SB Nation Houston: All Posts by BJ Kisselhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46691/houston-fave.png2011-12-13T12:34:26-06:00https://houston.sbnation.com/authors/bj-kissel/rss2011-12-13T12:34:26-06:002011-12-13T12:34:26-06:00NFL Power Rankings: ESPN Has Houston Texans At No. 7 This Week
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Houston Texans</a> used a 300-yard passing day from rookie quarterback <span>T.J. Yates</span> to beat the Cincinatti <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Bengals</a> 20-19 on Sunday to come in at No. 7 this week in ESPN's Power Rankings. via <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings" target="_blank">ESPN.com</a></p>
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<br><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #777777; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; " class="pr-last">Last Week: 7</span>
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<p>They're not going to settle for a division crown and first playoff berth.</p>
<p>The Texans now have their sights on a bye. (Kuharsky)</p>
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<p>The Texans have winnable games throughout the rest of the season as they still have to take on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.catscratchreader.com/">Carolina Panthers</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Indianapolis Colts</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/">Tennessee Titans</a>. </p>
<p>To round out the rest of the AFC South the Titans come in this week at No. 13 in the rankings, while the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigcatcountry.com/">Jacksonville Jaguars</a> sit at No. 26 and the Indianapolis Colts continue to sit at the bottom as they again come in at No. 32. </p>
<p><i>For more news and coverage on the Houston Texans visit SB Nation's <a href="http://www.battleredblog.com" target="_blank">Battle Red Blog</a> for all things Texans.</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/12/13/2633389/nfl-power-rankings-espn-has-houston-texans-at-no-7-this-weekBJ Kissel2011-12-13T12:23:46-06:002011-12-13T12:23:46-06:00Week 15 NFL Power Rankings: Optimism In Yates' Grows After Last-Second Comeback
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<p>The Texans rookie QB shows promise with a game-winning drive at the end of the fourth quarter to defeat the 7-6 Cincinnati Bengals.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/12/13/2633384/week-15-nfl-power-rankings-optimism-in-yates-grows-after-last-secondBJ KisselJonathan Tjarks2011-12-06T11:48:53-06:002011-12-06T11:48:53-06:00Big East Expansion: Houston Cougars Joining Big East In 2013, According To Report
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<img alt="HOUSTON - OCTOBER 27: Chris Thompson #70 of the Houston Cougars along with his teammates hold up the Bayou Bucket after they defeated the Rice Owls 73-34 at Robertson Stadium on October 27, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zV7-fDQqMLMGIpp1OMmxVF48Tug=/0x40:928x659/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/4566511/130660710.jpg" />
<figcaption>HOUSTON - OCTOBER 27: Chris Thompson #70 of the Houston Cougars along with his teammates hold up the Bayou Bucket after they defeated the Rice Owls 73-34 at Robertson Stadium on October 27, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) | Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Houston Cougars will be playing in the Big East conference beginning in 2013. </p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/houston-cougars">Houston Cougars</a> may have lost out on a BCS bowl game recently but the success from their 2011 football season may have played a factor in the Big East deciding to have the Cougars join the conference in 2013. </p>
<p>Brett McMurphy of CBS Sports reports that Houston, San Diego State, Boise State, SMU and UCF will join the Big East conference in 2013. <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/McMurphyCBS" target="_blank">via Brett McMurphy's twitter page</a>.</p>
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<p>It doesn't seem like San Diego State and Boise State would fit geographically in the Big East conference, but the addition does make sense for Boise State, whose football coach Chris Peterson has been all but impressed with the current BCS system based on his recent remarks. This addition to the Big East conference currently puts Boise State, along with Houston, in position to get one of the automatic bids to a BCS bowl by being in a BCS conference.</p>
<p>This was a solid move by the Big East conference that had been decimated by their own members leaving for other conferences. It was Pittsburgh and Syracuse that left for the ACC, while West Virginia and supposed-new member TCU, decided to join the Big 12. </p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-cougars/2011/12/6/2615678/big-east-expansion-houston-cougars-ncaa-realignment-2011BJ Kissel2011-11-29T13:18:47-06:002011-11-29T13:18:47-06:00Conference USA Championship: Southern Miss And Houston Battle For Title
