Big 12 Roundup | Texas, OSU and K-State Win Convincingly; WVU Wins in OT

Alright, Texas Tech was the team that spit the bit. Gotta get better this week and of course, K-State looks to have two quarterbacks that are terrific running the ball and Texas Tech is great at defending a strong running team. This should be fun. West Virginia won in overtime at TCU, while Texas looked to have a lackluster performance against Kansas. As an aside, I couldn't find any sort of post game wrap on Kansas and that was from a FanPost. It's basketball season in Kansas and I think those folks are ready for Navy's football coach to head to Lawrence.

We're about to find out a lot about Baylor and Oklahoma as Baylor opened as 14 point favorites (Yeesh!).#

Our Daily Bears (Baylor Bears)
What Happened: Bye
Up Next: Oklahoma (Thursday)
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Wide Right & Natty Lite (Iowa St. Cyclones)
What Happened: Iowa St. 7, Kansas St. 41
Up Next: TCU
Stop me if you're heard this one before: Iowa State starts a game poorly on both sides of the ball and the game immediately felt out of reach after the first two scores from the opponent. Kansas State ripped off 44 yards on their first two plays from scrimmage and punched it in with John Hubert from 9 yards out just five plays later. After an Iowa State punt Kansas State responded with a 54 yard run by Hubert but the defense miraculously held on to allow only a field goal. That's all it would take as Iowa State never felt in the game once down 10-0 and ultimately fell for Iowa State's 6th straight loss in the series. Defensively the team was up and down throughout the first half. After allowing big plays on the first two drives the defense stood up and forced a three and out to keep the dam from breaking in the first quarter. Yet once Daniel Sams was inserted at quarterback for Kansas State the tide once again changed. Sams accounted for 56 of Kansas State's 71 yards on the drive and capped it with a 1 yard plunge to make the score 17-0. As the game wore on the defense wore out. Seven plays of 20 yards or longer were surrendered by this defense and not many teams will overcome that type of effort. Things got so bad that a clear pass interference call on Deon Broomfield in the 4th quarter still resulted in a touchdown reception for Tramaine Thompson. (Link)

Rock Chalk Talk (Kansas Jayhawks)
What Happened: Kansas 13, Texas 35
Up Next: @ Oklahoma St.
Offense: Darrian Miller ran well. Connor Embree was in a lot on offense, but I don’t remember him doing much. Did Cozart throw any passes? It sure didn’t seem like it. Very disappointed in Justin McCay so far this year. I hope Rodriguez Coleman is OK. I feel better about the KU offense than I thought I would. They showed some things. Overall, Jake Heaps looked better I thought. Minus the sack and fumble of course. Defense: Defense played as well as can be expected. They played great for three quarters, actually. Jake Love was pretty pissed off at someone today, he was really laying the lumber. Isaiah Johnson really has a knack for the ball as well. Special Teams: Doherty did OK. Pardula kicked some nice balls. Minus his fumble, of course. Wyman missed a short kick that would have given Kansas an early lead. Special teams have kind of been a bummer lately. Better get that fixed before Nov 30 or K-State will have a field day. Conclusion: We got close to what we expected. Texas won comfortably, but not going away. Kansas hung in there well into the third quarter. Games against West Virginia and Kansas State are looking less winnable every week. I think our only shot is Iowa State. Oklahoma State put the hammer onto Texas Tech as well, so next week in Stillwater could be rough. We’ll be watching, though. Stay tuned for next week’s "View." (Link)

Bring On The Cats (Kansas St. Wildcats)
What Happened: Iowa St. 7, Kansas St. 41
Up Next: @ Texas Tech
John Hubert led the way with 108 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while the defense came through in a big way as Ty Zimmerman>, Dorrian Roberts, and Dakorey Johnson all snagged interceptions, and K-State rolled to an easy 41-7 win over their Farmageddon rivals at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Fort Riley Day. The win levels the Cats record at 4-4, which suddenly makes the season feel a lot less oppressive. Amazingly, by game's end K-State led in every single statistical category except fumbles lost. The Cats rolled up 448 yards of offense and, as has started to become oddly familiar, exploded for 21 points in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice. Those looking for something to point to in the ongoing quarterback controversy don't have a whole lot to point to today. Jake Waters didn't account for any of the scoring either on the ground (32 yards on 7 carries, not accounting for sack yardage so it was closer to 50) or through the air (9/15 for 157), but he didn't commit any turnovers and came through in a few key situations when called upon. As has been an issue, Jake started overthrowing guys in pressure situations deep in Iowa State territory, though. Daniel Sams was only 4/5 through the air for 64 yards, and a lot of that was on one extremely ill-advised throw that was straight out of Johnny Manziel's playbook; he added 57 yards on 13 carries, again not counting sack yardage. Robert Rose got into the act late, pulling 25 yards on 6 touches and a late touchdown, although he also fumbled deep in Wildcat territory to set up the shutout-destroying touchdown with only 3:24 to play. (Link)

