point conversion was the only score. The Mean Green would close the gap to seven points at the top of the 4th quarter with an 11-yard run by James Hamilton, but WTU finished strong with a third field goal by Caleb Reynolds, and a 1-yard touchdown run by backup runningback Chaz Foreman in the final two minutes to give the team a three-score lead, and effectively end the game.
James Hartman completed just 48% of his 29 attempted passes, but threw for 233 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions in the win. He also rushed for 27 yards and another touchdown off six attempts. His go-to man was third-year sophomore Michael Maynard, who had six catches for 148 yards and a score. Credit for the victory must go to the ground game, where Max Drew, Chaz Foreman, and James Hartman combined for 165 yards and three touchdowns off 43 carries. Naturally, Drew led that charge with 23 carries for 102 yards and a score, averaging 4.4 yards per touch. As for the defense, the team didn't record a single sack or turnover, but they did hold the Mean Green to 264 yards of total offense, allowed just one redzone trip, and limited them to a 36% (4-11) completion percentage on 3rd down.
As for North Texas, sophomore quarterback Derek Thompson completed just 11 of his 25 attempted passes for 116 yards, but did throw two touchdowns. Groundwise, runningback Lance Dunbar and James Hamilton combined for 132 yards and a touchdown off 23 carries for a highly respectable average of 5.7 yards per touch, but the team as a whole simply couldn't generate enough offense to keep pace. A normally mistake-prone West Texas offense allowed just one sack and no turnovers against the Mean Green, while posting 409 total offensive yards, 27 points in five redzone trips, and converted ten of their eighteen 3rd down attempts. Losers in three of their last four games, North Texas will look to right the ship in the next few weeks with a few favorable match-ups against Texas State (1-6, 1-2) and Troy (2-5, 1-4).
Next week, the Outlaws will hit the road to face perhaps their toughest conference opponent of the year in Louisiana Tech (4-4, 3-1), who currently sit on top of the standings. That the Bulldogs are the more talented team is without question, but they have proven to be beatable this season. They are led by junior quarterback Colby Cameron, who has thrown a conference-leading 1,611 yards and 13 touchdowns this year. In addition, senior runningback Lennon Creer leads the Sun Belt with 885 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Can the Outlaws contain the conference's best offense, or will Louisiana Tech continue their quest to win the Sun Belt title in their first year with the conference?
North Texas Mean Green at West Texas Outlaws Oct 29, 2011 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE North Texas Mean Green (3-4, 1-3) 7 7 0 7 21 West Texas Outlaws (2-5, 1-2) 14 6 8 10 38 Team Stats Comparison UNT WTU Total Offense 264 409 Rushing Yards 148 176 Passing Yards 116 233 First Downs 14 21 Punt Return Yards 24 28 Kick Return Yards 126 64 Total Yards 414 501 Turnovers 0 0 3rd Down Converstion 4-11 (36%) 10-18 (55%) 4th Down Conversion 0-1 (0%) 1-2 (50%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 1-1 (100%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 1-1-0 (100%) 5-3-2 (100%) Penalties 11-90 9-84 Posession Time 24:48 35:12 Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING UNT WTU 11:17 (WTU) TD: Max Drew, 3 yard run 0 7 4:25 (UNT) TD: B.J. Lewis, 28 yard pass from Derek Thompson 7 7 3:22 (WTU) TD: Michael Maynard, 61 yard pass from James Hartman 7 14 SECOND QUARTER SCORING UNT WTU 10:51 (UNT) TD: Brelan Chancellor, 20 yard pass from Derek Thompson 14 14 5:28 (WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 31 yard kick 14 17 1:07 (WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 39 yard kick 14 20 THIRD QUARTER SCORING UNT WTU 10:14 (WTU) TD: James Hartman, 7 yard run (2-pt. conv. good) 14 28 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING UNT WTU 13:55 (UNT) TD: James Hamilton, 11 yard run 21 28 2:20 (WTU) FG: Caleb Reynolds, 37 yard kick 21 31 1:05 (WTU) TD: Chaz Foreman, 1 yard run 21 38 Comment
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