Sports
The Wichitan December 2, 2009
11
No. 3 Longhorns escape unranked Texas A&M 49-39 McCoy’s performance makes him a favorite for Heisman
Jimmy Burch MCT
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy headed into Thursday night’s regular-season finale against Texas A&M with a relatively skimpy supply of signature moments from high-profile games this season to sway Heisman Trophy voters. That changed in a huge way at Kyle Field on a night when the third-ranked Longhorns needed every bit of McCoy’s 479 yards of total offense, including 341 yards during a jaw-dropping first half, to keep the Aggies in check 49-39 and keep their dreams of a perfect season intact. Texas (12-0, 8-0 in Big 12) outlasted A&M (6-6, 3-5) because McCoy stepped up when the Longhorns’ defense, for the first time since September, did not. He rushed for a career-high 175 yards and a touchdown. He threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns, without an interception. Yet it barely was enough to win. For that, credit A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who finished with 439 yards of total offense and threw more touchdown passes against the Texas defense (four) than any quarterback this season. Johnson and the Aggies matched the Longhorns haymaker-for-haymaker throughout the highest-scoring game in series history. It began with a first half that included seven touchdowns (four by Texas, three by A&M) and 643 yards. And it only got crazier after intermission. Texas did not pull away from the Aggies until Marquise Goodwin’s 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 7:10 remaining, after A&M had closed the gap to 42-39. Goodwin’s score made it 4939. It followed a 78-yard touch-
down drive on Texas’ previous possession in which McCoy scrambled for 43 yards and connected on a 47-yard touchdown strike to James Kirkendoll to convert a third-and-13 situation. Those plays came on top of a career-high 65-yard touchdown run and three first-half touchdown passes, two of them to Jordan Shipley, during a 304-yard passing performance. Texas needed every bit of it because A&M shredded a Longhorns defense that entered the game ranked third nationally in total defense (238.7 yards per game) and first in rushing defense (50.1 yards per game). A&M racked up 532 yards, including 190 on the ground, and converted 9-of-16 third-down situations. Texas could not breathe easy until A&M kicker Randy Bullock missed a 23-yard field goal attempt with 3:21 remaining, allowing McCoy and the offense to regain possession with a 10-point lead. The Longhorns used up the remaining time, providing Texas coach Mack Brown with a hard-fought triumph and another step toward the team’s goal of playing in the BCS National Championship Game. “This team, to me - they know who they are. They want to be the best team in the country. And they know they have to prove that,” Brown said. “I think they understand what’s at stake here at the end.” What could be at stake, along with a national title opportunity, is a Heisman Trophy for McCoy. The senior, who is one of three finalists for the 2009 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, struggled in previous showcase opportunities against Oklahoma and Texas Tech. But not against A&M. During the first half, McCoy sizzled. He rushed six times for
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for a career-high 175 yards and a touchdown in a Thanksgiving win over Texas A&M in College Station. (Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)
46 yards in the first quarter, then scripted a significant addition to
his Heisman highlight reel with a 65-yard touchdown burst on
the second play of the second quarter. It marked the longest
“We kinda got lulled to sleep after the start of the game,” McCasland said. “They have some good guards who will spread you out. They like to take you one-on-one a lot.” Lewis, who finished with 12 points, joined senior Catrell Curry to give the Lions formidable one-two punch at the guard position. Curry canned five 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 17 points. But that would be the last Langston would threaten as the Mustangs scored the final 14 points of the first half and led 34-26 after Michael Godwin knocked down a trey off of Ebie’s third steal of the game with 1:45 to go until intermission. Ironically, those were the only points Midwestern State scored off of Ebie’s four first-half steals. That would change after halftime. “He (Ebie) struggled in the first half and found another gear in the second,” McCasland said. “He plays so hard and has the will to win.” The Mustangs scored on seven of his eight second-half thefts which netted a total of 15 points and allowed MSU to lead by as many as 22 points in the final stanza. Hagan, a junior transfer from Rice via Blinn College, went 5-for-12 from the field including three 3-pointers to lead Midwestern with 14 points. Godwin, a senior from Rockwall, dropped in 11 points and pulled in five rebounds off of
the bench, while senior forward Rashad Austin narrowly missed his first double-double of the season with nine points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes of play. Senior guard Anthony Moore pitched in eight points and led the Mustangs with 11 rebounds. Saturday night Chris Hagan connected on a season-high four 3-pointers and scored 18 points to lead Midwestern State to an 89-71 win over St. Mary’s (Texas) in the finale of the River City Classic at Bill Greehey Arena. The win improved the Mustangs to 6-0 on the season as MSU is off to its best start since the 1998-99 squad peeled off 11-straight victories. “We’ve got a tough basketball team right now,” Midwestern State coach Grant McCasland said. “We have a lot of juniors and seniors. We go on the road expecting tough conditions and calls. I’m proud of the way we’ve been able to overcome that.” Midwestern, which has won five of its six games away from the comfortable confines of D.L. Ligon Coliseum, returns to the dome for a pair of home contests beginning with Jarvis Christian (Texas) Monday night before taking on defending LSC North Division champion Central Oklahoma on Thursday. The Mustangs have won their last 14 on Stockton Court at D. L. Ligon Coliseum. MSU overcame another slow start as the Rattlers (2-4) led by as many as eight points in the opening half before the Mus-
