RF Sports Radio | DFW Sports News — Cowboys, Mavs, Rangers, Stars, Wings, SMU

By Hank Dalton , RF Sports Radio MLB voice Baseball fans, the trophy is in Milwaukee and the hot stove is officially lit. For the Rangers, the first sparks are not signings. They are goodbyes, and they tell you exactly what kind of winter Texas is planning. The facts All three of the Rangers' mutual options will be bought out, MLB Trade Rumors reported Friday, citing Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. ESPN's Jesse Rogers first reported that designated hitter Joc Pederson passed on his end of an $18.5 million option, and the Morning News also reported the Pederson option will not be exercised. Catcher Kyle Higashioka gets a $1 million buyout instead of a $7 million salary, and reliever Jakob Junis gets a $1.25 million buyout on a $5 million option, per MLB Trade Rumors. The outlet noted it did not specify which side declined those two, but said it is safe to assume the team passed, and that Texas is clearly working against payroll limitations. Higashioka did ...

By Jake "Star" Whitfield , RF Sports Radio Cowboys voice Cowboys Nation, the final injury report of the week is out, and the headline is not the name everybody was watching. George Pickens is questionable but expected to play. The name that should make you sit up is Kenny Clark, who was not on the report at all until Friday. The facts Dallas (3-4) ruled out returner KaVontae Turpin (ribs) and linebacker Dee Winters (calf) for Sunday's noon Central kickoff against Arizona at AT&T Stadium on FOX, per DallasCowboys.com and The Dallas Morning News. Pickens (shoulder/hamstring) was limited all week and is questionable, but Brian Schottenheimer said Friday he expects him to play. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark showed up Friday with a back injury, was limited, and is questionable. The Morning News reported he had practiced all week with no problems before Friday. In all, six Cowboys are questionable. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker (groin) is one of them, but he has not pr...

By Coach Terrence Booker , RF Sports Radio DFW high school voice Friday night lights, North Texas. Week 10 had a one-point upset, a one-point escape, an 80-point night and more running clocks than I can count. With playoff spots on the line, this is when districts get decided, and a few of them got shaken up. The facts Unranked McKinney beat 6A No. 16 Jesuit 35-34, and 6A No. 19 Hebron held off Flower Mound 42-41, per Inside High School Sports DFW's Week 10 scoreboard. Top-ranked Allen won 56-14 at McKinney Boyd. Those results join Thursday's upset, when 6A No. 21 Wylie East beat No. 12 Sachse 21-16. Across Dallas and the suburbs, Lake Highlands won 45-24 at Plano West, Prosper beat Prosper Walnut Grove 52-10, Rockwall beat Royse City 42-22, and North Forney edged Rockwall-Heath 38-35, per Inside High School Sports DFW. Plano won 22-20 at Richardson Berkner, and Anna beat Celina 35-28. DeSoto, No. 1 in 5A Division I, shut out Mansfield Legacy. On the Fort Worth side,...

By Mac Rivera , RF Sports Radio Baylor voice Sic 'em, Bears fans. Five days after a coaching change, Baylor went into a hostile stadium on a Friday night against a team that just beat the No. 2 team in the country. And the Bears did not just win. They took UCF apart. The facts DJ Lagway threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns as Baylor beat UCF 41-9 on Friday night in Joe Klanderman's first game as interim head coach, per the Associated Press. Klanderman, the first-year defensive coordinator, took over this week after Dave Aranda was fired following a 25-24 loss to Kansas. Lagway went 16-of-25. He threw touchdowns of 4 and 21 yards to tight end Tony Livingston, a 77-yard score to Gavin Freeman and a 5-yarder to tight end Matthew Klopfenstein, per ESPN's AP story. Caden Knighten ran for a 2-yard touchdown. Freeman had five catches for 114 yards, and freshman Ryelan Morris ran 11 times for 82 yards, per BaylorBears.com. The defense was the headline. Baylor had a se...

