Week 10 of the college football season is here and despite there being only five games this weekend in the Big 12, there is still plenty on the line with conference play in full swing. One of the most underrated games of the weekend took place in Houston, Texas as the Houston Cougars hosted the Kansas State Wildcats.
Houston was fresh off a big win against Utah at home while Kansas State is coming off a big win of their own against in-state rival Kansas. Both teams need a win for different reasons but in the end, Houston pulled off the wild 24-19 upset. Here are my top three takeaways from the game.
Kansas State’s Offense Was Ugly
For the second week in a row, the Kansas State Wildcats didn’t play their best. While it may not have cost them against Kansas last weekend, it did on Saturday against Houston. Avery Johnson had a rough game has he went 23/39 for 238 yards and two interceptions. He struggled to find his receivers and the Wildcats had just two passing plays that went over 15 yards. To make matters worse, Kansas State could not run the football at all in this game as they had just 89 rushing yards on 34 carries.
In the first half, Kansas State put up 16 points and in the second half, they were only able to score three. As crazy as it sounds, the Wildcats had a 19-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter but a late interception by Avery Johnson gave Houston the ball in great field position to make it a two-point game. Just two drives later, Houston got the ball in great field position once again after a penalty on a punt. Then Zeon Chriss made them pay with a 41-yard touchdown run to take the lead. Yet once again Kansas State had a chance to win the game with over two minutes left, but Avery Johnson threw another costly interception. This was by far the worst offensive performance for Kansas State since the BYU game back in September.
Another Week, Another Upset for Houston
After pulling off a major upset against Utah last weekend, the Houston Cougars once again shocked the college football world with a big win over Kansas State. As usual, it all started with the defense that played outstanding. They completely shut down Kansas State’s rushing attack as they held them to just 89 rushing yards on the day. To hold the Wildcats to 2.6 yards per carry is unheard of because Kansas State was averaging over six yards per carry coming in. They made the Wildcats one dimensional and their secondary did an excellent job as well. Of course, I have to give some credit to quarterback Zeon Chriss too. He went 11/11 passing and most importantly, he didn’t turn the football over. Chriss managed the game perfectly and made some big plays with his legs when it mattered most.
The Big 12 is Nuts
I don’t know how else to describe what I saw on Saturday. As I am typing this, the TCU/Baylor game is going on but for Iowa State and Kansas State to both go down on Saturday is something nobody saw coming. Houston is now just two wins away from reaching a bowl game which would be incredible for first year head coach Willie Fritz. The Cougars are by no means the most talented team, but they are one of the better coached teams in the conference. As for Kansas State, this loss stings because they may end up needing some help to get into the Big 12 title game even if they win out because BYU is undefeated while Colorado and Iowa State only have one loss in conference play. Buckle up because November is here.
