According to Commish, WAC Lying On Deathbed

Disbanding a fifty year old conference may seem unnecessary when it carries a long line of tradition and history.  When it comes to the Western Athletic Conference, it has been a long time coming.  According to Commissioner Jeff Hurd, the once-sixteen member conference is entering its final season playing football with enrollment hitting an all-time low in 2013, and the other sports are also in jeopardy.  Like many FBS conferences, the WAC was deeply involved in the conference realignment that began in 2010, but it did not work in their favor.

Established in 1962, the WAC experienced its height as a conference in the 1990s when it reached sixteen full-time members.  The conference's top athletic programs joined its geographic neighbor, the Mountain West Conference, and never reached its potential.  Although Denver, Seattle, Texas State, UT-San Antonio, and UT-Arlington joined the conference in July, three of the schools reached agreements in the spring to join another conference in 2013 (Texas State and UT-Arlington will join the Sun Belt, while UT-San Antonio joins Conference USA).  Some long tenured members will also be lost in 2013, as Louisiana Tech heads to Conference USA, San Jose State and Utah State head to the Mountain West Conference, and Idaho becomes a FBS Independent.  Denver, New Mexico State and Seattle have yet to act on Commissioner Hurd's statement today.  It's going to be an interesting fifty-year anniversary this year as the conference awaits its unwanted death.

Disastrous 2nd Half Ruins Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys entered their second preseason game with a lot to prove.  The team was coming off a victory on Monday Night Football against the Raiders, but it was not an impressive one.  The team remained in California, at their Training Camp site in Oxnard, to prepare for tonight's game in San Diego against the Chargers.  After Monday's lackadaisical performance, the team was expected to burst out of the gate tonight in San Diego, and answered the call with an early 10-0 lead.  Jamize Olawale played the role of Christopher Columbus and helped the team discover the end zone after 81 minutes and 28 seconds of the preseason.  His two yard touchdown ended the treacherous journey with a bang, finishing as the Cowboys' high point of the night.  By halftime, the Cowboys retained their preseason shutout of opponents, but a disastrous second half disrupted a night of partying in San Diego.

The Chargers had been outplayed by the Cowboys in the first half and were plagued by turnovers and inconsistent play, but an impossible comeback became real as they cut the Cowboys' lead to 10-7 with 10:30 to play in the third.  It was the first touchdown allowed by the Cowboys' defense in 94 1/2 minutes this preseason, and the first of many on this Saturday night.  Later in the quarter, Dallas' defense forced their third and final turnover of the game to set up Dan Bailey's 49 yard field goal.  He nailed it and the Cowboys extended their lead to 13-7 with 1:18 remaining in the third, but the tide had already turned in San Diego's favor.

The Chargers were done having miscues and ready to strike when they received the ball early in the fourth quarter.  They scored touchdowns on their next three possessions and forced two Cowboy turnovers en route to a 28-20 victory at Qualcomm tonight.  The Cowboys struggled throughout the second half and could not handle the Chargers' attack in the game's final moments.  The Dallas defense that had been so good in the first three halves of the preseason fell apart in the second half tonight, giving up 28 points (21 unanswered in a span of 16 minutes and 3 seconds).  The Cowboys return home to Dallas later this week and finish the preseason with two home games at Cowboys Stadium.  The Cowboys look to finish the preseason well and jump into the regular season with some momentum after their tests with St. Louis (Saturday at 7pm) and Miami (August 29th at 7:30pm).

Cowboys Shutout Raiders in Preseason Opener

The Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders are two of the most prestigious franchises in the NFL, but tonight's preseason opener was more about the individual players than the franchises.  Positions were up for grabs with the expanded rosters and unlikely prospects were given a moment to shine.  Both teams finished the 2011 season with a late-season collapse, so a fast start to the season was a must.  For the Cowboys and Raiders, their 2012 campaign began with the preseason opener in Oakland tonight.

Neither team performed particularly well in tonight's game, but player mistakes were expected in the first exhibition of the season.  The Raiders received the opening kickoff, but lost the ball to an early turnover-an interception returned for 31 yards by Gerald Sensabaugh.  Oakland struggled to take care of the ball throughout the game and lost the game because of it.  Even with their ball control issues, they were in position to take the lead late.  Terrelle Pryor came alive in the 4th and took the Raiders on two extended drives.  The first ended with an unsuccessful 36 yard field goal by Eddy Carmona.  The Raiders were running out of time after the wide right kick.  The Raider defense stepped up and gave the ball back to the offense.  Pryor was back in the saddle for the game-deciding drive and was in no hurry with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game.  On the drive's eleventh play, Pryor faced a 4th-and-long with 40 seconds remaining in the game.  The Dallas defense stepped up and intercepted their second pass of the game, ending another Oakland scoring opportunity.

The Cowboys also struggled on the offensive side of the ball, but an early second half drive put them over the top.  Kyle Orton signed with Dallas over the offseason and took Cowboys' fans on a joy ride during his debut.  He finished 7/12 for 87 yards and set up the game's lone scoring play with an eleven play drive in the third.  Dan Bailey converted on a 33 yard field goal and the Cowboys hung on for a tight road victory in Oakland tonight.  The Cowboys will face Philip Rivers and the Chargers in another nationally televised preseason game on Saturday Night, so they better come to play!