By Marcus Delaney , RF Sports Radio Mavericks voice Mavs Nation, two undefeated teams walked into American Airlines Center this week. Two teams walked out with their first loss. Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Houston on Friday. Somebody check the schedule-makers, because this Dallas team is not the soft landing anybody predicted. The facts Kyrie Irving scored 35 points and Cooper Flagg added 33 as Dallas rallied past Houston 116-111 in the NBA Cup opener for both teams, per the Associated Press. The Rockets had been 5-0, including a 128-110 win over Dallas on opening night. Irving was 12-of-19 from the field, 5-of-8 from three and 6-of-6 at the line with nine assists, per the NBA.com box score, and Mavs.com reported he scored 16 in the fourth quarter. Flagg went 13-of-19 with nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. Daniel Gafford had 18 points and seven rebounds, eight of those points in the fourth. Kevin Durant led Houston with 28, and Jabari Smith Jr. had 22. It was not pr...

By Jordan Pierce , RF Sports Radio NBA voice Hoops heads, the NBA Cup opened with 10 games Friday and somehow the best one ended with a 17-point margin. That is what happens when Steph Curry decides a 25-point deficit is just a warmup. The facts Golden State beat the Lakers 112-95 after trailing by 25 early, per ESPN's AP recap. Curry scored 31 and passed Dominique Wilkins for 18th on the NBA's career scoring list. Luka Doncic had 37. The Lakers led 38-15 after the first quarter, and Golden State won the second quarter by the same 38-15 score. The AP called it the largest margin of victory in the shot-clock era for a team that trailed by 20 or more after one. In Philadelphia, LeBron James scored 20 and hit the go-ahead fadeaway with 1:10 left, and Tyrese Maxey scored 27 as the 76ers beat the Knicks 98-93, per the AP. Jalen Brunson led New York with 24, and Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 and 12, per NBA.com. In Dallas, Kyrie Irving (35) and Cooper Flagg (33) handed Houston i...

By Nolan Frost , RF Sports Radio Stars voice Stars fans, two straight losses at home, five goals allowed in each, and now the guy who took this team to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final walks into American Airlines Center behind the other bench. Happy Halloween. Nothing scarier than a former coach who knows your tendencies. The facts Dallas (7-5-1) hosts Columbus (5-6-0) tonight at 7 p.m. Central on Prime Video, closing a six-game homestand, per DallasStars.com and the Dallas Sports Journal. The Stars lost 5-1 to New Jersey on Tuesday and 5-2 to Montreal on Thursday. They entered Thursday allowing a league-low 2.0 goals per game and have now given up 29 in 13 games. "When you win the specialty teams game, which we ended up doing, but you give up four 5-on-5 goals, it's not good enough," coach Glen Gulutzan said after Thursday's loss, per the Dallas Sports Journal. Columbus is coached by Rick Bowness, who led Dallas from 2019 to 2022. Valeri Nichushkin, a 2013 Star...

By Danielle "Dee" Ortiz , RF Sports Radio WNBA voice Hoops fans, it is the last day of October and the WNBA season is still going, which is exactly how this series deserved to end. One game. Winner takes the trophy. And no matter who wins, a franchise lifts it for the very first time. The facts Atlanta and Golden State play Game 7 of the WNBA Finals tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central, at Chase Center in San Francisco, the first Game 7 in Finals history, per ESPN. Versant's press room lists the broadcast on USA Network and CNBC, with streaming on Peacock. The league moved to a best-of-seven Finals last season, when Las Vegas swept Phoenix. The Dream forced this game with an 80-69 win in Game 6 on Thursday. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard combined for 44 points, per CBS Sports, and Gray scored 23 while playing through a finger and hand injury from the semifinals, per ESPN. Angel Reese had 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting with six assists. Atlanta led by 25 in the...

By Cam Sutton , RF Sports Radio Colorado voice Buffs fans, if you have been waiting for a break, here it is. Kansas State is coming to Boulder with a quarterback who has never taken a college snap. Colorado is 0-4 in the Big 12. If not today, when? The facts Kansas State (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) plays at Colorado (2-5, 0-4) at 1 p.m. Central at Folsom Field on TNT, per Yahoo Sports. The Wildcats will start sophomore Dillon Duff, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel as reported by Yahoo, and it will be his first action since arriving in Manhattan. Avery Johnson is out for a second straight game, Jacob Knuth is doubtful with an ankle injury, and Blake Barnett is also dealing with an injury. Colorado lost 57-24 at Oklahoma State last week after leading 24-23 in the first half, per Sports Illustrated. Kansas State lost 28-17 to Arizona State. The Wildcats have won the last two meetings, including 24-14 last season, per SI. Colorado quarterback Isaac Wilson has thrown for 979 yards and s...

