For most of the teams this week, this was their last chance to work out all of the kinks in their teams before the heart of conference play begins. Some took advantage, such as Kansas discovering their passing game. Others, such as West Virginia, came away with more questions than answers after a blowout loss to Maryland.
Here is a recap of this past week's Big XII games.
Conference Games
Kansas State- 21
Texas- 31
Does this win end all of the rumors about Mack Brown being on the hot seat? No, but it quiets the rumors for a week. Brown made it clear that the Longhorns’ slow start would have no impact on their goal for the season: Winning a Big XII championship. And that started on Saturday against Kansas State.
David Ash started the game after missing the Ole Miss game the previous week due to a concussion. He played well, leading the Longhorns to a 17-7 halftime lead, and completed 14 of his 25 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. However, he was removed from the game at halftime after being evaluated for head injuries.
The main stories of the game were Texas running back Jonathan Gray and the defense. Gray was the star of the Longhorn offense, which was without receiver Mike Davis. He rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns and carried the offense for most of the game. The defense, which struggled mightily with stopping the run, did a much better job in that aspect, holding the Wildcats to only 115 yards on the ground. However, Kansas State tore apart the Longhorn secondary, especially receiver Tyler Lockett. Lockett caught 13 passes on the night for 237 yards, as he kept finding ways to get open.
Other big news from the game includes the injury to Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks, who after missing almost all of last season with an injury, ruptured his achilles tendon and will once again, miss the rest of the season. Hicks is the leader of the Texas front seven, which has already had problems stopping opposing offenses. This just adds another hurdle to an already tough Longhorns season.
Non-Conference Games
Louisiana-Monroe- 7
#20 Baylor- 70
Baylor continues to put on an offensive showcase, scoring at least 70 points for the second time this season. Lache Seastrunk ran for 156 yards on only 10 carries and scored another touchdown. Bryce Petty completed 18 of his 27 pass attempts and passed for 351 yards and four touchdowns. Receivers Antwan Goodley and Tevin Reese totaled over 100 receiving yards each and caught two and one touchdowns respectively.
The storyline this far in the season has not changed. Baylor plays a lesser non-conference opponent, then demolish them. Baylor faces its first real test, as it opens conference play against West Virginia in a couple weeks.
Texas State- 7
#25 Texas Tech- 33
Though the score says otherwise, Texas Tech’s offense struggled once again. Baker Mayfield, who was pulled last week against TCU, was pulled again in the second quarter after a slow start. However, this time, Davis Webb did not do a much better job. Webb finished the game 19-43 for 310 yards and with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
On a bright note, the defense came to play, allowing only 240 yards to Texas State.
The Red Raiders will have an off-week coming up to fix their offensive woes before they return to action in two weeks against Kansas.
West Virginia- 0
Maryland- 37
For once, the Mountaineers’ problem was not their defense, although they did not play very well either. The offense struggled mightily, only totaling 175 yards of total offense. They turned the ball over six times, twice on Ford Childress interceptions and four were because of fumbles.
On defense, West Virginia were consistently at a disadvantage, as the Terps often started with great field position due to the offense and special teams turnovers. Quarterback C.J. Brown threw for 210 yards and a touchdown and scored another time on the ground to lead Maryland to an easy victory.
Louisiana Tech- 10
Kansas- 13
This game was a nail-biter all the way to the end, as Kansas kicker Matthew Wyman put a 52-yarder between the uprights as time expired to give the Jayhawks the win.
For how low-scoring the game was, there certainly was not a shortage of offense. Quarterbacks Ryan Higgens (Louisiana Tech) and Jake Heaps (Kansas) threw for 289 and 279 yards respectively. Tech running back Kenneth Dixon ran for 129 yards and Kansas back James Sims rushed for 78. In total, the teams combined for 839 yards of total offense.
While it was a very close victory, there were some good signs for the Jayhawks moving forward. Heaps had struggled up to this point during the season, and Kansas had to rely on Sims to carry the load. Heaps finally showed the potential to lead the team and give them a capable passing game to keep opposing defenses guessing.
This is a good note to go into the bye week with, as the Jayhawks prepare for conference play in two weeks, when ranked opponent Texas Tech comes to Lawrence for what is building up to be an offensive shootout.