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Friday, December 18, 2015

BRIEFS

NO. 18 SMU 105, HAMPTON 72

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Fill-in finishes undefeated run

COLLEGES

BILL NICHOLS
brnichols@dallasnews.com

Mustangs end up 9-0

under Jankovich, their
best start since 1997-98

NIVERSITY PARK
In his final game filling
in as SMUs head
coach, Tim Jankovich had only
seven players, the same ones
who played extended minutes
less than 24 hours earlier.
He was then treated to an
early deficit against a well-rested, hot 3-point-shooting opponent.
But any fears Jankovich had
that No. 18 SMU would get upset by Hampton on Thursday
night were alleviated by his
teams remarkable second half
in a105-72 victory before 6,329
at Moody Coliseum.
Despite some tense moments, the Jankovich era finished the way it started. All but
one of his players finished in
double figures, the most for
SMU since 2008. Afterward,
he had the luxury of giving
Brown an undefeated team,
fresh off its highest-scoring
game, to take over.
I really enjoyed the game
because it was a real challenge,
Jankovich said. I even suggested a zone once or twice just
to get them [Hampton] out of
their rhythm, but our guys
werent going for that. The nine
games were a complete joy for
me to coach.
Whats not to like about a
team thats off to its best start
since the 1997-98 team began
10-0?
The Mustangs (9-0) can
match that mark in Browns
first game back from NCAA
suspension vs. Kent State on
Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Brown has been prohibited

Brandon Wade/The Associated Press

Associate head coach Tim Jankovich, running the Mustangs during head coach Larry
Browns NCAA suspension, reacts to a foul. Brown will make his season debut next week.
No. 18 SMU 105, HAMPTON 72
HAMPTON (4-4) Pressley 4-7 0-2 8, Chievous 811 0-3 18, Cooks 1-6 0-0 3, Darden 6-17 1-118, Johnson
6-15 0-2 16, Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Hayden 0-1 0-0 0, Aughburns 0-0 0-0 0, Barnes 1-1 0-0 2, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0,
Wilson-Fisher 1-1 0-0 2, Adams 1-1 0-0 2, Fisher 0-4
3-5 3. Totals 28-64 4-13 72.
SMU (9-0) B. Moore 6-13 4-4 16, Tolbert 5-13 1010 20, Milton 6-10 0-0 14, Brown 10-11 2-2 23, N.
Moore 6-14 1-2 18, Foster 6-9 0-114, Wilfong 0-0 0-0
0. Totals 39-70 17-19 105.
HalftimeSMU 43-41. Three-point GoalsHampton 12-31 (Darden 5-14, Johnson 4-7, Chievous 2-2,
Cooks 1-4, Hayden 0-1, Fisher 0-3), SMU 10-24 (N.
Moore 5-12, Foster 2-4, Milton 2-6, Brown 1-2).
Fouled OutNone. ReboundsHampton 23 (Chievous, Johnson 6), SMU 49 (Tolbert 19). Assists
Hampton 17 (Johnson 5), SMU 26 (N. Moore 8). Total
FoulsHampton 18, SMU 12. TechnicalB. Moore.
A6,329.

from talking to coaches and

players. After an extended vacation with his family, he finally reunited with his players.
The locker room when he
came in, with the joy and the
excitement, he didnt have to
say much, point guard Nic
Moore said. It was just his
presence.
Its been great to have him
[Jankovich] as coach. Hes
brought fun to it, the intensity,
the hard work, explaining why.
Now, having Coach Brown
back, were used to that. Hell
catch on to how much weve
changed.
Against Hampton, the
Mustangs experienced a dramatic transition, improving

their field goal percentage

from 44.4 percent to 67.6. After making only three of their
first 14 shots from behind the
arc, they went 7 of 10 in the second half.
Brown will inherit a dominant forward in Jordan Tolbert. Fueled with extra minutes
because of injuries to Marcus
Kennedy and Keith Frazier,
Tolbert posted his second
straight double-double, with
20 points and 19 rebounds.
This came after an 18-point,
23-rebound performance in an
86-42 win over Nicholls State
the night before.
I think its crazy, said Jankovich, a veteran of 33 seasons.
Ive been around a lot of great
college players, but not with
the numbers hes putting up
right now. These are just crazy
numbers. Our team as a group
is putting up numbers I have
not seen. Its amazing. Were
seeing something you dont see
very often.
The Mustangs outrebounded the Pirates 49-23 and had a
54-22 advantage on points in
the paint.
Sterling Brown finished
with a career-high 23 points,

