Tom Penders resigned as coach at Houston on Monday, ending a six-year tenure that culminated in the Cougars’ first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1992.

The Cougars qualified after winning the Conference USA tournament, but lost to Maryland 89-77 in the first round Friday night.

“I came to the University of Houston in 2004 with the goal of getting UH back to the NCAA tournament,” he said. “We achieved this goal and now it is time for me to move on.”

The 64-year-old Penders became just the eighth coach to take four different schools to the NCAA tournament. He had also led George Washington, Rhode Island and Texas there.

Penders has won 648 games in his more than 30-year head coaching career. He went 121-77 at Houston.

Penders has spent the majority of his career turning around struggling programs, including those at Tufts, Columbia, Fordham and Rhode Island. He took great pleasure in leading the once-proud Houston program back to the tournament for the first time in almost two decades.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill and four other assistant coaches were fired Wednesday as new Red Raiders coach Tommy Tuberville cleared the way for his own staff.

McNeill and assistants Lincoln Riley, Clay McGuire, Brian Mitchell and Eric Russell were let go on Wednesday. A sixth assistant, Carlos Mainord, is retiring.


So far, Tuberville has hired Neal Brown, formerly of Troy, as offensive coordinator. And The Tuscaloosa News reported Wednesday that Alabama linebackers coach James Willis had agreed in principle to become the Red Raiders’ defensive coordinator, according to a source close to the situation. Willis worked with Tuberville at Auburn for three seasons, according to the report.

McNeill was named interim coach at Texas Tech when former coach Mike Leach was suspended and then fired over the treatment of a player who had been diagnosed with a concussion. Tuberville and McNeill were the only applicants interviewed to replace Leach.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

The lawyer for Mike Leach says the suspended Texas Tech coach did nothing wrong in how he treated a player with a “mild” concussion, and Leach is seeking a court’s help in allowing him to coach in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Jan. 2.


However, Leach and his attorneys anticipate Texas Tech will try to fire the coach in the near future, multiple sources tell ESPN’s Joe Schad.

Leach led Texas Tech to the best season in program history last year, going 11-2. But he and the university were at odds for months over negotiations for a contract extension. In February, Leach and the school agreed to a five-year, $12.7 million deal that could keep him there through 2013.


Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

The main reason TCU is on the verge of taking the college football scene by storm isn’t what most people think: that back-breaking Frog defense.

Under Gary Patterson, TCU has been outstanding on defense for years. It’s been among the NCAA leaders in several categories including sacks, total defense, rush defense, scoring defense and pass defense at times the last four years. That’s come to be expected from his squads as he uses a mixture of athleticism and speed to disrupt opposing offenses.

Old news.

No, the reason TCU is killing opponents this season is QB Andy Dalton.

Like New Mexico teams of the past, the Frogs have been pretty on defense but struggled to put a hammer-type offense on the field to complement its great defense — until this year.


Click here to read the full article – By Dick Harmon of Deseret News

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Texas Tech released a depth chart Thursday for Saturday’s game against Nebraska showing Steven Sheffield as the No. 1 quarterback.

Tech coach Mike Leach has made no official announcement, though when he was asked earlier this week if he faced a new problem at quarterback, he said, “This is the first time I’ve ever changed or potentially changed or any of that. Yeah, I guess it’s new at that position.’’

Taylor Potts, who started the first five games before suffering a concussion, is on the travel roster for the Nebraska game and is listed as the backup to Sheffield on the depth chart.

Potts practiced this week in pads, although all Tech quarterbacks always work out in blue jerseys that signify no contact allowed.

Starting center Shawn Byrnes, safety Cody Davis and defensive end Daniel Howard, all of whom missed last week’s game against Kansas State, practiced this week, as did starting cornerback LaRon Moore, who played only the first defensive series against Kansas State. They all are traveling to Nebraska.

Group sales promotion extended

Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said the current group sales promotion of 50 tickets for $50 apiece to the Oct. 24 Texas A&M game will be extended and the same deal offered for the Nov. 21 home game against Oklahoma.