By Brooke Calloway , RF Sports Radio SMU voice Pony Up, people. Halloween in a dome in upstate New York, 11 a.m. our time, and the opposing head coach has already called your quarterback a Heisman candidate. That is either a compliment or a setup, and SMU has to treat it like a setup. The facts No. 19 SMU (6-1, 4-1 ACC) plays at Syracuse (3-4, 1-4) at 11 a.m. Central at the JMA Wireless Dome on ESPN2, with radio on KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM, per SMU Athletics. The Mustangs are 19th in the AP poll and 16th in the coaches poll and lead the series 2-0, including a 31-18 win at Ford Stadium last season. SMU has won four straight, most recently 59-20 over Cal after trailing 20-17 at halftime. The Mustangs scored touchdowns on their first six second-half drives, per CBS Sports. Kevin Jennings set the school record with his 74th career touchdown pass in that game. He is second in the ACC in completion percentage (72.6), touchdown passes (19) and passing yards per game (294.6). Kendrick Ra...

By Hank Dalton , RF Sports Radio MLB voice Baseball fans, the confetti in Milwaukee is still being swept up, and the calendar already flipped. One day after the Brewers won the first World Series in franchise history, baseball turned into a transaction league. In Arlington, that means the real work starts now. The facts Milwaukee closed out Tampa Bay on Wednesday, and on Thursday 144 players across the majors became free agents, per Sportsnet. Seven are Rangers: Tyler Alexander, Jalen Beeks, Elias Diaz, Nicky Lopez, Jordan Montgomery, Cal Quantrill and Trevor Williams. Sportsnet also reported that the offseason is expected to start fast in November, with owners expected to lock out the players once the collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. Texas missed the playoffs for a third straight season, and president of baseball operations Chris Young has talked about "reshuffling their cards," per a Roundtable column on Yahoo Sports. That column lays out three needs...

By Cam Sutton , RF Sports Radio Colorado voice Buffs Nation, five straight losses is a long time to wait for good news. Here is some: the team coming to Boulder on Saturday may not know who its quarterback is. The facts Kansas State (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) visits Colorado (2-5, 0-4) Saturday at 1 p.m. Central at Folsom Field, per K-State Athletics. The Wildcats will likely start a different quarterback for a third straight game. Avery Johnson is out for a second straight week, and Jacob Knuth, who made his first career start in last week's 28-17 loss at Arizona State, is doubtful with ankle sprains. That likely leaves Blake Barnett or Dillon Duff, and Duff has never played in a game. "There are some real challenges," first-year coach Collin Klein said. Colorado has dropped five straight since a 2-0 start: at Northwestern (41-7), at Baylor (23-13), against Texas Tech (29-7) and Utah (27-24), and at Oklahoma State (57-24). The Buffaloes led Oklahoma State 24-23 at halfti...

By Brooke Calloway , RF Sports Radio SMU voice Pony Up, Mustangs fans. Saturday's trip to upstate New York looks like a game SMU should win. Those are exactly the games that decide whether a ranked team stays ranked into November. The facts No. 19 SMU (6-1, 4-1 ACC) visits Syracuse (3-4, 1-4 ACC) at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday at 11 a.m. Central on ESPN2, per SMU Athletics. The Mustangs are 16th in the coaches poll. They beat Cal 59-20 last week, outscoring the Golden Bears 42-0 in the second half and holding them to 50 total yards after halftime. Kendrick Raphael ran for 104 yards, his third 100-yard game of the season, and Kevin Jennings set the program record for career touchdown passes. The numbers behind this team are serious. SMU has held opponents to 27-of-99 on third down (.273), which leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally. The Mustangs have 145 sacks since 2023, the most in FBS, and they are 18-3 in ACC play since joining the league in 2024, per the scho...

