The college football season is back and Week 1 was loaded for the Big 12 Conference, with games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and still one more game to come on Monday. But with 15 of the Big 12 games in the books for Week 1, it’s time to look back on the week that was. For the conference, there were ups and downs, with plenty in between. So with that, let’s take a look at the top five takeaways from Week 1 in the Big 12 Conference.
Welcome to the Show Bear Bachmeier
BYU’s freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier started his career at BYU on Saturday and looked the part. Yes, it was against Portland State, but it’s the only game we’ve got to look at so far. Whether it was slinging it on the run, powering his way behind his offensive line on the ground, or pitch plays to L.J. Martin, Bachmeier did it all on Saturday for the Cougars, and it was damn fun to watch.
He finished 7/11 for 97 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 32 yards and two more scores. Bachmeier proved he was the right guy to win the quarterback job for the Cougars. I will admit, it’s still weird to see a No. 47 under center, I keep thinking it’s a fullback getting set to take the snap for a trick play, but I love it. He’s fun, energetic, and his teammates were loving this opening night for him. Yes, the competition will improve, but if Bachmeier is close to the guy we saw on Saturday night, and keeps progressing throughout the season, BYU will be in the Big 12 race this fall.
Missed Opportunity vs. the SEC
The Big 12 had one battle with the SEC this weekend, and it was Baylor vs. Auburn in Waco. The Bears were technically underdogs, but for a team looking to win the Big 12, this was a huge opportunity to beat an SEC team and build the respect for the Big 12. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Baylor lost at home 38-24 to the Tigers.
Baylor got smoked on both lines, which was disappointing to see. Baylor allowed Auburn to rush 51 times for 308 yards with four touchdowns, good for 6.0 yards per carry. And on the other side, the Tigers racked up four sacks, five tackles for loss and held the Bears to 2.7 yards per carry. Bryson Washington only had 54 rushing yards. And the special teams were bad, especially late in the third quarter when Baylor pulled to within one touchdown, and then Auburn returns the kick for a score.
Thank You, Utah
Boy, the Big 12 needed that from Utah vs. UCLA. The Utes were a six-point favorite and blew out the Bruins from the Big Ten 43-10. It was the only win vs. a Power 4 team for the Big 12 (TCU vs. UNC still pending), after Cincinnati lost to Nebraska, Colorado lost to Georgia Tech and Baylor fell to Auburn on Thursday and Friday. Granted, all those Big 12 teams were underdogs, but they all still hurt in their own way.
Then, Devon Dampier had his Utes debut and was fantastic. He finished 21/25 for 206 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 87 yards and one score. Utah racked up 287 yards on the ground as the Utes dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage, finishing with four sacks and five tackles for loss.
“I felt like we were clicking on all cylinders,” Dampier said. “We played football at our best.”
That was an understatement. The Utes were fantastic on Saturday night.
A Tale of Two Tapes Post Ireland
The Kansas State Wildcats avoided what would have been the biggest upset of the early college football season, beating North Dakota 38-35 on Saturday night in Manhattan, Kansas. The Wildcats were one week removed from their Week 0 loss to the Iowa State Cyclones in Ireland. But the Cats returned home as 25.5-point favorites and took the lead with under one minute left to beat the Fighting Hawks by three points.
Meantime, I wondered how both of these teams would handle their Week 1 games. K-State barely escaped with a win, but Iowa State looked as fresh as possible. The game in Ames was never in doubt as Iowa State stomped on South Dakota 55-7. Rocco Becht was 19 of 20 for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
It’s also possible this has nothing to do with Ireland travel, and Iowa State is better than many of us thought, and Kansas State isn’t as good as many of us thought.
Quarterback Injuries
There were two notable quarterback injuries in the Big 12 in Week 1. One looks like it will be much worse than the other. First, Oklahoma State’s Hauss Hejny left Thursday night’s game vs. UT Martin with a broken foot. Hejny sustained the injury during the first half of Oklahoma State’s season-opening 27-7 win over UT Martin. Before exiting the game, the true freshman completed five of 10 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, showing early promise in his collegiate debut. Hejny is expected to miss up to five weeks after a fantastic start for the Cowboys.
Then, on Saturday night, Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton was hit in his lower leg vs. UAPB and thankfully, it looked worse than it turned out to be. After the game, head coach Joey McGuire said, “We feel good about where Behren is. Nothing is broken. We feel like it’s all muscle, hyper extension of his knee and the pain that ran down the outside of that calf and shin area.”
That is a huge sigh of relief for a team that spent tens of millions of dollars to compete for a College Football Playoff appearance in 2025, and the loss of Morton would have been a brutal way to start the season for the Red Raiders. But thankfully, he can probably take off Week 2 as Tech plays Kent State, who went 0-12 last season. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, Zane Flores will be the man, for now, and there’s no easing into this OSU schedule with a trip to No. 7 Oregon set for Week 2.
