RGV Capsules: Garza leads way for A&M-Kingsville
Senior quarterback Billy Garza led the Javelinas to an easy win over visiting East Central by passing for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns in 2 1/2 quarters during Saturday’s 39-7 victory at Javelina Stadium.
He quickly and efficiently guided the Hogs to touchdowns on five of the last six possessions he played, hitting four different receivers for scores. The four touchdowns tied his career high.
With five touchdown passes already this season, Garza is moving up the career list. He is tied for ninth with Darcy Davis, who threw 28 touchdown passes from 1984-87.
Last year, Garza set school record for pass completions, attempts and yards. This year he is averaging nearly the same yardage and is on pace for more touchdowns despite sitting most of the second half against ECU.
He is also completing a higher percentage of his passes this year and has his sights set on Richard Ritchie’s 62.3 percent mark set back in 1976. Garza is completing 60.7 percent of his passes and has posted a 151.1 passer rating.
Hogs Crash the Top 10
The Texas A&M-Kingsville football team cracked the top 10 in the D2Football.com poll.
The Javelinas (2-0) are 11th in the American Football Coaches Association Poll and eighth in the D2Football.com Poll. They began the season receiving 33 total votes in the AFCA poll and are now receiving 320. The team was 24th in the D2Football.com Preseason Poll.
The Javelinas are joined in the polls by a number of Lone Star Conference teams. In the AFCA poll, Abilene Christian is second, Tarleton State is 22nd, Central Oklahoma is 24th and Midwestern State and West Texas A&M are receiving votes. In the D2Football.com poll, Abilene Christian is second and Tarleton State is 23rd.
Central Oklahoma will be the second ranked opponent the Javelinas have faced this year, while the Hogs will be the third straight ranked opponent that the Bronchos have faced.
Dueling Defensive Ends
Prior to the start of the season, there was not much known about defensive ends Michael Talamantez and Matt Romig. The defensive line was supposed to be led by Jimmy Saddler-McQueen and Jimmy Lugo.
Well, a lot has changed in a short time as Lugo was declared ineligible and Saddler-McQueen has been solid but unspectacular in facing the brunt of the opposition’s energies.
Talamantez and Romig have made their opponents pay for not paying attention to them. Talamantez set a career high in both tackles (seven) and tackles for loss (three) against ECU. He stopped a first-half East Central drive when he sacked Marcus Johnson and forced a fumble on third down.
Romig has been a disruptive force in both games he has played, picking up a team high 3 1/2 tackles for loss. He recorded his first career sack against ECU.
The Javelinas have held both their opponents to less than 250 yards of total offense and are ranked second in the Lone Star Conference in total defense.
Say Hello to Hollywood
Fred "Hollywood" Winborn threw his hat into the ring for top running back on the Javelinas, joining Joe Williams, Connell Davis and Jonathon Woodson in competition for carries.
Winborn, from North Hollywood, Calif., appeared briefly in the team’s win over Delta State in Week 1. The 6-foot-0, 200-pound back has excellent moves and strength.
This past week, Winborn was given his first chance to carry the ball and went 27 yards on his first carry. Two plays later, he scored an 8-yard touchdown after accumulating all 43 yards in three runs. He finished the game with seven carries for 61 yards and also had two receptions for 20 yards.
Winborn outshone the other three running backs against ECU. Williams had 23 yards rushing on nine carries, and Woodson had 15 yards on three carries. Davis only got two touches but made the most of his chances, scoring his second receiving touchdown of the season when he took a flare pass from eight yards out.
He’s Presidential
Junior wide receiver Ryan Lincoln is on pace to obliterate the single-season Javelinas records for receptions and yards. He has 15 catches for 260 yards through the first two games and has gone over 100 yards receiving in each game.
Dating back to last season, he has now gone over 100 yards in three straight games and has five 100-yard receiving games in his career. The school record is nine games set by both Glenn Starks and Dwight Harrison.
This past week, Lincoln had six catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. He now has 102 catches for 1,505 yards in his career and is among the top 10 in school history in both categories. Looking back to last season’s game against Central Oklahoma, Lincoln had four catches for 110 yards in a 41-6 win.
Under the Radar
Sophomore wideout Damian Couthren has put together two effective games so far but is not receiving a lot of fanfare. He has made four receptions in each game and is averaging 54.5 yards receiving per game, almost exactly the same figures as last year.
He is second on the team in both receptions and yards this year, but seems to be a likely candidate for a breakout performance soon. He is the team’s deep threat and showed his speed off when he caught a 45-yard TD bomb from Garza against ECU.
To The Nines
Historically, years ending in the number nine have been good for the Javelinas. They won the national championship in 1959 (12-1), 1969 (11-1) and 1979 (12-1). Additionally, the team went 10-1 in 1989, 6-1-3 in 1939 and 8-2 in 1949.
The Javelinas have also made the playoffs in four of the last five years that ended in nine. A playoff appearance this year would be the team’s first since 2004 when they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
Going the Right Way
Coach Bo Atterberry has finally reached the .500 mark for his career. He started his coaching career 1-7 but has gone 11-5 since the ninth week of the 2007 season. He is also riding a three-game winning streak that ties the longest of his career.
As a team, the Javelinas are 2-0 for the first time since 2005, when the team began the year 3-0. The team still has dreams of an undefeated regular season, which has not happened since 1989.
HOCKEY
Sheen signs with Bees
HIDALGO - The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees announced Tuesday the team signed right wing Kyle Sheen.
Sheen is a 26-year-old Calgary native who appeared in 47 games with the Rapid City Rush last season. The rugged 6-foot-2, 230-pound winger collected 18 points (8-10-18) and 154 penalty minutes. Despite being placed on the season–ending injured reserve list March 7, Sheen managed to finish second on the Rush in PIM.
Sheen's best offensive output in both pro and junior hockey was in 2007-08 as a member of the Huntsville Havoc. He posted 44 points (18-26-44) and 192 PIM and finished fifth in the league in penalty minutes while leading Huntsville in that department. He was also fifth in scoring on the Havoc that year and tied for second on the team with nine power play goals.
"Kyle brings an element that will be critical to our success," Killer Bees coach Chris Brooks said. "Just like everyone else, he’ll have to battle for a spot in training camp and see how things shake down."
Sheen began his pro career in 2004 and played in 72 games with a trio of UHL teams. He spent most of the 2004-05 season with Richmond, collecting 12 points (6-6-12) and 122 PIM in 41 games. Prior to that, he spent five seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Kootenay Ice and Kamloops Blazers. His totals there include 67 points (24-43-67) and 439 PIM in 188 games.
Bees camp starts in October
HIDALGO - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees training camp is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Oct. 5 at Dodge Arena and will run through Oct. 15, when the team’s season opening roster is due to the CHL office by 3 p.m.
The Killer Bees will play a pair of preseason games beginning Oct. 9 when they travel to Laredo to face the Bucks at 7:30 p.m., and then they play host to the Corpus Christi IceRays on Oct. 11 at Dodge Arena with faceoff set for 6 p.m. Tickets for the game will be available starting 10 a.m. Oct. 1 at the Dodge Arena Box Office and all TicketMaster locations, including www.ticketmaster.com.
