How does the old saying go? “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.” Texas and Oklahoma *almost* suffered major upsets that would have doomed the Big 12 chances of getting to the playoff. Both did so in very different manners. But outside of the current top two teams, what other important results made the week eight takeaways from the Big 12?
Week Eight Takeaways From The Big 12
Texas And Oklahoma Survive
Both Steve Sarkisian and Brent Venables received upset scares in completely opposite ways. Let’s start in Norman. The Sooners were coming off a bye week and looking to make quick work of a down UCF team. The Knights did welcome back their quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, but surely that wasn’t going to make a significant difference. It’s not like he plays defense for a UCF team that was trying to stop an explosive Oklahoma offense. Well, at halftime things were all tied up at 17. It appeared Oklahoma was salting the victory away after going up 31-23 with 3:13 remaining. However, UCF drove down the field to get the necessary touchdown and all that remained was the two-point conversion. Credit to the Sooners’ defense for sniffing out a trick play attempt that never stood a chance as the upset bid slipped through the hands of Gus Malzahn’s team.
Shortly after the Oklahoma game ended, Texas kicked off against Houston. Last Word had been warning everyone on multiple occasions that Texas was on upset alert. Not to mention, early on that was looking worse than Michigan State’s trivia night against Michigan. Quinn Ewers and the offense jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Then, the Horns attempted a fake field goal up 21-7. Houston stuffed the attempt and it gave the Cougars a much-needed jolt of energy. The brewing upset was only aided by a second-half injury. Ewers left the game with a shoulder injury in the third quarter and was replaced by Maalik Murphy. Sarkisian is scheduled to provide an update on Monday when he meets with the media. Houston tied the game on two separate occasions.
However, this week’s eight takeaways aren’t filled with the major upset everyone craves as college football fans. Houston got the ball down to the Texas 10-yard line before the drive stalled out. Will these two games wake up both of these two dogs or is it an indication that the gap between them and the field is not as big as we first imagined?
Here Comes Gundy And Friends
Having stability at the quarterback position is critical for the success of any football team. Coupled with, the emergence of running back Ollie Gordon II as one of the best playmakers in the Big 12 is now undeniable. In Oklahoma State’s latest 48-34 victory on the road against West Virginia, Gordon ran for 282 yards and four touchdowns. This is just one week after he complied 284 yards of total offense (168 rushing) and two touchdowns against Kansas. In his last four games, he has now rushed for 707 yards and six touchdowns. In the first three games of the season, he only had 19 total carries for 109 yards. The remaining teams on Oklahoma State’s schedule are the new four members of the Big 12 and Oklahoma. Mike Gundy, who rightfully came under a lot of early season scrutiny, is now looking at a very attainable 9-3 and season.
Kansas State Looks Lethal
Kansas State had more players with rushing attempts (9) than TCU had points (3). The Wildcats absolutely bludgeoned the Horned Frogs with 52 carries for 343 yards in a 41-3 smackdown in Manhattan Saturday night. TCU’s quarterback, Josh Hoover, came back down to reality after earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors last week for his performance against BYU. Quarterback Will Howard was the technical starter at quarterback for Kansas State.
Furthermore, he and freshman Avery Johnson essentially split game snaps. Howard had 20 combined touches (16 pass attempts, four rushes) while Johnson had 26 (10 pass attempts, 16 rushes). This one-two combo at quarterback appears to be working for the Wildcats. Much of that success has to do with their stellar offensive line play. With what happened to Texas and Oklahoma this past Saturday, it is clear now that Chris Klieman’s team very much is in play to challenge for a spot in Arlington yet again.
