Welcome back to Around the Big 12, where we take a look back on the week that was for the other members of UCF’s new conference. The Knights rolled to a 48-14 win over Villanova on Saturday night, getting them to 3-0 ahead of their conference opener.
Of course, the rest of the Big 12 was in action on Saturday as well, so let’s see how everyone fared in Week 3.
UCF-Related Notes:
-The conference opponents on the Knights’ 2023 schedule went a combined 5-4 in Week 3, making them 17-10 on the year.
-The teams that UCF will see at home in 2023 went a combined 2-2 again this week, making them 6-6 on the season.
-The new Big 12 teams — UCF, Cincinnati, Houston and BYU — went 2-2 this weekend.
-UCF is one of just five Big 12 teams that made it to 3-0, joining Texas, Oklahoma, BYU and Kansas.
-The Big 12 has two teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this week — Texas (No. 3) and Oklahoma (No. 16).
-The Big 12 also has two future members ranked — Utah (No. 11) and Colorado (No. 19).
-Kansas State (54), TCU (21), Kansas (15) and BYU (3) are the other Big 12 teams receiving votes in the AP Top 25.
Missouri 30, No. 15 Kansas State 27
The Wildcats (2-1) fell victim to an upset on Saturday afternoon. Though they led 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter, it was Missouri who emerged victorious. A 10-point run gave the Tigers a 27-24 lead before K-State tied the game back up at 27 with 5:25 left. And just when the game appeared destined for overtime, Missouri’s Harrison Mevis booted a 61-yard field goal as time expired. The Tiger fans stormed the field and the defending Big 12 champion Wildcats fell all the way out of this week’s Top 25.
Will Howard was banged up in this game, but he put up a gutsy 270-yard, three-touchdown performance. Meanwhile, Ben Sinnott caught five passes for 78 yards and two scores. It was a strange game statistically, as K-State went 8-of-17 on third downs as opposed to Missouri’s mark of 3-for-13. The Wildcats also held the ball for eight more minutes, but it was the Tigers coming through with the win.
Up Next: vs. UCF (3-0) — Saturday 9/23
Baylor 30, Long Island 7
The Bears (1-2) got in the win column for the first time this season, though it wasn’t pretty early on against Long Island. Baylor only led 16-7 at halftime, though they did score the only points of the second half in what turned out to be a 30-7 win. It was the defense that kept Dave Aranda’s team from ever really looking like losing, as that unit held the Sharks to 1-of-9 on third downs, 1-of-3 on fourth and just 183 total yards.
Sawyer Robertson was less than impressive at quarterback for Baylor, completing 10 of his 22 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Dawson Pendergrass did most of the work, rushing 21 times for 111 yards and a touchdown. Richard Reese chipped in as well, totaling 82 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Byron Vaughns had two sacks to lead the Bears defense.
Up Next: vs. No. 3 Texas (3-0) — Saturday 9/23
Ohio 10, Iowa State 7
Matt Campbell may be firmly on the hot seat (but don’t tell him that) after his Cyclones (1-2) lost 10-7 at Ohio on Saturday. Neither team scored in the first half, heading into the locker rooms scoreless. The Bobcats then struck first early in the third quarter before a field goal made it 10-0 early in the fourth. Iowa State finally put points on the board with 4:15 left, but that’s all Campbell’s team got in what was just one of the Big 12’s bad losses in Week 3.
Some Iowa State players were reportedly dealing with food poisoning the night before the game, which got the weekend off to a rough start. The game didn’t go any better, with Rocco Becht throwing two interceptions and the Cyclones averaging just 1.7 yards per carry. On the other side of the ball, Iowa State’s defense failed to register a sack and totaled just three tackles for loss.
Up Next: vs. Oklahoma State (2-1) — Saturday 9/23
No. 19 Oklahoma 66, Tulsa 17
Dillon Gabriel proved he could beat Tulsa at last, with Oklahoma (3-0) blowing out the Golden Hurricane by a score of 66-17. It was 28-0 in favor of the Sooners by the end of the first quarter and the closest Tulsa for after that was 38-17 before Oklahoma scored the final four touchdowns of the game in the second half.
Gabriel completed 28 of his 31 pass attempts for 421 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in the win. Jalil Farooq caught six passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, while Nic Anderson put up 120 yards and three touchdowns on three catches. Andrel Anthony also topped 100 yards receiving, posting 112 on four catches. Drake Stoops found the end zone twice as well. The Oklahoma defense intercepted Tulsa quarterbacks five times on the day.
Up Next: at Cincinnati (2-1) — Saturday 9/23
Miami (OH) 31, Cincinnati 24 (2 OT)
Another one of the Big 12’s worst losses of the day game from Cincinnati (2-1), which lost to Miami (OH) in double overtime. This was a dogfight throughout, with the RedHawks taking a five-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Bearcats took a lead with 13:52 left, but Miami tied it with 5:10 to go. Cincinnati then had a potential game-winning 35-yard field goal blocked with nine seconds left before losing in double overtime, with Emory Jones throwing an interception to seal it.
Jones completed just 50% of his passes in the loss, throwing for 265 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He was more productive on the ground, running for 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. The Bearcats dominated just about every statistical category, but 10 penalties for 78 yards proved problematic as the self-proclaimed pioneers of football games at night lost a football game at night.