six rebounds and three steals,

which matched his career best.
Ben Moore posted 16 points,
nine rebounds, six assists and
two blocks. Nic Moore had 18
points and eight assists, and
freshman guard shake Milton
continued to shine with extra
minutes, producing 14 points,
five assists and three rebounds.
Although the Mustangs will
not have to wait long for the return of Kennedy (ankle) and
Frazier (knee), who are day to
day, they wont get forward
Semi Ojeleye. The Duke transfer, who became eligible to play
Thursday, has decided to redshirt so he can have two full
seasons to play, Jankovich said.
Jankovich seemed relieved
to finally hand his Hall of Fame
boss the keys to the car without
a dent.
Its not easy for him to be
gone, Jankovich said of
Brown. The feeling of normalcy will come back for him. Just
from a personal standpoint, it
was good to see him because it
felt so wrong not to see him for
so long. The world seems a little more round.

join the team at the semester

break.

TEXAS TECH

Receiver Lauderdale
handed suspension

Brett Vito

Junior wide receiver Devin

Lauderdale has been suspended indefinitely and will miss
the Texas Bowl against LSU,
Texas Tech announced Thursday.
Lauderdale was suspended
for what Tech said was a failure
to uphold athletic department
student-athlete expectations.
He ranks second at Tech in
catches (43) and receiving
yards (639) and will have a
chance to return next season,
Tech said.
Sophomore defensive end/
linebacker Mike Mitchell,
sophomore defensive back Jalen Barnes and sophomore defensive back Derrick Dixon will
transfer, Tech announced.
Mitchell was a former top recruit from Prestonwood Christian who began his college career at Ohio State. Dixon is a
former Skyline standout.
Chuck Carlton

OKLAHOMA

Mayfield unlikely
to gain a year back
Earlier this week, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfields battle to gain back a year
of eligibility he lost last season
became a point of discussion
once more.
But it appears Mayfields
chances of gaining the year
back would have to go through
legal channels, something
Mayfields father James said
was something that would do
the family no good.
An NCAA official reached
out to The Oklahoman after a
story earlier this week on Mayfields plight.
The NCAA does not have
the ability to waive a conference rule, the official wrote.
Therefore, there is no appellate opportunity beyond the
conference decision at the
NCAA level.

NORTH TEXAS

The Oklahoman

New coach hauls in

first commitments

VOLLEYBALL

DENTON New UNT

coach Seth Littrell announced
the addition of three linemen
during the midterm signing
period on Thursday.
UNT signed Trinity Valley
Community College offensive
lineman T.J. Henson, Tyler Junior College defensive end
Joshua Wheeler and grayshirt
end
Joseph
defensive
Ozougwe.
Henson spent two years at
Trinity Valley and was a first
team All-Southwest Junior
College Football Conference
selection this season. Wheeler
was an NJCAA honorable
mention All-American after
finishing third nationally with
16 sacks.
Ozougwe finished with 78
tackles, 12 tackles for loss and
eight sacks as a senior at Alief
Taylor and was an All-District
23-5A selection in 2014. He enrolled at UNT this fall and will

Longhorns advance
to championship game
OMAHA, Neb. Amy Neal
had a career-high 25 points,
and Texas broke open a close
match in the fourth set to beat
Minnesota in the NCAA volleyball semifinals Thursday night
and move on to Saturdays
championship game.
The No. 2 Gophers (30-5)
hung with third-seeded Texas
(30-2) until the end. Neither
team led by four points until
the 156th rally of the match.
There were 44 ties and 10 lead
changes as Texas won 26-24,
27-25, 23-25, 25-21.

AROUND THE NATION

Missouri: Former Oklahoma QB Josh Heupel was hired
as offensive coordinator. Hell
remain with Utah State, where
hes an assistant head coach,
through Tuesdays bowl game.
The Associated Press

