Tag: Win

Texas get first conference win, beat Kansas State

Starting Big 12 play 0-2, tonight was a must-win game for the Longhorns. Running into Kansas State, they picked up a much-needed win,

Starting Big 12 play 0-2 with losses to Baylor and Oklahoma, tonight was a must-win game for head coach Shaka Smart and the Longhorns. Running into another struggling team in Kansas State, Texas picked up a much-needed win against the Wildcats, 64-50.

Matt Coleman led Texas in scoring, having 14 points. He added two rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Longhorns shot 49% from the field and 43.5% for behind the three-point line.

The three-point shooting was the difference in the game, as Texas made double the amount the Wildcats have. Making 10 threes, three of them came from Courtney Ramey, while Coleman, Jase Febres, and Kamaka Hepa added two each.

Texas’ defense was outstanding tonight as well, holding Kansas State to 50 points. That is the fewest amount they have scored all year, as they came into tonight averaging 65 points per game. Cartier Diarra was the only Wildcat player in double figures, scoring 14 points on 6-16 shooting.

If the Longhorns did not pick up a victory tonight, it would have been a rough rest of the month attempting to pick up their next conference game. Three of the next four Big 12 games will be on the road for Texas, traveling to Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and TCU. They will play host to Kansas and LSU in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

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Three reasons Texas will win the Alamo Bowl

Seen as underdogs, Texas is going to need a lot to go their way to win the Alamo Bowl. Here are three reasons Texas will win against Utah.

Wrapping up the third season under Head Coach Tom Herman, the Longhorns are in their third consecutive bowl game. While it is not exactly where Texas wants to be, after not even going to a bowl game for the final two years of Charlie Strong, it can be seen as an accomplishment.

Seen as the underdogs in the Alamo Bowl against Utah, the Longhorns are going to need a lot to go their way to win this game. Things have gone their way before the game has even kicked off, as they should have the home field advantage and star wide receiver Collin Johnson is expected to return for the game.

Here are three reasons Texas will win the Alamo Bowl against Utah:

Home field advantage

Whenever you play a bowl game in your home state, a huge crowd in your favor is expected. That is especially true when the venue you are playing in is around an hour and a half drive. The Longhorns should have a huge crowd in attendance for Tuesday’s Alamo Bowl against Utah. The Utes should have a decent-sized crowd themselves but will be hard to outnumber the following Texas will have.

In a similar situation early in the year, Texas played a “neutral site” game against Rice at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans. While Rice is located in Houston, the support was mainly for Texas fans. Utah has a bigger undergrad population and more likely more alumni, it will not be able to balance out Texas fans. Having a virtual home game will keep the Longhorns competitive throughout the game.

Collin Johnson is back

For most of the season, Texas has been without star wide receiver Collin Johnson. After deciding to skip the NFL and come back for his senior season, Johnson has only played in six games this season. He has been effective in those six games, having at least five receptions in four games. He last played against Kansas State in November, where he had seven catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Even if he does not make an impact with the ball in his hand, he is something Utah will have to think about. His presence in the lineup takes the pressure off other receivers like Devin Duvernay. Johnson may not be 100% but as this will be his final ever time to play in a Longhorn’s uniform, expect him to make a significant impact.

Recent bowl success

Under Tom Herman, the Longhorns are 2-0 in bowl games. The last Texas coach to win their first two bowl games with the program was Blair Cherry back in 1947 and 1948. Playing in the 2017 Texas Bowl, the Longhorns took care of old Big 12 opponent Missouri, 33-16. Last season, Texas got a huge win in the Sugar Bowl against sixth-ranked Georgia, 28-21. Herman has gotten the team to play well for the big occasion.

With this being the 11th Power 5 opponent (12th if you count BYU) they have faced this year, they are not stranger to tough competition. However, this will be the most prestigious bowl game the Utes have played in since defeating Alabama in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns have been on a big stage before and will be ready to play. Having that advantage over Utah will give Texas the ability to compete with the Utes.