By Jake "Star" Whitfield , RF Sports Radio Cowboys voice Cowboys Nation, Wednesday's report was a guess. Thursday's report was the real thing, because Thursday was the first time this team actually practiced after Monday night in Philadelphia. And the real thing has a couple of new names on it. The facts Dallas (3-4) held only a walkthrough Wednesday, so that day's participation was an estimate, per the Dallas Sports Journal and Cardinals Wire. On Thursday, KaVontae Turpin (ribs) and Dee Winters (calf) did not practice for a second straight day. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker was added to the report with a groin injury and did not practice. Guard Tyler Smith was also added, with an ankle, but he was a full participant, per the official report on DallasCowboys.com. Caleb Downs (ankle), George Pickens (shoulder/hamstring), Drew Shelton (hamstring) and Quinnen Williams (hamstring) were limited again. Marist Liufau (forearm) and P.J. Locke (foot) were full again,...

By Nolan Frost , RF Sports Radio Stars voice Victory Green faithful, Thursday was supposed to be the bounce-back game after the worst night of the season. It was better. It was not close to good enough, and the head coach said so in words you do not usually hear in October. The facts Montreal beat Dallas 5-2 at American Airlines Center. Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook each scored twice, Phillip Danault added an empty-netter and an assist, and Jakub Dobes made 17 saves as the Canadiens (8-3-2) won their fourth straight, per NHL.com. Wyatt Johnston had a power-play goal and an assist, Jamie Benn scored, and Mikko Rantanen had two assists for Dallas (7-5-1). Jake Oettinger made 16 saves. The official game summary shows Montreal led 3-1 after one period. Per DallasStars.com's Mike Heika, Dallas was held under 20 shots for a second straight game (18 Tuesday, 19 Thursday), lost the shot-attempt battle 45-38 despite dominating faceoffs, and had 17 giveaways. The Stars did kill fou...

By Danielle "Dee" Ortiz , RF Sports Radio WNBA voice Hoops fans, I told you Thursday was title day in Atlanta. The Dream had other ideas. Now the WNBA gets something it has never had before: a Game 7 in the Finals. The facts Atlanta beat Golden State 80-69 on Thursday to tie the series 3-3, per the Associated Press and ESPN. Allisha Gray scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3, with two steals and three blocks. Rhyne Howard added 21 with four 3-pointers, and Angel Reese had a 15-point double-double. The AP said the Dream held off a late Golden State rally. ESPN's Kendra Andrews laid out how fast it turned. Atlanta won the first quarter 32-15 behind six 3-pointers, the first 30-point quarter the Valkyries have allowed in franchise history. The Dream led by 25 at halftime, the biggest lead by a team facing elimination in Finals history, and their 13 made 3s tied the Finals record for a team facing elimination. Gray held the Valkyries to 2-of-1...

By Jordan Pierce , RF Sports Radio NBA voice Hoop heads, the NBA's in-season tournament starts tonight, but Thursday's three-game card had a few things worth talking about first. Memphis is perfect, Sacramento is the opposite, and Atlanta pulled off the best finish of the night. The facts Atlanta beat Cleveland 114-111 at State Farm Arena behind Onyeka Okongwu's 29 points and 12 rebounds. James Harden led the Cavaliers with 24, per RealGM's box scores. The Hawks are 3-3 and the Cavs fell to 3-2. New Orleans got its first win, 132-120 over Sacramento, as Jeremiah Fears had 22 points and 13 assists. The Kings fell to 0-5 despite 34 points and 14 assists from Darryn Acuff Jr. And Memphis won 124-103 in Portland to move to 5-0, despite 24 points from Deni Avdija. Tonight, the Emirates NBA Cup begins. Per NBA.com, Group Play runs 60 games from Oct. 30 to Nov. 27, and every game counts in both the regular season and the Cup standings. Prime Video has a doubleheader: ...

By Marcus Delaney , RF Sports Radio Mavericks voice Mavs Nation, the last time Dallas saw Houston, it was opening night and it got ugly. Nine days later the Rockets come back to American Airlines Center undefeated, and the Mavericks get a do-over with something extra on the line. The facts Houston (5-0) visits Dallas (3-2) tonight at 7 p.m. Central, the first NBA Cup game for both teams. The Rockets won the season opener 128-110, with Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. scoring 30 apiece, per Fadeaway World. Cooper Flagg had 32 on 10-of-17 shooting in that loss, per SI. Dallas turned it over 21 times that night, and Houston turned those mistakes into 32 points. Dallas has won three of four since. Wednesday's 120-96 win over Oklahoma City came with only nine turnovers and 25 assists, and Flagg is averaging 25.3 points, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds, per SI. Houston beat Milwaukee 132-100 on Wednesday without Alperen Sengun and Marcus Smart. Fred VanVleet scored 24, including 1...

