In the last weekend for many, teams ended tried to end their season on a high note. As the conference's championship hangs in the balance next week after victories from both Texas and Baylor. Meanwhile, after starting hot, Texas Tech finished their regular season on a five-game losing streak. TCU's downfall from prominence continued, missing bowl season just a few years after consecutive Rose Bowl appearances.
Here is a recap from this weekend's games.
#9 Baylor- 41 vs. TCU- 38
While Baylor has been incredibly successful this season, and TCU has not, it can’t be denied that TCU has an incredibly talented secondary, led by Jason Verrett, and it showed on Saturday. The Horned Frogs held Bryce Petty to a 50-percent completion percentage and only 206 yards. The defense was able to hold Baylor to only 370 yards, so they did their part in their attempt to take down the Bears.
However, as usual, TCU’s offense cost them the game. Despite putting up 38 points, Casey Pachall threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns which ultimately proved to be the deciding factor. Pachall also only completed 20 of his 45 pass attempts, while they only ran the ball 33 times.
Baylor has a chance to claim a share of the Big XII title with a win over the Longhorns, as well as keeping their BCS hopes alive.
Texas Tech- 16 vs. Texas- 41
The Longhorns keep their chances of winning a share of the Big XII conference title by defeating the Red Raiders on Thanksgiving night.
The first score of the game came off a punt, when Texas was about to block punter Ryan Erxleben’s kick, and Erxleben decided to take off and run, eventually running into the endzone for a 51-yard touchdown. However, that was the high point of Texas Tech’s night.
From there, Texas put up 20 straight points, including a 47-yard touchdown connection between Case McCoy and Mike Davis.
The Red Raiders were simply inefficient on offense the entire night. Baker Mayfield only completed 24 of his 44 passes before being pulled for Michael Brewer, who was able to lead Tech to their only offensive touchdown of the night. However, that drive did not come until early in the fourth quarter, when the game was already in hand.
The Longhorns were able to win because of what made them successful throughout the season, running the ball and sound decisions from McCoy. They carried the ball 61 times, including 27 from Malcolm Brown, and McCoy only threw 19 passes, completing 10 of them.
Texas aims for a share of the Big XII title next week against Baylor.
Kansas State- 31 vs. Kansas- 10
In this rivalry game, the Wildcats come out successful as they continue their great season. Despite their ups and downs, they have successfully been able to finish 7-5. They went back to what has made them so successful this season: running the ball. Jon Hubert carried the workload, rushing the ball 30 times for 220 yards. Jake Waters saw nearly all the snaps in the game at quarterback, as Daniel Sams only had two carries and did not attempt a pass.
For Kansas, their abysmal season comes to an end. Jake Heaps struggled again, completing less than half of his passes. James Sims carried the ball 22 times, but only for 82 yards, as the Wildcats were well aware of the poor quarterback play, so they focused on stopping Sims.
Iowa State- 52 vs. West Virginia- 44
Iowa State, despite their horrible Big XII season that started on an incredibly sour note, were able to finish on a two-game winning streak, defeating the most inconsistent team in the conference, West Virginia.
The Mountaineers started the game hot, jumping out to an early 17-0 lead behind a Charles Sims touchdown and a Karl Joseph fumble return. However, Grant Rohach was able to score on a 54-yard scramble near the end of the first to slow the Mountaineers momentum.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers had a 31-14 lead, but Rohach stole the show, bringing the Cyclones all the way back, tying the game at 38 with one minute left in the game.
The game went to triple-overtime, and ended after Rohach completed a 25-yard touchdown to Justin Coleman, which ended up being the game-winning score.
West Virginia finally ends their season which had they some great highs, including beating Oklahoma State, but awful lows, including this loss and losing to Kansas. It’s safe to say they’re happy this season is finally over.