Week 8 in the Big 12 was full of surprises, with UCF stunning BYU in double overtime, Cincinnati dominating Texas Tech and Utah taking control of the conference race.
Elsewhere, Arizona continued to prove it belongs in the Big 12 title conversation, West Virginia picked up a big road win at TCU and Baylor’s loss to Kansas ultimately cost Dave Aranda his job.
With another wild Saturday in the books, let’s break down the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Week 8 in the Big 12.
The Good
UCF (Beat BYU 39-31)
What a game this was. In double overtime, the Knights picked up their biggest win since joining the Big 12.
Keyone Jenkins was fantastic, accounting for four total touchdowns as UCF’s offense moved the ball extremely well against arguably the best defense in the conference. Even with two blocked field goals, UCF found a way to win and got the stop it needed in the second overtime.
Despite all the injuries this team has dealt with, Scott Frost found a way to take down BYU. It was the Knights’ first-ever win over a top-two team and their biggest victory in years. Hats off to UCF and its effort on Saturday in Orlando.
Cincinnati (Beat Texas Tech 37-24)
Don’t let the final score fool you: Cincinnati opened up a can of whoop ass on Texas Tech.
The Bearcats ran for over 250 yards, with Cole Tabb leading the way with 173 yards and a score. Quarterback JC French IV also threw four touchdown passes as Cincinnati moved the ball with ease against one of the better defenses in the conference.
It truly was a dominant performance by the Bearcats and their first top-10 win in 20 years. Also, Nippert Stadium continues to prove why it’s such a tough place for opposing teams to play.
Utah (Beat Houston 21-13)
Despite a slow start that saw the offense get shut out in the first half, Utah’s defense kept the Utes in the game until the offense finally woke up after halftime.
Devon Dampier struggled throwing the football, but he used his athleticism to run for 150 yards and two scores, while the defense shut down Connor Weigman and Houston’s running game.
Even when Houston had multiple chances to take the lead or tie the game late, Utah’s defense stepped up and got the ball back. Now, the Utes are the only unbeaten team remaining in Big 12 play.
Arizona (Beat Iowa State 39-3)
There isn’t a whole lot to take away from this game because Iowa State is a bad football team at this point.
But it was nice to see Arizona’s defense play well, while the offense continued to put up points behind Noah Fifita despite all the injuries on that side of the ball.
Now sitting at 6-1, don’t sleep on this Arizona team. The Wildcats belong in the same conversation as Texas Tech, BYU and Utah.
West Virginia (Beat TCU 24-20)
It’s weird to see West Virginia not get into a high-scoring shootout, and it’s even weirder to see the Mountaineers win a game by making a defensive play late.
Michael Hawkins Jr. scored a few times, but it was encouraging to see that even when the offense put up one of its lowest point totals of the season, the defense found a way to get stops when it mattered most.
That’s what has been missing from this West Virginia team. If the Mountaineers can play defense, they can compete with anyone in this conference.
Kansas (Beat Baylor 25-24)
Good for Kansas getting its first win in Big 12 play, but I’m not going to put too much stock into this one.
It was nice to see Kansas come up with a stop late and have its defense play one of its best games of the season. Other than that, I still think this team has plenty of issues that will be tough to overcome throughout the rest of the year.
Arizona State (Beat Kansas State 28-17)
The fact that Arizona State played three quarterbacks and still won by double digits is pretty amazing.
I know Kansas State was without Avery Johnson, but the Sun Devils’ defense may have played its best game of the year.
Also, did Arizona State finally find its guy at quarterback? Jake Fette led the Sun Devils on two big scoring drives in the fourth quarter to shut the door on the Wildcats.
Oklahoma State (Beat Colorado 57-24)
I can honestly say this result didn’t shock me too much, but Oklahoma State putting up nearly 60 points on Colorado was something I didn’t see coming.
