Big 12 Football Week 3: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Week Three is officially in the books as the Big 12 Conference had an interesting weekend. The action started on Saturday morning and ended early Sunday morning with Kansas playing out in Reno. Here is the good, bad, and ugly from Week Three in the Big 12.
The Good
Baylor Won a Game (Baylor beat Long Island 30-7)
No matter how ugly a win is, it is still better than losing. Against Long Island (I had no idea they even had a football team), Baylor played about as sloppy as the weather in Waco. Thankfully the Bears pulled away in the second half thanks to their rushing attack as they ran for 270 yards on the ground. After an 0-2 start to the season, Baylor finally got their first win of the season.
Texas Survived (Texas beat Wyoming 31-10)
On a day full of craziness, the Longhorns were able to take care of business against Wyoming. It was a close game until the fourth quarter, when Texas finally pulled away. The ground attack was something we have yet to see this season as Jonathan Brooks ran for 164 yards. And how about that Texas defense? They were solid all game long and once again Jerrin Thompson had a pick six to help seal the deal for the Longhorns.
Oklahoma’s Domination (Oklahoma beat Tulsa 66-17)
It was refreshing to see a Big 12 team dominate an inferior opponent. The Sooners thumped Tulsa 66-17 and the game was never in doubt. Dillon Gabriel threw for over 400 yards and five touchdowns and three receivers (Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, and Andrel Anthony) all went for over 100 yards. Meanwhile the defense got five turnovers on the day and did their part.
UCF Didn’t Skip a Beat (UCF beat Villanova 48-14)
Even without starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, UCF’s offense still put up some good numbers. Backup Timmy McClain threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns and didn’t throw an interception. Wide receiver Kobe Hudson had another big day, and the Knights were lethal on the ground rushing for over 250 yards.
Tech Texas Rolls (Texas Tech beat Tarleton State 41-3)
Finally, Texas Tech fans can breathe a little bit as they got their first win of the season on Saturday night. However, some still may think that there should be a quarterback battle going on between Tyler Shough and Behren Morton. Neither guy had to do a whole lot because of the running game. The Red Raiders ran for over 220 yards on the ground and never looked back after jumping out to an early 21-0 lead.
BYU’s Epic Road Win (BYU beat Arkansas 38-31)
Anytime you can get a win against an SEC team it’s a big deal and to do it on the road is an even bigger one. BYU went into Fayetteville, Arkansas and went back to Provo with a victory. That is easier said than done and the Cougars played their tails off. Kedon Slovis made some big throws late in the game and how about this catch from Chase Roberts?
While the defense did give up some big plays (special teams too), they managed to get off the field on third down as Arkansas went 2/13 on the money down. I know Arkansas had a sloppy game with penalties, but I felt like BYU didn’t play their best game either and they still won.
Take Me Home, Country Roads (West Virginia beat Pitt 17-6)
It was a sloppy game, but West Virginia managed to get a win against their bitter rival. On a day where the offense only threw for 60 yards, running back CJ Donaldson put the offense on his back rushing for 102 yards and a score. Thankfully, the Mountaineers didn’t need much offense because their defense dominated Pitt’s offense as they kept them out of the end zone and to just 211 total yards. It was a much-needed win for head coach Neal Brown, and I hope that this will be a big confidence booster going forward.
TCU Dominated (TCU beat Houston 36-13)
The Horned Frogs went into Houston and stole the whole freaking show down there. Chandler Morris threw for over 300 yards and TCU’s ground game was dominant as they ran for 250 yards led by Emani Bailey. Meanwhile, TCU’s defense kept Houston’s offense out of the end zone for four quarters. I know this game was all about Houston and their Big 12 home opener, but TCU went in there and stole their lunch money.
Kansas Held On (Kansas beat Nevada 31-24)
I expected Kansas to blow Nevada out of the desert and it ended up being a close call for the Jayhawks. Jalon Daniels got hurt but ended up coming back in the game. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass, but he did manage to go 21/27 for almost 300 yards. The star of the night was running back Devin Neal who scored three rushing touchdowns. It wasn’t the greatest win in the world, but at least Kansas is 3-0 heading into Big 12 play.
The Bad
Kansas State’s Secondary and Luck (Kansas State lost 30-27 to Missouri)
Against Missouri, Kansas State’s offense wasn’t much of a problem. It was on defense, particularly in the secondary. Missouri threw for over 350 yards against Kansas State which is not something that we are used to seeing from the Wildcats defense. I know that there are some new faces on the back end, but they got absolutely torched back there. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Missouri’s Harrison Mevis drilled a 61-yard game winning field goal as time expired. His kick was an SEC record.
Cincinnati Fell Short (Cincinnati lost 31-24 to Miami of Ohio)
Despite rushing for over 273 yards, Cincinnati couldn’t pull out a victory against the RedHawks. Quarterback Emory Jones struggled with his accuracy and threw two interceptions on Saturday. In a tie game with less than three minutes to play, on a fourth and nine from their own 26-yard line, head coach Scott Satterfield called for a fake punt, and it worked like a charm. The Bearcats ended up marching right down the field and set up for a game winning 35-yard field goal, but it got blocked. It was a hell of a risk that unfortunately didn’t pay off in the end. After that block, I feel like the momentum swung and Cincinnati couldn’t get the job done in overtime.
The Ugly
Iowa State’s Offense (Iowa State lost 10-7 to Ohio)
Forget about the defense because that unit did more than enough to win the game on Saturday. But until this offense gets things figured out, it is going to be a long season in Ames, Iowa. Believe it or not, quarterback is not the issue for Iowa State. Rocco Becht is showing improvement, but the problem is that he isn’t getting any help. The offensive line is bad and there is zero push up front. The offense averaged 1.7 yards per carry on 23 attempts against a MAC team. On top of that, receivers are still dropping passes and one of those drops ended up being picked off in the fourth quarter on the final drive. If that wasn’t enough, I saw this video after the game.
Oklahoma State (Oklahoma State lost 33-7 to South Alabama)
It was a rough weekend for the Big 12 and this was by far the worst loss of the weekend. Oklahoma State’s offense was awful and this open tryout at quarterback during live games isn’t working. It’s time to pick a quarterback and stick with him already. The offensive line isn’t good and has been a problem for years now. Defensively, they can’t stop the run as South Alabama ran for over 240 yards. As far as losses go, this is the most embarrassing loss for Oklahoma State that I can remember. I just wish I had the same job security as some of the people on Mike Gundy’s staff.
Houston Has Much More Than a Problem (Houston lost 36-13 to TCU)
I am almost at a loss for words on this team. The defense was terrible giving up over 500 yards of offense and half it came on the ground. Plus, the offense couldn’t even score a single touchdown and Donovan Smith looks like a shell of himself compared to the guy we saw at Texas Tech last year. Houston got manhandled and the stuff coming out of Dana Holgorsen’s mouth is just nonsense at this point. I mean what is this?
