Week 13 of the college football season is officially in the books, as it was another big weekend for the Big 12. The action started early in Ames and ended Saturday in Cincinnati.
Here are the good, bad, and ugly from Week 13 in the Big 12.
The Good
Iowa State
All around, this was Iowa State’s most complete game in a long time. The offense was rolling with Rocco Becht, who threw three touchdown passes, and the run game was on fire with 221 yards on the ground, led by Carson Hansen. Defensively, Iowa State did a fantastic job against a respectable Kansas offense. They were able to shut out the Jayhawks in the first half and gave up just 14 points. The biggest takeaway was the time of possession as the Cyclones held the ball for nearly 40 minutes in this one.
Arizona
The Wildcats were in a tight game until the fourth quarter rolled around. Arizona outscored Baylor 20-0 in the final 15 minutes of the game thanks to its defense. The defense was able to force three turnovers in the fourth quarter, and one of them was a pick-six. In fact, Arizona scored three touchdowns in four minutes of actual game time, which is something I don’t think I have seen before. It was a big win for Brent Brennan, who is now a win away from getting his ninth win of the season.
UCF
After being down 14-0 in the first half, the Knights finally decided to wake up in the second. Tayven Jackson threw two picks in the first half but turned things around in the second, tossing two touchdown passes. Dylan Wade was his favorite target as he finished with 145 yards and a pair of scores from Jackson. The offense was able to move the ball much better and game up with a late drive to tack on a field goal to give them the lead. Then the defense came up with the pick to seal the deal for the win.
Utah
I am not sure if I can even put the Utah/Kansas State game into words, but I will try. First off, Utah played some of the worst run defense I have ever seen. They gave up over 450 rushing yards against the Wildcats. That alone should make you lose by 20 plus, but thankfully, their offense was rolling.
Devon Dampier had a monster performance with 259 yards and two touchdowns through the air and had 94 yards and two scores on the ground. Anytime Utah needed to make a play, Dampier was the guy to do it. And when the Utes needed to score late, it was Dampier to make a long run and then punch it in. He was unbelievable, and thankfully, the defense came up with two stops late to help get the win. Call me crazy, but this may end up being the game of the year in the Big 12.
TCU
The Horned Frogs looked great in the first quarter, taking a 14-0 lead, and then the offense took a giant nap for three quarters. They turned the ball over four times, but luckily their defense was able to hold Houston’s offense to just 14 points and got some key stops when they needed to. It was pretty, but it was a much-needed win on the road and helped cool Sonny’s hot-seat talk for at least a few more days.
BYU
Another week and another close call for BYU. Thanks to the play of LJ Martin, who had a career day in Cincinnati, running for 222 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the Cougars to a big win. With the ground game rolling, BYU controlled the clock as they held the ball for over 38 minutes, and the defense was able to slow down a good Cincinnati offense, holding them to just 14 points. Plus, it also helped that they forced a pair of turnovers as well. Now the Cougars are a win away from punching their ticket to Jerry World.
Arizona State
Much like BYU on Saturday night, Arizona State’s rushing attack helped lead them to victory. Raleek Brown had a monster game with 255 rushing yards and a score, which covered up a lot of turnovers by the Sun Devils. Thanks to a solid run game and defense, Arizona State was able to walk out of Boulder with a win. It also helps when you outscore your opponent 21-0 in the fourth quarter.
The Bad
Kansas
I was expecting much more of a fight from Kansas, but that didn’t happen on Saturday in Ames. The defense continued to struggle against the run as they gave up over 200 yards on the ground. It also didn’t help that the offense did next to nothing in this one. They got shut out in the first half and were only able to come up with two scores in the second. Outside of a couple of big runs and a throw by backup Cole Ballard, there wasn’t much that went right for Kansas. Now they have to win their final game just to make a bowl game.
Oklahoma State
I really thought that Saturday was going to be the day the streak ended for Oklahoma State. They were up 14-0 in the first half, and things looked great. But then the offense completely melted down in the final two quarters as they failed to score a single point in the second half. Sure, the defense gave up a few plays late, but the Cowboys held UCF to 17 points, which was more than enough to win the game. Once again, the offense let this team down.
Kansas State
Anytime you run for 472 yards, you win 99.9999% of the time. But that didn’t happen for Kansas State against Utah. Joe Jackson put on one of the best rushing performances I have ever seen, with 293 yards and three touchdowns. The offense put 47 points on the board, and yet they lost because the defense couldn’t stop Utah at all. Kansas State’s defense gave up nearly 300 yards on the ground and let Devon Dampier go off on them. I know the officiating certainly didn’t favor Kansas State, but there is no excuse for that defensive effort.
Houston
It took a minute for Houston to wake up after going down by two scores early. But their defense woke up and actually held TCU to just three points over the last 45 minutes of the game. However, their offense just couldn’t get going consistently despite the defense forcing four turnovers. Connor Weigman wasn’t great through the air, but he did have some big runs to keep Houston in it. But it just seemed like when Houston had opportunities, they didn’t take advantage of them. Even kicker Ethan Sanchez missed two crucial kicks in the fourth quarter, which is very unusual for him.
Cincinnati
I don’t think the Bearcats played badly, but it just wasn’t good enough. Their defense has been a problem all season long, and they let BYU control the game on the ground with over 200 yards. Plus, their offense struggled and turned the ball over twice. And since they couldn’t run the ball, it put a lot more pressure on Brendan Sorsby. This was just a bad matchup for the Bearcats, who have now lost three in a row after a 7-1 start.
The Ugly
Baylor
For three quarters of this game, Baylor actually had a chance to win, but then they went full meltdown mode in the fourth quarter. Just look at how their offensive drives ended in the final 15 minutes of the game: interception, fumble, downs, interception, downs, and end of game. Three turnovers in the fourth quarter, and one of them was a pick six, while the two fumbles came in their own territory. I remember when this team had a good offense, and that was the one thing you could count on, and now it’s just all bad on both sides of the ball. Baylor made a mistake keeping Dave Aranda.
Colorado
The Buffaloes made things interesting for three quarters before they collapsed in the fourth as they were outscored 21-0. Julian Lewis wasn’t great, but Colorado did have some success on the ground and got some help with four turnovers. However, their defense was atrocious as they gave up 355 rushing yards. With the loss, Colorado is now 3-8 on the year with one game left against Kansas State.
