It was another remarkable year in Texas sports. A North Texas team is making its College Football Playoff debut, with several teams inching closer to the championship title. This year, KERA News and the Denton Record-Chronicle partnered to bring you these stories every Friday on 90.1 KERA News and online.
To close out the year, Brett Vito of the Denton Record Chronicle sat down with KERA’s Bekah Mohr to reflect on the ups and downs of Texas sports in 2024.
What about you cowboys? (please don’t ask)
It’s been a tough year for Jerry World. Expectations were high heading into this year after three straight 12-5 seasons and an offseason that saw star quarterback Dak Prescott become the highest-paid player in NFL history.
However, the team struggled in 2024. Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 9 of the season. Despite winning four of their last five games, Dallas is currently out of playoff contention with a 7-8 record heading into Sunday’s game in Philadelphia.
There is widespread speculation that owner Jerry Jones will fire coach Mike McCarthy after a difficult season. Prescott took over guarding McCarthy late in the season.
The Cowboys have two games left before entering an eventful offseason.
Texas isn’t without a playoff team: The Houston Texans won the AFC South title and will play the Tennessee Titans on January 5th before heading into the playoffs. The Texans may be without wide receiver Tank Dell, who suffered a knee injury Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens, and their path to the playoffs could get a little tougher.
gareth patterson
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AP file photo
SMU’s historic season
It was an exciting football season at Southern Methodist University. The Mustangs had a breakout year in their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, qualifying for the College Football Playoff in their first season as members. The Mustangs went 11-1 in the regular season, but lost to Clemson in the conference championship game.
One of the big questions heading into the playoff field reveal was whether SMU would be included. However, SMU came out and faced Penn State in the first round, and the Mustangs lost to the Nittany Lions.
Mavs surprise run
The Dallas Mavericks postseason was one of the top stories in all of Texas sports. Dallas became only the second team in history to reach the NBA Finals as a No. 5 seed. Despite Luka Doncic’s amazing performance in the finals, averaging 29.2 points per game, they lost 4-1 against the Celtics. But their run gave hope to basketball fans across North Texas.
The Mavericks are in fourth place in the Western Conference with 19 wins and 11 losses this season. And they will face challenges as they try to cement their place among the NBA’s top teams. Doncic suffered a calf injury in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Christmas Day. Then he might rest for a while.
Rangers cannot recreate magic.
The Texas Rangers enter 2024 as the reigning World Series champions for the first time, and expectations are high that they will once again make the extended playoffs.
Those expectations did not come true as the Texans finished in third place in the American League West behind the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners, missing out on the playoffs. Houston won the division, but lost to the Detroit Tigers in the first round.
The Rangers have made some moves recently, resigning pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and adding Miami Marlins infielder Jake Berger for the offseason. Berger brings power to the Texas lineup and is one of the few additions the Rangers made in the offseason. Pitchers Jacob Webb and Hobie Milner also joined the team. Milner is a Fort Worth native who pitched at the University of Texas.
Star: big and bright
The Dallas Stars made it through the playoffs in overtime thanks to players such as star goaltender Jake Oettinger and forwards Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin. Although they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals, Dallas pushed Edmonton to within six games and lost 2-1 in the final game.
The team is currently in 4th place in the division with 40 points and is in contention for the playoffs this year.
They are looking to solidify their spot in the postseason, but are without star center Seguin, who is out for up to six months with a hip injury.
