Category: TEAMS

Austin ranked No. 1 college town in the country

Although experiencing a rapid growth rate, Austin continues to top national rankings as one of the best all-around cities to live in. But where does the capital city of Texas stand in terms of its offerings to college students? In a 2019 Wallethub …

Although experiencing a rapid growth rate, Austin continues to top national rankings as one of the best all-around cities to live in. But where does the capital city of Texas stand in terms of its offerings to college students?

In a 2019 Wallethub study recently released by CNBC, the University of Texas was listed as the top college town in the country. The cost of living, social environment, and academic opportunities were all heavily weighed.

The Longhorns scored second in the country for social environment. With major festivals each year such as South by Southwest and Austin City Limits, there’s no shortage of experiences to add to your agenda. Zilker park and Lady Bird lake are minutes away, while breathtaking hill country views can be located on nearly every corner.

Austin also provides students a safe and affordable place to study and live. In July, University of Texas regents voted unanimously to increase financial assistance. With this new grant, undergraduate students who come from families with incomes up to $65,000 a year would have their full tuition and fees covered. Partial tuition support would be provided to students from families earning up to $125,000.

One of the most prestigious research universities in the nation, Texas provides a variety of degree programs to attribute to successful academic life. The most popular areas of study are Engineering, Business, Management, Social Sciences, and Marketing.

The continuous accolades for the city of Austin can only increase recruiting chances for all Longhorns sports programs.

Air Force Football: Top Five Moments from 2019 (Part 3)

Moment #3 from 2019 The Kings of Colorado Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire Were still counting down the five most memorable moments of the Falcon’s 2019 football season. In case you missed our first two installments of this five part series, check …

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Moment #3 from 2019

The Kings of Colorado

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

Were still counting down the five most memorable moments of the Falcon’s 2019 football season. In case you missed our first two installments of this five part series, check them out here  Part 1 or Part 2 .

COMING IN AT #3

The Claim to Colorado: Air Force 30 at Colorado 23 | Air Force 38 at Colorado State 21

During the off-season if you looked ahead at the Air Force schedule, it appeared a daunting one. On top of the Mountain Division regulars, which includes rival Colorado State and the Commander-In-Chief series opponents, the Falcons landed in state foes, in the Colorado Buffaloes for 2019.

During the Mountain West’s media days, Troy Calhoun was as quick to remark on just how difficult their schedule looked. Going as far as to say its the toughest he’s seen at the Academy.

Hyperbole? Not necessarily.

The Falcons already had difficult games against Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State built into the calendar, along with the Rams at CSU. You can always count on two prize-fights against Army and Navy each year as well. Pair all of that up with a trip to Boulder to face an NFL potential talent at quarterback, defensive line, linebacker and an elite receiver, and the schedule quickly becomes legit.

The caveat of interest built into this schedule was the Battle for Colorado though. Air Force plays Colorado State every year. The Rams play the Buffaloes each season. But with the odds of Haley’s comet, the stars aligned, and the Falcons completed the Colorado trinity by facing the Buff’s for the first time since Nixon was in office.

The Falcons season couldn’t have gotten off to a more thrilling start, trading blows with an opponent from the PAC12. They could have viewed this game as a confidence builder to stay within a score, coming off of back to back 5-7 seasons. But instead, Air Force began their validation process to show just how special this team was in 2019.

After four quarters of back and forth lead changes, the Buff’s wrestled away a 10 point lead late in the game to send it into overtime. From there, the defense did their part, fending off a talented Colorado offense, and the offense did what they did a lot of this season; score touchdowns. Like a dagger to the heart, Kade Remsberg projects across the goal line, securing victory in the first leg of the battle for Colorado.

It wasn’t until mid November that Air Force would have the opportunity to complete their sweep of the state. Between their games in Boulder and Fort Collins, the Falcons stacked up another 5  wins before lining up against the Rams. As fate would have it, that would exceed the win total for the Rams for the entire 2019 season.

