Tag: TCU Football

A possum was wrongly detained after running on the field during TCU-Texas Tech and fans had jokes

POSSUM ALERT

During Texas Tech’s home game against TCU on Thursday night, a furry guest decided to sprint onto the field to announce itself to the world.

A possum darted out onto the gridiron during the game, which prompted stadium workers to find a grabber to snag the critter and get it off the field and into the possession of those who can humanely relocate it back to the wild.

However, the little fella did not seem all that thrilled about losing its perfect seat for the college football action as it screeched something in possum as it was dragged out of the stadium.

That possum paid for sideline seats, dang it, and it deserved to stay!

Well, this possum probably will go tell all of its woodland friends about how it snuck onto the field in Lubbock, and it’ll be a heck of a humblebrag.

However, maybe Texas Tech fans throwing tortillas onto the field wasn’t the best idea when there was a possum in the house.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1372]

Deion Sanders on Colorado’s shocking upset of No. 17 TCU: ‘We keep receipts’

“We keep receipts.”

After shocking No. 17 TCU on the road on Saturday, new Colorado head coach Deion Sanders had a very direct message for everyone who had doubts of the “Coach Prime” era for the Buffaloes.

Speaking with Fox Sports after the 45-42 victory, Sanders was asked about what his message was for the Colorado fans about what they should expect this season after such a monumental win for the program.

Sanders kept his response short and sweet.

“We told you we coming. We told you we coming. You thought we was joking. And guess what? We keep receipts?” Sanders said to everyone who felt that Sanders’ tenure at Colorado wouldn’t hit the ground running right away.

More: Deion Sanders and Sonny Dykes shared a classy moment during Colorado-TCU thriller

This show of confidence has to get Colorado fans excited as the Buffaloes outperformed expectations in Sanders’ first game on the sideline.

Monster performances from wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders boosted Colorado’s winning effort, one that could have a snowball effect if the team can keep this momentum going.

Deion Sanders is already lobbying for Colorado’s standout two-way player Travis Hunter in Heisman race

Deion Sanders is ready to get the Travis Hunter Heisman campaign going.

Colorado is having plenty of fun in the first game of the Deion Sanders era, and two-way superstar Travis Hunter is a big reason as to why.

In the first half of Colorado’s road opener against TCU, Hunter, a wide receiver and cornerback for the Buffaloes, hauled in a beautiful pass in the end zone that was just a hair short of being called for a touchdown.

He also reportedly played more than 60 snaps in just one half of football, per The Athletic.

The catch in question was the kind of almost-score that shows why Hunter is such a uniquely rare talent on the field, and why he’s certain to go high in the NFL Draft whenever he declares.

Hunter also made a fantastic play in the end zone on TCU wide receiver Jaylon Robinson while he was playing at cornerback.

At halftime, Colorado coach Deion Sanders lobbied for Hunter’s Heisman candidacy by saying that if he had been able to catch two long passes from quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the Heisman would be “in his crib chilling right now.”

Shedeur Sanders is also a Heisman candidate, which gives Colorado two of the most electrifying players in the game this season.

While it’s far too early to be crowning any Heisman winners, Deion Sanders sounds very ready to advocate for his guys in their strong first 2023 showing against the national title runners-up.

College Football: Predicting the 2023 preseason top 25 rankings

Our predictions for the 2023 preseason college football top 25 poll.

Week 0 of the college football season will kick off on August 26, and we could not be more excited for another great season.

As the college football landscape continues to evolve, new stars emerge, powerhouse programs reload, and underdogs rise to prominence, making this upcoming season one of the most intriguing in recent memory. With the season fast approaching, media outlets and analysts have begun releasing their preseason top 25 projections and predictions sharing their thoughts on how the beginning of the season will look in 2023.

Here at Clemson Wire, we developed some ranking predictions of our own. Let the countdown to the season begin as we unveil our early projections for the top 25 college football teams of 2023.