Crimson and Cream Machine (Oklahoma Sooners)
What Happened: Bye
Up Next: @ Baylor (Thursday)
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Cowboys Ride For Free (Oklahoma St. Cowboys)
What Happened: Oklahoma St. 52, Texas Tech 34
Up Next: Kansas
The same as the offense seems more productive with Chelf at QB (although it still feels like a bit of mystery to me), there is no question that Desmond Roland and Rennie Childs should be the 1-2 punch out of the backfield. The offensive line is obviously enjoying its third consecutive game with the same unit, although Koenig struggled at times on the left side in pass protection. But the vision of Roland and Childs is remarkable to watch vs Jeremy Smith. I've mentioned this before, but their ability to get past first contact, and their burst (yes, I'm saying that about Roland) when they get the slightest of gaps, is fun to watch. I know Smith is a senior, but the production is unmistakable. Smith had his most productive game since Mississippi State, and it seemed like an afterthought. It's odd to say this, but Roland and Childs seem to be better "physical" runners than Smith. Almost every time Roland carried the ball he moved the pile forward. Jerry Clower told a great story about playing college football against a running back who was ALWAYS pointed towards the goal line he was trying to cross when you finished tackling him. Roland and Childs both have that quality. And how about lining Josh Stewart up in the backfield? Now if we could just get some of the diamond formation.... So here we are, with OSU firmly in the middle of the Big 12 race, dispatching the Red Raiders for the THIRD time in a row in Lubbock, getting ready to face Kansas in Stillwater. Then Austin awaits. (Link)

Burnt Orange Nation (Texas Longhorns)
What Happened: Kansas 13, Texas 35
Up Next: @ West Virginia
The word from Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown this last week was that he was excited because his team hasn't scratched its full potential yet. Consider few marks made in that regard in an underwhelming and mostly forgettable 35-13 win over the Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks have managed to hang with previous opponents early in the game and that trend continued thanks to a turnover on downs and a Case McCoy interception in the first half that helped keep the Horns from burying the visitors early. The positive was that while the Texas defense allowed three drives inside the red zone, Kansas produced only six points until a late garbage touchdown run by Jayhawk quarterback Montell Cozart on at time-consuming drive that consumed much of the fourth quarter after Malcolm Brown ran for his fourth touchdown of the game on a play that nearly didn't get off as Case McCoy tripped over the fullback while coming out from under center. Brown continued his recent surge that started in the Oklahoma game with 20 carries for 119 yards and the four scores on a day when yards were hard to come by as the normally porous Kansas rush defense committed numbers to stop the Texas attack. The Longhorns didn't manage to create separation until defensive end Cedric Reed sacked Jake Heaps and forced a fumble that bounced up nicely to defensive tackle Chris Whaley, who scooped up the ball and rumbled 40 yards for a touchdown, his second in the last three games. Defensively, Texas gave up 306 total yards and 13 points to a team that averages 290 yards per game (119th nationally) and 17.7 points per game (115th nationally) -- it was a solid performance helped by the big play from Reed and Whaley, but a long completion that set up the Kansas field goal at the end of the first half was disappointing because it came on third and long and cornerback Duke Thomas was not able to get his head around on the play. (Link)

Barking Carnival (Texas Longhorns)
What Happened: Kansas 13, Texas 35
Up Next: @ West Virginia
Network...don't feel like you got cheated out of an exciting and aesthetically pleasing viewing experience. This wasn't a bad effort by any means, but it was the kind of workmanlike effort against an over-matched opponent that likely inspired more than one mid-afternoon nap across Longhorn Nation. OFFENSE It was a pedestrian start for the Horns offense - Case managed a few short completions before rifling Red Ryder BB'ing an interception to the Jayhawks' free safety while looking for Daje Johnson. The pass lacked zip and wasn't perfectly aimed, but Daje's skinny post wasn't exactly Vlasic Pickle-crisp, either. Daje's 16-yard catch on the next series added a little zest, but the drive ended with a dollop o' derp as McCoy threw a pass after crossing the line of scrimmage to force a Fera punt. The natives began to get restless as a third drive stalled out in Longhorn territory. Fortunately, Anthony Fera's luscious punting thigh proved too tempting a target for one of the Jayhawks special teamers, and he lunged into it to provide Texas with a fresh set of downs. Getting the ball in Daje's hands was an obvious point of emphasis, and he caught a couple mixed with good gainers from Malcolm Brown before McCoy-to-Shipley 2.0 got Texas into the red zone and set up Brown's first TD plunge. From there, it was basically making license plates. Case had a reasonable afternoon. His delivery on deep balls still begs for its own ESPN Sports Science episode, and it looked like he'd run out of Moxie as now-patented sideline throws couldn't come close to connecting with Mike Davis. Fortunately, his chemistry with Marcus Johnson continues unabated, and he dropped yet another sideline shot in the basket to Johnson to set up a 3rd quarter TD. I'll give him half the blame on his first INT, and the second was basically a punt on 3rd and long as he got smacked on the release. Case isn't going to elevate this offense on anything like a consistent basis, but when he's supported by a strong run game and doesn't have to chase the score he can dial up the accuracy, dial down the derp and keep on winning. Tyrone Swoopes got to attempt actual passes in this game - three of 'em, in fact! He also logged his first passing yard as a Longhorn, so congrats Tyrone! Two games into his Longhorn career he has still accrued next to no meaningful experience, and if you think he's getting playing time on the road against WVU or against any of our ranked foes down the stretch then I'd like to welcome you as an obviously new member of the Longhorn family. We've gained no meaningful preparation for Swoopes should McCoy get injured, and this is shaping up to be an unconscionable shirt burn. (Link)

