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Ole Miss vs. LSU 2012: Tigers struggle to last-second win over Rebels

2012-11-18T16:08:43Z

The LSU Tigers needed an 89-yard punt return from Odell Beckham and a last-second touchdown plunge from Jeremy Hill to grab a 41-35 win over the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday night. The Rebels let Tiger fans know their intentions early, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter and building a 21-17 lead at the half.

LSU managed to finally tie the game early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run from Hill. Ole Miss struck back just 18 seconds later, as Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace hit Donte Moncrief with a 30-yard touchdown pass to build the lead back to 35-28.

With nine minutes to play, LSU returner Odell Beckham took a 51-yard punt from Jim Broadway on his own 11 and returned it for a Tiger touchdown, tying the game at 35. Ole Miss went three-and-out, but recovered a Jarvis Landry fumble at their own 32-yard line with 7:18 left to play.

Wallace drove the Rebels to the LSU 16, but the Tiger defense recorded back-to-back sacks, forcing Ole Miss into a 52-yard go-ahead field goal attempt that sailed wide left. The Tigers then masterfully ran off 4:00 of clock, setting up the game-winning 1-yard plunge with just seconds left.

SB Nation's LSU blog And the Valley Shook was unimpressed with the Tigers' effort:

What is it about Ole Miss on Senior Day that just seems to bring out the worst in the Tigers? Is it the mascot confusion? Senioritis? A dramatic aversion to the sound of gnats buzzing around the face? The Runts didn't just out-gain and out-rush LSU, they completely dominated the line of scrimmage at times, hanging a season-high in offensive yards and the highest point total anybody has put up on the Tiger since...yep, the last time Ole Miss came to Baton Rouge. Frankly, the Rebels looked like they wanted this game more for most of the afternoon, and persevered in spite of what should have been some back-breaking mistakes early on. But again, no moral victories, no moral losses, and this one still counts.

LSU finishes its season next week against Arkansas.

Ole Miss Vs. LSU 2012: Tigers get late score for 41-35 win over Rebels

2012-11-18T15:52:32Z

Odell Beckham punt return key to LSU comeback.

Junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger is changing the dynamic of LSU's offense before our very eyes. Coming off a stellar performance against Mississippi State - his second in a row - the Tiger fans look to the final two games of this season and all of next season with great anticipation. Though they will not win another national championship this year, LSU will be a team to reckon with in a bowl game, especially with the way the offense has been gelling.

Coming off a heartbreaking loss to Vanderbilt, Ole Miss looks for a signature win on the season. Just 2-4 in SEC play with defeats of lowly Arkansas and Auburn, the Rebels would love to bring LSU off their cloud and out of the Top 10. To do that, Ole Miss would need to wear down the LSU defense with their balanced attack, with sophomore quarterback Bo Wallace leading the way through the air and junior running back Jeff Scott on the ground.

With just Arkansas left on the schedule, LSU should be able to finish the season strong and look to next year to make another national title run with Mettenberger in tow.

Game time/TV schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

Spread: LSU -20

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Rice vs. SMU score: Mustangs trail Owls, 20-7, at halftime

2012-11-17T22:15:49Z

A seven-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Zach Line is the only SMU Mustangs score in a Conference USA football game that features the Rice Owls leading 20-7 at halftime.

Lince has carried the ball 14 times for 57 yards for the Mustangs (5-5, 4-2 C-USA), who need one more victory to become bowl eligible. Junior quarterback Garrett Gilbert is 7-for-15 with 68 passing yards. His favorite target has been Darius Johnson, who has three catches for 46 yards.

Lince's touchdown helped SMU earn a brief 7-3 lead, but the Owls (4-6, 2-4 C-USA) finished the half with 17-unanswered points. The last was a seven-yard touchdown pass from Taylor McHargue to wide receiver Donte Moore with 20 seconds to go in the second quarter.

Wide receiver Vance McDonald also has a touchdown reception while kicker Chris Boswell has made field goals from 56 and 51 yards, respectively. Boswell has also missed from 45 yards out.

SMU vs. Rice 2012: Game time, TV schedule, odds and more

2012-11-17T21:16:58Z

The Rice Owls will try for their fifth win of the season on Saturday afternoon in a Conference USA game against SMU.

Trying to build on their 49-47 win over Tulane in Week 10, the Rice Owls will look to defend their home turf against the visiting Southern Methodist Mustangs this Saturday at Rice Stadium.

The Owls have picked up wins in three of their last four games, and can still become bowl-eligible by closing out their 2012 schedule without a loss. Junior quarterback Taylor McHargue continues to play a vital role on offense as both as a runner and a passer, as the Owls currently average a balanced 213.4 yards passing compared to 204.3 rushing yards per game on offense.