Air Force entered the contest with Colorado State full of confidence, and the end result reflected it. After going down 14-0 in the first quarter, the Falcons didn’t flinch. Completely dominating the balance of the game, and outscoring the Rams 38-7 from that point on.

Make no mistake, this was not the Commander-In-Chief’s trophy. However, these are in state rivals, and all three of these teams wanted this series. Its a shame this can’t be a more regularly played trilogy, but maybe it will find a way to land on the schedule more frequently in the future.

Reflective of the season that was for Air Force, the battle for Colorado went to the best team. And in nearly every game they played this year, a similar result would yield. All Hail the Kings of Colorado, the United States Air Force Academy!

Next We Will the second most epic moment of the 2019 season

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Air Force Football: Top Five Moments from 2019

Moment #4 from 2019 Bugg says Aloha for 92 yards and the score Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire Were counting down the top five moments of the Falcon’s 2019 football season. If you missed our initial post on the 5th ranked moment, you can check it …

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Moment #4 from 2019

Bugg says Aloha for 92 yards and the score

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

Were counting down the top five moments of the Falcon’s 2019 football season. If you missed our initial post on the 5th ranked moment, you can check it out here.

COMING IN AT #4

October 19, 2019: Air Force 56 at Hawai’i 26

Before Nick Rolovich’s Warriors from Hawai’i cemented themselves as the darlings of the West Division, they had a less than memorable meeting with the Cadets from Colorado Springs.

Prior to playing either of the Mountain Division powers, Hawai’i had begun to string together a nice season. They started the year off by knocking off two of their three power five opponents from the PAC 12. They then proceeded to dismantle their division rivals, Nevada by 51 points, all before the calendar turned to October.

After a 22 point loss on the Blue Turf to Boise, Hawai’i headed back to the island to prepare for Air Force. Things did not get any easier.

A prolific run-and-shoot passing offense that the Bows’ deployed, looked poise to feast on a Falcon defense that was coming off of a lackluster 2018, by their own admission. To make things even bleaker, the Falcons lost their starting quarterback, D.J. Hammond early in this game, and backup Isaiah Sanders was unavailable due to injury.

Enter, super senior Michael Schmidt. Under Schmidt, the offense didn’t miss a beat. In fact, the Air Force attack thrived under his control. Not only did the Falcons ground game have its way with Hawai’i, seeing Timothy Jackson and Schmidt clear 100 yards, with Kadin Remsberg not far behind, but the passing attack was humming as well.

The Air Force offense was operating at such a high level, it wouldn’t of mattered really how effective the Cole McDonald led pass attack was this day. The Falcons seemingly scored at will, but to make things worse for Hawai’i fans, we learned this day that the Air Force defense had completely turned the page from last year. Not only had they improved, but the defense was a force as we learned by seasons end.

Once the dust settled, Air Force handed Hawai’i a 30 point beat down. This was made possible by a relentless defensive effort that was topped off with a 92 yard interception return for a touchdown by Tre Bugg, sure to earn play of the year considerations this year.

And offensively, you couldn’t help but to appreciate what Mike Schmidt was able to do with his opportunity. Having less than a handful of snaps in his four years with the team prior, he cashed in with 120 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, to go along with 147 through the air and another score.

Next We Will Unveil Moment #3

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Celtics players recall their most memorable trey

As the game’s most popular shot turns 40 years old, Boston Celtics players recount their favorite 3-point shot of their basketball careers from high school to the pros.

The 3-point shot has turned 40 years old, and The Athletic’s Jared Weiss did some poking around to assemble accounts of a number of the Boston Celtics’ favorite trey of their careers to celebrate the game-changing shot.

With how heavily the deep shot is leaned in in this era of analytics and shooters, there’s plenty to choose from — some dating back to well before these players sniffed a minute’s playing time in the Association.

Others, a three is something so rare to them that even making an attempt was memorable.

And then, there’s the curious case of Grant Williams.

The rookie famously went two months into this NBA season before hitting a trey, his tendency to miss the outside shot becoming an event unto itself every time he tried to shake his shooting funk.

