Welcome to Tuesday Takes, where I give you five takes from the Big 12. It was a jam-packed week full of action, but here were several things that caught my attention from this past weekend.
No Morton, No Problem
Despite Behren Morton getting injured against Kansas, the Red Raiders still rolled Kansas 42 to 17. Will Hammond came in at quarterback, and despite not playing his best, it didn’t even matter because Cameron Dickey took over. Dickey rushed for 263 yards and two touchdowns against the Jayhawks, who had no answer for him.
Texas Tech racked up 372 rushing yards on Saturday, and it just goes to show you that this team can beat you in so many ways. And while the offense was rolling, the defense actually played better in the second half as they held Kansas scoreless. Good luck to the rest of the Big 12 trying to take down this team.
Arizona State is in Trouble
Despite getting their doors blown off against Utah last weekend, I gave Arizona State a pass because they didn’t have Sam Leavitt. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that the Sun Devils gave up over 275 rushing yards. That was concerning, to say the least.
As of now, Leavitt still hasn’t been cleared to play, and Texas Tech is coming to town on Saturday. If Sam doesn’t play this weekend, then Arizona State can kiss their dreams of repeating as Big 12 champions goodbye. This is a must-win game for the Sun Devils on Saturday, and if they play defense like they did against Utah, then they will not beat Texas Tech or even come close.
Utah is Still A Contender
After getting blown out at home against Texas Tech a few weeks ago, I feel like people gave up on Utah. So what, they got blown out by Texas Tech? It’s safe to say that there aren’t many teams in the Big 12 who can keep up with the Red Raiders right now.
Devon Dampier has brought life to that offense, and their rushing attack may be the best in the conference. They have arguably the best offensive line in the Big 12, and defensively, they can match up with anyone. It wouldn’t shock me one bit to see the Utes make it to Arlington this year at all.
Iowa State is Done
As much as it hurts me to say, the Cyclones aren’t the team most of us thought they were. Offensively, they are struggling to keep the chains moving, and they are making mistakes that a Matt Campbell-coached team doesn’t typically make. Between penalties and dropped passes, this team can’t get out of its own way the last two weeks.
To make matters worse, the defense hasn’t been much better, and the injuries across the board are getting to be too much to overcome. This team is down to their fourth-string kicker for crying out loud. But the craziest thing for me is that it’s not just the play on the field, it’s also been the coaching staff. The last two weeks, the players and the coaches haven’t been great, and it’s resulted in back-to-back losses. And when I look at the rest of their schedule, I don’t see a path for them to get back to Arlington.
Oklahoma State is Down Bad
Last week I said that Oklahoma State will go winless in conference play, and I still stand by that statement. However, a group of shirtless fans has been taking over social media by storm. It all started with a guy who took a ten-dollar bet, and here we are talking about it, which goes to show you that literally anything can go viral.
As much as I respect the hell out of those fans for actually showing up, the fact that a group of shirtless guys is the biggest football story in Stillwater just goes to show you how bad Oklahoma State football is right now. I never thought it would be this bad, and yet it is. Now that I got that out, if someone sees these fans again, make sure to buy them a beer. The school should be doing whatever it can to keep these guys coming back to games and taking care of them.