Desperate to punch their ticket to a bowl game later this year, the Mustangs will also enter Saturday's game with plenty on the line. While the Mustangs have owned the series between the two schools in recent years with three consecutive wins, head coach June Jones' team has only been able to win one game on the road this season.

Game time: 2:30 CT

TV channel: n/a

Spread: Rice +3.5

LSU vs. Ole Miss: Tigers stuck outside of the BCS picture

2012-11-13T16:24:45Z

Even with Alabama's loss, it's unlikely LSU will be able to repeat at SEC Western Division Champions and earn a shot to play in a BCS bowl.

The Alabama Crimson Tide were taken down by the Texas A&M Aggies over the weekend, stopping their bid for a perfect season and taking their National Championship chances down a notch.

LSU head coach Les Miles said on Monday that that shouldn't be the case. Instead, he says that the SEC champion, no matter how many wins they have, should be playing for the championship every year. His argument was that the strength of schedule inside the conference was the toughest in America, so the winner of the conference should always be considered one of the best:

"Everybody within this league plays a very difficult schedule," Miles said. "I think the champion of this league should very well have the opportunity to play in that national championship game until somebody proves that the winner of this league is not the nation's best team."

Les Miles' team will probably not be that champion this season, barring a big upset that would involve the Tigers winning out and the Crimson Tide losing to Auburn over the weekend.

It's going to be a moot point come 2014, when college football moves to a four-team playoff system to determine who makes the national title game. It will almost certainly include the winner of the SEC every season in that playoff.

Houston vs. Marshall: Bowl eligibility battle begins

2012-11-13T16:18:30Z

Houston trails Marshall, 31-10, at halftime of a Conference USA football game.

There will be bowl game implications when the Houston Cougars take on the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday. Both teams will enter the C-USA contest at 4-6 on the season, and both are third place in their side of the conference.

With only two games left in the season for both teams, they each need to win out if they want to hit bowl eligibility. Following the Saturday clash, Marshall will face off against East Carolina while the Cougars play Tulane.

Marshall has put out one of the best offenses in the country this season, third in the nation in passing yards per game thanks to quarterback Rakeem Cato. Cato is fifth in the nation in total offense for a player and has helped the Marshall attack put up an average of 38.8 points per game.

The Cougars have lost two straight games, while the Thundering Herd have been trading off wins and losses all year. They are on a one-game losing streak right now after dropping a game against UAB last weekend.

The game will be at Joan C. Edwards Stadium at 11 a.m. CT. It will be televised on Comcast Sports South.

Texas A&M vs. Sam Houston State: Aggies still glowing after upset

2012-11-13T16:15:54Z

Texas A&M will return home to College Station after upsetting No. 1 Alabama to host FCS Championship runner-up Sam Houston State.

The Texas A&M Aggies have sold out tickets at Kyle Field for Saturday's matchup against Sam Houston State, according to AggieSports.com. The sellout happened for a second time, as Aggies fans quickly devoured the portion of the visitor's allotment that Sam Houston State returned.

With excitement in College Station at a fever pitch following Texas A&M's upset win over defending champion and No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, fans looking to buy through the school may have one more chance. If the student allotment of tickets is not fully claimed by Thursday, Nov. 15, any remaining tickets will be released.

The game is set to air on ESPN3.com or on a pay-per-view basis on FOX Sports Southwest.

Sam Houston State is currently 8-2 in the Southland Conference at the FBS level. The Bearkats, who average 46 points per game, went 14-0 in 2011 before losing to North Dakota State in the national championship game.

NFL Injury Report: Texans stay healthy in Week 10

2012-11-12T17:02:23Z

The Houston Texans took down the Chicago Bears on Sunday, 13-6, and also came out on the good side of the injury report. No big injuries were suffered during the game by Houston, despite a gritty and hard-fought game in the rain that saw very few points come out of a swampy field.

It was the Bears that ended up with the biggest injury story of the day, losing quarterback Jay Cutler after he was hit hard by Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins.

The biggest knocks for the Texans remain the injuries to nose tackle Shaun Cody and running back Ben Tate. Cody, who punctured a lung and injured a rib against the Buffalo Bills earlier in the year, missed the game and is still seen as day-to-day. Tate is still suffering from a hamstring injury suffered against the Baltimore Ravens. TE Owen Daniels missed the game because of a back injury and was the only member of the Texans who was listed as questionable before the game.

Houston will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday as they look for a 9-1 record.