“Brad [Wanamaker] passed out,” offered the Tennessee product on his teammate’s reaction to him finally sinking the shot at the time. “That’s crazy.”

He even (lovingly) received the worst of insults for a Celtic with 3-point aspirations: “Yeah, we were calling him ‘Ben Simmons,'” offered the Georgia native.

The Cal-Berkeley product lists his first NBA game-winning trey as his personal favorite, a last-minute shot off of a Semi Ojeleye assists against the Utah Jazz in March, 2018.

He nearly remembers the pummeling an excited Tatum gave him after sinking it more, though; “[after the shot went in, he] was punching me in the chest,” offered the Georgia native. “He punched me like 10 times. He was punching the shit out of me, for real.”

“He gave me a little four-piece, boom-boom. That hurt,” he added.

Speaking of the Duke product, Tatum’s favorite shot from deep came just moments after the most iconic play of his young career, the dunk on LeBron James in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA East Finals.

“I dunked on LeBron and then came back with a side-step 3. I thought we was going to win the game after that, so I thought we was going to the championship,” offered the Missouri native.

“I dunked it, we got a stop, and then we ran the same play,” he elaborated.

“Somebody got doubled in the post, so they swung it around, swing, swing, George Hill closed out, I stepped to the side and shot it. I just got back on defense, but I thought we’re gonna win this game and go to the championship.”

All-NBA point guard Kemba Walker looks back to even before his legendary run to the NCAA title with the UConn Huskies in 2011 for his favorite three.

“High school, my junior year, at Fordham University in the championship game, I hit the game-winning 3,” Walker explained.

“That’s what got me going and got me recognition and stuff like that. It was against Christ the King. The play was for one of my teammates but it got broken down. It was a nasty shot too. Pump fake, pump fake, threw it up and it counted for the game. It was crazy.”

“Everyone rushed the court. It was a good time,” he added.

It seems the Cardiac moniker has deeper roots than most of us knew, the Bronx native having had the killer instinct almost as long as he had his killer footwork.

There’s a wealth of such stories from the rest of the team available in the original article by Weiss; be sure to check them out at the Athletic (subscription required).

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Air Force Football: Top Five Moments from 2019

Falcon Arial Assault Waters, Sanders and Hammond have Game for the Ages Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire When you put together a historical season as Air Force just did, the ride is usually composed of a lot of thrills. With the 2019 season in the …

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Falcon Arial Assault

Waters, Sanders and Hammond have Game for the Ages

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

When you put together a historical season as Air Force just did, the ride is usually composed of a lot of thrills. With the 2019 season in the books, lets take some time to reflect on some of the most memorable moments of the Falcons season.

COMING IN AT #5

November 23, 2019 Air Force 44 at New Mexico 22

Remember the Air Force game against New Mexico back in November, where D.J. Hammond missed that one pass? You know, the one where he literally threw a single incomplete pass!

If you missed this performance, or somehow forgot, allow me to reminisce. The Falcon ground game wasn’t their normal selves, chewing up a little more than 200 yards on the ground. Normally you might ask, what happened to their other 1/3 of rushing production?

The reality is, the firm of ‘Waters, Sanders and Hammond’ were so dominant, the normal workhorse backfield of Air Force was adjourned early. Even though Ben Waters and Geraud Sanders were the only players to catch passes this day, they tuned up the Lobo defense to the tune of 327 yards and four tuddies.

These guys along with quarterback, D.J. Hammond put up video game like numbers. Waters hauled in four passes that accounted for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Sanders on the other-hand was only able to grind out 156 yards on his five catches while matching his counterpart in touchdowns.

These two averaged 42 and 31 yards per catch respectively. If that number seems off-the-charts, it is. And much like the end of season stats supported, Sanders led the country in yards per catch. While Waters would have led the country if he had enough catches to qualify. In case your wondering, that was 700 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, which did not qualify.

Anytime you throw more touchdowns than incomplete passes, you have had a pretty special game. When you say that you threw three more touchdowns than incomplete passes, you are a liar.

