Big 12 Conference play was in full swing over the weekend and while it’s still very early there are a few things starting to shape up. Baylor and West Virginia remain the only undefeated teams but it certainly didn’t come easy. Oklahoma won the battle of the preseason favorites in Ft. Worth and Oklahoma State dialed up the pressure on Charlie Strong with a thrashing of the Longhorns in Stillwater.
The Good
Texas Tech Defense | You have to keep the perspective that it was only Kansas but the 19 points scored by the Jayhawks were the second fewest allowed by the Red Raiders this season. Stephen F. Austin scored 17 points against Tech in the season opener.
Oklahoma’s Rushing Attack | The Sooners ran for 260 yards, five touchdowns, and averaged 5.4 yards per carry in their 52-46 win at TCU. Oklahoma ran the ball 48 times to 30 passing attempts which better suits their skill set.
Oklahoma State 49 – Texas 31 | The Cowboys haven’t beaten Texas in Stillwater since 1997 but leave it up to Charlie Strong to snap that streak. Probably means they’ll be all in for the Sooners next weekend in Dallas.
West Virginia Fourth Quarter Comebacks | The Mountaineers turned a 16-3 fourth quarter deficit into a 17-16 come from behind win. I still feel that Kansas State has possibly the best defense in the conference which makes the comeback all the more impressive.
The Bad
Patrick Mahomes Shoulder Injury | The Red Raiders 55-19 win didn’t come without a cost. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes left the game in the second half with a shoulder injury and is listed as day-to-day. Tech plays at Kansas State this weekend and an absent Mahomes could be extremely detrimental.
Baylor 45 – Iowa State 42 | Baylor struggling in Ames didn’t hurt them in the polls as the Bears remain the highest ranked team in the conference and actually moved up two spots in the Coaches Poll to #11. It still doesn’t erase how bad giving up nearly 500 yards of offense to the Cyclones is.
Oklahoma’s Pass Defense | The bye week didn’t necessarily cure the issues in OU’s secondary. TCU quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 449 yards and five touchdowns in defeat.
The Ugly
Gary Patterson Post Game | Following TCU’s loss to Oklahoma Patterson went off on Big 12 officials and Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield. Apparently there wasn’t a mirror available when he was casting blame.
Texas Defense | In their last two games the Longhorns have given up 50 and 49 points. Charlie Strong has demoted defensive coordinator Vance Bedford and will now assume the defensive play-calling responsibilities. It worked last year when Strong moved Jay Norvell to offensive coordinator just before the Red River Shootout. The Longhorns are hoping that lightening will strike twice.
Power Rankings
- West Virginia
- Baylor
- Oklahoma State
- Oklahoma
- TCU
- Kansas State
- Texas Tech
- Texas
- Iowa State
- Kansas