Week 4 of the college football season is officially in the books, as it was another big weekend for the Big 12. The action started on Friday night in Stillwater and ended Saturday night in Boulder.
Here are the good, bad, and ugly from Week 4 in the Big 12.
The Good
Texas Tech
It would be silly of me not to lead off with the Red Raiders because they now have the best win in the Big 12. Tech’s defense absolutely dominated Utah’s offense all game long. They forced four turnovers and didn’t allow the Utes to control the game on the ground. I knew Texas Tech’s defense was good, but I was still shocked to see them dominate like that.
Offensively, it wasn’t always pretty, but when Behren Morton got hurt, Will Hammond did a great job stepping in and leading the offense to some key scores. Tech scored 24 points in the fourth quarter to pull away, and that was because of Hammond and their run game. I am 100% confident when I say that Texas Tech is the best team in the Big 12. They didn’t even play their best and still beat Utah on the road by three possessions.
TCU
In the battle for the Iron Skillet, or as I like to call it, the Sonny Dykes Bowl, TCU stood tall against SMU. Josh Hoover went off for 379 yards and five touchdown passes on the day, and his favorite target was none other than Eric McAlister, who had 254 yards and three scores of his own. TCU’s offense is going to cause some problems for teams in the Big 12, and with the win over SMU, that makes two wins over the Ponies this season for the conference. Our rich kids are better than your rich kids ACC.
UCF
After the disrespect by North Carolina earlier in the week, UCF dominated Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels. Tayven Jackson played a clean game, but the star of the show was the defense, which completely shut down North Carolina and forced two turnovers. With the win, the Big 12 moves to 6-1 against the ACC this season.
Kansas
The last time we saw Kansas, they lost a heartbreaker to Missouri. But there was nothing heartbreaking about their 41-10 win over West Virginia. The Jayhawks racked up nearly 250 yards on the ground, led by Leshon Williams. Between the run game and their defense, it was simply too much for West Virginia to handle.
BYU
Coming into the weekend, I felt like I didn’t know a ton about BYU. But after watching their game against East Carolina on the road, I feel a lot better about the Cougars. They ran the football consistently, and their defense shut down the Pirates’ offense. In fact, the defense didn’t give up a touchdown until the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand. Running the football and playing great defense will be the recipe for success for this football team.
Arizona State
I am not sure what I loved more about the Sun Devils, their defense or the way Sam Leavitt leads this team. Sam’s stat line may not jump off the page to anyone, but in the most critical moments of the game, he delivered. When Arizona State needed a touchdown or to get in field goal range, Sam Leavitt made it happen.
He also ran the football well, and it just seems like he’s always in control of the offense. Meanwhile, the defense did just enough to give the offense a chance as they forced three turnovers in this game. It was a huge win for the Sun Devils as they look to repeat as Big 12 champs.
Colorado
It certainly wasn’t the prettiest game against Wyoming, but there was some good news that came out of that game. Colorado finally found their starting quarterback. After playing three quarterbacks two weeks ago, they went to Ryan Staub last week against Houston, which didn’t go well.
However, this week Colorado went with Kaidon Salter, and it turned out to be the right move. Salter threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. He also led the team in rushing with 86 yards and a score.
The Bad
Utah
This was just a bad game for Utah and a disappointing one to say the least. The defense held up as best they could for three quarters before breaking in the fourth. But the real problem was the offense.
Devon Dampier struggled to throw the football and fumbled the football as Utah ended up with four turnovers. You simply can’t turn the ball over that many times against a team like Texas Tech and expect to win. And this offense better get used to seeing stacked boxes because defenses will make them throw the football. Maybe Utah is not as good as we thought they were.
Baylor
Baylor had every chance to win that game, but the problem for the Bears on Saturday night was turnovers. Against Arizona State, Baylor turned the ball over three times. Sawyer Robertson threw a pick, but then receiver Josh Cameron fumbled the football twice. Baylor’s defense played well enough to win the game, but you can’t turn the ball over three times and expect to beat a team like Arizona State.
The Ugly
West Virginia
I thought after a big win against their rival, West Virginia would have some momentum heading to Lawrence, but boy, was I wrong. Instead, the Mountaineers were blown out against the Jayhawks. The defense gave up almost 250 yards on the ground, and the offense was damn near unwatchable with Nicco Marchiol at quarterback. Rich Rod has a lot of work to do with this program.
Mike Gundy
There is no easy way to say this, but Mike Gundy should not be the head coach at Oklahoma State anymore. I get it, the man built the program from the ground up and turned them into a winning program. But at some point, all good things must come to an end, and I am afraid it’s that time.
Last season, the Cowboys went 3-9 and were winless in conference play. And after their loss to Tulsa on Friday, things aren’t looking much better. It’s no secret that Gundy is not a fan of today’s college football, from the recruiting to the transfer portal and many other things. He’s already made changes to his roster and staff, but it still doesn’t seem to be working. One day, there will be a statue of Mike outside the stadium, but at this moment, it’s time to make a change.