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<p>The No. 24 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (10-2) take on the No. 7 Houston Cougars (12-0) for a conference USA championship on Saturday in Houston. </p> <p>The No. 7 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/houston-cougars">Houston Cougars</a> and their at-large BCS hopes are put on the line against the No. 24 Southern Miss Golden Eagles in the Conference USA championship on Saturday in Houston. </p>
<p>The Cougars have only played three games this year that have been within a touchdown. Their average margin of victory has been 31.7 points this season as they have averaged 52.7 points per game. These two teams met last year with Southern Miss taking a 59-41 victory, although Houston's Heisman trophy candidate <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/15573/case-keenum">Case Keenum</a> didn't play in last years' game due to a season-ending injury. </p>
<p>It's almost impossible to talk about this game and not have the focus be on the Cougars' starting quarterback Case Keenum and the season he has been having. He's thrown for 4,726 yards this season on a 73% completion percentage, throw in 43 touchdowns and just three interceptions and you have the reason why he is a Heisman trophy hopeful. </p>
<p>The Golden Eagles are led by their quarterback Austin Davis, who has had a great year for Southern Miss as well. He's thrown for over 3,000 yards and has 28 touchdowns on the season. Running back Jamal Woodyard has 643 yards rushing on a 6.4 yards per carry average for the Golden Eagles, including three rushing touchdowns. But it's the Golden Eagles defense that is going to have to find out a way to slow down Keenum and the Cougars.</p>
<p>Two of the Cougars games this season that finished within a touchdown were against UTEP (49-42) and Louisiana Tech (35-34). Both of those teams also played Southern Miss this year as the Golden Eagles beat UTEP 31-13 and Louisiana Tech 19-17 earlier this season. </p>
<p>Houston sits at No. 6 this week in the current BCS rankings trailing LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Virginia Tech. The Cougars must win to keep their at-large BCS hopes alive.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/11/29/2596582/conference-usa-championship-southern-miss-and-houston-battle-for-titleBJ Kissel2011-11-29T11:36:21-06:002011-11-29T11:36:21-06:00NFL Power Rankings: ESPN Has Texans Moving Up After Yates' Debut
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Houston Texans</a> have moved up one spot in this weeks' <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings" target="_blank">ESPN Power Rankings</a> from No. 8 last week to No. 7 this week. Despite losing quarterback <span>Matt Leinart</span> for the season with a shoulder injury, rookie quarterback TJ Yates out of North Carolina is set to take over the starting duties for the Texans, at least for this week.</p>
<p>The Texans sit at 8-3 on the season and currently hold a two-game lead in the AFC South division over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/">Tennessee Titans</a>. </p>
<p>The Titans come in at No. 17 in this weeks' power rankings after their hard-fought 23-17 victory over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> last Sunday. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigcatcountry.com/">Jacksonville Jaguars</a> fall to No. 29 after their 7-point loss to the TJ Yates and the Houston Texans this past week, while the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Indianapolis Colts</a> again find themselves winless and in the basement at No. 32 in this weeks' rankings.</p>
<p><i>For more information and coverage on the Houston Texans visit SB Nation's <a href="http://www.battleredblog.com" target="_blank">Battle Red Blog</a>.</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/11/29/2596390/espn-nfl-power-rankings-houston-texans-tj-yates-week-13-2011BJ Kissel2011-11-29T11:25:19-06:002011-11-29T11:25:19-06:00Week 13 NFL Power Rankings: Houston Texans Have Tenuous Grip On No. 7 Slot
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<p>With Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart out for the season, the Texans' fate is now in the hands of T.J. Yates.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/11/29/2596386/week-13-nfl-power-rankings-houston-texans-have-tenuous-grip-on-no-7BJ KisselJonathan Tjarks2011-11-22T13:50:56-06:002011-11-22T13:50:56-06:00Andre Johnson Injury Update: Houston Texans' Star Receiver Ready To Go Against Jaguars
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Houston Texans</a> get a big piece of their offensive puzzle back this week as <span>Andre Johnson</span> was a full participant in practice on Monday. Johnson and new quarterback, <span>Matt Leinart</span>, have a week to get their timing down together before Sunday's game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigcatcountry.com/">Jacksonville Jaguars</a>. And if Monday's practice is any indication, the Texans will be fine. via <a href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/cowboys/article/Leinart-Johnson-connecting-again-2281653.php" target="_blank">San Antonio Express News</a>. </p>
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<p><span style="font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">"Andre was fine," Kubiak said. "He took all his reps with the team. We will monitor his reps in practice and probably going into the game, but all systems should be go this weekend."</span></p>