Up Next: vs. No. 16 Oklahoma (3-0) — Saturday 9/23
South Alabama 33, Oklahoma State 7
The last of the Big 12’s catastrophic losses in Week 3 came from Oklahoma State (2-1), which looked utterly helpless in a 33-7 loss to South Alabama. It was Jaguars all the way throughout the game, as the visitors went up 23-0 before halftime. The Cowboys didn’t score until the 12:14 mark in the fourth quarter, and that touchdown was their only points of the game. With just 208 yards, two turnovers, a time of possession of 25:20 and seven points, this was ugly for Mike Gundy’s team.
Yet again, Oklahoma State played three quarterbacks. The results were obviously horrible, with Gunnar Gundy (9-of-18 for 64 yards), Alan Bowman (6-of-12 for 42 yards and an interception) and Garret Rangel (1-of-5 for 8 yards) all failing to impress. Next week’s game with Iowa State could make for some truly hideous football. Buckle up.
Up Next: at Iowa State (1-2) — Saturday 9/23
Texas Tech 41, Tarleton State 3
The Red Raiders (1-2) finally removed the zero from their win column, running Tarleton State off the field by a score of 41-3. A Malik Dunlap 54-yard pick-six got Texas Tech up and running as the home team scored the first 41 points of the game. Tarleton State kicked a sad field goal with 5:04 left to avoid the shutout, but this one wasn’t fair.
Tyler Shough only threw for 123 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-20 passing. Behren Morton had a better night statistically, completing 8 of his 13 passes for 72 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. This one was about Tahj Brooks, who ran for 158 yards on 18 carries. It was also about the Texas Tech defense, which forced three turnovers and allowed just three points.
Up Next: at West Virginia (2-1) — Saturday 9/23
BYU 38, Arkansas 31
The Big 12’s most impressive win of the weekend came courtesy of BYU (3-0), which went on the road and beat Arkansas by a touchdown. This was an entertaining one, as it went back and forth. Arkansas took a 14-0 lead, then BYU scored 21 straight. The Razorbacks then scored the next 17 to take a 31-21 lead early in the third, but the Cougars went on to score the game’s next — and final — 17 points to win 38-31.
Kedon Slovis completed 13 of his 25 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, while LJ Martin ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Parker Kingston caught three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown in addition to throwing a 37-yard touchdown in the win. Arkansas’ 14 penalties for 125 yards were key as BYU remained undefeated.
Up Next: at Kansas (3-0) — Saturday 9/23
West Virginia 17, Pitt 6
The 2023 Backyard Brawl was much less entertaining than the 2022 version, but West Virginia (2-1) will like this one better as it beat Pitt by a score of 17-6. The Panthers went up 3-0 early and trailed just 7-6 at halftime, but the Mountaineers outscored them 10-0 in the second half. Neal Brown’s defense forced three turnovers and the offense did just enough in the win.
West Virginia threw for just 60 yards, but CJ Donaldson Jr. did the work for the offense to the tune of 102 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Jaylen Anderson added 62 yards on 19 carries, while Kole Taylor caught the Mountaineers’ lone passing touchdown. Both teams finished the game with just 211 yards each, but three Phil Jurkovec’s three interceptions proved costly for Pitt.
Up Next: vs. Texas Tech (1-2) — Saturday 9/23
No. 4 Texas 31, Wyoming 10
After their massive win over Alabama last week, Texas (3-0) had to really work to escape Wyoming on Saturday. The game was tied at 10 through three quarters, but the Longhorns went on to score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to win 31-10. It wasn’t pretty, but Texas at least avoided becoming the second Big 12 team to be upset by Wyoming in the last three weeks.
It wasn’t the best of days for Quinn Ewers, who completed 11 of his 21 passes for 131 yards. He did throw for two touchdowns in addition to running for one, though, which was enough. Jonathon Brooks ran for 164 yards on 21 carries, but it was Xavier Worthy’s 44-yard touchdown catch that proved to be the winner. After Ewers ran for a touchdown five minutes later, Jerrin Thompson finished off a wild few minutes for Texas with a 27-yard pick-six on the next Wyoming possession.
Up Next: at Baylor (1-2) — Saturday 9/23
TCU 36, Houston 13
The Horned Frogs (2-1) spoiled the Big 12 debut for the Cougars (1-2), going to TDECU Stadium and winning 36-13. TCU never trailed, though Houston was within 20-13 just before halftime. The second half was all purple and black, though, as Sonny Dykes’ team scored the game’s final 16 points and didn’t let Houston score again. Dana Holgorsen’s team is now on a two-game losing streak.
Chandler Morris was 24-of-37 for 314 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for TCU, plus he ran for 53 yards on 12 carries. Emani Bailey put up 126 yards and a touchdown on 23 Carrie’s in the win. For Houston, Donovan Smith was intercepted twice and the offense averaged just 1.5 yards per carry as it failed to do anything on the ground.
Up Next for TCU: vs. SMU (2-1) — Saturday 9/23
Up Next for Houston: vs. Sam Houston (0-2) — Saturday 9/23
Kansas 31, Nevada 24
The Jayhawks (3-0) had to fight for it, but they stayed undefeated with a road win over Nevada. It was back and forth the whole way. After Kansas went up 10-3, the two teams traded touchdowns the rest of the way. That ultimately led to a 24-24 game late in the fourth quarter, but a three-yard touchdown run from Devin Neal with 6:20 left was ultimately the difference.
Jalon Daniels was 21-of-27 for 298 yards in the game with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions, though he did fumble once. Neal tan for 89 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, while Daniel Hinshaw Jr. added another score on the ground to go with his 48 rushing yards on nine attempts.
Up Next: vs. BYU (3-0) — Saturday 9/23
