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Texas Longhorns Kicker Competition Still Wide Open

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Texas Longhorns Kicker Competition Still Wide Open


AUSTIN — The Texas Longhorns have a kicking competition on their hands this spring, something that’s likely to continue into the fall.

With the struggles that Bert Auburn had at the end of last season, Steve Sarkisian and the coaching staff clearly isn’t sold on him as the starting place kicker for 2025 and are giving Will Stone — who handled kickoff duties — a shot at proving himself.

“From a kicking standpoint, trying to find that right rhythm of consistency when you when you have a competition going on, the protection is as important as even just the kick,” Sarkisian said Monday when speaking to the media. “And so trying to work on that, and that’ll be a big emphasis of ours as we continue to move forward.”

Will Stone

Texas Longhorns place kicker Will Stone (15) takes a kick late in the second quarter to get the extra point as the Texas Longhorns play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 10, 2025. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sarkisian added that the team still hasn’t “done enough” quite yet to come to a decision on if Auburn or Stone will be the starting place kicker. With Texas still having to complete spring practice along with summer workouts and fall camp, it could be awhile until Longhorn fans have an answer.

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“We haven’t done enough. I think we’ll start to really ramp it up here Wednesday,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve done it, we’ve done some, but now we’ve got to really start to ramp this thing up, to get a real gage on what it looks like.”

Auburn, who is the program’s all-time leader in made field goals (66), has been Texas’ starting kicker the past three seasons. However, he lost the starting job ahead of the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Ohio State after missing two field goals in the CFP quarters against Arizona State. He finished the 2024 campaign 16 of 25 on field goals, with six of those misses coming in the final five games of the season.

The Longhorns didn’t attempt a field goal against the Buckeyes but Stone knocked in both extra points for Texas in the 28-14 loss at the Cotton Bowl while Auburn sat the bench.

Regardless of who wins the position battle, they’ll have a major spotlight to step into when Texas opens up the regular season on Aug. 30 against Ohio State in Columbus.



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Texas Rangers investigating allegations of assault against Magnolia mayor

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Texas Rangers investigating allegations of assault against Magnolia mayor


MAGNOLIA, Texas (KTRK) — Texas Rangers confirmed to ABC13 that they have an active and open investigation into Magnolia Mayor Matthew “Doc” Dantzer following allegations of assault against the city’s secretary.

Bryan Emery spoke to ABC13 on behalf of his fiancée, Christian Gable, the Magnolia City secretary.

Gable told her fiancé what happened last October during an out-of-town work conference with Mayor Dantzer.

Emery said Gable, who was pregnant at the time, told him the mayor was walking her back to the hotel.

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“He’s like, ‘Well, that only means one thing, once they get past the belly, they come off easier, and he reaches over there and tries to pull her pants down,’” Emery said.

Next, he said his fiancée threatened to kill the mayor, and when they got back to the hotel, Emery said the mayor went a step further towards Gable.

“He turns around and says this is how he needs to deal with you and grabs her by the throat and pins her up – there’s these big silver pillars in front of valet – pins her up against this pillar in front of the valet, she fights her off, turns around and yells at the valet people ‘nobody seen that, nobody’s going to do anything,’” Emery said.

ABC13 reached out to the attorney representing Mayor Dantzer. He sent ABC13 a statement denying the allegations and saying Dantzer looks forward to defending himself through the legal process.

The city’s attorney said they have no comment, but Emery hopes justice will be served.

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“I’m really hoping they get everything they need and get him off the streets pretty soon,” Emery said.

The mayor has not been charged.

Copyright © 2026 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Scouting the women’s NCAA Elite 8 contest between Michigan and Texas

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Scouting the women’s NCAA Elite 8 contest between Michigan and Texas


Free Press staff writer Arpan Lobo breaks down the Elite Eight matchup between 1-seed Texas and 2-seed Michigan in the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament.

Fast facts

  • Matchup: 1-seed Texas (34-3, 13-3, SEC) vs. 2-seed Michigan (28-6, 15-3 Big Ten); 2026 NCAA Tournament Fort Worth-3 regional final.
  • Tipoff: 7 p.m., March 30; Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas.
  • TV: ESPN.
  • Series: 1-0 Texas. The only other meeting between the two programs was in 2018, when Texas won, 69-52.

At stake: Winner advances to the Final Four in Phoenix on April 3-5.

Michigan women’s basketball: Meet the Wolverines

  • Location: Ann Arbor.
  • Coach: Kim Barnes Arico (311-150 over 14 seasons at U-M, 487-284 career).
  • School tournament record: 15-13 in 13 appearances.
  • Past 10 games: 9-1
  • Scoring leaders: Olivia Olson, 19.2 points per game; Syla Swords 14.8; Mila Holloway, 12.4.
  • Rebounding leaders: Olson, 6.2; Brooke Quarles Daniels, 5.2; Te’yala Delfosse, 4.6.
  • Assist leaders: Holloway, 4.8; Quarles Daniels, 2.9; Olson, 2.5.
  • 3-point leaders: McKenzie Mathurin, 40%; Macy Brown*, 36.1%; Holloway, 34.9%.

