After Week 7, where ranked teams were upset and others struggled, Week 8 resembled what the Big XII had been the previous six weeks. Baylor scored over 70. TCU could barely score at all. And a team had quarterback troubles. Typical.
Here is a recap of the Week 8 Big XII matchups.
Iowa State- 7 vs. #12 Baylor- 71
Whatever problems Baylor had against Kansas State were gone this past weekend against Iowa State. After a quick first drive that ended in a punt, Bryce Petty & company started rolling, racking up 64 straight points. Iowa State ended the shut-out with less than a minute left in the game, only to allow a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff.
Petty was on fire, completing 23 of his 31 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns. Lache Seastrunk started the game slow, but was able to have a respectable performance, finishing the game with 112 yards and two scores.
The Cyclones, on the other hand, were unable to do anything on offense, only totaling 174 total yards in the game. Quarterback Sam Richardson was eventually pulled after only completing 50-percent of his passes for 68 yards and an interception.
#16 Texas Tech- 37 vs. West Virginia- 27
This was a back and forth game all the way until the end. Texas Tech started off with 13 straight points. Then, West Virginia tied it up on 13 consecutive points of their own. The third quarter looked to have the momentum swinging in West Virginia’s favor after scoring two touchdowns, sandwiching a Tech field goal, giving them a 27-16 lead. However, from there, the Red Raiders scored 21 straight points, giving them a 10 point victory.
Davis Webb once again played well filling in for Baker Mayfield. Webb threw for 462 yards and two scores and running back Kenny Williams scored the touchdowns that helped take Texas Tech from 11 down to leading the game.
The Mountaineers finally got some consistent quarterback play from Clint Trickett, completing 27 of his 43 passes for 254 yards and one touchdown. West Virginia has struggled to find a quarterback to help lead the offense more than one or two games before having to switch to a new one, so hopefully Trickett can build on this performance and help lead the Mountaineers to a bowl game.
#18 Oklahoma- 34 vs. Kansas- 19
Kansas, like they did against Texas Tech, jumped out to an early double digit lead. Unfortunately, like they did against Texas Tech, they could not stop the Sooner offense. Blake Bell, for a second consecutive game, did not play well. Luckily for him, the Sooners ran for 235 yards, led by their stable of running backs.
Kansas’s passing game was absolutely atrocious. Jake Heaps only completed five of his 13 passes for 16 yards. However, the Jayhawks were able to get back to their strength, running the ball with James Sims. Sims had a great game, rushing the ball 23 times for 129 yards and scored both Kansas touchdowns.
#21 Oklahoma State- 24 vs. TCU- 10
Although the Cowboys won the game, they may have some issues they need to fix. Like almost every other Big XII team this season, Oklahoma State has had inconsistent quarterback play. J.W. Walsh ended up getting pulled in the second quarter after throwing two interceptions. Clint Chelf came in to replace him, and responded by throwing a pick of his own. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Chelf finished the half by leading them on two scoring drives, helping give Oklahoma State a 17-0 halftime lead.
The key player for the Cowboys was Josh Stewart, who scored the first points of the game on an electric 95-yard punt return. On offense, Stewart also caught 10 passes for 141 yards
The story has been the same for TCU this season. Despite how well their defense plays, they cannot score consistently on offense. Trevone Boykin continued to struggle, throwing three interceptions. The running game was also ineffective, with no player rushing for more than 46 yards. It certainly has been a disappointing season for the Horned Frogs, who began the season ranked in the Top-25, yet have fallen to under .500, with a record of 3-4.