Week 6 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 Provo and ended Saturday night in Fort Worth.
Here are the good, bad, and ugly from Week 6 in the Big 12.
The Good
BYU
The Cougars didn’t play their best game by any means, but still managed to handle a bad West Virginia team with ease. Bear Bachmeier had a career day with 351 passing yards and finished with two touchdowns. His favorite targets were Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston, who combined for 272 receiving yards.
Despite making some mistakes, it was refreshing to see BYU air it out on Friday night. It brings a whole new wrinkle to this offense that hasn’t been seen in years, and when you combine that with a stout defense, this team is a legitimate Big 12 title contender.
Baylor
Going into the fourth quarter, Baylor found itself down 31-17. But it didn’t take very long for the Bears to get right back in the game. In just three plays, Sawyer Roberston found Bryson Washington for a quick score, and then Jacob Redding had a 66-yard pick-six to help Baylor take the lead with less than five minutes left.
Even after Kansas State recaptured the lead with a field goal, the offense managed to drive down the field to let Connor Hawkins kick a 53-yarder to take a two-point lead with a minute left. And when Baylor needed another stop, they blocked Kansas State’s field goal as time expired. What a game and what a comeback by the Bears as they keep their Big 12 hopes alive.
Cincinnati
As someone who has been critical of Cincinnati since they joined the Big 12, they are finally proving me wrong. The Bearcats put on an offensive clinic in the first half with a powerful rushing attack and the play of Brendan Sorsby, who is becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.
When they were up 31-15 at halftime, it felt like they were in control. And if not for the penalties and mistakes, they could have won the game by a lot more. I know their defense needs some work, but that offense of theirs can keep up with anyone. It was yet another big win for the Bearcats, and I think it’s time to start taking them seriously.
Arizona
After a rough loss to Iowa State last weekend, it was nice to see Arizona get back on track against Oklahoma State. Noah Fifita threw for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, the defense shut down Oklahoma State from start to finish and gave up less than 175 yards of offense.
Texas Tech
This is the second week in a row where I feel like Texas Tech didn’t play their best game, yet they still managed to win by over 20 points. Their defense was phenomenal against Houston and never allowed them to pick up any momentum offensively. As great as the defense was for Tech, their offense had some red zone woes. They had to settle for way too many field goals, but other than that, the Red Raiders dominated the Cougars from start to finish. And after this game, I feel better about Behren Morton being the starter moving forward.
Kansas
After being down 14-0, I was worried about the Jayhawks in Orlando, but they didn’t panic one bit. In fact, the offense found some life thanks to Leshon Williams, who hit paydirt three times, and the defense completely shut out UCF in the second half. It wasn’t the best performance by Kansas, but they got the win on the road in a tough environment.
TCU
It took a while for TCU to come alive, but when they did, it was a thing of beauty. Josh Hoover went wild, throwing for 275 yards and four scores. 11 guys caught passes from Hoover, and they needed every bit of it with the run game on the back burner. TCU was able to get back into the game thanks to four forced turnovers by the defense. This was a much-needed bounce-back win for the Frogs to get back on track and back in the Big 12 title mix.
The Bad
West Virginia
I am running out of things to say about this team other than they simply aren’t a very good football team. While they did manage to put up somewhat of a fight thanks to some mistakes by BYU, there were still plenty of flaws on display. The defense got torched through the air, and the offense struggled to move the ball with Khalil Wilkins. I know Jahiem White and Nicco Marchiol are hurt, but they need to find a way to get other guys involved offensively instead of relying so heavily on the quarterback’s run game.
Kansas State
When the Wildcats were up by six and driving with five minutes left to play, I thought they were going to score and put the game away. Instead, Avery Johnson threw a pick-six, and the game totally flipped. This team had a 31-17 lead going into the fourth quarter and blew it due to mistakes. They completely imploded, and it seems like that is who this team is. Kansas State has been inconsistent all season long and is now 2-4 on the year, including 1-2 in Big 12 play. This team was supposed to be a Big 12 title contender, and now they look like a team that will be lucky to even make a bowl game.
Iowa State
The Cyclones decided to play their worst game of the season on Saturday in Cincinnati. And to be honest, it wasn’t just one thing. The defense was atrocious in the first half as they gave up 31 points and 300 yards of offense. Meanwhile, the offense was inconsistent, and Rocco Becht never looked the same after taking that big hit. Even when Iowa State had opportunities in the second half, the offense couldn’t capitalize, and finally, the defense broke once again late. It was a tough day for the Cyclones, and they didn’t deserve to win that game the way they played.
Houston
No disrespect to Houston, but I didn’t give them much of a chance in this one. The defense had trouble stopping Texas Tech’s offense, and as much as they bent, they didn’t break completely. Their problem was the offense that couldn’t do much. When Connor Weigman was knocked out of the game, Zeon Chriss came in and provided a little spark. Unfortunately, that’s all it was, and it didn’t lead to anything else. This program is still a work in progress under Willie Fritz.
UCF
After taking a quick 14-0 lead, I thought UCF would roll in front of that great crowd at the bounce house. Instead, the offense went cold in the second half as they didn’t score a single point. Tayven Jackson left the game due to an injury, and even when Cam Fancher stepped in, the offense still went silent. UCF had an opportunity late in the game on the goal line and couldn’t punch it in, and they got one more chance to tie it, but still couldn’t move the ball. Until this offense can find some sort of passing attack, they will struggle to win games.
Colorado
Last week, I was critical of Kaidon Salter at quarterback after a poor performance against BYU. While he did play better against TCU, he threw three picks as the Buffaloes turned the ball over four times. There were some great moments for Colorado, but you can’t turn the ball over that many times on the road and expect to win. It put a lot of pressure on the defense that was playing well before it finally broke. If Salter is their best option at quarterback, then they need to figure out how to limit his mistakes because they are back-breaking.
The Ugly
Oklahoma State
I don’t have too much to say about Oklahoma State outside of the fact that they were tough to watch on Saturday. The defense gave up over 400 yards through the air and 40-plus points, while the offense did next to nothing. And with the status of Zane Flores up in the air, I am not sure who will start at quarterback for this team moving forward.
