Large margins of victory returned to the Big 12 this week in an even mix of blowouts and close matchups. As records start changing across the conference, week three’s results are very telling of the landscape of the Big 12. Here are the key takeaways from each team’s third game of the season.
TCU vs. Houston: First Big 12 matchup draws line between two Texas teams
In the first conference game of the Big 12 this season, the Horned Frogs highlighted the level difference between themselves and the Houston Cougars, with TCU winning the game 36-13. Houston proved again that they are capable in some regard of holding their own defensively, but, unlike last week’s matchup against Rice, failed to keep up with scoring as the Horned Frogs pulled ahead. As established before, this new addition to the Big 12 is far from a top competitor in the conference, but they will try to make some noise, starting with a win against 0-2 Sam Houston next week.
TCU led 20-13 at halftime before keeping the Cougars scoreless in the second half to secure the victory. The Horned Frogs excelled once again in the run game, gaining 250 total rushing yards with just over half of them coming from junior RB Emani Bailey. They also saw decent production from Chandler Morris at quarterback as he threw 24/37 to gain 314 passing yards and two touchdowns for the team. Defensively, TCU stopped the Cougars on all four of their plays on fourth down and kept them to a 4/15 third down efficiency. The Horned Frogs will try to boost their reputation next week against SMU as they prepare for their first home conference game in week five against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Oklahoma: Team scores 66 points to reinforce their offensive capabilities
In another stunning offensive performance, the Oklahoma Sooners, ranked 19th in college football after week two, stole Big 12 headlines back from Texas in their 66-17 win over Tulsa. Oklahoma all but solidified their victory in the first quarter, where they scored four touchdowns and kept the Golden Hurricane scoreless before easing up in the second quarter to end the half with a 38-14 lead. The Sooners returned in the second half with momentum, scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter before finishing with one in the fourth to end the game. Oklahoma beat Tulsa in every offensive category on 10 less plays in the game while forcing a combined five interceptions from Tulsa’s two quarterbacks. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel shined in the game, throwing 28/31 for 421 yards and five touchdowns. Three touchdowns went to Nic Anderson, who became the first freshman in program history to accomplish such a feat. The undefeated Sooners will try to bring this dominance into the Big 12 conference next week as they play at Cincinnati.
Texas: Longhorns affirm praises after Alabama win
For the second week in a row, the Texas Longhorns scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull ahead against a top team in the NCAA. This week, the Wyoming Cowboys received this treatment in their first loss of the season, 31-10. The two teams performed similarly in yardage, both from passing and rushing, but the Longhorns did so efficiently, gaining 1.7 more yards per play than Wyoming. Texas did not perform great offensively in this game as a whole, but, the Steve Sarkisian-coached team made their plays count in the fourth quarter, which they entered tied with the Cowboys 10-10. The Longhorns play their first conference game next week against Baylor, but no real challenge in the conference is expected for Texas until their October 7th home game against Oklahoma.
Kansas State: Wildcats end up on receiving end of upset against Missouri
15th ranked Kansas State became the next Big 12 team to lose in a heavily favored matchup, joining Baylor and TCU after a 30-27 loss against the Missouri Tigers. The Wildcats, who led 24-17 before the final quarter, played well but were simply outdone by the Tigers offensively. Quarterback Will Howard played well, throwing 25 receptions on 39 attempts for 270 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception, but the senior was outplayed by Missouri junior Brady Cook, who, despite gaining just two yards on 10 carries, led the Tigers offensively with 356 passing yards and two touchdowns, making 23/35 pass attempts. The Wildcats are still a capable force in the Big 12, but they are no longer an undefeated one and will have to regain their reputation against UCF next week.
UCF: Knights bounce back from close call in week two
The University of Central Florida brought momentum back this week ahead of their first Big 12 conference game, defeating now 2-1 Villanova 48-14. The undefeated Knights split the running duties between four main running backs and saw two touchdowns each from junior RJ Harvey and freshman Jordan McDonald. Kobe Hudson, a senior transfer from Auburn, led the team offensively as a receiver, bringing in six receptions for 147 yards, despite not catching either of Timmy McClain’s two touchdowns in the game. UCF kept their opponents to a low score for the third week in a row, holding Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins to just nine completions for 144 yards and no passing touchdowns on 23 attempts. Watkins, who lost a combined eight yards on his five carries, rushed for one of Villanova’s two touchdowns in the game.
Baylor: Bears get first win of the season 30-7
After an upset loss against Texas State in week one and falling short against 12th ranked Utah, the Baylor Bears finally got their first victory of the season, beating the Long Island Sharks. The running duo of Dawson Pendergrass and Richard Reese combined for 193 yards and three touchdowns to make up for the struggles of sophomore quarterback Sawyer Robertson who threw 10/22 for 113 yards and a touchdown. Defensively the Bears allowed almost no production from LIU, as the team had just 40 passing yards and 143 rushing yards in the game with just 10 first downs and 43 plays. Baylor will certainly have a very different challenge as they face Texas next week, but with this momentum and their near success against a top team in Utah, the Bears could make things exciting in their first conference game.