Twitter: @BillNicholsDMN

KATE HAIROPOULOS

As Murray transfers, he leaves behind a void at QB for Aggies

Continued from Page 1C

herited quarterbacks from

Drew Bledsoe and Drew Brees
and Case Keenum to, of course,
Johnny Manziel during his career.
But Sumlins track record
with his handpicked quarterbacks at A&M is scorched.
A&M is down to Jake Hubenak, a Blinn College transfer
who is 12 of 27 for 92 yards and
a touchdown this season.
A&M is 8-4 heading into
the bowl game against Louisville. But the high-profile departures have cranked up the
scrutiny on Sumlin, who makes
$5 million a year and is under
contract through 2019, and the
QB crisis in College Station.
The rift with Murray has
been building for much of the
season.
Murrays sideline outburst

to offensive coordinator Jake

Spavital during the loss to Alabama on Oct. 17 led to him not
playing the following week in a
loss to Ole Miss. Still, Murray
took over the starting job from
Allen the following week, leading A&M to a win over South
Carolina. He showed off the
dual-threat abilities that made
him legendary in high school,
passing for 223 yards and a
touchdown and rushing for 156
yards and a touchdown.
But Murray, listed at 5-11,
threw three interceptions in a
loss to Auburn and two more in
a win over lower-division
Western Carolina. And Allen
regained the starting role for
the final two games of the regular season, while Murray never
took another snap.
Murray finished the season
72 of 121 for 686 yards and five
touchdowns to seven intercep-

tions. He rushed for 335 yards

and a touchdown.
The disenchantment with
how the season unfolded
couldnt be overcome even with
the struggling offense apparently Murrays for the taking after Allens earlier transfer announcement.
The competition between
the two had been an issue since
the season opener against Arizona State. Allen, who had
started the final five games of
2014, started the game. But
Murray came in mid-game and
provided a spark. Allen returned to lead key final drives
and finish off the win.
Sumlin even then had to
swat down the adage that having two quarterbacks is the
same as having none.
We dont have two bad
ones, he said then, Ill put it
that way.

But it didnt work out so

simply.
In a news release Thursday,
A&M confirmed Murrays departure and said that he had
been granted his release. ESPN
reported that Murray could
transfer to any school except
for fellow SEC programs and
future A&M opponents. Its
unclear if he would be penalized a year of eligibility for leaving before spending two semesters at a school, which is
possible under National Letter
of Intent regulations.
Texas, which Murray famously visited before signing
with A&M, could be an option
but is considered unlikely. Oregon also made the list of
schools Murray considered before attending A&M.
Kevin Murray did not immediately return requests for
comment.

Kyler Murray is a two-sport

athlete who once intended to
play baseball at A&M. He could
potentially enroll in a junior
college and would be eligible
for the 2016 Major League
Baseball draft.
But Murray was limited to
designated hitter during his senior season at Allen last spring.
One veteran baseball evaluator wondered about a direct
path for Murray into the professional ranks because of limited action.
Whos seen him? the scout
asked. I just like to see him
play.
A&M has no current commitments at quarterback for
the 2016 signing class, so it will
have to rectify that as soon as
possible, whether its a high
school senior, junior college
transfer or graduate transfer.
Tate Martell, a highly rated

quarterback in the Class of

2017, has orally committed to
A&M, according to recruiting
websites.
Asked Wednesday who
would play quarterback after
Hubenak, Sumlin did not have
a ready answer. Backup Conner
McQueen is used almost solely
as a holder.
Aggie players took to Twitter on Thursday to rally around
Hubenak, who passed for over
4,000 yards last season at
Blinn College and was a late
addition to the A&M roster last
summer, and to look to the future, minus Allen and Murray.
I came to A&M because I
love this town and University,
simple as that, star receiver
Christian Kirk posted. This
teams been through adversity
before, well be alright.
Twitter: @khairopoulos

College
bowl picks

New Mexico: New Mexico (+10) vs. Arizona

Las Vegas: BYU (+2) vs. Utah
Camellia: Ohio (+712) vs. Appalachian St.
Cure: Georgia St. (+3) vs. San Jose St.
New Orleans: Ark. St. (+212) vs. La. Tech
Miami Beach: USF (+212) vs. W. Kentucky
Idaho Potato: Akron (+612) vs. Utah St.
Boca Raton: Toledo (+112) vs. Temple
Poinsettia: N. Illinois (+8) vs. Boise St.
GoDaddy: Ga. Southern (+712) vs. Bowl. Grn.
Bahamas: Middle Tenn. (+3) vs. W. Michigan
Hawaii: San Diego St. (+2) vs. Cincinnati
Last week vs. line
Season vs. line
Last week straight
Season straight

