Welcome back to the ABCs of college football in the state of Texas. 

Every Monday, Mike Craven of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football walks you from A to Z with 26 quick hitters after an action-packed weekend of action.

Week 8 featured wins by five of the 12 FBS teams in the state and several explosive performances on the FCS scene. Texas A&M reached bowl eligibility with a win over South Carolina. SMU remained undefeated and Houston survived an overtime scare to set up an AAC showdown in Week 9. And UTSA stayed hot in a victory over Louisiana Tech to become 8-0 for the first time in school history. 

Ainias Smith – The Texas A&M swiss-army knife returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown in a win over South Carolina. It was the third longest punt return in Aggie history and the longest return in the FBS this season.  

Barlow – SAGU quarterback Jordan Barlow passed for two touchdowns and ran for three in the win over Lyon College on Saturday. He accounted for 220 yards. 

Clarence Hicks – The UTSA defense was led by Clarence Hicks in a blowout win over La Tech to push the Roadrunners to 8-0 on the season. Hicks posted four tackles 2.5 sacks. UTSA tied a program record six sacks in the win. The defense also tallied 10 tackles for loss. 

Defensive touchdowns – Speaking of the UTSA defense, the Roadrunners lead FBS with five defensive touchdowns after Dadrian Taylor returned an interception 51 yards for a school. Jarrett Preston added an interception for the defense on the final play of the game. 

Epperson – Texas Wesleyan improved to 5-2 on the season thanks in large part to 159 rushing yards and six touchdowns from Clint Epperson. He averaged 8.4 yards a carry on 19 rushes in the 56-39 win over Louisiana College. 

Fourth quarter – Texas State was outscored 7-0 in the fourth quarter of a close game for the second straight week. And for the second straight week, the Bobcats were on the wrong side of a close game. A 28-16 loss at Georgia State means the 2-5 Bobcats need to win four of their last five to reach bowl eligibility. 

Gary Patterson – TCU fell to 3-4 on the season after a 29-17 loss at home to West Virginia. It was the third home loss suffered by the Horned Frogs in 2021. Patterson, a coach with a statue outside of Amon G. Carter Stadium, is suddenly under fire. TCU is 19-23 since the start of the 2018 season. The Horned Frogs were 40-13 in the previous four years. 

Hayden Howerton – The senior offensive lineman played his record-tying 54th game as an SMU Mustang in the win over Tulane. He’s started 48 consecutive games. The SMU offensive line has only allowed two sacks on 272 passing attempts. 

Idle – UTEP, Texas, and Baylor were idle in Week 8. The Longhorns travel to Waco to face Baylor on Saturday in an important game for each program. Texas needs a win to salvage its season. A win for the Bears provides even more momentum for a Big 12 championship game push. UTEP travels to FAU. 

Jalen Wydermyer – The junior is making a case to leave College Station as the best tight end in the history of Texas A&M football. Wydermyer set a school record for receiving yards by a tight end in the win over South Carolina with 75 yards bringing his career total to 1,306. His 16 receiving touchdowns is also a school record for tight ends. 

K.O. – North Texas was knocked out by Liberty down the stretch of a 35-26 loss that moved the Mean Green’s losing streak to six. North Texas was leading 26-14 with 7:27 left in the third quarter. Liberty scored the next 21 points to improve to 6-2 and leave North Texas at 1-6. 

Letdown – Texas Tech was up 14-0 on Kansas State with 11:31 left in the first quarter. The Red Raiders scored 10 more points in the second quarter to build a 24-10 halftime lead. Matt Wells’ squad was shut out in the second half and fell to 5-3 on the year after a 25-24 home loss to Kansas State. Texas Tech needs another win to reach bowl eligibility, but the Red Raiders close the season with games against Oklahoma, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. Those are the best four teams in the Big 12. 

McCormick – The UTSA offense is at its best when running back Sincere McCormick is punishing defenses. He overcame a slow start to record his third straight 100-yard game, which was his sixth in 2021. McCormick ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns in the win. 

National leader – SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai was 30 of 42 for 427 yards and three touchdowns in the 55-26 victory over Tulane on Thursday night. Mordecai leads the nation with 29 touchdown passes. He’s thrown for at least 300 yards in six of the team’s seven games. He also ran for a touchdown. 

Overtime win – An Alton McCaskill touchdown run on the first play of overtime was enough for Houston to beat East Carolina in overtime on Saturday night. The game was delayed more than five hours due to weather. The Cougars are on a six-game winning streak ahead of hosting undefeated SMU. 

Pitre – Rice wide receiver August Pitre III caught six passes for 108 yards and a touchdown in Rice’s win over UAB. He entered the game with four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown on the year.  

Quiet(ier) week – Two of the hottest teams in the state – Texas A&M and UTSA – get much-needed rests with open dates in Week 9. The Roadrunners return from the break with a Nov. 6 date with UTEP in El Paso, while Texas A&M hosts Auburn in Week 10. 

Return weapon – Houston cornerback Marcus Jones retuned a kick 98 yards for a touchdown in the win over East Carolina on a night that the Cougars offense struggled to find the end zone. It was Jones’ third kick return for a touchdown. 

Stewart – Trinity playmaker Chris Stewart found the end zone four times in a 66-7 win over Sewanee University. He recorded 117 receiving yards and two scores, and he also returned two punts for a touchdown. Trinity is 6-0 on the season. The city of San Antonio (Trinity, UTSA, Incarnate Word) is a combined 19-2 on the season.

Two-headed monster – The Texas A&M resurgence is tied directly to the exploits of running backs Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane. The best running back duo in America combined for 256 yards and two scores in the 44-14 win over South Carolina. Both players finished with more than 100 yards rushing for the third time this season. 

Upset – The Rice Owls experienced a solid week on the athletics front. A move to the American Athletic Conference was announced on Thursday and the football program registered an upset win over UAB two days later. Quarterback Wiley Green was back at the helm, and he was an efficient 17 of 22 for 205 yards and three touchdowns. 

Victors – Three of the 12 FBS teams in Texas were on off weeks. The rest of the state went 5-4 with Texas A&M, UTSA, SMU, Houston, and Rice coming out victorious in its contests. TCU, Texas Tech, North Texas, and Texas State lost. 

Ward – Incarnate Word quarterback Cameron Ward routinely puts up video game numbers. He completed 39 of 59 pass attempts for 455 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-20 loss to McNeese State. Taylor Grimes caught 10 of those passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. 

Xavier Gipson – SFA wide receiver Xavier Gipson caught eight passes for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 37-30 win over Dixie State. The Lumberjacks are 4-3 ahead of a contest with Abilene Christian.

Yowman – East Texas Baptist quarterback Troy Yowman threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-30 win over Austin College. Tariq Gray caught five of those passes for 150 yards and a pair of scores. 

Zakhari Franklin – The Cedar Hill product added to his legacy at UTSA by becoming the all-time leader in receptions with 132. He ended the win over La Tech with 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was his third 100-yard performance in 2021 and the eighth of his career, which is also a school record.