Iowa State: Lack of run game production causes major worries for the Cyclones
After a low scoring loss against the Ohio Bobcats, 10-7, the Iowa State Cyclones fell to a 1-2 record. After relying a lot on quarterback Rocco Becht last week, Iowa State got their run game a bit more involved in week two, but it resulted in almost no production offensively, with Becht leading the team with 31 rushing yards on nine carries. Otherwise, the Cyclones played better offensively than Ohio, with more total yards in the game than the Bobcats, but with no real running threat, the team could not capitalize on these advantages. Neither team scored in the first half, and Iowa State’s only touchdown came with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, already down 10. The Cyclones will need to regain some offensive capabilities next week against Oklahoma State if they want to prove themselves as a threat in the conference, at least to some degree.
Texas Tech: Red Raiders remind conference of their strengths
After a challenging schedule for the first two weeks, Texas Tech got their first win of the season in a convincing fashion this weekend, defeating Tarleton State 41-3. The Texans kept up with the Red Raiders offensively, gaining two more passing yards in the game than Texas Tech for a total of 342 yards offensively, but the Red Raiders shut them down when it came to scoring. Tarleton State’s only score was a field goal in the fourth quarter of play. Texas Tech should hope to limit West Virginia in a similar manner next week in order to win, as the team showed it has the ability to score against anyone, scoring 30 or more points in each of their first three games.
Oklahoma State: Cowboys will need to bounce back after being overwhelmed by South Alabama
Oklahoma State lost their first game of the season this week, as they were shut down by the South Alabama Jaguars. The Cowboys got little success from any of their three quarterbacks this week, as they combined for 114 passing yards on 35 attempts, which does not look great when compared to South Alabama’s Carter Bradley, who threw for 152 yards on just 16 attempts. The Cowboys could not make up for this with their run game either, as they rushed for 94 yards- 149 less than the Jaguars. With this being the first team that OSU has played this season that could pack a punch offensively, the Cowboys will need to reevaluate if they want to compete with high level offensive teams. Nevertheless, this should not be a major problem in their first conference game next week against Iowa State, but it is something that will need addressed down the line for Oklahoma State.
Kansas: Jayhawks boast 3-0 record ahead of matchup against BYU
The Kansas Jayhawks were impressive for the third straight week, this time beating the Nevada Wolf Pack 31-24. Despite Nevada’s winless record, the Wolf Pack brought decent competition for the Jayhawks in week three. Going for 441 yards, Kansas moved at will on Nevada’s home turf. Junior RB Devin Neal led the scoring campaign for Kansas, rushing for three touchdowns in 17 carries for 89 yards. Jalon Daniels led well offensively as the quarterback, throwing for 298 yards with 21/27 completions. The Jayhawks kept production going throughout the game in order to break the 10-10 tie at halftime and outdid Nevada by a touchdown in the third quarter to get the win. The well constructed Kansas team plays BYU next week before taking on the Big 12’s top team in Texas.
BYU: Cougars are carrying momentum after third straight victory
Now 3-0, Brigham Young University defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday 38-31 with Chase Roberts’ game winning second reception of the day with eight minutes remaining as the only score in the fourth quarter. Arkansas received 33 voting points in the Associated Press’s weekly top 25 poll, putting them two outside of the top 25 and, other than scoring, outdid BYU in every offensive except third down efficiency, including penalty yardage, which was what ultimately allowed BYU to take advantage and win this game. Arkansas lost 125 yards from their 14 penalties compared to the 45 lost by BYU in seven. Another key factor bringing the Cougars their victory was an interception thrown by Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson with two minutes remaining in the third quarter that led to a BYU touchdown to tie the game before the fourth quarter. With BYU’s momentum steadily rising across their three games, they have proven to be a threat in the Big 12 conference going into their week four matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks, who are also undefeated.
Cincinnati: Bearcats fall to in-state rivals for first time in 18 years
After winning 16 straight games against Miami University of Ohio, Cincinnati fell to the Redhawks 31-24 on Saturday, making the 145 year series an even 60-60 between the two teams. Everything went right for Cincinnati in this overtime game, as the team had 14 more first downs and 42 more plays to lead Miami in every category except yards per play, but wasted opportunities, such as throwing two interceptions, let Miami lead for the most of the game. For the first three quarters of play, Cincinnati allowed the Redhawks to score one touchdown per quarter, giving Miami a 14-13 lead at halftime and a 21-16 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Bearcats took the lead in the fourth quarter before Miami tied it with a field goal, and, with a 35 yard field goal attempt blocked with nine seconds remaining, Cincinnati missed their opportunity to top the Redhawks as the game went to overtime. Cincinnati will try to recover from their first loss of the season as they play the dominant Oklahoma next week in their first ever Big 12 conference game.
WVU: Long, hard fought Backyard Brawl ends in West Virginia’s favor
For the first time since 2011, the West Virginia Mountaineers played their rivals, the Pittsburgh Panthers, at home on Saturday and were victorious 17-6. The Mountaineers relied on a lot of production from running backs CJ Donaldson and Jaylen Anderson, who combined for 164 rushing yards, rather than the passing of Nicco Marchiol, who had six completions on just nine attempts for 60 yards and a touchdown. West Virginia brought vicious defense in the game that stopped production from Pittsburgh’s Phil Jurkovec almost entirely, as he was picked off three times in the game by WVU. West Virginia will want to keep this defensive prowess as they play a high scoring team in Texas Tech next week for their first conference game of the season.
