Tag: Louisiana Tech

POST GAME REPORT: Alabama basketball impresses on opening day

Alabama MBB and WBB absolutely crushed their opponents on opening day!

Nate Oats and his No. 14-ranked Alabama Men’s Basketball team opened the 2021-22 season tonight in Coleman Coliseum against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

It was a packed house and they didn’t disappoint those in attendance or viewing from home in the slightest.

It was a complete performance for the Crimson Tide from start to finish in a commanding 93-64 win.

Five-star freshman JD Davison made his debut and made some outstanding plays in his first official game in crimson. His court vision was spectacular as evidenced by his incredible passing. He scored 12 points, including a couple of powerful dunks, while recording six rebounds and six assists.

Keon Ellis led the Tide in points with 18 while also pulling down nine rebounds and three assists.

Juwan Gary got significant playing time and certainly played at a high level game-long. He scored 12 and led the team in rebounds with 10.

The Crimson Tide shot 50% from the field and 40% from behind the 3PT line. They went 16-23 from the free throw line.

Defensively, Alabama was stingy with nine steals and two blocks. They held the Bulldogs to just 38% FG shooting and 23% from three.

Next up for the Crimson Tide men’s basketball squad is a home game against South Dakota State Friday at 7:00 p.m. CST.

The Alabama women’s team joined the fun, as well, absolutely demolishing Charleston Southern 109-32.

The Crimson Tide women’s squad take on Tulane on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. CST.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.

Brian Kelly ranked 85th on ESPN coaches-as-players list

What do you think of this ranking?

Notre Dame has had only six former college football players serve as head coach and none for a couple of generations. However, every college football coach was a player at some point, right? How else would someone understand the game so well? Brian Kelly indeed has playing experience as seen in a new piece for ESPN+ subscribers.

Adam Rittenberg has taken all 130 head coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision and ranked them as players. Brian Kelly comes in at 85th on the list. Before you throw up your hands and say that’s too low, remember that Kelly attended a school that only had a club football team at the time. Assumption in Worcester, Massachusetts has since fielded a team that competes in Division II.

Kelly was a memorable player for Assumption. His 314 tackles were a program record. He also earned a pair of all-league honors and was a captain. Clearly, his leadership skills were evident at a young age.

Rittenberg ranks former Notre Dame player and current Louisiana Tech coach Skip Holtz at 98th on the list. The son of Lou Holtz, he played 11 games for the Irish in 1986 after playing two years at Holy Cross. mostly playing on special teams and also servicing as a backup receiver. He carried the ball once that season and gained a single yard on that attempt.

Former Oklahoma quarterback Austin Kendall on the move again

Former Oklahoma quarterback Austin Kendall will transfer again, this time out of the Big 12.

Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Austin Kendall appears will apparently suit up for his third college team this season. Kendall spent three years with the Sooners and played in six games over that span. In 2016 he played two games and then four more in 2018. He transferred to West Virginia ahead of the 2019 season.

During his six games with Oklahoma, Kendall threw 39 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Over the last two seasons with the Mountaineers, Kendall played in 11 games, throwing for 2,153 yards and 14 touchdowns. He helped lead them to a bowl victory over Army in the final game of the 2020 season. After four seasons for two teams, he will transfer again but this time outside of the Big 12 Conference.

According to 247Sports, the former four-star Oklahoma commit will head to the state of Louisiana with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in 2021.

Former Oklahoma and West Virginia quarterback Austin Kendall is transferring to Louisiana Tech, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer reported Thursday morning. Kendall, who served in a backup role to both Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray at Oklahoma, is entering his sixth year of eligibility.

Kendall entered the NCAA transfer portal in January after spending the previous two seasons at West Virginia. In 2020, Kendall completed 11 of 23 passes (47.8%) for 164 yards and two touchdowns to zero interceptions. – Clint Buckley, 247Sports

Coming out of high school in North Carolina, Kendall was the No. 7 player in the state and the No. 9 ranked pro-style quarterback of the 2016 recruiting cycle. He will try to become the full-time starter for Louisiana Tech in what should be his final year of eligibility.

