First, SWC Game of the Week would like to wish everyone a belated Happy Halloween and hope your Grant Teaff costume came off as a hit. Of course, true fans would dress as their favorite SWC mascot. SMU coach Phil Bennett had a scary week, losing his job. UH is scary everyday on campus after dark. The Aggies are everyone’s favorite for a trick and Fran might charge you for it, while it seems the Longhorns end up with all the treats at the end of the season. Texas Tech has the masked rider (if only he was a pumpkin head.) Baylor, I think they go to a Fall Festival at Church on Halloween. Rice, they just run around naked on Halloween, sort of like the Castro Halloween Parade. TCU is haunted by ghosts of Sammy Baugh and Davey O’Brien, making them play on Thursdays to avoid the scary moments. Finally Arkansas, at Arkansas Halloween is about one last trip around the neighborhood, before moving to a new place with better candy.
THIS WEEK’S GAME:
This week’s match-up features the SMU Mustangs taking on the Houston Cougars at Robertson Stadium. Houston leads the all time series 12-9-1, with the first meeting occurring in 1975 in the old SWC with SMU winning. U of H won last year’s game in Dallas. This game is on Sunday night with a national television audience on ESPN. (That is if you can recover from a weekend of football for one more game, and we know you SWC fans can.) UH is led by running back Anthony Alridge and have rushed for 300 yards the last two games, for the first time having back to back 300 yard rushing games since 1984. The Cougars are 5th nationally with 518 yards a game of total offense. UH splits time at QB with Case Keenum and Blake Joseph. The defensive, not the strong side of the ball for the Coogs, has only allowed 27 points in the 4th quarter this year. Senior LB Bendan Pahulu is second on the team in sacks (3) and tackles for a loss (6.5) and leads the team with interceptions. In his 4th seasons as head coach, Art Briles has led the Coogs to 3 bowl games and a conference championship last season. SMU is having trouble getting back to the lime light after suffering the death penalty and not fielding a team for two seasons. SMU coach Phil Bennett was relieved of his duties this week, though he will remain to finish the season. SMU hopes to snap a 6 game losing streak in a season they were hoping to go bowling. SMU QB Justin Willis has recorded 40 career touchdown passes, tying him for first on the all time SMU career list. In his first 19 games of his career he has 7 games he has 3 or more TD passes. Emmanuel Sanders is Willis favorite target, averaging over 80 yards a game to lead the Ponies. SMU has been hurt on defense by injuries, with WR Devin Lowery having to start at one corner and backup Brandon Jones at the other against Tulsa. Corner Bryan McCann started at free safety and backup Tyler Jones started at strong safety last week as well. SMU has lost quite a few games this year at the very end, and the Cougars have played some close games as well.
COTTON BOWL MEMORIES:
This week’s Cotton Bowl is the 1983 Classic, featuring the only unbeaten team in the country, SMU (10-0-1) against Pittsburgh (9-2-0). The Mustangs offense was the triple option with QB Lance McIhenny and the Pony Express running back combo of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Pittsburgh would rely on the arm of Dan Marino. In the cold damp 38 degree weather neither offense would dominate with SMU totaling 254 yards and Pitt totaling 31 yards. SMU would drive 91 yards in the first half, only to have McIhenny fumble the ball back to the Panthers. Pitt would go ahead 3-0 before McIhenny would lead SMU on an 80 yard drive to take the lead. Big plays included a 43 yard completion to Bobby Leach on 2nd and 21 and scoring himself on an option play from 9 yards out. Pitt would drive to the SMU 7 yard line before Blane Smith would intercept Marino in the end zone. McIhenny would finish his career as the SWC’s all time winningest QB. The Mustangs would be denied the national championship however, finishing 2nd in both polls behind Penn State. It was however the first unbeaten season for SMU since 1947.
OTHER GAMES THIS WEEK:
South Carolina at Arkansas (Tough times for the “Old Ball Coach” and then there’s Houston Nutt)
Texas Tech at Baylor (Tech needs Baylor right now, Baylor needs, ummm. lots)
UTEP at Rice (Rice returns home, tries to finish season strong)
Texas at OK State (You heard it here first, OSU to upset the Horns)
Texas A&M at OU (Remember when Fran made the “jobs” comment this summer? Stoops does.)
New Mexico at TCU (This game is this week, duh)
RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK:
SWC Game of the Week, Week 8:
Houston 34 UTEP 31 (UH in control of its own destiny as they say, don’t we wish we all were)
Other Games:
Arkansas 58 Florida International 10 (Hogs roll over FIU, who has not won all year)
Kansas State 51 Baylor 13 (Poor Bears)
Marshall 34 Rice 21 (Rice comeback falls short)
Tulsa 29 SMU 23 (SMU gets stopped on 4th and 1 at the goal line, then give up TD drive to lose, Coach Bennett is fired on Monday)
Texas 28 Nebraska 25 (Texas has big 4th quarter and Charles runs all over the Nebraska)
Kansas 19 Texas A&M 11 (KU dominates Aggies, who barely avoid shutout)
Colorado 31 Texas Tech 26 (CU stops the Tech offense, but that kid Crabtree is good)
STANDINGS:
| | Conference: | Overall: |
| | W | L | W | L |
| Texas Tech | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| Texas | 3 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Houston | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| TCU | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Arkansas: | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| Texas A&M | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
| Baylor | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| SMU | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Rice | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
FINAL WORD:
That’s a wrap for this week. Please feel free to forward to your friends, send me emails of those that should be included that aren’t, and submit your additions to the weekly newsletters (favorite SWC memories, player bio’s, funny old SWC stories, mascot hijinks, etc.) If you are receiving this note and you don’t want to, shame on you, but let me know, I’ll take you off the list.
Remember to visit http://www.honortheswc.com/home.asp and help build the SWC Gallery in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
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