Frogs O War (TCU Horned Frogs)
What Happened: West Virginia 30, TCU 27
Up Next: @ Iowa St.
From the moment Trevone Boykin fumbled on the two yard line right after what should have been a back breaking interception by the defense, I knew it was only a matter of time. Granted, it was a bit more time than I expected- Overtime, even- but the momentum swung so wildly on that play that to me they might as well have called the end, for a variety of reasons. TCU and West Virginia had been battering each other with little effect through the second half of the second quarter and all of the third quarter, but West Virginia was staying in the game due to TCU's stubborn refusal to even attempt a running game and seemingly desperate desire to have Trevone Boykin back at quarterback again by having Casey Pachall killed by the West Virginia defense. Suddenly the Frogs were set up by a wonderful almost pick 6 that Paul Dawson returned all the way down to the two yard line- given the game at that point, a touchdown might have resulted in either a quarterback change or a breaking of wills for the West Virginia defense that had played so well through the middle frames. And TCU sends out... Trevone Boykin on first and goal from the two for his first snap of the game at QB. You have three plays to get two yards, and not only does Waymon James not sniff the field, but you take Casey Pachall off the field and put the game on the shoulders of the shellshocked Trevone Boykin, allowing the WVU defense to creep up off of the wide receivers, because obviously if Boykin is in there for the first time we're not going to throw it- they swarm and Boykin drops the ball. Instead of West Virginia's defense breaking they draw new strength and the offense is let off the hook for their mistake, turning the game around. I don't blame Trevone Boykin for fumbling- much like the staff stubbornly running Skye Dawson out last year and Brandon Carter out this year again and again, the fault lies with the staff for expecting something different from a player whose confidence has been shot repeatedly this year from being put in a position to fail. So yes, the defense played poorly (particularly against the run), the offensive line dropped the ball, Casey threw a bad ball- all true, but the game was lost when Anderson and Burns trotted Boykin out on first and goal- and the chances for a bowl now hinge on winning two straight road games followed by upsetting a top 25 Baylor program. At least a winter spent at home not practicing will give Patterson plenty of time to get out there and find a new coordinator or two who might have half a clue. (Link)

The Smoking Musket (West Virginia Mountaineers)
What Happened: West Virginia 30, TCU 27
Up Next: Texas
WVU largely rode the back of Charles Sims all day and held off a late rally by TCU to win in overtime 30-27. WVU was largely stagnant on offense early but rallied in the second half, building a ten point lead while capitalizing on four TCU turnovers. TCU mounted their own rally tying the game with only 19 seconds on the clock, forcing overtime. The Horned Frogs got the ball first in overtime and were moving the ball well within field goal range when an unnecessary roughness penalty pushed them out of range. WVU took over and looked to win the game on a Sims touchdown run, but a holding penalty pushed them back. Josh Lambert then coolly split the uprights for WVU's first road win of the season. Those are the facts. Now for some conjecture. For the WVU offense, it was a tale of two Tricketts. For the better part of three quarters, Trickett was erratic at best. That was until the fourth quarter and it was like a switch had been turned on and all of the sudden the wild throws were finding their targets and mix in a few nice runs...all of the sudden WVU is moving the ball. Despite what appeared to be a dismal day statistically for Trickett, he did finish with 267 yards with 2 TDs and 2 INTs while connecting on 61% of his passes. Watching the game live, until the fourth quarter, no one would have believed he connected on that high of a percentage. Charles Sims, this was the game we've been waiting to see from you ever since we got word that you were coming to Morgantown. Today he showed the gamebreaking ability that up til today, was only hearsay to Mountaineer fans. One drive was a Mario Alford sandwich on Charles Sims bread covering 87 plays in only three long plays. Sims finished with 154 yards on the ground with a touchdown and 35 yards receiving with another nifty touchdown (see above image). (Link)