Week 10 didn’t disappoint. The headlines from the weekend included an upset win by TCU over Baylor as the Horned Frogs found a star at quarterback. Texas continued its losing ways despite a quarterback change, while the UTSA Roadrunners remained the only unbeaten FBS program in the state. And Texas Tech finds its head coach. 

Each Monday, Mike Craven from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football walks readers A through Z of the week that was in college football for teams in Texas, including some notes from the FCS level. 

Ari Broussard – The Rice running back ran the ball 20 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the Owls’ overtime loss to Charlotte. Broussard, a sophomore, led a Rice rushing attack that accounted for 215 yards and three scores on 42 carries.  

Bear(s) down – Baylor was rolling towards a collision in Week 11 at home against Oklahoma in what looked like a game that’d decide one member of the Big 12 championship game. That was lost by the Bears when Baylor fell 30-28 on the road to TCU. Quarterback Gary Bohanon threw two interceptions, and the defense couldn’t stop the Horned Frogs’ passing attack. 

Chandler Morris – Morris, a former Highland Park product and Oklahoma transfer, threw for 461 yards and two touchdowns in his college debut at TCU in a win over rival Baylor. Morris also added 70 yards and a score on 11 carries. Prospective head coaches must be drooling at the raw talent on the roster in Fort Worth. 

Down the stretch – Starting the season with a great record isn’t a problem for SMU. The Mustangs jumped out to a 7-0 start in 2021 but are now on a two-game losing streak thanks to a loss at Memphis. SMU has started 20-0 combined in the last three seasons. The program is 4-8 combined after those starts. 

Efficient – No quarterback in Texas is hotter than Houston gunslinger Clayton Tune. He passed for 385 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions on 21 of 28 attempts in the win over South Florida. He threw for over 400 yards in last week’s win over SMU. The Cougars are on an eight-game winning streak. 

Frank Harris – UTSA’s offense is running on all cylinders because of the improved play of quarterback Frank Harris. He threw for 286 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22 of 34 passing. He added 76 yards and two more touchdowns on the run. Harris, a senior, has only thrown three interceptions in nine games. 

Guns Up – A source confirmed to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football that Joey McGuire, the former head coach at Cedar Hill High School, will be named the next head coach at Texas Tech. McGuire spent the last few years at Baylor University.

Hudson Card – It turns out that quarterback play isn’t the only thing holding back the Texas Longhorns. Many clamored for Card to get another chance to lead the offense and that wish was granted in the 30-7 loss at Iowa State. Card was 14 of 23 for 101 yards and a touchdown. He had negative 27 yards rushing, so he accounted for 74 yards of total offense on 30 plays with the ball in his hands. 

Isaiah Johnson – North Texas is on a two-game winning streak after knocking off an overmatched Southern Miss program. Johnson led the offensive attack with 119 yards and a score on 17 carries. North Texas rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns on 59 carries as a team. 

Jake Bailey – The Rice offense put up big numbers in a 31-24 loss at Charlotte. Bailey led the Owls with seven catches for 143 yards in defeat. Rice quarterback Jake Constantine threw for 253 yards. 

KD Davis – The North Texas linebacker is putting up video game numbers for a porous defense in 2021. He returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the win over Southern Miss.  Davis was second on the team with eight tackles. He recorded 18 the previous week in a win over Rice.  

Losing streak – The road loss at Iowa State was the fourth consecutive loss for Steve Sarkisian in his rookie year as head coach of the Longhorns. Charlie Strong never lost four in a row. Neither did Tom Herman. The honeymoon phase is over in Austin and criticism is now locked on the head coach as much as the talent he inherited. 

McCormick – UTSA running back Sincere McCormick set the tone early in the win over UTEP by taking the second play from scrimmage 75 yards for a touchdown. McCormick paced the Roadrunners with 169 yards and a score in the 44-23 victory. At 9-0, UTSA is one of only four undefeated teams remaining in FBS. 

Nathaniel Dell – The Houston wide receiver could earn a spot on this list every week. He caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown in the 54-42 win over South Florida. He caught nine passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns last week in the win over SMU. Dell is on pace to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in 2021.  

Offensive explosion – Hardin Simmons scored 56 points in a blowout win over Austin College to improve to 8-1 with one game left on the regular season schedule. Kyle Jones completed 20 of 22 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns in the win. 

Parker – It was tough sledding for Howard Payne in a loss to undefeated Mary Hardin-Baylor, but wide receiver Jake Parker was a bright spot. He caught three passes for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Quentin Johnston – The Temple product was the main beneficiary of Morris’ injection into the starting lineup. Johnston caught five passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, including a highlight-reel worthy one-handed catch. 

Ryan Redding – Mary Hardin-Baylor cruised past Howard Payne to remain undefeated with one game remaining in the regular season. Redding was 21 of 28 for 307 yards and two touchdowns through the air. He added 98 yards and two more touchdowns as a runner. 

Sun Bowl – More than 31,000 spectators packed inside the Sun Bowl for the biggest football game in years when an undefeated UTSA arrived to face a six-win UTEP program that was 0-12 the year before Dana Dimel took over. UTSA won the game going away, but it was a reminder of how special football can be in El Paso. 

TyQuan Thornton – The highlight for Baylor in its loss to TCU was the play of wide receiver Thornton. He caught five catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns in defeat. It was his first 100-yard receiving game since West Virginia back on Oct. 9. 

UIW – Incarnate Word continues to surprise at the FCS level, this time in a 55-52 win over a nationally ranked Southeastern Louisiana program. Cameron Ward threw for 610 yards and seven touchdowns on 52 attempts. Taylor Grimes caught 12 of those for 193 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Darion Chafin recorded seven catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. 

Vitt – Texas State won its third game in 2021, and its first in regulation, thanks in large part to the play of backup quarterback Tyler Vitt. He threw for 262 yards and a touchdown, and his legs allowed the rushing attack to flourish. Texas State running back Jahmyl Jeter tallied 92 yards and a score on 16 carries. 

Wrecking Crew – Texas A&M is known as a football program that values defensive football. The Wrecking Crew was back in full force in the 20-3 win over Auburn. Texas A&M’s defense was responsible for six points. The unit only allowed three. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix was held to 153 yards passing and the Tigers’ offense only managed 2.5 yards a carry. 

X-Factor – Mary Hardin-Baylor wide receiver K.J. Miller caught 12 passes for 165 yards and was also the player shoved on the sidelines that started a brawl at halftime in the win over Howard Payne. 

Your kidding? – Some stat lines don’t look real. That was true for JT Cavender when he recorded 20 tackles (15 solo), a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in the upset win by West Texas A&M over Midwestern State. 

Zakhari Franklin – UTSA possesses its own form of The Triplets. We’ve already touched on the performances by Harris and McCormick in the road win over UTEP. Franklin, the program’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, recorded 10 catches for 114 yards and two scores in El Paso. UTSA is now 5-0 all time in El Paso.