tangs closed the half on a 10-3 run to go to intermission knotted at 38-38. The Mustangs used the quickness of Hagan and senior point guard Jason Ebie, who finished with seven points, six rebounds and five assists, to get loose on the break and bury St. Mary’s in the second half. “You won’t find two faster guards off of the break,” McCasland said. “We needed to secure rebounds before we took off, though. That was a point of emphasis today and we were off to the races.” The Mustangs owned a 13-2 edge in transition points in the second half and the duo also proved stingy on the offense as well by combining for just a pair of turnovers in 59 minutes of court time. MSU committed just nine turnovers as a team. Midwestern State outscored St. Mary’s 30-12 over the opening 11 minutes of the second half to close out the Rattlers for the second time this month after thumping them 83-72 on Nov. 18 in Wichita Falls. Junior guard Adrian Van Buren gave the Mustangs a lift off of the bench with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, while junior forward Charlie Logan had 10 points and six rebounds in a reserve role. Senior guard Craig Green added 13 points as the Mustangs set a season high in points production. Redshirt freshman Kevin Kotzur paced St. Mary’s with 20
run of McCoy’s career and the third-longest by a quarterback in school history. McCoy punctuated that by throwing for three first-half touchdowns, without an interception, while racking up 222 yards. He followed in the second half with a huge touchdown strike to Kirkendoll and kept the ball away from the A&M offense down the stretch when the Texas defense proved incapable of stopping Johnson, who completed 26 of 33 passes and rushed for 97 yards. A&M coach Mike Sherman characterized it as Johnson’s coming-out party on the national stage. “He was going head-to-head with a Heisman Trophy candidate, a possible Heisman Trophy winner, and played neck-andneck (with McCoy),” Sherman said. No question. Johnson began building his campaign for the 2010 Heisman with his effort Thursday. McCoy embellished his run for the 2009 Heisman on a night when A&M lived up to all of McCoy’s pregame concerns about them. “They’ve been hot and cold. But when they’re hot, they’re tough to beat,” McCoy said of the Aggies. “But when we’re hot, we’re pretty tough, too.” McCoy proved that, again, Thursday night by getting the Longhorns out of Kyle Field with a 12-0 record. He may not have won the Heisman with Thursday’s effort. But he certainly boosted his candidacy. The Big 12 named McCoy the Player of the Week for his performance on Thanksgiving Day. He was also named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week.
Men’s basketball scores big at River City Classic
MSUMustangs.com For The Wichitan
Midwestern State men’s basketball team stole one from the Langston (Okla.) Lions in the River City Classic opener Friday afternoon at Bill Greehey Arena. The Mustangs did come from behind to erase an early sevenpoint advantage, but led comfortably throughout the second half to cruise to a 74-56 win to improve to 5-0 on the season. But oh how Midwestern depended on the cat-quick hands of senior guard Jason Ebie, who set a school record with 12 steals and fell two assists shy of the program’s third triple-double. The transfer from Texas Christian University pitched in 10 points and added eight helpers as the Mustangs flustered Langston into 35 turnovers which led to
a 39-10 advantage in points of miscues. The tenacious defensive effort allowed Midwestern State to overcome a 34.1-percent shooting night. “Pretty would not be an adjective to describe this game on the offensive end,” MSU coach Grant McCasland said. “We had too many selfish plays and too many guys trying to do it on their own. I am proud they finished strong and found a way to win.” Langston ran out to a 9-2 lead before the Mustangs peeled of a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Chris Hagan to up 12-11 with 13:45 remaining in the first half. The Lions regained the lead and pushed it back out to 26-20 when Alvin Lewis buried one of his two treys for the game with 8:06.
points and eight rebounds. Midwestern State made its debut at No. 23 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Division II poll released Tuesday afternoon. Under first-year coach Grant McCasland, the Mustangs are off to a 7-0 start for the first time since 1998-99. Midwestern received its first national ranking since finishing 21st in the final NABC Division II poll last season. The Mustangs are one of six teams in the rugged South Central Region to receive mention in this week’s poll. The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) boasts a pair of ranked teams including No. 2 Central Missouri and No. 7 Southwest Baptist (Mo.), while Fort Hays State (Kan.) is receiving votes. Midwestern is the lone ranked LSC team, while Tarleton State (Texas) and Texas A&M-Commerce are receiving votes. BYU-Hawaii sits at No. 1 in the rankings followed by Valdosta State (Ga.) at No. 3 and Florida Southern at No. 4. Augusta State (Ga.) rounds out the top five. The Mustangs play host to defending Lone Star North Division champion Central Oklahoma Thursday night at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. or 25 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s game which begins at 6.