Drew Mestemaker continues his dominance through the air, throwing for 386 yards and four touchdowns as Oklahoma State piled up 598 yards of offense against a respectable Colorado defense.
Also, scoring 34 unanswered points in the second half is crazy and just goes to show how dangerous this Oklahoma State team can be.
The Bad
BYU (Lost to UCF 39-31)
I was worried about the hangover after such a historic win the week before, and that’s exactly what happened as BYU traveled across two time zones to play in a tough environment at the Bounce House.
Bear Bachmeier did all he could to keep the Cougars in it, but the defense simply didn’t play as well as it had all season. BYU caught some tough breaks, fought through them and ultimately fell short.
Even though the loss stings, everything is still on the table for this team if the Cougars can regroup and win out.
Houston (Lost to Utah 21-13)
Going to Salt Lake City is always tough, and Houston found that out the hard way.
To my surprise, the defense held up well and played well enough to win the game, but the offense just wasn’t there. Houston couldn’t run the football, which put more pressure on Connor Weigman to deliver. Utah consistently brought pressure throughout the second half to create havoc, and it worked.
Now with two losses in Big 12 play, Houston is going to need some help to get back to the top of the standings.
TCU (Lost to West Virginia 24-20)
This had to be extremely frustrating for TCU fans.
The offense moved the ball well but couldn’t get out of its own way, turning the ball over three times and committing eight penalties. The defense held one of the most powerful offenses in the Big 12 to under 25 points, but the offense couldn’t get the job done against the worst defense in the conference.
Now sitting at 3-4, it feels like Sonny Dykes’ seat should be getting warmer as well.
Kansas State (Lost to Arizona State 28-17)
I don’t want to give Kansas State too much grief here because the Wildcats went on the road without starting quarterback Avery Johnson.
It doesn’t matter who you are, that’s a tough spot to be in. And with all the other injuries Kansas State has dealt with, it makes things even more difficult.
Would this game have looked different with Johnson on the field? I certainly think so. But without him, Kansas State didn’t have enough offensively to get the job done.
The Ugly
Texas Tech (Lost to Cincinnati 37-24)
This wasn’t just a loss; it was an ugly one because Texas Tech got the crap kicked out of them and then some.
The offense was awful in the first half, putting up just six points. If not for a pair of turnovers forced by the defense, it could have been a lot worse.
And speaking of the defense, the Red Raiders gave up more than 250 yards on the ground and had no answer for the physicality of Cincinnati’s offensive front.
Plus, it’s becoming clear that Will Hammond isn’t going to be much more than a glorified game manager at quarterback. All of Texas Tech’s flaws were exposed by Cincinnati on Saturday.
Iowa State (Lost to Arizona 39-3)
I’m at a loss for words here because this was the first time in years when I felt like Iowa State never stood a chance. The Cyclones simply got blown out.
The quarterback change to Connor Moberly didn’t do much, but with all the injuries this team has dealt with, there isn’t much at wide receiver and points are going to be difficult to come by.
However, I was shocked by how poorly Iowa State’s defense played against Arizona. That’s the part of this loss I didn’t see coming.
Baylor (Lost to Kansas 25-24)
At this point, the game almost doesn’t matter anymore because Dave Aranda has been fired.
It’s been a long time coming, and if you’re a Baylor fan, maybe this was the best thing to come out of Saturday. Now the program can move forward, get some fresh air into the building and hopefully find someone who can get Baylor back to competing for Big 12 championships.
The question now is simple: Who will that be?
Colorado (Lost to Oklahoma State 57-24)
Even though the game was tied at 24 at halftime, everything changed in the second half as Colorado was outscored 34-0 over the final two quarters.
I was surprised to see the offense keep pace in the first half before things melted down with turnovers after halftime. But the bigger shock was the defense giving up nearly 60 points and 600 yards.
I thought Colorado’s defense was the one unit capable of keeping the Buffaloes in games. On Saturday, it certainly wasn’t.
