Week 8 of the college football season is officially in the books, as it was another big weekend for the Big 12. The action started in Houston and ended Saturday night in Provo.
Here are the good, bad, and ugly from Week 8 in the Big 12.
The Good
Houston
Even when their defense didn’t have its best day, the Houston offense came through when it mattered most. Connor Weigman tossed three touchdown passes, and the offense ran for 232 yards on the day. After Arizona tied the game at 28, the Cougars put together a nice 13-play drive that ended with an Ethan Sanchez 41-yard field goal as time expired. Houston is now 3-1 in Big 12 play and bowl eligible for the first time in three years.
UCF
After disappearing for a few games, the UCF offense woke up against West Virginia. The Knights racked up nearly 600 yards of offense, including 255 yards on the ground. It was nice to see Tayven Jackson back healthy, and he did a great job leading the offense to points consistently. And of course, UCF’s defense held up their end of the bargain and kept West Virginia under 215 yards of offense and just 13 points.
TCU
I knew that the TCU/Baylor game was going to be a shootout, and it lived up to the hype. Josh Hoover got back on track and threw three touchdown passes. Hoover had some help in the run game as well, thanks to Kevorian Barnes, who ran for 106 yards and two scores. Despite two weather delays and a blackout from stupid ESPN, TCU’s offense won the game. There are going to be times when your offense has to win shootouts, and that is exactly what TCU did on Saturday.
Arizona State
Sometimes, playing great defense can win you a game, and that is exactly what happened in Tempe against Texas Tech. Sam Leavitt didn’t have his best game by any means, and the run game was non-existent, but thanks to the defense, Arizona State was able to make the most of it on the scoreboard. The Sun Devils held Texas Tech to 276 yards of offense and completely shut down Will Hammond. Of course, when the offense needed to get points late, it was Leavitt who led the way on the final drive.
Cincinnati
I don’t have a whole lot to say about Cincinnati after taking down Oklahoma State on the road. The Bearcats’ offense moved the ball well as Brendan Sorsby threw for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense never really broke at all. Also, I must mention that Cincinnati is now bowl eligible and is just one of two teams in the Big 12 to be undefeated in conference play.
BYU
I am a broken record at this point when it comes to BYU. It didn’t always look pretty, but all this team does is find a way to win close games. Bear Bachmeier continues to show why he may be the toughest quarterback in college football with his runs and his no-fear attitude. After this crazy weekend of Big 12 football, BYU has to be the top team in the conference.
The Bad
Arizona
Offensively, Arizona played good enough to beat Houston, but it was their defense that let them down. The Wildcats gave up 232 rushing yards and let Connor Weigman throw three touchdowns against them. To make matters worse, they allowed Houston to convert 58% of their third-down attempts. Arizona gave up four touchdown drives that were nine plays or longer.
Baylor
For a team that turned the ball over four times and gave up 42 points, Baylor still somehow had a chance in the fourth quarter. Sawyer Robertson played his worst game of the year, and the defense didn’t play much better. We all knew that this would be a shootout against TCU, and Baylor just couldn’t keep up with the Horned Frogs.
Texas Tech
Despite being down 19 to 7 with four minutes left, Texas Tech somehow managed to come back and take a three-point lead with two minutes left. Tech’s defense did all it could to keep them in the game because Will Hammond struggled in the first three quarters. I know Arizona State has a good defense, but due to Hammond’s inability to throw the ball consistently, their offense became one-dimensional. And for the first time all season, Texas Tech looked very beatable.
Utah
For a team that prides itself on playing sound, fundamental football, Utah sure did make a lot of mistakes. They had two turnovers and a season high 12 penalties in Provo on Saturday night. That fourth-quarter pick from Devon Dampier was costly, as it gave BYU the ball in great field position, and they scored to take a two-possession lead. The Utes had their chances to be in it, but at the end of the day, they couldn’t get out of their own way.
The Ugly
West Virginia
I honestly don’t know what to say about this abysmal performance by West Virginia. I thought UCF wouldn’t be too much for them, and I was wrong. The offense was pathetic, and the defense gave up almost 600 yards of offense to a questionable UCF offense. The rebuild in Morgantown is going to take some time, and I hope Mountaineer fans will be patient.
Oklahoma State
As much as I respect the Oklahoma State fans for showing up, dressing like bananas, and going shirtless, it doesn’t take away from the product on the field. Sam Jackson couldn’t move the offense, and the defense got carved up through the air. Oklahoma State kept things respectable for three quarters before getting outscored 21-0 in the fourth. It has now been over 694 days since the Cowboys won a conference game.
