Toon gets start, Texas State wins!

TOON Not all the former Kilgore High School players playing college football on Saturday picked up wins, but many gave impressive performances, including former Bulldog and Kilgore College Ranger Clint Toon, now a senior quarterback at Texas State University.

Toon started under center and helped Texas State to a 38-35 win over Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colo., on Saturday.

Toon, who quarterbacked Kilgore to a 12-2 record in the 2003 season and then helped KC to a conference championship and bowl berth in 2004, has performed well for the Bobcats each time he's been called upon, and Saturday was no different. According to the Bobcats' website, Toon went 18- of-32 for 227 yards and a touchdown. It was the third straight game this year where Toon threw for over 100 yards. He completed passes to seven different receivers.

The Bobcats took the lead with 2:11 left on a 29-yard field goal by Andrew Ireland. Texas State is 2-1 on the season and hosts Southern Utah on Saturday.

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Three former Kilgore High players were a part of Texas' 52-10 win over Rice on Saturday: Eddie Jones (defensive end), Britt Mitchell (offensive lineman) and Michael Huey (offensive lineman). Huey started the game on the O-line. He and Mitchell assisted the Longhorns in rolling up exactly 600 yards on the day (including 259 rushing yards) and 28 first downs. Texas averaged 8.8 yards per play.

DANIELS Jones, a second-string defensive end behind Brian Orakpo, held Rice to just 17 rushing yards, and to a 2-of-17 performance on thirddown conversions.

The Longhorns host Arkansas on Saturday.

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Lon Roberts started on the offensive line at center for Louisiana Tech, and helped the Bulldogs beat Southeastern Louisiana, 41-26. Roberts helped the Tech offense to 249 yards rushing, 445 total yards, 26 first downs, and to convert 12 of 18 on third down.

Tech is off this weekend, but visits Boise State Oct. 1.

+++ Nick Sanders (a cornerback) and Wayne Daniels (a defensive end) helped the Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs to a 48-7 whipping of Southern Methodist University.

The TCU defensive unit that included Sanders and Daniels held SMU to 210 yards, and a -8-yard rushing performance. Daniels had two tackles and a sack for a loss of 5 yards, and Sanders had a tackle in the win.

GATEWOOD The Frogs play at Oklahoma on Saturday.

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Coty Gatewood (a defensive tackle) and the Sam Houston State University football team suffered a 38-14 loss at nationally-ranked Kansas on Saturday. Gatewood had a solo tackle and an assist in the loss.

The Bearkats will play at Gardner-Webb this Saturday.

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Other games that included former Kilgore players, Kilgore College lost to Navarro, 28-10 (see the story on this page; Danny Smith, Joe Colbert, and DeAndre Rossum all play at KC); Miami defeated Texas A&M, 41-23 (Ryan Whitmer is a reserve offensive lineman for A&M but didn't play in the game); Texas A&M-Commerce beat Eastern New Mexico, 38-14 (former KHS players Daniel Swaim, Kurt Rossum and Antonio Kelly play for Commerce).

Sports editor Mitch Lucas is always seeking information on former Kilgore-area athletes. To contact him, e-mail him at sports@kilgorenewsherald.com, or phone him at (903) 984-2593.