*Out for season.

The buzz: Michigan is back to the Elite Eight for only the second time in program history, with its only other appearance being a loss to Louisville in 2022. They’ve outclassed and outworked their first three opponents in the tournament, most recently overcoming an early deficit against Louisville to run away late in a 71-52 victory in the Sweet 16.

Even after slow shooting starts from stars Olson and Swords in their past two contests, the Wolverines have been able to break down their opponents by deploying constant pressure, picking up ballhandlers deep in their own backcourts. They force turnovers and create easy looks in transition. Olson, a third-team AP All-American, was big in the second half against both North Carolina State and Louisville, and has been Michigan’s leading scorer in the tournament.

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Another factor aiding Michigan’s run? Outworking their opponents on the glass. Guard Brooke Quarles Daniels, at all of 5-foot-7, had a whopping seven offensive boards against Louisville. Michigan has won the rebounding battle in all three of its tournament games so far.

The Wolverines haven’t met an opponent like Texas yet, and particularly an individual force like Madison Booker.

Texas women’s basketball: Meet the Longhorns

  • Location: Austin, Texas.
  • Coach: Vic Schaefer (177-29 at Texas, 478-211 career).
  • School tournament record: 58-36 in 38 appearances.
  • Past 10 games: 10-0.
  • Scoring leaders: Madison Booker, 19.3 points per game; Jordan Lee, 13.5; Kyla Oldacre, 10.4
  • Rebounding leaders: Booker, 6.7; Oldacre, 6.1; Breya Cunningham, 5.6.
  • Assist leaders: Rori Harmon, 6.1; Booker, 3.8; Lee, 2.5.
  • 3-point leaders: Harmon, 45.8%; Bryanna Preston, 44.4%; 43.8%.

The buzz: After a dominating season, the Longhorns find themselves a win away from a second consecutive Final Four appearance. And the team’s biggest star is three-time All-American forward Madison Booker, who’s led the Longhorns in scoring on the way to another deep tournament run.

Booker is more than just a scorer, however, and is able to facilitate in half court. Although her 3-point field goal percentage has dipped compared to her sophomore season, she’s still able to provide spacing for Texas. Against Kentucky in the Elite Eight, she totaled 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists on the way to a 76-54 win for Texas that was never really in doubt.

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Although the Longhorns have others with better percentages from deep, guard Jordan Lee is the team’s most willing outside shooter, hitting nearly 36% from range on more than three attempts a game.

Against Kentucky, Texas forced 24 Wildcat turnovers. The Longhorns boasted the third-best turnover margin in the country this season. Against a Michigan team that likes to bring pressure as well, the turnover battle could play a sizeable role in determining which program heads to Phoenix. The matchup represents a styles clash as well — the Wolverines are the eighth-best scoring offense in the country at 83.9 points per game, but Texas owns a top-15 scoring defense, limiting opponents to 56.4 points per game.

The contest is also taking place in Fort Worth, a much shorter trip from Austin than from Ann Arbor. The crowd is likely to be behind the Longhorns.

You can reach Arpan Lobo at alobo@freepress.com



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Texas A&M avoids sweep taking Game 3, 9-7, hands Texas rare home loss

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Texas A&M avoids sweep taking Game 3, 9-7, hands Texas rare home loss


No. 15 Texas A&M walked out of Austin with a hard‑earned win on Sunday, taking Game 3 of the rivalry series 9–7 to avoid the sweep in what felt every bit like a postseason matchup. The Aggies built an early lead, added crucial insurance late, and held off a furious seventh‑inning push from No. 1 Texas to snap the Longhorns’ nation‑leading win streak.

A&M once again struck first, continuing a trend from the entire weekend. Kennedy Powell’s speed immediately created pressure, turning a single into extra bases after a throwing error. Ariel Kowalewski followed with an RBI double, and Micaela Wark delivered a two‑run home run to give the Aggies a 3–0 advantage before Texas recorded its third out.

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The Longhorns answered with a run in the bottom of the first, but KK Dement erased it with a solo shot in the second inning. A&M’s pitching and defense kept Texas quiet for the next three frames until a two‑run double trimmed the lead to 4–3.

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With momentum shifting, the Aggies responded with their biggest inning of the series. Frankie Vrazel doubled, Powell doubled her home, and after a walk to Mya Perez, Kowalewski punched a two‑RBI single through the infield. Texas appeared ready to escape the inning, but consecutive defensive errors extended the frame and allowed three more Aggie runs to score, pushing the lead to 9–3 entering the seventh.

Texas refused to fold. The Longhorns put two on with no outs and pushed across a pair of runs, one on a sacrifice fly, another on a groundout. Down to their final out with no one on base, Texas launched back‑to‑back solo home runs to suddenly cut the deficit to two. Sydney Lessentine steadied the moment, inducing a pop‑up to the catcher to close out the win.

Across all three games, the rivalry delivered exactly what it promised. Intensity, high‑level softball, and postseason energy. While Texas claimed the series, the Aggies leave Austin with a top‑25 win, a snapped streak, and a performance that reinforced their ability to compete with anyone in the country.





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