Conference play is officially in full swing and is setting up some interesting storylines. Texas ended up squeaked by Iowa State after a last second touchdown and fortunate call by the refs, further clouding Mack Brown's future with the school. Baylor once again topped 70 points. TCU was able to slow down another dynamic offense, but was their offense able to step up?

Here is a recap of last week's Big XII games.

Thursday

Texas- 31 vs. Iowa State- 30

The close score should explain enough about how poorly Texas played. However, the scary part is that they were one controversial call away from actually losing the game. Late in the 4th quarter, the Longhorns were only a couple yards away from scoring the game-winning touchdown. On first down, Gray was stopped, and an Iowa State player emerged from the pile with the football. However, the ref had whistled the play dead, signaling Gray was down. There was a review, but the replay did not definitively show either Gray being down or the ball coming loose before-hand, so the original call stood. Two plays later, Case McCoy ended up scoring the game-winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game. Obviously, Iowa State coach Paul Rhodes was not happy with the call after the game.

The game was also marred by a cut block in the endzone by Texas receiver Mike Davis that happened after the whistle. On the replay, it looked like Davis blatantly tried to take out  the Iowa State defender’s knee. After the game, Davis defended himself, saying he never heard the whistle, and he was simply “playing hard until he hears the whistle.”

Statistically, Iowa State dominated the game. Quarterback Sam Richardson threw for 262, 137 to receiver Quenton Bundrage, and two touchdowns and ran for 83 more. Running back Aaron Wimberly ran for 117 yards and a score, as well as scoring on a receiving touchdown.

While its a win for Texas, it certainly isn’t a bragging point for Mack Brown who is already on the hotseat, and certainly does not put momentum on the Longhorns’ side as they head into the Red River Rivalry next weekend in Dallas against Oklahoma. Iowa State, meanwhile, heads to Lubbock to face off with Texas Tech.

Saturday

TCU- 17 vs. #11 Oklahoma- 20

Whatever TCU did to stop Texas Tech’s high-powered offense, they used again this week to slow down the Sooners. After two great starts by Blake Bell, the Sooner offense was stifled by the Horned Frogs’ defense. Bell was held to only 152 yards passing, and prior to a 76-yard touchdown run by Brennan Clay late in the 4th quarter that ultimately put the game away, the Sooners did not have a 100-yard rusher.

Unfortunately for TCU, they were unable to capitalize on the great defensive play, as they continue to struggle on offense. They averaged only 1.6 yards per carry on the ground and Trevone Boykin only threw for 166 yards, as the Horned Frogs fall to 0-2 in conference play.

TCU plays Kansas at home, while Oklahoma will go to Dallas for their annual “Red River Rivalry” against Texas.

West Virginia- 42 vs. #17 Baylor- 73

Baylor’s at it again, scoring at least 70 points for the third time this season. The Bears came out firing, scoring 40 seconds into the game on a Bryce Petty 61-yard touchdown pass to Antwan Goodley. Petty finished the game with 347 yards on 17 completions. Lache Seastrunk once again had a great game, rushing for 172 yards on 15 carries and scored twice, including an 80-yard score in the first quarter that put Baylor up 28-7. The offense put up 864 total yards, setting a new Big XII record.

Though it may not look like it on the scoreboard, West Virginia’s offense struggled, and once again, their woes lied in poor quarterback play. Starter Clint Trickett completed only 9 of his 28 pass attempts on the day for 161 yards and threw for one touchdown and an interception. He was eventually replaced late in the game by Paul Millard.

Although the defense gave up 73 points, they were able to contribute two defensive scores, one on a fumble recovery in the endzone, and another on an interception return. And to be fair, nobody has been able to stop Baylor this season, and early signs show that nobody will be able to.

Baylor visits Kansas State next weekend, and West Virginia has a bye week.

#20 Texas Tech- 54 vs. Kansas- 16

The Red Raiders started off slow, falling behind 10-0 after the first quarter. However, from there, Tech rattled off 54 straight points. While many of Texas Tech’s yards were gained through the air, they did all of their early scoring on the ground, rushing for their first four touchdowns. The team only rushed for 114 yards, but they had eight players carry the ball at least once, with seven of them rushing for at least 10 yards.

Unfortunately, this game did not go without unfortunate injuries. Quarterback Baker Mayfield injured his knee early in the third quarter. In his time on the field, Mayfield had thrown for 368 yards on 33 completions. Luckily, Mayfield has no damage to the ligaments in his knee, so he is likely not done for the year, though his status going forward is still in question.

For the Jayhawks, they were unable to get any momentum going on offense. They totaled less than 300 yards in the game, and running back James Sims, the focal point of the offense, was held to only 28 yards.

Texas Tech goes home for a matchup with Iowa State next weekend, while Kansas goes to play TCU and the Horned Frogs.

Kansas State- 29 vs. #21 Oklahoma State- 33

Saturday’s game between Kansas State and Oklahoma State was a back-and-forth battle were a winner was not decided until late in the 4th quarter, when Oklahoma State was able to score the go-ahead touchdown with less than five minutes left in the game. The game ended with eight lead changes at various points throughout the game.

Kansas State’s previous games had been played with Jake Waters primarily under center for the offense, with dual-threat Daniel Sams only used in certain packages. However, against the Cowboys, Sams took nearly all the snaps ultimately signaling a changing of the guard under center. Sams played fairly well, completing 15 of his 21 passes for 181 yards, ran for 118 more and totaled three touchdowns. Unfortunately, as one would expect from young quarterbacks, Sams made his fair share of mistakes, throwing three interceptions. Oklahoma State cornerback Justin Gilbert did a great job shutting down receiver Tyler Lockett, who only caught two passes for six yards in the game.

Oklahoma State quarterback J.W. Walsh did a good job not making mistakes and leading the Cowboy offense, completing 24 of his 38 passes for 245 yards and one touchdown, and added a rushing touchdown. Similar to how Oklahoma State shut down Lockett, the Wildcats shut down dynamic receiver Josh Stewart, holding him to two receptions and 20 yards. Unfortunately for them, Oklahoma State had different receivers step up, as freshman Jhajuan Seales and senior Tracy Moore totaled 10 receptions and 139 yards between them.

Oklahoma State has a bye next week, while the Wildcats have Baylor coming to town, so they will have their hands full preparing for next week.