Big 12 Whiparound: Week 4

It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but I got the itch to give it a go again. I believe Warden was the original inventor?

Anyway, I’ll try to keep it going throughout the season if y’all enjoy it, but no promises.

On to the games!

Akron 13 @ Iowa State 26

Terry Bowden’s upstart Akron program fell in Ames, but it wasn’t decided until some point in the 4th quarter as the Hawkeyes scored the final nine points of the game, all on field goals.

WRNL put it thusly:

The Cyclones didn’t play great and looked sloppy at points, but this is still a win over a solid MAC opponent.

Kansas State 6 @ West Virginia 35

The Will Grier for Heisman type train continued down the tracks right through the K-State defense as the Mountaineers pounded the Wildcats. Grier actually threw an INT on the first drive of the game, but recovered to throw 5 TDs on the day.

Smoking Musket gives us a recap without much opinion or analysis, but at least tells us how WVU opened up a 21-0 lead at the break:

On a drive that started on Kansas State’s 39-yard line after the Wildcats ran the most inexplicable play on fourth down, Kennedy McKoy ran the ball down to the 1-yard line, allowing Grier to hit David Sills V on a quick slant for his second touchdown of the day.

Kansas State’s ensuing drive stalled out, and Grier manufactured a 7 play, 73-yard drive capped off by another touchdown to Sills - this time on a beautiful fade route from the 1-yard line - to send the Mountaineers into the locker room with a 21-0 lead.

The scoreboard indicates the Wildcats had a tough time getting anything going on offense, and Bring on the Cats concurs with a headline that began, “Offense wanted, apply within.” However, I’m gonna hit you with these gems:

But lately, the vibe around the program has changed. It no longer feels like Kansas State is taking slow-and-steady steps in the right direction. It actually feels like we’ve abandoned on-field success for building character, a noble endeavor, but not really conducive to winning football games.

So where do we go from here? I don’t know. I only know that something has to change. Maybe Snyder has to go. Maybe he can’t hold the program to ransom because he has a particular view of its future. Maybe it’s time to burn it all down and start over.

Kansas 7 @ Baylor 26

Baylor did what they had to do and got a win over the Big 12’s cellar-dweller, and Our Daily Bears is cautiously optimistic:

The Bears got the job done today. Kansas football is terrible, and Baylor absolutely had to win this game. This team has displayed enough problems—especially in the first half against Duke, and with their inability to not commit penalties—that maybe this is the final win of the season. But they flashed enough positive signs—especially in the first half—that this team might find a way to squeak out a bowl appearance.

For Kansas fans, it’s just more of the same:

However, for Kansas fans, this was more of the same old, same old. David Beaty continued to call timeouts at odd times, the Jayhawks usually lost the battle at the line of scrimmage, and KU’s conference road losing streak now sits at 41 in a row.

Texas Tech 41 @ #15 Oklahoma State 17

Coach Bro and the Red Raiders rolled into Stillwater and absolutely blew out Oklahoma State as 15-point underdogs. Obviously, Viva the Matadors was thrilled, as you can tell:

Make no mistake, this was the best win of Kliff Kingsbury’s career. ... I think we’ve turned a corner. ... Look everyone, enjoy this one because wins like this haven’t been a thing for close to a decade. We’ve slogged through a ton of blow outs to finally win a big one. The Red Raiders are back! Wreck ‘Em!

Meanwhile, over at Cowboys Ride For Free:

This was a game that will leave many questioning the second half decision-making of the Cowboys’ coaching staff. ... Mike Gundy & Co. will have the perfect opportunity to rebuild their confidence when they travel to face the Kansas “Chicken Soup for the Soul” Jayhawks.

#17 TCU 16 @ Texas 31

The Longhorns and Frogs grappled through a close game for three quarters before Texas scored two touchdowns in 17 seconds and shut down TCU’s offense in the second half.

Burnt Orange Nation is enjoying the stellar defensive play and looking forward to the rest of the season:

An opportunistic defense that forced four turnovers and an offense that made big plays in the last 20 minutes, including a long, game-clinching drive, propelled the Texas Longhorns past the No. 17-ranked TCU Horned Frogs, 31-16, in front of another raucous crowd at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

With the win, the loss to Maryland and the struggles against Tulsa seem far in the past as Texas heads into Kansas State game week with as much momentum as it’s had in years. Now that the team is better at finishing and apparently less mentally fragile, it’s time to develop some consistency.

Frogs O’ War called the game “disappointing from start to finish” and explains what happened:

TCU could never get the offense going and committed turnovers at the worst possible times. Shawn Robinson threw two picks and fumbled once. The TCU defense was mostly fine, but did not force a turnover from the Longhorns and allowed crucial big plays from Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger to his wide receivers all game.

Army 21 @ #5 Oklahoma 28 OT

In what was almost the best game of the day, haters who think the triple option wouldn’t be successful in a Power-5 conference were nowhere to be found on Saturday night.

Crimson and Cream Machine seems... frustrated:

Army had the ball for 75% of the game, and those four drives alone killed two-thirds of the game clock. A major part of the problem on defense was OU’s inability to get off the field on third and fourth down. Army converted 13 of 21 third downs and 4 of 5 fourth down attempts.

All in all, it was ugly, but it was a win.