This week marked a special moment in sports history. It was history in the making. Thursday was the first time ever that the MLB, NBA, WNBA, and NFL all played games on the same day.
College Football: Notable games
UTEP @ #14 Texas
Throughout the preseason, there were questions as to how good Texas’ offense would be without the receiving tandem of Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay. Those questions were soon set aside Saturday night as the Longhorns’ offense scored on its first play from scrimmage, a 78 yard touchdown strike from quarterback Sam Ehlinger to wide receiver Joshua Moore. In the process of the 59-3 rout, Texas’ offense set a new school record for passing yards in a game, with 481, eclipsing the single-game mark set vs. Houston in 1987 (476).
Arkansas State @ Kansas State
Despite a team-high 47 rushing yards and one touchdown from true freshman and former Cedar Ridge High School star Deuce Vaughn, the Kansas State Wildcats could not pull out a win over Arkansas State on Saturday. Even home field advantage did not seem to help the Wildcats all that much. Arkansas State had one game under its belt having faced Memphis in the season opener, meaning the Red Wolves had plenty of time to find a rhythm in a game-like setting. Kansas State, on the other hand, appeared as a team with promise, but not a lot of practice. The small number of preseason workouts for Big 12 teams came to light on Saturday, as K-State became one of three Big 12 teams to experience defeat at the hands of a Sun Belt Conference squad on Saturday. Interestingly, the Red Wolves had four different players complete at least one pass in the 35-31 win, with quarterback Logan Bonner and quarterback Layne Hatcher each tossing two touchdown passes.
Louisiana @ Iowa State
Maybe Iowa State had a lot of rust to shake off in the season opener, or maybe the lack of fans in the stands made the Cyclones get the feeling that Saturday’s home contest was not a full-fledged game. Or maybe, Louisiana is one of those mid-majors that will continue to shock the nation with upsets and a flawless record. However it happened, Iowa State was not just upset at home. The Cyclones were the first of three Big 12 teams to embarrass themselves in the season opener, getting beat by the Ragin’ Cajuns 31-14. Louisiana had a game plan and carried it out to perfection, relying on the arm of senior quarterback Levi Lewis, who threw for 154 yards and a touchdown. While the Cyclones’ offense had a modest day; running back Breece Hall rushed for 103 yards and quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 145, the defense could not hold Louisiana for long. Louisiana’s defense won the battle on that side of the ball, shutting out Iowa State in the second half.
Georgia Tech @ Florida State
In a low-scoring affair, the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech found a way to keep the ball on the ground and grind out a 16-13 win on the road over Florida State. The Seminoles, who used two quarterbacks (James Blackman and Jordan Travis), had trouble maintaining an offensive rhythm the fourth quarter, leaving the door wide open for the Georgia Tech comeback. The Seminoles started quick, going up 10-0 in the first quarter, and the defense held that lead until the Yellow Jackets scored in the third. Interestingly, Georgia Tech’s leading passer, QB Jeff Sims, was also its leading rusher. It was that kind of day for the Yellow Jackets, but heading into next week’s non-conference matchup against #21 UCF, they are 1-0 in conference play.
Also...
At an alarming rate, several of next week’s games have been postponed due to Covid-19; BYU @ Army after a “small number” of BYU players tested positive...Memphis @ Houston, due to at least 40 Memphis players in isolation after a bus party following last week’s win over Arkansas State..Virginia @ Virginia Tech...Baylor has rescheduled after its game this weekend against Louisiana Tech was cancelled. The Bears will now play Houston next weekend in Waco...Army is still looking for an opponent next weekend.
NFL
The Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs opened up the 2020 season in Houston. It was a quarterback battle all the way, with two of the sport’s up-and-coming stars in Patrick Mahomes (KC) and Deshaun Watson (HOU) leading each of their respective offenses. Watson threw for 253 yards and a touchdown, while Mahomes, the MVP of last season’s Super Bowl, threw for just 211 yards. However, his three passing touchdowns were the difference in the Chiefs' 34-20 victory. Houston’s David Johnson scored the season’s first touchdown, on a handoff to the right from Kansas City’s 18 yard line...In a surprising defeat, the super team in Tampa comprised of quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski, and defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh suffered a 34-23 defeat at the hands of Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Brady threw for more yards (239) compared to Brees’ (160), but also was responsible for two interceptions. Brees had none. Each tossed two touchdowns passes in the first big quarterback battle of the season...In a controversial move, the Dallas Cowboys did not kick a field goal late against the Los Angeles Rams, which proved to be the difference in the 20-17 loss. Dak Prescott was solid, 266 passing yards and a touchdown, but running back Ezekiel Elliot failed to rush for over 100 yards. Los Angeles relied on the hard-nosed running of Malcolm Brown, who scored both of the Rams’ touchdowns.
MLB
The Braves’ Freddie Freeman has had a power surge at the plate as of late, with an eye-popping five homers, and 20 RBI from September 6 to September 10… Cleveland’s ace Shane Bieber put his name in the record books Friday night, as the strikeout machine became the first hurler in the league to top 100 strikeouts this season. In addition, he reached that mark in just 62 ⅓ innings, the shortest amount of time to do so since the year 1900...The Padres and Giants had a bit of a Covid-19 hiccup over the weekend with Friday and Saturday’s games being postponed after a positive test...Cubs’ rookie Alec Mills tossed the first no-hitter at Miller Park in Milwaukee Sunday afternoon. Mills’ story to the highest level of baseball began as an unlikely college star, as he walked on at the University of Tennessee-Martin and blossomed into an ace. He helped David Ross get into the record books as well, with the Cubs’ skipper becoming just the 11th person in MLB history to catch and manage a no-hitter...Angels’ veteran Albert Pujols continues to add his name to statistical records. On Sunday, Pujols hit his 660th career home run, tying Hall of Famer Willie Mays for the fifth most home runs all-time. He is 102 homers away from eclipsing Barry Bonds’ 762 big flies, the most in baseball history...Division leaders heading into Monday are; Tampa Bay Rays (AL East), Chicago White Sox (AL Central), Oakland Athletics (AL West), Atlanta Braves (NL East), Chicago Cubs (NL Central), Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West).
Trivia:
At the beginning of the article, it was mentioned that the 2020 Texas football team now holds the school record for the most passing yards in a game. Which famed Longhorn quarterback still holds the school record for the most passing yards in a single game? Leave a comment below or shoot me an email; rileyzayas@gmail.com.
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