Or, you were D.J. Hammond on this night. The Falcons trigger-man amassed 327 yards passing, while completing 9 out of 10 passes for four touchdowns. This was garnished well with another trip to paydirt on 41 rush yards, for a five total touchdown performance.

The numbers this offense compiled that night were impressive. But to truly appreciate this accomplishment, you have to understand that this is conventionally a run-heavy triple option offense. And even at that, the efficiency which these guys were able to surgically dismember their opponent was nothing short of spectacular.

Next We Revisit Moment #4

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Ricky Williams will drop the ceremonial puck at the NHL Winter Classic

Before the Winter Classic, the NHL announced that former Texas running back Ricky Williams would be dropping the ceremonial puck.

For the first time in the state of Texas, the NHL Winter Classic will take place. Playing on New Year’s Day, the Dallas Stars will be hosting the Nashville Predators. The Stars usually play their home games at the American Airlines Center but will be playing outside for the Winter Classic.

The venue will be the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park, the same place where Texas faces off against Oklahoma in the annual Red River Shootout. Before the game, the National Hockey League announced that former Texas running back Ricky Williams would be dropping the ceremonial puck.

Williams played five career games at the Cotton Bowl, having a career 3-1-1 record in those games. Four of them came against Oklahoma, but the other was in the 1999 Cotton Bowl when the Longhorns played Mississippi State. He ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 30 attempts to secure a bowl win for Texas. Against Oklahoma, he ran for 465 yards and five touchdowns in four games.

While the stadium is nicknamed “The House that Doak Built”, Williams has put up some great performances in the Cotton Bowl. Dropping the puck before the game on New Year’s Day, Williams will help the hockey world learn about the history of the Cotton Bowl.

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Three Gifts Texas Needs On Christmas

Merry Christmas from everyone here at Longhorns Wire! Here are three gifts that could benefit the Longhorns football and basketball team.

Merry Christmas from everyone here at Longhorns Wire!

Texas has had a shaky football season, but still has some work to do. Getting a win against the Utes should be the priority, but the coaching staff still needs to be filled. Fulfilling both of those as soon as possible would be nice, as the Longhorns can get focused on the 2020 season as soon as possible.

Once football season ends, it is officially basketball season. Texas has been doing a decent job so far, but still has some work to do. With conference play beginning at the beginning of January, the Longhorns need to get off to a fast start to keep their NCAA tournament hopes where they are at.

Here are three gifts Texas need this Christmas:

A bowl win against Utah

First and foremost, Texas needs to find a way to get a win against a really good Utah team. Much like the Sugar Bowl last season, the Utes are just off a conference championship loss that would have put them in the College Football Playoff. Not only did they lose to Oregon, but they got dominated. Utah may be excited to be playing in the Alamo Bowl, but it is not where they wanted to be.

Texas is also in a similar position as they were last year as they are in a better bowl game than they deserve. They are also underdogs for the second year in a row, coming in as a touchdown underdog. Off a disappointing 7-5 season, winning on New Year’s Day would be a huge momentum builder going into the 2020 season.

A win against Utah could do what everyone thought the Sugar Bowl win against Georgia was going to do this season. While it may not have Sam Ehlinger saying “We’re back,” it would prove that the Longhorns can still compete with top-quality teams.

An offensive coordinator

The moment Texas took away the offensive coordinator title from Tim Beck, there were some big names connected to the position. Graham Harrell from USC was mentioned, but he has recently signed an extension with the Trojans. Passing game coordinator Joe Brady from LSU was the biggest name connected with the job, but the Tigers have made it clear they want to keep him.

Now, Ohio State’s passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich is the new favorite to get the job. Currently in the middle of a national championship run with the Buckeyes, if the Longhorns are going to hire it, it may not be until the middle of January. Kirk Ciarrocca is listed as the second favorite, but Texas seems to be all in on Yurcich.

Not hiring an offensive coordinator did not fully hurt the Longhorns on National Signing Day, but they did lose some commits before the big day. The sooner Texas is able to hire someone to run the offense, the better.

