Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/28/2024

The NFL season entered its penultimate weekend card with the AFC and NFC Championship games and a veteran superstar stole the stage for his team trying to win their fourth conference championship in five years.  Mission accomplished.  Kansas City Chiefs All Pro Tight End Travis Kelce reminded fans of how dominant he's been in the postseason with a much needed performance in carving up the favored and home-standing Baltimore Ravens for 11 catches and 111 yards and a TD, doing most of his damage in the first half when the Chiefs ran up 14 points on their first two possessions (6 of his catches including his TD) en route to a 17-10 win.  In the meantime, Kelce passes Jerry Rice for the most postseason catches in the history of the NFL.  History.  Of.  The.  NFL.  Travis Kelce was an unstoppable force and the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/21/2024

An amazing sports weekend with Australian Open tennis, NFL Playoffs, NBA and NHL action had perhaps the most shocking result in the third PGA tournament of the year.  For the first time in over 33 years, an amateur won a PGA tour event.  20-year-old (barely) Nick Dunlap shocked a pretty deep PGA field to win the American Express in La Quinta, CA.  Dunlap torched the courses for a -29 total, including a 60 on moving day Saturday.  He held on a shaky tee shot on the 72nd hole to par out for the win.  And this was no watered-down field.  Justin Thomas.  Xander Schauffele.  Scottie Scheffler.  Jason Day.  Patrick Cantlay.  All the big names were distanced by the sophomore from Alabama.  A name to remember as only the third amateur victor in a PGA event since 1957.  Dunlap is a worthy Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week! 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/14/2024

In one of the most anticipated College Football Playoff Championship games in recent memory, two 14-0 teams geared up to battle in Houston.  Intrigue skyrocketed as two conflicting styles of play... Michigan's running and defense versus Washington's weapon-laden, diverse offense and points would be settled on the field.  The former proved superior.  The tone was set early on two early breakout runs by Donovan Edwards, who had been relegated to more of a change-of-pace back through the year behind workhorse Blake Corum.  But it was Edwards who burst through the Huskies defensive line twice in the first 13 minutes of the game to stake the Wolverines to a 14-3 lead, after which Washington never got closer than a TD.  Both Edwards runs were 40+ yards and hit paydirt for the first two touchdowns of the game.  He totaled 104 yards on just 6 carries, but his strong start is worthy of the Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

Sportsman of the Week Ending 1/7/2024

A thrilling opening semifinal of the College Football Playoffs commenced with both games going down to the last play and both undefeated teams moving onto their first Playoff Finals.  Despite being undefeated, the Washington Huskies were slight underdogs to the brand name Texas Longhorns but for most of the 60 minutes, had control of the game thanks to their Heisman runner-up quarterback Michael Penix Jr.  Penix Jr. was familiar with the Longhorns from the 2022 Alamo Bowl but took his game to a new level in near perfection in defeat of the Longhorns in the 2024 Sugar Bowl.  Penix Jr. was 29/38, with 2 TDs and 430 yards as the Longhorns had no answer for him.  He took no sacks and also scrambled for another 30 yards.  Penix Jr. takes his act to the Championship game where he'll face Michigan, his toughest defensive test of the year, but for now, is the worthy Longhorndave Sportsman of the Week!

*Editors note* the Sportsman of the Week goes through Sunday, therefore any result of the College Football Playoff finals will not be rendered until January 14. 

Sportsman of the Week Ending 12/31/2023

It's a Longhorndave on Sports tradition that Bowl Season the big players in Bowl games get the nod for Sportsman of the Week honors and this week is no different.  While some complain that the Bowl Season was watered down with too many, now watered down with opt outs, the Chick-Fil-a Peach Bowl brought two heavyweight conference contenders who were within a game or two of the College Football Playoff in Ole Miss and Penn State.  Two great coaches and loads of talent in a hotbed of college football, Atlanta, GA.  And Ole Miss was all gas and no brakes in running up the score on a strong Penn State defense.  Rebels Quarterback Jaxson Dart shredded the Nittany Lions defense for 379 yards and 3 TD.  While the other 15 yards of passing for Ole Miss was caught by the junior while running for 14 yards and a fourth TD.  Ole Miss looks to be a force in the SEC for years to come, including next year when Dart has professed to come back and will be on the Heisman short list.  It was a big win led by our Sportsman of the Week!