By Mac Rivera , RF Sports Radio Baylor voice Sic 'em, Bears fans. A week ago Baylor had a head coach. Tonight Joe Klanderman walks onto the field in Orlando as interim head coach, in the loudest, strangest environment on the Big 12 calendar. The facts Baylor (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) plays at UCF (4-3, 2-2) tonight at 6:30 p.m. Central on ESPN at the Acrisure Bounce House. It is UCF's 10th annual Space Game, with the Knights playing as the "Citronauts" in space-themed uniforms, per Underdog Dynasty. Baylor leads the series 2-1 and won 30-3 last November. Klanderman keeps his defensive coordinator duties after Dave Aranda was fired. Underdog Dynasty reports his 3-3-5 defense jumped from 122nd to 19th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 16.1 points a game. Last week's 25-24 loss to Kansas was the first time Baylor allowed more than 17 points all season. The Bears average 3.9 sacks a game, third nationally, led by Garrick Ponder's four, and they have 13 take...

By Coach Terrence Booker , RF Sports Radio DFW high school voice Friday night in North Texas, coaches and fans. Week 10 started on Thursday, and two games already shook up the district picture before tonight's full slate kicks off. The facts No. 1 North Crowley beat Mansfield 72-10 on Thursday at Newsom Stadium to clinch at least a share of the District 11-6A title, its fifth straight district crown, per the Star-Telegram. The Panthers (9-0) led 30-0 at halftime. Quarterback Jacob Torres went 14-of-15 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, and four-star receiver Damarion Mays caught nine passes for 219 yards. North Crowley has outscored opponents 454-139 and is likely headed for the Class 6A Division II bracket, the paper reported. Coach DeMarcus Harris said: "It feels real good to go into the district of doom and win district." In the game we previewed Thursday, MaxPreps lists a 21-16 Wylie East win over Sachse, with both teams now 8-1. That result was reported to Ma...

By Cam Sutton , RF Sports Radio Colorado voice Buffs fans, here is the number that should keep everybody in Boulder up at night: 5-15. That is Colorado's record over its last 20 games, and as the Denver Gazette pointed out this week, it is the same record as the final 20 games of the Karl Dorrell era. The facts Colorado (2-5, 0-4 Big 12) hosts Kansas State (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday, Oct. 31, at noon Mountain, 1 p.m. Central, at Folsom Field. The game airs on TNT and truTV and streams on HBO Max, per Buffaloes Wire. The Buffaloes are coming off a 57-24 loss at Oklahoma State that included 37 unanswered points allowed, per the Gazette. Colorado is the only Big 12 team without a conference win, and Deion Sanders is 18-25 in his fourth season. Take away the 9-4 season in 2024, the Gazette noted, and the Buffs are 9-22. "It's definitely not what I'm used to," Sanders said Tuesday. "Pain is pain. I hate losing because I don't consider myself one." ...

By Brooke Calloway , RF Sports Radio SMU voice Pony Up, folks. Yesterday I told you the numbers say SMU should handle Syracuse. Today I want to talk about the part of this game the numbers do not cover: who is actually going to be on the field Saturday. The facts No. 19 SMU (6-1, 4-1 ACC) plays at Syracuse (3-4, 1-4 ACC) on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 11 a.m. Central at the JMA Wireless Dome, on ESPN2 and on The Ticket in Dallas, per SMU Athletics. The Mustangs are 16th in the coaches poll and have been ranked in every AP poll this season, the longest such streak since 1985, according to the school's game notes. SMU has its own injury list. Per Roundtable's preview, running backs Dramekco Green and Link Rhodes, defensive lineman Ira Singleton IV and safety Tyren Polley Jr. entered the week as absences. Polley is expected to miss the rest of the season with a pectoral injury, and Rhodes is out for the year with a knee injury, per that report. Green's hand injury adds to t...