Longhorns roll, Reddic scores

A MEMORABLE FRESHMAN YEAR — Kilgore native Frank Reddic (above, 24), now a freshman running back at Texas State University, ran for a touchdown last week in State’s 52-18 rout of Texas Southern. Reddic is getting quite a bit of playing time for the Bobcats. This freshman thing isn’t so hard, after all — at least, apparently not for Kilgore native Frank Reddic.

Reddic, a running back at Texas State University just a few months removed from his senior season, had a touchdown for the Bobcats in their 52-18 win over Texas Southern last Saturday.

Reddic, who told the News Herald before the season started that he wasn’t certain if he would be playing or redshirted, has played well. He helped State roll up 525 yards of offense, and scored on a run of 19 yards (in the fourth quarter). Reddic wears No. 24 for the Bobcats.

Texas State, also the alma mater of Kilgore High School assistant coach Clint Toon, is now 2-1 on the season and plays at Southern Utah on Saturday.

The second-ranked Texas Longhorns have four players on their roster from Kilgore, and stormed all over Texas El Paso on Saturday, 64-7.

Michael Huey and Britt Mitchell, both offensive linemen, played in the contest and helped UT roll up a staggering 32 first downs. The Longhorns had 325 rushing yards, 335 pass- ing yards, averaged 7.2 yards for every rush and 10.2 yards for every pass completion, and only punted twice. They got into the red zone, or inside UTEP’s 20-yard-line, on eight occasions and scored every time, and were 7-of-14 on third-down conversions. Huey wears No. 63, and Mitchell No. 72.

Jones, a defensive end for the ’Horns, helped UT hold UTEP to just seven first downs, 44 yards passing and 9 yards rushing. UTEP’s average gain per play was just 1 yard. The Miners finished with just 53 yards of total offense, and were forced to punt eight times by the UT defense.

Jones, No. 32, had 1 1/2 tackles, including one for a loss, and was credited for two quarterback hurries.

Another former Bulldog, Dominique Jones, is a freshman for the ’Horns, but did not play in the game.

Texas has an open date this weekend, then hosts Colorado Oct. 10. The annual Big 12 South showdown with Oklahoma at the fairgrounds in Dallas is set for Oct. 17. The ’Horns will likely be watching with interest when OU visits the Miami Hurricanes this Saturday.

Texas Christian University, along with Kilgore natives Nick Sanders and Wayne Daniels, is now the No. 10 team in the country in the latest Associated Press poll. The Horned Frogs went to very hostile territory and defeated an ACC team, Clemson, last Saturday, 14-10.

In that game, Sanders, a cornerback (who wears No. 20), had five total tackles and a pass break-up, and Daniels, a defensive end (who wears 96), had a huge game: eight total tackles, including one for a loss, and was credited with a quarterback hurry.

More importantly, it allowed the Horned Frogs to remain undefeated and garner a little more respect as they try to make a BCS bowl game later this season. They’ll host SMU Saturday night in Fort Worth.

It wasn’t all good news for former Kilgore players. Coty Gatewood and Sam Houston State University’s Bearkats lost at Tulsa last weekend, 56-3. There wasn’t much good for the Bearkats in this game. Gatewood did not play in the contest. He wears No. 92 for SHSU.

Colby Rosen, a 2008 Kilgore graduate, is now a freshman at Missouri Southern. The Lions lost their homecoming contest, 44-36, to Nebraska-Omaha last weekend. Rosen, an offensive lineman, didn’t get to play in the contest. MSU hosts Pittsburg State Saturday at 1 p.m. Rosen wears No. 50.

Midwestern State University (in Wichita Falls) also has a former Kilgore High School player, freshman Shaun Edwards. Midwestern lost its first Lone Star Conference game of the year to Angelo State, 20-17.

Two other former Bulldogs — Lon Roberts and Vince Cano, both offensive linemen — had the weekend off, as both play for Louisiana Tech and had an open date. The LA Tech Bulldogs play host to Hawaii tonight, a 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2, and then visit Nevada on Oct. 9. If you’d like to look for the Kilgore players on TV, Roberts wears No. 60; Cano wears No. 69. And Roberts is the starting center.