With just over a month remaining in the NCAA football season, the Big 12 continued to raise uncertainty this weekend in which teams are above the rest in the conference.
Many outcomes this week were unexpected, but few were surprising enough to be considered major upsets. Outside of the undefeated Oklahoma Sooners and No. 9 Texas Longhorns, who each rested this weekend, parity seems to exist in the Big 12, which was evident in the seventh week of play.
Houston vs. WVU: Cougars set tone for the week in Thursday night win
In a game featuring excitement, frustration, and disappointment for both fanbases, the Houston Cougars earned their first conference victory on Thursday against West Virginia, 41-39. The fourth quarter featured a total of 42 points, with two touchdowns in its last minute. Despite this being the schools’ first ever head-to-head matchup, the dramatic result, alongside Houston and former WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen establishing a connection between the teams, set the foundation for what may be a new Big 12 rivalry.
For Houston, the win was a testament to their offensive capabilities. The Cougars scored over 35 points in half of their six games to this point, but Thursday night was the first time they did so in a conference game. The team only reached third down nine times in the game and protected the football for no turnovers against the Mountaineers. Quarterback Donovan Smith was responsible for all of the team’s five touchdowns, throwing for four and rushing for one while marking 253 yards on a 21/27 completion rate. Outside of Smith, sophomore receiver Stephon Johnson was responsible for the most yards gained and touchdowns scored, as he finished with 96 yards on four receptions with two touchdowns. Though a Hail Mary will get much of the recognition for the Houston win, Holgorsen and the Cougars proved to themselves that they can handle tough competition and will look to carry that energy into next weekend’s game against the mighty Texas Longhorns.
West Virginia, meanwhile, may want to write this game off as a fluke before Saturday’s homecoming game against Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers dominated the offensive stats in the game, outdoing Houston with 153 more total yards gained. The loss could be blamed on many factors, but the fact of the matter is that the Mountaineers did not look awful Thursday night and have a strong enough résumé to show they can defeat the Cowboys, despite the current narrative surrounding them.
Iowa State vs. Cincinnati: Both teams continue to rewrite narrative from early in the season
The Iowa State Cyclones continued to prove their tough start to the season is completely behind them with their third conference victory on Saturday. Of their Big 12 opponents, Iowa State lost only to the Oklahoma Sooners and have shown others that their defense is a forced to be reckoned with. After catching four interceptions against TCU last week, the Cyclones caught two from Cincinnati’s Emory Jones while holding him to just 96 passing yards in 26 throws. Offensively, though, the team left more to be desired, as quarterback Rocco Becht completed just 15 of his 25 pass attempts while the team finished with a respectable 241 receiving yards and 123 rushing yards. Their defense should continue to be a driving force as they finish the season, but the Cyclones may look to raise their offensive ceiling in their upcoming bye week.
Cincinnati have also altered their public perception since early in the season. After two wins to start the season, the Bearcats have now extended their losing streak to four games, with their largest deficit coming this week in the 30-10 loss. Their scoring in the game somewhat resembled their season record, as the Bearcats started with the upper hand and momentum after leading 7-3 in the first quarter but allowed that advantage to fade quickly. The team was unable to get anywhere, as Jones, the quarterback, was forced to run for 72 yards on 15 carries instead of making any decent production as a passer. Cincinnati will look to gain their first conference win next weekend against Baylor, who is also struggling, but have a lot to address if they plan on doing so.
Oklahoma State vs. Kansas: Cowboys match Houston with upset over Kansas
Ranked 23rd by the Associated Press, the Kansas Jayhawks fell short of expectations against Oklahoma State on Saturday for their second loss of the season. After scoring 18 points in the second quarter to match the Cowboys’ early start, Kansas failed to extend their one-point lead and lost to OSU 39-32. Senior quarterback Jason Bean kept things going offensively by throwing for 410 passing yards with five touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. This, combined with Kansas’s minimized run game that saw 90 total rushing yards, kept the Cowboys in the driver’s seat for the game and allowed them to pull off the upset.
Oklahoma State scored more points this week than any other this season to grab the victory. Led by 168 rushing yards from sophomore running back Ollie Gordon II, OSU’s run game was the driving force for the Cowboys victory and will likely be something they depend on as the season continues. The sophomore also led OSU in receiving yards with 116 on six receptions to help match the passing production of Kansas. In doing such, OSU totaled 554 yards in the game compared to the Jayhawks’ 500 in the victory. Kicker Alex Hale made four field goals for the Cowboys in the win, making for one less than he had last week against Kansas State, which was also an important pillar for the OSU offense. The Cowboys will look to continue this forward momentum to steal their third straight conference victory on Saturday at West Virginia University.
TCU vs. BYU: Horned Frogs bring back early season attention with 44-11 blowout
After losses to WVU and Iowa State, Texas Christian forced BYU’s second loss of the season in a big way, winning 44-11 over the Cougars. The Horned Frogs got off to an early start in the game, scoring two touchdowns while keeping BYU scoreless in the first quarter and keeping their production going for a total of 31 points in the half. Senior safety Millard Bradford caught the only interception thrown by BYU’s Kedon Slovis in the game and ran it 35 yards into the endzone for their first touchdown. The team’s other four touchdowns came from quarterback Josh Hoover, who nearly tripled Slovis in passing yards with 447 on an insane 58 throws for 37 completions. Hoover’s two interceptions in the game brought TCU down-to-earth, but Sonny Dykes’ team showed no mercy to the Cougars throughout to get a convincing fourth win of the year.
BYU struggled to get things going offensively in comparison, as they finished with less than half of their opponents’ total yards, with 243. TCU was all over quarterback Kedon Slovis in the game, as he was held to 15 completions for 152 yards and no touchdowns. TCU also pushed Slovis backwards for a total of -20 rushing yards on six carries. The Cougars will attempt to bounce back next week against Texas Tech for their second conference win of the season.
Kansas State vs. Texas Tech: Wildcats rise to 4-2 record in their inconsistent season
Kansas State recovered from an unexpected loss to Oklahoma State last week with their second conference victory of the year against Texas Tech. The Wildcats won 38-21, playing an interesting offensive strategy where they split their minimal throws between senior Will Howard and Freshman Avery Johnson. Each quarterback threw nine attempts, with Howard completing six for 86 yards and Johnson completing eight for 77. The two replaced each other a couple of times throughout the game. The real interesting portion of Kansas State’s quarterbacks, though, was Johnson’s rushing gains. The freshman had 13 carries for 90 yards and all five of the Wildcats’ touchdowns. He was not the team’s leading rusher, as that honor belonged to running back Treshaun Ward, who rushed for 118 yards, but Johnson’s speed out of the quarterback position made him an instant threat against the Red Raiders defense when it came time to score.
The Red Raiders outdid Kansas State in total yards, but they lacked the scoring capabilities as a team that Johnson had by himself. The team also split the quarterback duties between two players, sophomore Behren Morton and freshman Jake Strong, but unlike the Wildcats, this was not the choice of Texas Tech. Morton went down with an injury after 21 throws and a rushing touchdown in the first half, forcing Strong to come in. Strong completed 16 of his 28 attempts for 173 yards and a touchdown but had a bit of a learning curve in the process, as Kansas State caught three interceptions from the freshman. Strong did have one carry for 54 yards in the game, which served as a source of hope for Texas Tech fans in the loss. Now 3-4 overall, the Red Raiders will play BYU next weekend in efforts for a third conference win, while Kansas State will take on TCU.