Myers made the announcement Thursday during a news conference to discuss the Jones AT&T Stadium expansion.


Click here to read the full article – By Don Williams of Redraiders.com

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11 October 2008 – Colt McCoy (12) of the Texas Longhorns passes during the Texas 45-35 win over Oklahoma at the Red River Rivalry game played at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Either the Texas Longhorns orchestrated their answers impeccably Monday, or they are genuinely pleased junior quarterback Sam Bradford has returned to the Oklahoma lineup.

Those who appeared at Texas’ weekly media luncheon insist they’re happy Bradford will be back on the field in time for this week’s Red River Rivalry after missing 31/2 games with a separated right (throwing) shoulder.

No one in burnt orange appeared to fight the urge to say, “Aw, man. Why couldn’t he have returned next week?”

There was an upbeat inflection in Longhorn voices while welcoming back last year’s Heisman Trophy winner.

Defensive tackle Lamarr Houston: “Most definitely, I’m happy he’s back. It’s exciting to play somebody who’s got that type of status. He’s a great player.”


Click here to read the full article – By John Rohde of scrippsnews.com

Texas fans will call it revenge. The Longhorns were more likely to describe it as relief.
Colt McCoy threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Dan Buckner in the fourth quarter that gave the Longhorns some room and No. 2 Texas beat feisty Texas Tech and their prolific new passer 34-24 Saturday night.

The pass to Buckner with nine minutes left put Texas ahead 31-17, but it was an otherwise shaky outing for last season’s runner-up for the Heisman Trophy.

McCoy finished with 205 yards and two interceptions on 24 of 34 passing for the Longhorns (3-0, 1-0 Big 12). After the game, the senior revealed he missed practice on Tuesday because of flu-like symptoms that he was dealing with most of the week.

“We had to keep fighting as a team. Not everything is going to go our way,” said McCoy, who completed 15 of 18 in the second half, but also threw an interception in the red zone.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of baxterbulletin.com

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While thousands stormed the field to celebrate, Colt McCoy stood on the sideline in stunned silence.

The Texas quarterback had rallied the Longhorns into the lead, then watched as Texas Tech drove to Michael Crabtree’s winning touchdown catch with 1 second left on the biggest play of the 2008 season.

Now the Red Raiders (2-0) are coming to Austin and revenge is the buzzword of the week, even if the second-ranked Longhorns (2-0) are publicly trying to avoid it.

“They got us,” McCoy said Monday.

“I was just in shock,” he said. “That’s one of the greatest plays that’s ever happened. … The hardest part is you what you did in that game: The offense goes down and scores right at the end of the game and we think we’ve got it won. That’s what makes it so hard.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Texas Tech offensive lineman and preseason All-American Brandon Carter (Longview, Texas) has been named to the Lombardi Award Preseason Watch List, announced Tuesday by the Rotary Lombardi Award organization. The award is presented annually to the nation’s top interior lineman. Carter, a preseason All-American, also is a candidate for the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top offensive lineman.

Carter, a 6-foot-7, 344-pound, guard returns for his senior season as one of the nation’s top interior lineman after a successful junior campaign that notched him numerous all-conference and All-America honors. Earlier this summer he was named a preseason first-team All-American by NationalChamps.net and a second-team selection by Phil Steele Magazine.

Click here to read the full article – By of TEXASTECH.com

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The Texas A&M football team worked out for just over two hours Tuesday morning in full pads under sunny skies at the Coolidge Practice Fields.

“Today was a big red-zone day for us,” head coach Mike Sherman said. “We put some players in different positions to see what they could do, and overall it was good. There were certain segments that were a little bit spotty, either on the offensive side in one period and in the red zone with our defense, where I thought our defense against the run needed to be a bit more stout. But I don’t feel like we digressed. It wasn’t quite as good as yesterday, but it was still improvement and we’re still taking the right steps forward.”

Click here to read the full article – By of AGGIEATHLETICS.com

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