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<p>It wasn't just coach Kubiak that was excited to see Johnson back out on the field. Texans' running back <span>Arian Foster</span> let out a "No. 80 is back!!!", after Johnson plucked a ball from the air on a Leinart pass across the middle in practice on Monday.</p>
<p><i>For more news and coverage on the Texans visit SB Nation's <a href="http://www.battleredblog.com" target="_blank">Battle Red Blog</a>.</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/11/22/2581032/andre-johnson-injury-update-houston-texans-star-receiver-ready-to-goBJ Kissel2011-11-22T12:03:30-06:002011-11-22T12:03:30-06:00ESPN Power Rankings: Houston Texans Move Up This Week, Despite Not Playing
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Houston Texans</a> made moves in this weeks <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings" target="_blank">ESPN Power Rankings</a> without even playing. The Texans benefited from the loss by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigblueview.com/">New York Giants</a> and moved from No. 9 in last weeks' rankings to No. 8 this week. </p>
<p>Houston also benefited this week because fellow AFC South members, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/">Tennessee Titans</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bigcatcountry.com/">Jacksonville Jaguars</a> both lost their games, which gave Houston a two-game lead in the division. The Texans now sit at 7-3 on the season, while the Titans fall to at 5-5 after Sunday's loss to the Falcons. <span>Andre Johnson</span> will be returning to the lineup this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars and that should help new-starting quarterback <span>Matt Leinart</span>, who is filling in for the injured <span>Matt Schaub</span>. </p>
<p>The Texans have six games remaining on their schedule and only two of those games are against teams that currently have winning records, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Atlanta Falcons</a> (6-4) on December 4th, and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/">Cincinnati Bengals</a> (6-4) on December 11th. </p>
<p>The Titans fall to No. 16 in this weeks power rankings, while the Jaguars fell to No. 28 and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Colts</a> hold down the last spot again this week at No. 32.</p>
<p><i>For more news and coverage on the Texans visit SB Nation's <a href="http://www.battleredblog.com/" target="_blank">Battle Red Blog</a>. </i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/11/22/2580678/espn-power-rankings-houston-texans-week-11-matt-leinartBJ Kissel2011-11-22T11:30:50-06:002011-11-22T11:30:50-06:00Texans Vs. Jaguars: Houston Wins 20-13, Matt Leinart Suffers Shoulder Injury
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<p>The Houston Texans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-13 on Sunday but lost quarterback Matt Leinart to a shoulder injury.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2011/11/22/2580670/week-12-nfl-power-rankings-all-eyes-on-matt-leinart-in-houstonSteven GodfreyEddie MaisonetKris WillisJeremy MaussJonathan Tjarks2011-11-15T12:53:28-06:002011-11-15T12:53:28-06:00SMU's Zach Line Will Be Game Time Decision Against Houston With Injured Toe
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<p>The Houston Cougars take on the SMU Mustangs in a conference USA battle this week in Texas.</p> <p>The No. 11 ranked <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/houston-cougars">Houston Cougars</a> (10-0) take on the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/smu-mustangs">SMU Mustangs</a> (6-4) this weekend as ESPN's College Gameday makes their way down to Houston, Texas for this possible BCS-implicating game for the Cougars. The Cougars were the biggest beneficiaries to Boise State's tough loss to TCU on Saturday as BCS games start to take fold. It's been five games in a row that the Cougars have won by at least 30 points and SMU will bring the best team to town that Houston has seen for a while. </p>
<p>But SMU is having to deal with <i>another</i> injury to their star running back <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/37601/zach-line">Zach Line</a>, who is now facing a toe injury that head coach <a href="http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/11/smu-rb-line-will-be-a-gametime-decision.html" target="_blank"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/11/smu-rb-line-will-be-a-gametime-decision.html">June Jones said has put Line in a </a>boot this week. Line has already had to deal with hamstring and shoulder injuries this year so playing through pain is nothing new for the Mustangs running back. But the Mustangs will need Conference USA's leading rusher to play this weekend if they're going to try and hang with the Cougars. Line will be a game time decision according to Jones.</p>
<p>The game time is set for 2:30pm CT at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas. </p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-cougars/2011/11/15/2564364/smus-zach-line-will-be-game-time-decision-against-houston-withBJ Kissel