The basketball team starts Big 12 play out strong

With football season coming to an end, it is nearly basketball season in Austin. Texas’ current record is 9-2, but have been unimpressive at times. Winning games against teams they should be beating so far this season, that has been a positive. When playing against tournament-caliber teams, the Longhorns have been less than impressive.

A good win against Purdue on the road is the best win so far this season but loses against Georgetown and Providence have been brutal. Hosting High Point before opening up Big 12 play, Texas needs to rattle a few wins off to keep their NCAA tournament chances safe.

Baylor, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Kansas are the first five games of conference play. The Bears and Jayhawks are currently ranked in the top five in the AP poll and a win against one of those teams would go a long way. As for the other three, they are the type of games the Longhorns need to win. Quality Big 12 opponents that would be good on the resume. If Texas can start conference play, their NCAA tournament resume will start to come together.

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Bowl Season: Mountain West Conference Simulated Results

A simulation run using updated rosters for the EA Sports NCAA 14 Football game was done to see how the Mountain West did this Bowl Year.

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How did the MWC fair this Bowl Season?

Thanks to the NCAA 14 Football Game- We have all the Bowl Insights!

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

Earlier this fall, we covered how the NCAA Football Game Dynasty by EA Sports was still alive and well, even after production of the game stopped in 2014. If you missed it, take a look here.

Using the newly updated rosters for every team on the game, we were able to create real simulation results based on these 2019 teams. We matched-up every team in the Mountain West with their 2019/2020 Bowl Opponent, using the actual locations and players. The games were completely simulated with no user interaction.

Let’s go Bowl by Bowl and see how things shook out!

FRISCO BOWL, DEC. 20: UTAH STATE VS. KENT STATE

If the simulation is any indicator, folks who take in the Frisco Bowl are in for a treat. Jordan Love pulls a George Costanza, and leaves the Aggies on a high note (both puns intended) racking up over 300 yards passing to edge Kent State by three, with a 31-28 victory.

The Utah State defense also came up big holding the Golden Flash to 40% in the Red Zone and forcing two turnovers.

NEW MEXICO BOWL, DEC. 21: SAN DIEGO STATE VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Next up is the New Mexico Bowl which every Aztec fan would be thrilled to have the simulated results. The folks from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan may take umbrage with the notion of San Diego State racking up 41 points though.

I don’t question the Aztecs ability to pound the ball on the ground like the results reflect, behind a strong performance from Juwan Washington. But I do have to wonder what happened to ignite a 41 – 10 drubbing.

LAS VEGAS BOWL, DEC. 21: BOISE STATE VS. WASHINGTON

The kings of the (Mountain) West got reacquainted with their old coach, in most inhospitable fashion. Despite featuring the games most highly rated player in the MWC, Curtis Weaver, it wasn’t enough to knock off the Huskies.

I’m sure Jacob Eason of Washington would be very happy to showcase a near 400 yard passing performance in front of the scouts to increase his draft stock. Mountain West Wire’s resident Bronco, Raj may want to protest the results of this 13 point defeat.

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All-Decade Power Rankings: Golden State Warriors rule the 2010s

The Golden State Warriors were easily the most dominant NBA team in the 2010s decade. What teams followed them? Our full rankings included.

 

 

All-Decade Power Rankings: Golden State Warriors rule the 2010s

The Golden State Warriors were easily the most dominant NBA team in the 2010s decade. What teams followed them? Our full rankings included.

The end of the decade is upon us, which a good time to look at the teams that thrived and those that took a nosedive over the 2010s.

For clarity, the period examined begins with the 2010-11 NBA season and ends Dec. 12, 2019, rather than bridging games that were played in the second half of 2009-10. Remember, the 2011-12 season was limited to 66 games due to a players’ strike.

30. Sacramento Kings

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Kings have been consistent … as in consistently under .500. The last time the franchise had a winning season was 2005-06. It will be interesting to see if they can get over the .500 mark this go-round. The Kings are currently flirting with .500 but still under.

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