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| Running back Cierre Wood had a long touchdown run for Notre Dame in the Irish's 30-13 win at Oklahoma.(US Presswire) |
Texas 21, Kansas 17: The Longhorns won a game in which they put together an awful performance. Backup QB Case McCoy came in late for a struggling David Ash and led two scoring drives -- the latter capped by a short touchdown pass to D.J. Grant with 12 seconds left. Texas (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) suddenly has a bit of a quarterback controversy. Kansas (1-7, 0-5 Big 12) was conservative on offense, which may have cost it a chance at its first Big 12 win since 2010. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
No. 4 Kansas State 55, No. 15 Texas Tech 24: Texas Tech (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) landed the first punch and briefly looked like it would test K-State. But the Wildcats took control behind QB Collin Klein, who beat the Red Raiders with his arm (19 of 26 for 233 yards and two scores) and legs (12 rushes for 83 yards and two touchdowns). Kansas State (8-0, 5-2 Big 12) has games left against Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor and Texas. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
Oklahoma State 36, TCU 14: It took Wes Lunt time to get back into the swing, but once he did, the Cowboys rolled. They trailed 14-0 early but scored 23 unanswered points to dominate the second half in Stillwater. Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) quietly has a respectable defense. TCU (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) had one offensive touchdown and didn't score a point after the first quarter. QB Trevone Boykin suffered a late knee injury, but he hobbled off the field on his own. Boykin's health will be key for TCU down the stretch. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
Iowa State 35, Baylor 21: The more time passes, the more it appears that 70-63 shootout between West Virginia and Baylor was the result of awful pass defense and not exceptional offense. The Bears (3-4, 0-4 Big 12) made embattled Cyclones QB Steele Jantz look like an All-American for a night. Jantz threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns. Iowa State (5-3, 2-3 Big 12) needs one win for bowl eligibility.
No. 5 Notre Dame 30, No. 8 Oklahoma 13: The Irish (8-0) are back as a major player. Their defense grounded the Sooners (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) to a screeching halt for much of the night. Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o had a key late inteception of OU QB Landry Jones to help seal the win. The loss doesn't impact Oklahoma's Big 12 title chances, but the mystique of playing a big game in Norman may be gone, as Kansas State and the Irish beat OU on its home field this season. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
Play of the day: Just as Oklahoma seemed to be picking up steam after QB Blake Bell passed for a key first down and then ran for a score to tie the game at 13, Notre Dame QB Everett Golson threw a 50-yard bomb to Chris Brown. The long pass set up a Golson touchdown run that broke the tie and set up what was ultimately a relatively easy win for the Irish. It was a backbreaker for Oklahoma, which struggled offensively all game.
Runner up: On fourth-and-6 in the waning minutes, Texas' McCoy found Jaxon Shipley, threading the needle between defenders for 18 yards to keep what was ultimately the game-winning drive alive. That's a combination that is familiar to Texas fans, but this was Case McCoy to Jaxon Shipley -- not Colt to Jordan. The younger brothers added their names to Longhorns lore Saturday, even if the win will be a forgettable one for the folks in Austin.
He said what? From Eric Bailey of the Tulsa World, Oklahoma FB Trey Millard on the Sooners' offensive struggles against Notre Dame: "Their front seven beat us up front, myself included. You can’t win against a team like that with only 15 yards rushing."
RapidReports defensive star of the day: LB Arthur Brown, Kansas State. He continues to have an outstanding season. A week after becoming the first player to pick off WVU QB Geno Smith this season, Brown intercepted Texas Tech QB Seth Doege and returned it for a touchdown, ending any doubt in what ultimately was a blowout win for K-State.
RapidReports offensive star of the day: K-State's Klein. The Heisman Trophy frontrunner did nothing to hurt his campaign for college football's top individual honor, throwing for 233 yards and two touchdowns and adding 83 yards and two touchdowns rushing. He punished Texas Tech when it stacked the box to stop the run, showing a respectable arm (completing 73 percent of his passes), and dominating with his power running.
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His seat is getting uncomfortable: Mack Brown, Texas. They might not have let the Longhorns' coach back on the team plane if UT had lost at Kansas for what would have been the its first loss to KU since 1938. Folks in Austin might not demand Brown get sent out of town immediately, but another poor performance defending the run and a lethargic showing on offense until the final minutes won't inspire confidence from the Texas faithful.
A possible spot on the bench for: Texas' Ash. Getting yanked for McCoy when the game was on the line may not bode well for his future at the position. Ash passed for only 63 yards and threw two picks. McCoy threw for 68 yards and the game-winning score in just two drives. Could Brown possibly send Ash out next week against Texas Tech without further infuriating an already frustrated fanbase?
Why you care about these three stat lines:
- Kansas' James Sims is the fifth Big 12 RB to have a career-high in rushing yards against Texas this year. Credit ESPN Stats and Information for the find, but in case you didn't know -- no disrespect to Sims, who had 176 rushing yards -- the Longhorns' rush defense is pretty awful. KU went to the well a bit too often though -- it never held a two-possession lead despite dominating most of the game, in part because of an aversion to pass.
- Only one Big 12 team has scored more than 14 points against Oklahoma State. Remember when the Cowboys won games in spite of their defense in 2011? Now they win games because of their defense. While Lunt and the offense sputtered early, the defense kept Okahoma State within striking distance. Of TCU's 14 points, seven came on a return of a Lunt interception. The last five games -- against K-State, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Baylor -- will show just how good the Cowboys' defense is.
- Kansas State averaged 5.3 yards per rush and 8.5 yards per pass in the win over Texas Tech. The perception that Klein is merely a rusher and a facilitator for an offense based around the ground game might need to change. The offense burned Texas Tech through the air as well. Keep in mind the Red Raiders are the same defense that held West Virginia's high-flying offense to 4.7 yards per pass.
Key number: 324. Welcome to the Big 12, Lunt. The freshman QB from Oklahoma State threw for 324 yards and a touchdown in his first game back from injury and his first Big 12 game. Putting those numbers up agaisnt a respectable TCU defense is no small feat. Quietly, the Cowboys have only one Big 12 loss and look strong all around to compete with just about anyone. They were forgotten early this season after losses to Arizona and Texas, but watch out.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Big 12 bloggers C.J. Moore and Patrick Southern, follow @CBSSportsBig12 on Twitter. You can also follow C.J. (@cjmoore4) and Patrick (@patricksouthern).
