Another Saturday and another exciting slate of games from the Big 12 (except the one in Dallas). The season now has reached the halfway point, so we now have a pretty good sense of who all these teams are. The race for the Big 12 continues to get clearer and clearer. The Big 12 week six takeaways start off with something that no one has written in quite some time.
Big 12 Week Six Takeaways
Oklahoma Is A Bad Football Team
The Sooner defense is absolutely broken. In three straight games, Oklahoma has surrendered a minimum of 41 points. Texas dominated the Red River Showdown from the opening kickoff en route to a 49-0 victory, breaking a four-game losing streak to the rival Sooners. Some might crack the joke saying Oklahoma was just looking ahead to their game against Kansas. But the reality is this football team is just not good right now. Sure, starting quarterback, Dillion Gabriel did not play against Texas. Maybe the offense does a little more to take the pressure off the defense.
However, there should be enough talent offensively to avoid a shutout, which was their first since 1998. It was also the worst defeat for the Sooners in this Red River rivalry game ever. For much of the game, Texas looked like it was playing a seven-on-seven game. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers didn’t even need his jersey washed after the game. The Longhorns just did whatever they wanted to on offense. When it comes to the Big 12 week six takeaways, the most shocking one of this season has to be just how far the once-mighty Sooners have fallen. Head coach Brent Venables has plenty of work to do to get this program ready to transition to the SEC.
Meanwhile, Kansas Is A (Legitimately) Good Football Team
Last week, Last Word brought up how Kansas was able to win a football game in different ways. In the first half of its showdown with TCU, Kansas lost its leader Jalon Daniels to an injury. It had every opportunity to fall apart in a situation like that. But instead, it rose up and went punch-for-punch with TCU. But in a game that came down to the wire, the Jayhawks fell just short as TCU won 38-31. The long-term health of Daniels will ultimately decide just how high this team can climb. But the resiliency they demonstrated against one of the top teams of the conference confirms this team is a legitimate threat to the entire conference.
On the other side, TCU and Sonny Dykes are undefeated and way ahead of schedule in year one. Quarterback Max Duggan is playing very efficient football and will enter Heisman contention if he keeps it up. He has a dynamic playmaker on the outside to get the ball to in Quentin Johnston. He blew up the Jayhawk secondary with 14 catches for 206 yards and one touchdown. This offense could very well be good enough to earn the Horned Frogs a spot in the Big 12 title game.
Other Big 12 Action
Apparently purple is the theme for the Big 12 week six takeaways. Kansas State survived Farmagedon against Iowa State by a score of 10-9. In a battle between two of the best defenses in the conference, the Wildcats scored the only touchdown in the first quarter on an 81-yard touchdown pass from Adrian Martinez to Phillip Brooks. Iowa State continues to play games close, but hasn’t broken through in Big 12 play. Kansas State avoided a true letdown in a tough road spot and gains strength in its case as the best team in the Big 12.
Oklahoma State received an upset scare from a redshirt freshman quarterback and Texas Tech. In a bit of a “throwback” Big 12 game, Texas Tech brought back the Leach-era air raid on the arm of Behren Morton. It was more of the type of offensive attack many expect to see when Joey McGuire brought on Zach Kittley as the offensive coordinator. And even though the game was tied midway through the third quarter, the Cowboys ultimately prevailed by a score of 41-31. Mike Gundy’s team was unflappable in the moment, no matter what Texas Tech threw at them. And while Purple Rain is cascading from the top of the Big 12 standings, Oklahoma State continues to weather all storms atop the Big 12 standings at the mid-way point of the season.
