Week 13 of the college football season is officially in the books, and it was another monumental weekend for the Big 12. The action started in Fort Worth and ended late Saturday night in Manhattan.
Here are the good, bad, and ugly from Week 13 in the Big 12.
The Good
Arizona State
In one of the wildest finishes to a game I have ever seen, Arizona State still managed to pull off a win despite nearly costing themselves the game. Star running back Cam Skattebo had himself a day, scoring three touchdowns in the first half and even signing an autograph after one of his touchdowns. BYU eventually came back, but Arizona State’s defense made a late interception to ice the game. But instead of scoring a touchdown to take a two-possession lead, Arizona State decided to try and run out the clock and accidentally left one second left after a replay review. But before the review started, fans had already rushed the field, and head coach Kenny Dillingham was screaming at the officials.
It took over ten minutes to clear the field, and Arizona State’s mistake was almost disastrous because BYU got one final shot to potentially win the game from midfield. I have never seen a game end like that, but the most important thing is that Arizona State is now one win away from punching its ticket to the Big 12 title game.
Related: Five Biggest Takeaways From Week 13 of the Big 12 Football Season
Iowa State Held On
I don’t know how Iowa State did it, but they won this game despite trying to give it away. Rocco Becht threw a pick-six in the first quarter, and then the Cyclones muffed a punt not long after that to help the Utes put more points on the board. But that wasn’t even the worst thing that happened. In the fourth quarter, Iowa State had a punt blocked that went for a touchdown that gave Utah life. It seemed like every time I looked up, the Cyclones were giving the Utes the game on a silver platter.
Luckily for Iowa State, their offense came up big when it mattered most. With less than six minutes to play down by four, Rocco Becht led a 10-play 75-yard touchdown drive that gave the Cyclones a three-point lead with just 1:31 left to play. From there, the defense bent but didn’t break as Utah missed a game-tying 54-yard field goal with less than 20 seconds left. Now, all of a sudden, the Cyclones once again control their own destiny.
Rock Chalk Red Hot KU
As crazy as this may sound, the 5-6 Kansas Jayhawks may be the hottest team in the Big 12 right now. After a 2-6 start, Kansas has now won three straight games against ranked opponents, and their latest victim was none other than the Colorado Buffaloes. And it was all about the run game for Kansas as they ran all over Colorado to the tune of 333 yards. Devin Neal led the team with over 200 yards and three scores as the Jayhawks really controlled the game. Most importantly, their defense really slowed down Colorado and held them to under 25 points, which is very tough to do against their offense. Never in a million years would I have thought that a 2-6 Kansas team would drastically shake up the Big 12 title picture over the last few weeks, but here we are.
Related: 3 Biggest Takeaways From Kansas’ 37-21 Win Over Colorado
Taking Care of Business
Two teams that really blew the doors off their opponents were TCU and Kansas State. The Horned Frogs spanked the Arizona Wildcats with an easy 49-28 win. TCU put up over 450 yards of offense, and seven of their first ten offense possessions were touchdowns, with JP Richardson and Savion Williams leading the way. And if not for easing up in the fourth quarter, this game could have been a lot worse.
As for Kansas State, they simply kicked Cincinnati around like they were nothing. The Wildcats had a 27-3 lead at halftime and never looked back. Avery Johnson tossed two scores, and the run game was excellent as the Wildcats ran for over 280 yards, led by DJ Giddens, who finished with 143 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Kansas State didn’t give up a touchdown in the first 40 minutes of the game. It was their most complete performance in weeks.
Baylor’s Defense
During their four-game win streak, Baylor’s offense was the reason the Bears were winning games. But the script completely flipped for Baylor on Saturday night in Houston. The offense put up their lowest point total in over two months as Sawyer Robertson threw three picks, and the run game never really took off as they averaged just three yards per carry on 47 attempts. It turned out that Baylor didn’t need to light up the scoreboard because their defense completely shut down Houston’s rushing attack as they held them to just 92 yards on the ground. Plus, they also forced four turnovers, which helped.
West Virginia’s Run Game
Against one of the best run defenses in the league, the Mountaineers ran for over 200 yards, thanks to CJ Donalson Jr. and Jaheim White. West Virginia controlled the game from start to finish as they held the ball for nearly 38 minutes of the game. With the win over UCF, the Mountaineers are now bowl-eligible.
Texas Tech’s Offense
On a day when their defense decided not to show up, the offense carried the team thanks to Behren Morton, who had over 350 passing yards and four touchdowns. Tahj Brooks also had a big day with three scores, and Caleb Douglas did as well, scoring 105 yards and a touchdown. It turned out that the Red Raiders needed every one of their 56 points because their defense gave up 48.
The Bad
Colorado
It was odd to see Colorado play their worst game of the season when the stakes were this high. The offense had to rely so much on the passing game because they could not run the football. But the biggest issue was on the defensive side of the ball. Over the last few weeks, Colorado’s defense had been playing better, and on Saturday against Kansas, they completely fell apart. The Buffaloes gave up over 330 rushing yards, and the tackling was as bad as it could be. Deion Sanders said it best after the game: the success and all the outside noise got to their heads, and they got humbled on Saturday.
BYU
I don’t think BYU played terribly against Arizona State, but my concern with them has been on offense. In the last three weeks, they haven’t played their best offensively, and it starts with two things. The run game and Jake Retzlaff. BYU struggled to run the ball against Arizona State, and Jake Retzlaff has been making mistakes he didn’t make earlier in the season. I know this team has been playing with fire lately and they have now been burned twice in the last two weeks.
Utah
There’s not much I can say here about the Utes. Poor quarterback play continues to hurt this team, and if not for their defense and special teams, they would have gotten blown out against Iowa State. They did have a chance to tie the game late with a long field goal but couldn’t quite make it. But my biggest takeaway is that Utah falls to 4-7 on the season and will not go bowling. Who had that on their Big 12 bingo card this year?
The Ugly
Houston’s Offense
Houston has struggled offensively all year, but this was one of their worst performances in weeks. The Cougars had just 239 yards of offense and turned the ball over four times. The only reason they didn’t get blown out was because their defense played so well. With the loss, Houston will not be going bowling this season.
Arizona
Every week, I try and come up with something positive to say about Arizona, but I simply can’t. This team has yet to put it all together, and against TCU, it was a little bit of everything that went wrong. The offense was lifeless for three quarters, and the defense gave up seven touchdowns in their first ten possessions. There is nothing to hang your hat on with this football team, and now they will not be going bowling this year. Brent Brennan, you are on the hot seat, buddy.
Related: What is Brent Brennan’s Buyout?
Cincinnati
I am at a loss for words with the Bearcats. A month ago, this team was playing some of their best football, and they were in the mix for a Big 12 title. After their blowout loss to Kansas State, this team has lost four games in a row and will be fighting for bowl eligibility against TCU next weekend. It was disappointing to see Cincinnati not even show up in Manhattan, Kansas. This was by far their worst game of the season.
UCF
Outside of RJ Harvey, there wasn’t much that went right for UCF. Dylan Rizk didn’t have a great day, and the Knights’ defense had trouble stopping the run as they gave up over 200 rushing yards, which is very uncharacteristic of them. Most importantly, this loss means that UCF will not be going bowling, which means Gus Malzahn’s seat is going to be on fire going into 2025.
Oklahoma State’s Defense
For once, I am not going to complain about Oklahoma State’s offense. It was nice to see the old Ollie Gordon III back, but it was tough to see the Cowboys go down in flames once again, thanks to their defense. They let Texas Tech do whatever they wanted to offensively as they gave up over 540 yards of offense and over half a hundred on the scoreboard.