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NFC West roundup: 49ers and Rams lose, Cardinals win in Week 15

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams lost their games in Week 15, and the Arizona Cardinals throttled the Cleveland Browns.

Week 15 was a great one for the Seattle Seahawks (11-3). They won their game against the Carolina Panthers (5-9) while the San Francisco 49ers (11-3) and Los Angeles Rams (8-6) lost their respective contests. The Arizona Cardinals (4-9-1) won their game, but they are already eliminated from postseason contention. Here are more in-depth summaries of how Seattle’s rivals did in Week 15.

Atlanta Falcons 29 – San Francisco 49ers 22

The 49ers suffered a stunning upset defeat at home against the Falcons on a last-second touchdown to Julio Jones. San Francisco started slow and it came back to bite the 49ers in the end. With the exception of tight end George Kittle, who finished with 13 catches for 134 yards, their receivers struggled to get open, combining for four receptions for 49 yards. Kittle himself had a costly fumble on a third-down catch on a screen pass that could have netted the 49ers a first down if he did not lose the ball before reaching the marker. Kittle recovered the ball and touched out of bounds one yard short of the sticks. San Francisco settled for a field goal to take a 22-17 lead, giving Atlanta the ball with 1:48 left.

The Falcons made their way down the field and Matt Ryan threw the aforementioned TD to Jones with two seconds left. The 49ers were missing several key pieces in their secondary in Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams and Jaquiski Tartt, and it showed. Jones had a field day matching Kittle’s production but adding two TDs to his box score. Atlanta also scored a touchdown on San Francisco’s desperate final play, making the final score 29-22. The 49ers still control their own destiny, but the Seahawks take the NFC West lead for now.

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Seahawks are resilient but have had numerous lucky breaks in 2019

The Seattle Seahawks have been incredibly resilient throughout the 2019 season, but have also caught numerous lucky breaks to help them.

The Seattle Seahawks (10-3) have had several lucky breaks over the course of the 2019 NFL season that have contributed to their success. Of course, Seattle has had to be incredibly resilient to compile a 10-3 record through 13 games, but the Seahawks have been fortunate, to say the least.

In addition to squeaking by most of their opponents, they have often had the opportunity of playing teams missing a key player or two. Examples of this are the Bengals without A.J. Green, the Falcons without Matt Ryan, the 49ers without George Kittle, and the Vikings without Adam Thielen. This is not to say that the Seahawks have been sufficiently healthy every game because they certainly haven’t been. However, the talents of certain injured opponents could have played a big role in games against Seattle if they were healthy.

At the end of the day, you have to play whoever is in front of you and try to win no matter the circumstances. However, the Seahawks have also been lucky due to crucial missed field goals by the other team.

Both the 49ers and the Rams missed game-winning field goals against Seattle that essentially gave them victory. Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yarder as time expired to make the final score 30-29 in favor of Seattle in Week 5, and Chase McLaughlin hooked a 47-yard field goal wide left in overtime in Week 10 that gave Seattle kicker Jason Myers the opportunity to kick the game-winning field goal at the end of overtime, which he did.

The Seahawks are a good team, but they will have to be better in the next few weeks because it is likely they will catch fewer breaks heading into the postseason. Above all else, they must stay resilient and keep finding ways to win.

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Seahawks can clinch playoff berth with win or tie in Week 14

With a win or a tie over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14, the Seattle Seahawks can clinch a berth in this year’s playoffs.

The Seattle Seahawks earned a huge win over the Minnesota Vikings Monday night to take the lead in the NFC West over the San Francisco 49ers and jump up to the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Seattle will square off against the division-rival Rams on Sunday and could clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win or a tie Week 14.

Here are this week’s official AFC and NFC playoff scenarios per NFL Communications.

