Big 12 Football Recap: Week 3

Though college football’s Week 3 was an off-week for TCU, all nine other Big 12 teams saw action. Oklahoma ran through a struggling Nebraska with an interim head coach, Kansas State got upset easily by Tulane, and Kansas (yes, Kansas) beat Houston handledly to start the season 3-0. Only one Big 12 team played a ranked team this week, as Texas Tech lost 27-14 to #16 NC State.

#6 Oklahoma 49, Nebraska 14

What once was one of college football’s great rivalries looked nothing like it once did this past Saturday. Oklahoma has maintained its dominance since the 90s, while Nebraska has been a shell of its former self. After Nebraska fired head coach Scott Frost, Oklahoma didn’t face much competition, as QB Dillon Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the 49-14 win. RB Eric Gray added 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns to the tally. The Sooners have won 7 of the last 8 meetings versus Nebraska, and the programs meet again in 2029.

This Week: vs. Kansas State

#17 Baylor 42, Texas State 7

On a Fourth and One seconds before halftime, Baylor QB Blake Shapen ran 35-yards, untouched, to the end zone to push Baylor’s lead to 21-7. Before that play, Baylor hadn’t looked all that, leading by only a touchdown to a bottom-tier Sun Belt conference team. But, the play gave the Bears the momentum they needed, as they didn’t allow a Texas State score in the 2nd Half, outscoring the Wildcats 21-0. Shapen ended the day with 184 yards, a passing + rushing touchdown, and an interception, while RB Richard Reese picked up 156 yards and got into the end zone three separate times.

This Week: at. Iowa State

West Virginia 65, Towson 7

This one was never in question. West Virginia ran all over Baltimore’s FCS team, Towson, in a 65-7 rout. Tony Mathis ran for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns, and CJ Donaldson ran for 101 yards and 3 scores in the win. Because of the Mountaineer’s rushing prowess, QB JT Daniels was ‘limited’ to 24 pass attempts, but still threw for 174 yards and a touchdown in the win.

This Week: at. Virginia Tech

Iowa State 43, Ohio 10

Iowa State starts 3-0 for the first time since 2012 with this win over the MAC’s Ohio Bobcats. QB Hunter Dekkers continues to impress, throwing for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while star WR Xavier Hutchinson had 9 catches for 96 yards, and a score. Ohio never mounted much of a threat, committing four turnovers and finishing with only 233 total yards.

This Week: vs. Baylor

Tulane 17, Kansas State 10

UPSET ALERT!!

Tulane QB Michael Pratt didn’t have the best game of his career, throwing 2 rough interceptions, but the only stat he cared about was the final score. 17-10. Tulane Green Wave. Throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tyrick James with 4:27 left, and holding Kansas State on their final drive, Tulane was able to come up with a huge upset as 14-point underdogs.

The Big Difference: Tulane held Kansas State to 1 for 5 on Fourth Down conversions.

This Week: at. Oklahoma

Kansas 48, Houston 30

Kansas QB Jalon Daniels might be the real deal. Daniels is 1st in the country in QBR, and in this 48-30 win over Houston scored five touchdowns, 3 through the air and 2 on the ground. He added 158 passing yards and rushed for 123, picking up 281 total yards. He found eleven different receivers to throw to, and is leading Kansas to its first 3-0 start since 2009.

The hype surrounding the Jayhawks might be real this year, and they definitely aren’t an auto-win for the rest of the Big 12 any longer.

They face a true test this week as an undefeated(!!) Duke squad travels to Lawrence for Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff.

This Week: vs. Duke

#8 Oklahoma State 63, Arkansas Pine-Bluff 7

Another game that wasn’t in question for a single second. Oklahoma State held Arkansas Pine-Bluff to a measly 230 total yards, and the Golden Lions’ leading rusher was held to 18, in the 56-point win. QB Spencer Sanders only attempted 16 passes, and scored on ¼ of them, throwing for 242 yards and four touchdowns. WR Braydon Johnson scored two of those and picked up 86 yards on the day. It was such a blowout, the son of the Cowboys’ head coach Mike Gundy, QB Gunnar Gundy, threw for two garbage-time touchdowns.

This Week: Bye

#16 NC State 27, Texas Tech 14

NC State’s Aydan White sought out an errant fourth-down throw, wrapped his hands around it, and ran it 84 yards to the end zone to shut down any chance of a Red Raider comeback. The 2nd Quarter pick-six didn’t seal the deal, but the Wolfpack weren’t losing this game after that play; Carter-Finley Stadium was louder than I had ever heard Jones AT&T Stadium. Texas Tech had a rough time finding any offensive rhythm, getting sacked four times and committing four turnovers in the loss. Donovan Smith had trouble, throwing for only 214 yards, and throwing two interceptions.

This Week: vs. Texas

#21 Texas 41, UTSA 20

If there was any question as to who’s the best RB in the Big 12, and maybe the country, this game answered it. Texas RB Bijan Robinson ran for 183 yards and scored three touchdowns, performing dominantly against UTSA this past weekend. The Longhorns’ defense, with Gary Patterson’s help, also looked good Saturday, as Jahdae Barron returned an interception 44 yards for a score in the 3rd quarter, and held UTSA’s fast-hitting offense to 20 points. Hudson Card, who got the start at QB for Texas in place of the injured Quinn Ewers, finished with 161 yards passing, and ran for a 32-yard scamper in the fourth.

This Week: at. Texas Tech