Texas Bowl

While the top 3 ranked teams in the country remain flawless, it seems the rest of the lineup took quite a hit with 15 teams moving up or down at least 3 spots.  The biggest headline of the weekend was the injury to Florida QB Tim Tebow as he received a blow to the head and had to be escorted to the hospital.  He was held overnight for observation but was released after authorities confirmed it was only a concussion.

In the Big 12, Baylor QB Robert Griffin sustained an isolated tear in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season.  It was wildly speculated that the Bears’ bowl eligibility rested on the sophomore QB and it will be difficult now that he is out of the picture.

Navy pulled out a victory against Western Kentucky and brought the Midshipmen to a 2-2 record.  They will need 5 more wins to become bowl eligible and play in the Texas Bowl.

This weekend kicks off the beginning of conference play for most teams, though some have made early starts, and should give us a good indication for the 2009 bowl landscape.

We plan to announce our bowl lineup for 2010-2013 in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

See you at the game!
The Texas Bowl Team

P.S. Former Rice teammates and Texas Bowl alumni Jarett Dillard and James Casey faced off on Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium.  See what Casey had to say about playing his former teammate in his Houston Texans Rookie Diary.

Conference Football Updates

Amidst the numerous upsets this weekend, the Big 12 held its ground.  #20 Kansas hosted a 3-0 Southern Miss team seeking its ninth straight win dating back to last season.  Jayhawk QB Todd Reesing completed 30 of 41 passes including 3 touchdown passes, and the Jayhawk defense held off Southern Miss in the 4th quarter to secure a 35-28 victory. The #2 ranked Longhorns jumped on the UTEP Miners with 47 first half points and won easily with a score of 64-7.  The #16 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys beat Grambling State, 56-6.  The #25 Nebraska Cornhuskers beat Louisiana Lafayette, 55-0.  Baylor defeated Northwestern State, 68-13.  Bears QB Robert Griffin threw for three TD’s despite injuring his knee on the team’s first drive. MRI results on Griffin’s knee show an isolated tear in his right ACL and will end the quarterback’s season.  Kansas State, Iowa State and Texas A&M also claimed victories.

Navy evened their record to 2-2 with a home victory over Western Kentucky.  The Midshipmen celebrated the 50th anniversary of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium with an offensive explosion.  The offensive attack led by QB Ricky Dobbs ran for four touchdowns and threw for another as Navy topped the Hilltoppers 38-22.

In Conference USA action, #17 Houston added another thrilling chapter to their storybook season with a last-minute come from behind victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders.  With an overflow crowd in attendance at Robertson Stadium, Case Keenum led a 95 yard TD drive and scored on a four yard run with 55 seconds remaining on the clock, to win 29-28.  Marshall opened up its conference play with a victory at Memphis.  Darrius Marshall rushed for 203 yards and 3 scores to lead the Thundering Herd to a 27-16 win.  East Carolina opened conference play with a victory as well, defeating Central Florida 19-14.  Tulane defeated McNeese State 42-32 for its first win of the year.

After the fourth week of play, the Big 12 has 5 teams ranked nationally, and Conference USA continues to be represented by the University of Houston Cougars.  See this week’s complete rankings.

Games to Watch

• Colorado at West Virginia, October 1, 6:30 PM CST, ESPN
• Air Force at Navy, October 3, 2:30 PM CST, CBS-CS
• Texas A&M vs. Arkansas, October 3, 6:30 PM CST, ESPN2
• #8 Oklahoma at #17 Miami, October 3, 7:00 PM CST, ESPN

Bowl Outlook

With seven top 25 teams losing this weekend there was a lot of movement in the ESPN Bowl Projections.  Bruce Feldman holds to his Baylor vs. Navy projection, but Mark Schlabach now picks Iowa State to represent the Big 12 in the 2009 Texas Bowl. See the full list.

In the News

• NO. 17 UH RALLIES PAST TEXAS TECH 29-28 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2009
  Keenum’s last-minute touchdown on quarterback draw completes 95-yard drive … Read More
• MIDSHIPMEN STRIDE PAST WESTERN KENTUCKY – september 27, 2009
  Head coach Ken Niumatalolo wanted to see Navy finally put forth a complete effort in all three phases of football yesterday. Well, two out of three isn’t bad.… Read More
• BAYLOR LOSES QB GRIFFIN, DB BAKER – SEPTEMBER 27, 2009
  Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury, a huge blow to a team that had big expectations based largely on the standout sophomore… Read More
• SATURDAY FOOTBALL ROUND-UP – september 26, 2009
  Houston Rallies to Beat Texas Tech; ECU and Marshall Post Conference Wins … Read More
• GAME DAY REVIEW – september 26, 2009
  A look back at an exciting week of Big 12 football… Read More
• BRADFORD LIMITED TO SHORT THROWS – SEPTEMBER 21, 2009
  Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford attempted to go through quarterback drills with Oklahoma on Monday as he rehabs from a sprained right shoulder… Read More

Texas Bowl Updates

Announcements

• The Texas Bowl Competition Committee will be visiting Annapolis to see the Navy Midshipmen host Air Force.

Don’t forget to follow the Texas Bowl on Facebook and Twitter for additional updates and inside information.