Mixed results for the Big 12 in week 3
In this story:
The Kansas Jayhawks weren't the only team in the Big 12 that had success on Saturday, as the rest of the Big 12 went 6-2 on the week. There were some expected large margins for teams taking on FCS opponents, but one failed upset bid and one huge upset of a Big 12 favorite turned this into a very mixed set of results.
Let's take a quick look around the rest of the play from the Big 12 in Week 3 of the season.
#6 Oklahoma 49 - Nebraska 14
Oklahoma did pretty much whatever they wanted in this one, taking advantage of a uninspired Nebraska Cornhuskers squad that seems to have lost the will to play.
Nebraska jumped out to a quick lead, getting a stop and then scoring on their first drive, but it was all Sooners from there.
Unfortunately, this game doesn't really tell us much about Oklahoma, as they were expected to absolutely destroy this team.
#17 Baylor 42 - Texas State 7
It was painful early, as Blake Shapen and the Baylor offense struggled to get going. Eventually, the Bears found their groove and ran their way to a big win. RB Richard Reese established himself as the best option in the run game, and the defense clamped down with 8 tackles for loss.
But Shapen's uneven performance is a potential worry for the Bears, who named him the starter early during camp and let 2021 starter Gerry Bohanon transfer. It's not time to panic yet, but he will need to pick up his play soon if the Bears plan to contend for the Big 12 championship this year.
West Virginia 65 - Towson 7
The Mountaineers finally got the big win that they were expecting, racing out to a 45-7 halftime lead thanks to five rushing touchdowns, two by Tony Mathis and three by CJ Donaldson.
Towson did not score offensively in this game, with their only score coming on a 96 yard kickoff return. While West Virginia is back on track, this victory wasn't enough to make up for their losses in their first two games.
Iowa State 43 - Ohio 10
The Cyclones are 3-0 for the first time since 2012 thanks to a rout of the Ohio Bobcats. Hunter Dekkers starred in this one, throwing for 268 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another one. The only mistake he made was a fumble that Ohio recovered midway through the second quarter, but Iowa State was already up 24-0, so it didn't really matter much.
The defense chipped in with 4 sacks and forcing 4 turnovers, finishing a dominant performance across the non-conference schedule.
Tulane 17, Kansas State 10
The Green Wave was able to limit RB Deuce Vaughn to 81 yards on 20 carries, and the Kansas State offense was not able to make up the difference elsewhere as the Wildcats dropped their final non-conference game. While Adrian Martinez didn't throw any interceptions, he also only threw for 150 yards and one touchdown.
The Wildcats defense dominated for most of the day, but Tulane had 2 stops on 4th and short for their own impressive defensive showing. Kansas State was 3-20 on 3rd and 4th downs, and they have some serious questions to answer with Oklahoma up first in Big 12 play.
#16 NC State 27 - Texas Tech 14
The up-and-down season for Donovan Smith continued as he passed for a touchdown and ran for another, but not without some big mistakes. His two interceptions, including a pick-six late in the second half to put NC State up 20-0, absolutely destroyed any chance that Texas Tech had to win this one.
Tyree Wilson had a great game on the defensive side, tallying 2 sacks and leading all players in tackles for this game, but the Texas Tech offense gave up 4 sacks, and the Red Raiders just couldn't keep up.
#8 Oklahoma State 63 - Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7
We didn't learn much in this one, as Spencer Sanders threw his fourth touchdown pass less than a minute into the second quarter and then didn't appear again. The Oklahoma State special teams scored twice in this one, and Gunnar Gundy threw for two touchdowns.
It's impossible to be worried about any of the mistakes in this one as well, since they all came from players who haven't seen the field much. Unfortunately, the upcoming bye week won't allow us to get a clear idea of how good this team is for at least another couple weeks.
#21 Texas 41 - UTSA 20
It was a slow start for the Longhorns, as they were down 17-7 until midway through the second quarter, but both Bijan Robinson and the Texas defense came alive in the second half as the home team rumbled to a 21-point win.
It was pretty clear that this team misses Quinn Ewers, and Hudson Card is clearly not completely healthy, but it didn't matter for this game. But if the Longhorns want to push for the Big 12 championship, they will need to get healthy soon.
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