Jags Wire’s final 7-round mock draft for 2021 with trades

The Jags in all likelihood will be selecting Trevor Lawrence Thursday night, but they must add some offensive contributors around him, too.

The 2021 NFL Draft is almost here, and for Jacksonville Jaguars fans, it’s arguably the most important in franchise history. Of course, the reason for that is because they are set to acquire a player who some draft experts feel is a generational talent in quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

However, most would agree that picking Lawrence will be the easy part, and more may be riding on the additions made after him, especially with Urban Meyer aiming for the playoffs right away. With that being the case, we went over to Pro Football Focus to fire up their simulator one last time to make the final 2021 Jags Wire mock of the year. Here are the selections we came away with in an attempt to build a strong offensive and defensive group around Lawrence:

College Football Upset Predictor: Bank on these Week 14 underdog bets to cash

Highlighting three college football against the spread and money line upset predictions for the Week 14 slate.

We’re rounding the corner and heading for home in the strange 2020 college football regular season. We’ve had plenty of cancellations again this week due to COVID-19 concerns, but there are still plenty of winners to be had in Week 14. Let’s check out which ‘dogs will be barking the loudest when the dust settles on Saturday.

College football underdog predictions: Week 14

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 7:45 a.m. ET.

Michigan State +14.5 (-110) at Penn State

Sparty was drummed by Ohio State last week in East Lansing by a 52-12 count, and they’re clearly not in the same stratosphere as a national title contender. But this team is just two weeks removed from knocking Northwestern from the ranks of the unbeaten, winning outright as a 13.5-point underdog.

Yes, Penn State has cobbled together a two-game win streak, but it’s against a struggling Michigan side and a perennial doormat in Rutgers. The Nittany Lions are still just 2-5 SU/ATS on the season, and they’re 0-3 SU/ATS in Happy Valley so far, including a 35-19 loss to a mediocre Maryland side as a 27.5-point favorite on Nov. 7. Penn State has no business laying two touchdowns to anyone.

Get some action on this game or any other matchup with a legal, online bet at BetMGM in CO, IN, NJ, TN and WV. Risk-free first bet up to $500, paid in free bets. Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Memphis +4.5 (-110) vs. Houston

The Tigers are short ‘dogs at home against Houston. Yes, the Cougars looked impressive last time out, dispatching South Florida 56-21. But is it that impressive? The Bulls are horrible. And Houston has been off since Nov. 14 due to COVID-19 concerns. It’s a double-edged sword. The good news is they’re well rested and the bumps and bruises are gone, but they also could show some rust.

Memphis was knocked around at Tulane by a 35-21 count last Saturday, but before that, they picked up three wins in a row over USF, Stephen F. Austin and Navy. They are 1-5 ATS across the past six, so you’ll be going against the grain there. But the Tigers have covered in five straight meetings in this series, too.

Louisiana Tech +21.5 (-115) at TCU

Some lines just jump off the page, and this one and the Michigan State line really stood out. If you’re a seasoned bettor, you know that three and a hook, seven and a hook, 14 and a hook, 21 and a hook and so on are special numbers. Why? It’s just simple football math. A team wins by an orthodox football score, and that half-point comes in handy. In this particular instance, you’re backing a good football team and getting plenty of points to boot.

The Bulldogs have rolled up 31.8 points per game this season, good for 41st in the country. They dropped 42 on North Texas last time out on Dec. 3, a season-best point total against an FBS opponent (they scored 66 vs. FCS Houston Baptist on Sept. 26). They have averaged 39.5 PPG across the past two, covering both.

TCU is coming off an impressive 29-22 win over Oklahoma State, winning as 2.5-point point ‘dogs at home. Can they bring that same kind of intensity against a non-conference foe after such an emotional win? This has letdown and trap game written all over it.

Also see:

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The picks are in, ESPN’s College GameDay selects winners for today

Find out who the ESPN panel with guest picker Derrick Henry selected for today’s games including Alabama vs. Georgia.

