NCAAF

Middle Tennessee 31, Louisiana Tech 23

Louisiana Tech has a bit of a quarterback quandary. The Bulldogs started Jack Turner last night and then turned to Hank Bachmeier. Neither signal-caller performed particularly well in this game, but Bachmeier is far more accomplished as a college passer. Louisiana Tech should roll with him moving forward.

Liberty 31, Jacksonville State 13

Jamey Chadwell raised quite a few eyebrows when he left a Coastal Carolina program on the upswing to take the Liberty job, but with the Flames at 6-0, it sure seems Chadwell made a good decision. Under center, Liberty is in good hands with sophomore Kaidon Salter. Last night, Salter went 12-21 for 177 yards and two touchdowns.

Coastal Carolina 27, Appalachian State 24

Coastal Carolina needed this one. After back-to-back defeats against Georgia State and Georgia Southern, the Chanticleers were saved yesterday by Grayson McCall, who went 19-28 for 373 yards and two touchdowns. Coastal Carolina doesn’t have the coaching or upper-level talent it had in recent years, but it should still get to a bowl game this season.

Appalachian State has had an odd first half of the season. The ups? A double overtime loss at North Carolina, a double-digit win over East Carolina and a close loss in Laramie to Wyoming. The downs? A 21-point victory over Gardner-Webb, a one-point win over UL Monroe and last night’s defeat against Coastal Carolina. History tells us the Mountaineers will right the ship and get it figured out.

MLB

Astros 9, Twins 1

It’s easier said than done, but when possible, the Twins should probably stop pitching to Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez is an all-world hitter and already has four home runs in this series, including a ninth inning shot to right field yesterday.

The pressure, of course, is now on the Twins in this series, and Minnesota will need more from the bottom of its lineup to make a comeback. Alex Kirilloff, Matt Wallner, Willi Castro and Ryan Jeffers have all done next to nothing through three games.

Rangers 7, Orioles 1

I predicted the Rangers to advance to the World Series, but I didn’t foresee Texas blowing through the first two rounds as easily as it did. As it turns out, it helps to have a loaded lineup. Corey Seager, the face of the Rangers lineup, continues to cement himself as one of the game’s best players. With the help of a home run yesterday, Seager’s ALDS slash line was .429/.680/.857.

The Orioles had a marvelous 101-win season, but were probably a year ahead of schedule. If Baltimore had a weakness entering the postseason, it was starting pitching, and that weakness reared its ugly head last night. Dean Kremer had a nice season, but was shelled for six earned runs through just 1 2/3 innings last night. With a cost-controlled offense, the Orioles should invest money into a starting pitcher or two this winter.