Article by: Albert Alvarado / Twitter: @Alvarado_Sports
Van Zandt, TCU upset Texas
Henderson alum has key takeaway in Horned Frogs victory
La’Kendrick Van Zandt may not have scored on his second quarter interception return, but his play was a key momentum shifter in a 33-31 win at Texas on Saturday.
The former Henderson star picked off Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s (Austin Westlake) on the final Texas drive of the first half. That play happened seconds after after TCU took the lead on a 27-yard field goal by Griffin Kell (Arlington).
Van Zandt caught Ehilinger’s pass at the Texas 42 and returned it to the Texas 5-yard-line to drain the energy out of Royal-Memorial Stadium and set up another field goal that extended TCU’s lead to 20-14. He finished it with 7 tackles.
TCU (1-1, 1-1 Big 12) knocked Texas (2-1, 1-1) down from No. 9 to No. 22 in the new Associated Press poll. Van Zandt was a good all-around athlete at Henderson rushing for 1,582 yards and 22 touchdowns while amassing 54 tackles as a senior.
TCU hosts Kansas State (2-1, 2-0) on Saturday at 3 p.m. on Fox.
Nwaugwu’s special teams plays helps Cyclones upset Sooners
Nene Nwaugwu key kickoff return helped Iowa State upset then No. 18 Oklahoma 37-30 on Saturday. The victory helped Iowa State (2-1, 2-0) beat Oklahoma (1-2, 0-2) at Jack Trice Stadium for the first time since 1960.
The former Frisco Heritage star had 167 yards on four kickoff return attempts, but it was his final return that was one of the biggest plays of the game.
Seconds after the Sooners took a 30-23 lead midway through the fourth quarter, Nwaugwu returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to the Oklahoma 13-yard-line and energize the home crowd.
The Cyclones tied the game three plays later on a two-yard rushing score by quarterback Brock Purdy. Nwaugwu was a two-time All-District 9-5A selection in high school, two-time team MVP and ran for 1,439 yards as a senior.
The Cyclones come into the week ranked 24th in the latest Associated Press poll and host Texas Tech (1-2, 0-2) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC.
Smith leads Tulsa to upset of Central Florida
Zach Smith and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane put a hitch in Central Florida’s College Football Playoff hopes on Saturday with a 34-26 road upset on Saturday.
Smith helped Tulsa (1-1, 1-0 American Athletic Conference) score the final 15 points of the game against Central Florida (2-1, 1-1). The Golden Hurricane opened the season with a near upset at No. 10 Oklahoma State.
The former Grandview star completed 17 of 29 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns against the Knights. He connected with wide receiver Keylon Stokes (Manvel) for the go-ahead score on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 12 minutes, 56 seconds remaining in the game.
Smith threw for 10,217 yards and 113 touchdowns in high school and played 19 games at Baylor in 2016 and 2017 before transferring to Tulsa.
Tulsa has a bye this week and hosts Cincinnati (3-0, 1-0) on Oct. 17.
Waddle, Tide roll Aggies
Junior wide receiver Jaylen Waddle reminded Lone Star State football fans why he was highly recruited players in Texas after helping No. 2 Alabama to a 52-24 win over Texas A&M on Saturday.
The junior wide receiver had five receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown for Alabama (2-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference). The loss dropped A&M (1-1, 1-1) eight slots to No. 21 in the latest Associated Press poll.
Waddle, a former Houston Episcopal standout, caught an 87-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones midway through the third quarter to extend the Crimson Tide advantage to 42-17 and help put the game out of reach.
Waddle was a U.S. Army All-American at Episcopal.
Alabama visits Mississippi (1-1, 1-1) at 5 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN.
Trask leads Gators to win in home opener
Florida quarterback Kyle Trask has garnered some early season Heisman buzz from a handful of national pundits after helping Florida to a 38-24 win in its home opener on Saturday.
Despite the win at The Swamp, Florida (2-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) dropped one spot to No. 4 in the latest Associated Press poll after getting jumped by rival Georgia.
Trask completed 21 of 29 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns against South Carolina (0-2, 0-2) and added 29 yards rushing.
The former Manvel star led the Florida offense to four consecutive scoring drives in the second and third quarters and score 24 unanswered points to take control of the game. Trask threw for more than 400 yards in a season-opening road win at Mississippi the previous week.
Trask helped Manvel to an 11-3 record as a senior and a berth in the Class 6A, Division II Area Quarterfinals.
Florida visits Texas A&M (1-1, 1-1) at 11 a.m. on Saturday at ESPN.