The difference between general talent and Texas’ developed talent

Phil Steele’s position rankings have everything to do with development and proven on-field play.

We have a winner for the most tired phrase of the offseason: Texas is always the most talented. Following Phil Steele’s position rankings reveal, its the only line to which naysayers can turn.

Texas always has the talent. It’s the cover of truth surrounding a false premise. When discussing what the team returns from last year, talent isn’t really even the point.

The most notable takeaway some have from the read was that despite being the No. 1 ranked team at every position by Phil Steele, Texas always has the talent. I can’t recall Texas being ranked first at every position group before, although it could have happened. The point is, the proven talent across the board is not normal for Texas. It usually is squandered, as borne out by past coaching regimes. The Longhorns have matchup problems, not just talent.

The reality is, the Longhorns are being ranked by the players that have already played well on the field, not just the ones with five-star recruiting ratings. And the team has far more proven players than any other Big 12 squad.

One could argue the team’s best player is former three-star linebacker Jaylan Ford. That’s not recruiting ranking talent. That’s simply a well developed player. He’s one of many on the roster.

Fan Nation’s Killer Frogs shared some other fan favorites of Texas outsiders’ favorite lines. Among the other curious talking points was that Texas big money donors will somehow have a hand in the Longhorns’ on-field product this season. It’s unclear how that will supposedly occur. That talking point is almost always vague and without any tangible substance.

Texas is set to make a statement. It’s not because it is a five-star recruiting machine, but because assistant coaches Kyle Flood, Terry Joseph, Jeff Choate and Jeff Banks have made it a player development machine. There’s a difference between talent and developed talent. It should be evident in the on-field product this season.

Garrett Riley discusses if he’s feeling pressure to perform at Clemson

Garrett Riley was asked if he’s feeling pressure to perform with the Tigers and had this to say.

New offensive coordinator Garrett Riley has experienced success everywhere he’s coached, but he has never been a part of a program as big as Clemson.

The 2022 Broyles Award winner as the nation’s top assistant coach helped lead TCU to a National Championship appearance last season which was a wild and impressive run. However, joining the Tigers and Dabo Swinney’s coaching staff is a significant move that comes with expectations. 

During Clemson’s media outing Thursday, Riley was asked if he feels pressured to deliver in his role as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator. 

“I think I do (feel pressure) every year probably,” Riley said. I just think you always put more pressure on yourself than anybody else is going to. So, I just think that’s the nature of what we do and that’s kind of those positions you want to be in, right. But I wouldn’t say any more (pressure) than I probably have any other year.”

Pressure is a part of life, and it will always be present when you coach football at the highest level. Riley has proven to be capable of handling that pressure as he is one of the top coordinators in college football.

At just 33 years old, Riley has spent the past three seasons as an offensive coordinator. Things started at SMU before he followed Sonny Dykes to TCU, where his offense finished ninth nationally in scoring (38.8 points per game), 27th in total offense (455 yards per game), 31st in rushing (193.3), and 39th in passing (261.7).

Riley should do wonders for the Tigers’ offense in 2023.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

How the Longhorns match up with every 2023 opponent

Texas has the matchup edge in several games. We dive into matchups for every game.

The Texas Longhorns begin their 2023 campaign in just under seven weeks. The team takes on the Rice Owls to start the season on Sept. 2.

Matchups determine results of games. That bodes well for the Longhorns heading into the season. Several position groups for the team are built to overpower their opposition. It all begins at receiver.

Texas has five indefensible wide receivers. Xavier Worthy, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Jordan Whittington return as the most proven, while AD Mitchell and Isaiah Neyor bring some of the most unrealized upside.

Other position groups can hold their own and morph into the mechanism necessary to negate their opponents. The Texas secondary fits that description with several veteran playmakers and elite up-and-comers.

Let’s look at how the team matches up against its 2023 opponents.

Taking a look at Kansas State, the Texas Longhorns’ primary challenger

We break down what challenges Kansas State will present Texas and others in 2023.