Today’s guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay doesn’t need much of an introduction. Just go back to this past Tuesday’s NFL highlights and you’ll see this.

Derrick Henry is a bad dude, the former Alabama Heisman Trophy winning back is coming off a season where he led the NFL in rushing. And he gave us this fantastic meme.

Henry joined Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and David Pollack in picking today’s slate of games. Here’s who they selected to win today.

Illinois at Wisconsin (Next Friday)

Henry – UW

Howard – UW

Pollack – UW

Herbstreit – UW

Corso – UW

 

UCF at Memphis

Henry – UCF

Howard – UCF

Pollack – UCF

Herbstreit – UCF

Corso – UCF

 

Marshall at Louisiana Tech

Henry – La. Tech

Howard – Marshall

Pollack – Marshall

Herbstreit – Marshall

Corso – Marshall

 

North Carolina at Florida State

Henry – UNC

Howard – UNC

Pollack – UNC

Herbstreit – UNC

Corso – UNC

 

Pittsburgh at Miami, FL

Henry – Miami

Howard – Miami

Pollack – Miami

Herbstreit – Miami

Corso – Miami

 

Boston College at Virginia Tech

Henry – BC

Howard – VT

Pollack – VT

Herbstreit – BC

Corso – VT

 

Texas A&M at Mississippi State

Henry – TAMU

Howard – Miss. St.

Pollack – TAMU

Herbstreit – Miss. St.

Corso – TAMU

 

Ole Miss at Arkansas

Henry – Ole Miss

Howard – Ole Miss

Pollack – Ole Miss

Herbstreit – Ole Miss

Corso – Ole Miss

 

Kentucky at Tennessee

Henry – Tenn.

Howard – Tenn.

Pollack – Tenn.

Herbstreit – Tenn.

Corso – Tenn.

 

Auburn at South Carolina

Henry – S. Carolina

Howard – S. Carolina

Pollack – S. Carolina

Herbstreit – S. Carolina

Corso – S. Carolina

Georgia at Alabama

Henry – Alabama

Howard – Alabama

Pollack – Alabama

Herbstreit – Georgia

Corso – Alabama

Texas Football: Look back at Sam Ehlinger on opening weekends

With opening weekend upon us for the Texas Longhorns, we look back at how Sam Ehlinger has performed in recent years.

Saturday night in Austin, Texas. Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger will be leading the team onto the field for the start of his final campaign. For Ehlinger this marks his fourth opener to prepare for. Could it be the start of something special? Recently former Longhorn great Eric Metcalf joined the podcast and talked about his chances of putting on a show.

Image Courtesy of Locked on Longhorns

Ehlinger needs to not only continue to put up the same level of numbers of years past, but also can’t lose those games they expect to win. Much like a TCU, Iowa State or even play close to Kansas. They need to put their foot on the gas and put up style points to be in consideration.

We take a walk through history at how Ehlinger has performed in the first game of each of his first three seasons on the Forty Acres.

San Jose State in 2017

Stats Cmp Att Yards TDs INTs Rush Yards TDs Total Offense
Sam Ehlinger 15 27 222 1 0 7 48 0 270

Maryland in 2018

Stats Cmp Att Yards TDs INTs Rush Yards TDs Total Offense
Sam Ehlinger 21 39 263 2 2 7 30 0 293

Louisiana Tech in 2019

Stats Cmp Att Yards TDs INTs Rush Yards TDs Total Offense
Sam Ehlinger 28 38 276 4 0 8 34 0 310

Average on opening weekend for Sam Ehlinger

Stats Cmp Att Yards TDs INTs Rush Yards TDs Total Offense
Sam Ehlinger 21.3 34.7 253.7 2.3 0.7 7.3 37.3 0 291

Based on his average numbers, they aren’t bad. However, given the fact that the Longhorns are heavy favorites in this game will he get close to them? Probably not. Expect Ehlinger to be out of the game early on with Casey Thompson, Hudson Card or Ja’Quinden Jackson to get some playing time as this game wraps up on Saturday night at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Gators News: September 9, 2020

Welcome to a Wednesday edition of Gators News, with several stories from around the sports world to report today in both college and pros.

