Strong and Bedford in Texas trouble
The conversation shifted from firing defensive coordinator Vance Bedford to giving coach Charlie Strong the axe, like gimpy livestock lead behind the barn. After what was apparently a convincing double overtime victory against the Irish, Notre Dame has only won two games, and Texas has yet to beat a true quality opponent. The congregation gathering at the church of Strong is once again dissipating; the burnt orange kool-aid sits untouched and fermenting in a trough that only Bevo XV occasionally drinks from. The defense continues to be the Longhorns undoing; historically bad last season, Vance Bedfords unit continues to get worse, allowing a whopping 49 points and 555 total yards against Oklahoma State’s pass attack. It’s the first defense in school history to sacrifice 45 points in three of its first four games.
Injury bug spreads through Texas
The football Gods were vengeful on the lone star gridiron on Friday, claiming the health of numerous players — a laundry list of injuries became more extensive as play wore on throughout the day:
Austin was dealt a huge blow to their offensive backfield, losing dominant tailbacks D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren — the top two rushers in the Big 12 respectively.
The Aggies held out defensive end Myles Garrett, offensive tackles Jermaine Eluemunor, receiver Ricky Seals-Jones, and receiver Speedy Noil. Running back Keith Ford managed one carry before leaving the contest against South Carolina with an undisclosed ailment.
Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered an AC sprain; after landing on his shoulder hard, he attempted to throw, but his shoulder flopped around like a feisty fish after netting four total touchdowns.
Baylor lead receiver KD Cannon stayed in Waco nursing a groin injury. Additionally, freshman defensive tackle Bravvion Roy left the field with a strained elbow in his first career start.
TCU has suffered from numerous injuries on the offensive side of the ball this season, and lost an additional five players on Saturday against the Sooners.
UTEP also saw five athletes leave the field for various causes.
Louisville loss hurts Houston
The hype machine is a dangerous mechanism, eager to suck anyone into the contraption and regurgitate a brainwashed sports fan. Case in point: the Heisman talk for quarterback Lamar Jackson. The sophomore is an absolute stud, posting an average 325 yards of passing offense, and 14 total touchdowns, with four interceptions in five games.
Although he’s not as effective of a rusher, Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. is nearing this level of excellence, averaging 331 yards of passing offense and eight total touchdowns, with two interceptions in four games; he had his best game of his career against UConn with 454 yards of total offense, despite spending a portion of the game — like most games — watching the blowout from the bench shortly after halftime.
The Cougars will continue to be compared to Louisville until their Week 11 showdown; the recent Cardinals loss against Clemson does not bode well for a Houston team that needs to win out in order to obtain a CFP berth, and have their opponents have quality wins. With the Oklahoma win looking like it could lose its weight every week that the Sooners struggle the Cougars need to dominate opponents and have a good showing against Louisville.