Kansas State is a trending conference title pick over the offseason. The team enters the 2023 season as the reigning Big 12 champion. How good are the Wildcats heading into the Longhorns’ final season in the conference?

Let’s first look at who they were in 2022. Kansas State went 10-4 on the year with a 7-2 record in conference. The Wildcats suffered an early loss to the Tulane Green Wave at home before falling to TCU by 10 points and to Texas by a touchdown in Manhattan. Kansas State would go on to beat TCU in its rematch before losing to Alabama, 45-20.

There’s something to be said for beating the teams one should beat. Texas and TCU were the team’s only conference losses on the season. Consistent play in conference is what the Longhorns will need to accomplish this season. Even so, the Wildcats weren’t your typical conference champion in 2022.

Now, the team is touted by the anybody-but-Texas camp as the most deserving favorite to win the Big 12. In reality, it’s a team with a high floor, but low ceiling as evidence by its play against more talented opponents.

Kansas State boasts nine players entering their sixth season of football. Among other advantages, the team has a proven starting quarterback who should be among the best in the league. Wildcats skill players are probably undervalued heading into the season as well. This issue for K-State is an inexperienced defense which should struggle in 2023.

The Wildcats were a solid defensive team last season. They finished No. 64 out of 131 FBS teams and fifth among current Big 12 teams in total defense. Unfortunately the team loses Felix Anudike-Uzomah, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, on a defense that returns five of its 11 defensive starters. That bodes particularly well for Texas, who scored 31 points in one half at Kansas State last season. Frankly, we’re not that far removed from Texas scoring 66 points in three quarters on the Wildcats.

How good is Kansas State? It all depends on its defense. Nevertheless, there’s a talent gap, and losing more than half of its defense does not bode well for the Wildcats.

Previewing the first session of Big 12 media days in Arlington

TCU, Texas, Kansas and others will speak to the Big 12 media in the first media day session on Wednesday.

Big 12 media days start Wednesday, and we have questions for every team. Seven of the 14 teams will speak to the media in the first session. The first group of teams goes as follows: TCU, Houston, Kansas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas and BYU.

TCU became the first Big 12 team to win a College Football Playoff game last season. Prior to its entrance, Oklahoma (0-4) was the only other team in the conference to appear in the semifinal. Even so, there are plenty of questions for TCU after losing several key contributors to the NFL draft.

Kansas and Texas are trending picks to compete for a conference title this season. Among Big 12 teams, both return far and away the most production from last season. Still many doubt each team’s ability to shake its last decade and change of underwhelming play.

Houston and Oklahoma State have the most questions to answer heading into 2023. After portal and NFL draft losses, the outlook for the upcoming season looks bleak. Yesterday, I predicted the Cowboys to finish last in the Big 12.

Here’s a look at questions we’d like answered in Wednesday’s anticipated media session.

Longhorns Wire: Final Big 12 record predictions ahead of media days

TCU moves back up in this final Big 12 record prediction with Texas still No. 1.

Big 12 media week is upon us. The Texas Longhorns enter the week of discussion as the clear favorite to win the Big 12 title.

Naysayers will naysay, but the reality is that no team returns or adds what Texas has in the fold for 2023. It’s hard to naysay this: Texas has the best wide receiver room, offensive line, tight end, secondary and individual linebacker in the Big 12. If not Texas, who has better?

Kansas State returns some key pieces from last year’s title team and Oklahoma brings in several starter caliber players through the transfer portal. Even so, K-State’s departures are more significant than most, while Oklahoma had plenty of starter roles to fill.

Outside of the three above teams, TCU and Texas Tech stand as the primary contenders, with Kansas, UCF and Baylor not far behind. On the whole, the Big 12 is a good league in the middle. It simply doesn’t have much firepower at the top.

Here’s a look at what the Big 12 standings could look like in its final season with Oklahoma and Texas.