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Welcome to a Wednesday edition of Gators News, with several stories from around the sports world to report today in both the collegiate and professional ranks.

The biggest story on this humpday is the impending departure of former Florida Gators and current Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan from his only stop in his NBA career thus far after it was mutually decided to allow his contract to elapse. “Sometimes the arc of things just don’t align… It’s no one’s fault,” said OKC general manager Sam Presti.

In college football news, California University of Pennsylvania football player Jamain Stephens, 20, has died from complications involving COVID-19, the school announced Tuesday. It is unclear how he contracted the disease.

Staying on the coronavirus topic, Louisiana Tech’s season opener at Baylor, set for Saturday in Waco, Texas, has been postponed because of an outbreak of COVID-19 cases among Bulldogs players. Louisiana Tech had 38 players test positive for the coronavirus after a round of tests conducted earlier this week.

Finally, USA TODAY Sports college sports editor Erick Smith takes a look at 10 changes to watch for as college football season kicks off. The 2020 college football season is going to take some getting used to.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

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Wednesday Big 12 Morning Rush: Another game postponed

In this edition of the Big 12 morning rush, another conference game postponed due to COVID-19. Plus a player gets put on scholarship.

It is now just three days away from the Texas Longhorns season opening game against the UTEP Miners. As of right now, Texas is one of seven Big 12 games that are set to take place. As the team prepares for the game against UTEP, one player got the best news that a walk-on could receive.

Watch Tom Herman deliver scholarship news to a player’s parents

Longhorns linebacker Jett Bush found out that he was going to be placed on scholarship from his dad. Head coach Tom Herman enlisted the help of his parents to deliver the news to the team. Before you watch this video make sure you have tissues nearby, because someone is cutting onions.

Baylor-Louisiana Tech game postponed over COVID-19 outbreak

Following in the footsteps of SMU-TCU and Tulsa-Oklahoma State, the Baylor game has been postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak. The timing of the Hurricane Laura during a pandemic did not help matters. It is unclear if and when this game will be played. Louisiana Tech doesn’t have a vacant spot on Sept. 19 to allow the game to be pushed back one week. Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports was the first to report the news.

 

Kansas State kickoff time moved to 11:00 am

In light of the Louisiana Tech-Baylor game being postponed, it left a vacancy at 11 am for Fox. The Arkansas State-Kansas State game will now be moved up to take it’s place. It was originally set for 2:30 pm..

 

Where do Duruji and Appleby stand in latest transfer rankings?

In the most recent iteration of ESPN’s transfer ratings, both Anthony Duruji and Tyree Appleby were both featured on the rankings.

In the most recent iteration of ESPN’s transfer ratings, both Anthony Duruji, a Louisiana Tech transfer, and Tyree Appleby, a Cleveland State transfer, were both featured on the rankings.

Duruji and Appleby joined the Gators team prior to the start of the 2019-20 season, but each sat out the year in accordance with NCAA transfer policy. They are both eligible to play for Florida starting this fall.

Duruji, who averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds as a sophomore with the Bulldogs in 2019-20, is ranked as the No. 5 transfer on the list of spring sit-out transfers eligible to play in 2020-21. A tremendous athlete who has good size for a wing player at 6-foot-7, Duruji will likely compete for a starting spot this season. If he’s coming off the bench, he’s sure to play a significant role as Florida doesn’t have another player with his skillset.

Appleby, on the other hand, came from the Horizon League where he was a dominant force as a sophomore. He averaged 17.2 points and 5.6 assists, asserting himself as one of the best point guards in the conference. He’s ranked No. 26 on the list of transfers eligible this year, and he will likely assume Florida’s starting point guard spot this season. Time will tell if his production from the mid-majors will translate to the SEC.

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