AFC

CLINCHED: None

BALTIMORE RAVENS (10-2) at Buffalo Bills (9-3)

Baltimore clinches AFC North division title with:

  1. BAL win + PIT loss or tie OR
  2. BAL tie + PIT loss

Baltimore clinches playoff berth with:

  1. BAL win OR
  2. BAL tie + HOU loss or tie OR
  3. BAL tie + TEN loss or tie OR
  4. HOU loss + IND loss or tie + OAK-TEN tie

BUFFALO BILLS (9-3) vs. Baltimore Ravens (10-2)

Buffalo clinches playoff berth with:

  1. BUF win + OAK loss or tie + HOU loss + IND loss or tie

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8-4) at New England (10-2)

Kansas City clinches AFC West division title with:

  1. KC win + OAK loss

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (10-2) vs. Kansas City (8-4)

New England clinches playoff berth with:

  1. NE win OR
  2. NE tie + PIT loss OR
  3. NE tie + HOU loss or tie OR
  4. NE tie + TEN loss or tie OR
  5. HOU loss + IND loss or tie + OAK-TEN tie

NFC

CLINCHED: New Orleans Saints – NFC South Division

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (10-2) at New Orleans (10-2)

San Francisco clinches playoff berth with:

  1. SF win + LAR loss or tie OR
  2. SF tie + LAR loss

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (10-2) at L.A. Rams (7-5)

Seattle clinches playoff berth with:​

  1. SEA win or tie

The Seahawks will be featured this week in primetime once again, with kickoff against the Rams set for Sunday night at 5:20 p.m. on NBC.

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Vols basketball skin Mocs to extend winning streak

Vols basketball skin Mocs to extend winning streak.

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team continues to roll along, handling the Chattanooga Mocs at home, 58-46.

The two teams traded leads during the opening three minutes of the game, after which the Vols never trailed again. Tennessee’s largest lead of 16 came at the 5:35 mark of the second half, and UT coasted from there to finish with the final margin.

Lamonte Turner paced the Volunteers with 16 points and 12 assists, as well as three rebounds and a steal. John Fulkerson chipped in 14 points and four rebounds of his own, while Jordan Bowden scored 13 points and kept the window clean with 12 boards. Josiah-Jordan James also grabbed 11 boards to go along with 4 points to round out the Vols in double-digits.

Tennessee shot a lethargic 37 percent from the field, including 28 percent from behind the arc on 18 attempts. Their 10 turnovers was a modest sum, while the Vols’ seven blocks and 43 total rebounds show that they dominated the paint. It was not UT’s best performance, but it was good enough tonight against a lesser opponent.

The victory extends the Volunteers’ Division I-leading home-court winning streak at Thompson-Boling Arena, now sitting at 30 straight games. Much less, the Vols also extended their season-opening winning streak to five games.

The Vols next play on Friday, November 29, against the Florida State Seminoles. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and can be watched on the CBS Sports Network.

 

UT News: November 25, 2019

UT News: November 25, 2019

The Volunteers football team emerged victorious Saturday night over the Missouri Tigers, earning a postseason bid for the first time in three seasons. Meanwhile, the swimming and diving team had a record-breaking effort at the Tennessee Invitational while the women’s volleyball team split a pair of matches over the weekend. Additionally, the men’s basketball team looks to extend their perfect start tonight while the Lady Vols get set to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday evening.

Men’s basketball takes on Chattanooga

The 20th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team takes on the Chattanooga Mocs tonight at Thompson-Boling Arena. The 4-0 Vols look to extend their season-opening winning streak to five against their Southern Conference foes.

The Volunteers and the Mocs have tangled 39 times on the hardwood over the years, with the Vols dropping their last match, 82-69. However, the Big Orange leads the all-time series, 33-6, and sports a 94-17 all-time record against teams from the Southern Conference.

A win would extend UT’s Division I-leading home winning streak to 30 games and also give Tennessee a 52-14 record as a ranked team during the Barnes era, per the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. Head coach Rick Barnes lost his only previous match against the Mocs, that same game that the Vols last lost to them opening the season three years ago.

Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network, and can be heard on local Vol Network affiliates.

NEXT: Lady Vols volleyball split a pair of matches

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