CHUCK
CARLTON

CORBY
DAVIDSON

KATE
HAIROPOULOS

TOMMY
MAGELSSEN

BILL
NICHOLS

RIC
RENNER

NEWY
SCRUGGS

KEVIN
SHERRINGTON

BRETT
VITO

Colleges

The Ticket

Colleges

SportsDayDFW.com

Colleges

FSSW

Ch. 5

Columnist

Denton RecordChronicle

vs. Line
Straight
New Mexico Arizona
BYU
BYU
App. St.
App. St.
Georgia St.
Georgia St.
La. Tech
La. Tech
W. Kentucky W. Kentucky
Utah St.
Utah St.
Toledo
Toledo
N. Illinois
Boise St.
Ga. Southern Bowl. Green
W. Michigan W. Michigan
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
7-3 (.700)
132-141-4 (.484)
8-2 (.800)
209-68 (.755)

vs. Line
Straight
New Mexico Arizona
Utah
Utah
App. St.
App. St.
Georgia St.
Georgia St.
Arkansas St. Arkansas St.
USF
USF
Utah St.
Utah St.
Temple
Temple
Boise St.
Boise St.
Bowl. Green Bowl. Green
Middle Tenn. Middle Tenn.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
3-7 (.300)
135-138-4 (.495)
6-4 (.600)
198-79 (.715)

vs. Line
Straight
Arizona
Arizona
Utah
Utah
App. St.
App. St.
San Jose St. San Jose St.
La. Tech
La. Tech
USF
USF
Utah St.
Utah St.
Temple
Temple
Boise St.
Boise St.
Bowl. Green Bowl. Green
W. Michigan W. Michigan
San Diego St. San Diego St.
5-5 (.500)
125-148-4 (.458)
8-2 (.800)
204-73 (.736)

vs. Line
Straight
New Mexico Arizona
Utah
Utah
App. St.
App. St.
San Jose St. San Jose St.
Arkansas St. La. Tech
W. Kentucky W. Kentucky
Utah St.
Utah St.
Temple
Temple
N. Illinois
Boise St.
Bowl. Green Bowl. Green
Middle Tenn. Middle Tenn.
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
6-4 (.600)
139-134-4 (.509)
8-2 (.800)
219-58 (.791)

vs. Line
Straight
Arizona
Arizona
Utah
Utah
App. St.
App. St.
San Jose St. San Jose St.
La. Tech
La. Tech
W. Kentucky W. Kentucky
Utah St.
Utah St.
Temple
Temple
Boise St.
Boise St.
Bowl. Green Bowl. Green
W. Michigan W. Michigan
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
5-5 (.500)
133-140-4 (.487)
8-2 (.800)
213-64 (.769)

vs. Line
Straight
Arizona
Arizona
Utah
Utah
Ohio
App. St.
San Jose St. San Jose St.
La. Tech
La. Tech
W. Kentucky W. Kentucky
Utah St.
Utah St.
Temple
Temple
Boise St.
Boise St.
Bowl. Green Bowl. Green
W. Michigan W. Michigan
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
5-5 (.500)
144-129-4 (.527)
8-2 (.800)
211-66 (.762)

vs. Line
Straight
Arizona
Arizona
Utah
Utah
Ohio
App. St.
Georgia St.
Georgia St.
La. Tech
La. Tech
USF
USF
Utah St.
Utah St.
Temple
Temple
N. Illinois
Boise St.
Ga. Southern Bowl. Green
W. Michigan W. Michigan
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
4-6 (.400)
141-132-4 (.516)
7-3 (.700)
205-72 (.740)

vs. Line
Straight
Arizona
Arizona
Utah
Utah
App. St.
App. St.
San Jose St. San Jose St.
La. Tech
La. Tech
W. Kentucky W. Kentucky
Utah St.
Utah St.
Temple
Temple
Boise St.
Boise St.
Bowl. Green Bowl. Green
W. Michigan W. Michigan
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
6-4 (.600)
142-131-4 (.520)
8-2 (.800)
210-67 (.758)

vs. Line
Straight
Arizona
Arizona
Utah
Utah
App. St.
App. St.
San Jose St. San Jose St.
La. Tech
La. Tech
W. Kentucky W. Kentucky
Utah St.
Utah St.
Temple
Temple
Boise St.
Boise St.
Bowl. Green Bowl. Green
W. Michigan W. Michigan
Cincinnati
Cincinnati
5-5 (.500)
144-129-4 (.527)
8-2 (.800)
210-67 (.758)

C9 12-18-2015 Set: 22:32:51

Sent by: cmaun@dallasnews.com Sports

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