Predicting the Big 12 Season: Week 4
Week four has some very close Big 12 conference matchups as well as two very intriguing non-conference games as the season really gets rolling this week.
Previous: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3
Kansas 20 at Duke 33
The Blue Devils are going to be really bad this year but not worse than Kansas plus I have way more faith in David Cutcliffe at this point. Duke QB Gunnar Holmberg throws for 220 yards and two touchdowns to Jake Bobo and Eli Pancol while running back Mateo Durant rushes for 130 yards and two more scores. KU QB Jason Bean has a solid outing in this one as he totals 250 yards passing with two touchdowns going to Kwamie Lassiter. The Jayhawks keep this game within two scores throughout but are unable to breakthrough due to the Blue Devils five sacks and two forced turnovers.
Iowa State 27 at Baylor 24
The game of the week in the Big 12 will be played in Waco, TX. The Bears have played Iowa State very tough over the past few seasons and it will stay that way in this battle of the unbeatens. Gerry Bohanon and Jacob Zeno start the game strong with two scoring drives in the 1st quarter capped off by a John Mayers field goal on one and a Trestan Ebner 20-yard rushing touchdown on the other to give the Bears an early 10-3 lead. In the second quarter both defenses play very well as each force a turnover and add two sacks. ISU QB Brock Purdy finds Charlie Kolar for a 22-yard touchdown just before the half to give them a 13-10 lead at the half. In the 3rd quarter Jacob Zeno finds Tyquan Thornton for a 40-yard reception which leads to a Gerry Bohanon 10-yard rushing touchdown to give the Bears the lead but not for long. Brock Purdy finds Tarique Milton over the top of the defense for a 45-yard touchdown which give ISU a 20-17 lead heading to the 4th quarter. The Cyclones are able to add another touchdown this time Breece Hall finds a hole and goes 20 yards for a touchdown. The Bears respond again as RJ Sneed catches a quick slant touchdown pass from Gerry Bohanon to cut the lead down to three. The Bears get two stops in a row and have a chance to win the game with just five minutes left but the attempt comes up short as Iowa State gets a 4th & 1 stop at their own 40 with two minutes left as Mike Rose gets into the backfield and stops Abram Smith at the line.
West Virginia 16 at Oklahoma 41
The last time the Mountaineers traveled to Norman they lost 52-14 and that was actually the last time these two teams played since the game was cancelled last year. OU QB Spencer Rattler totals 300 yards and two scores while the ground game of Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray provides nearly 200 yards on the ground and two scores as the Sooners offense keeps rolling. WVU QB Jarrett Doege has some major struggles on the road in this one as he throws two interceptions and loses a fumble. The Mountaineers defense is only able to hold up for a little while before the Sooner attack starts finding all kinds of holes in both the run and pass game.
Kansas State 37 at Oklahoma State 41
We have a little bit of a shootout in Stillwater this weekend, buckle up. OSU QB Spencer Sanders has one of those days where things go so wrong but also so right as he turns the ball over three times but he also totals 400 yards of offense and accounts for five touchdowns. OSU star receiver Brennan Presley totals 175 yards and two scores. On the other side KSU RB Deuce Vaughn tallies nearly 200 yards of total offense and three scores while QB Skylar Thompson totals 280 and a touchdown but turns it over twice. With three minutes left the Wildcats are up 37-34 and have a third-down and short opportunity to put the game away but OSU LB Malcolm Rodriguez stuff the Thompson run for a loss and forces the punt. Spencer Sanders makes them pay as he leads the Cowboys on a 65-yard drive capped off by a Brennan Presley 20-yard touchdown reception.
SMU 28 at TCU 37
A very challenging non-conference rivalry matchup for the Horned Frogs and if they are not ready they could easily drop this one. TCU QB Max Duggan along with wide receiver Quentin Johnston and running backs Kendre Miller and Zach Evans total 400 yards of total offense against the Mustangs soft defense. They dominate the time of possession 40 to 20 as well but SMU won’t go away as Tanner Mordecai throws for 300 yards and three scores as tight end Grant Calcaterra comes down with two of those. That offensive attack keeps the Mustangs in it but the steady consistent play of the TCU offense along with a defense that makes enough plays late allows the Frogs to escape a close one.
Texas Tech 20 at Texas 35
The Red Raiders come into Austin unbeaten to start the season thanks to a very soft non-conference slate but they are playing a much different level of competition in this one. Texas RB Bijan Robinson piles up 175 yards rushing and three scores while the Longhorns defense forces three turnovers and four sacks. Texas Tech QB Tyler Shough hits his first rough stretch as he completes under 50% of his passes and only totals 200 total yards of offense. This game is not a very close one despite the score not getting too out of hand.
Big 12 Standings
1. Iowa State — 4-0 (1-0)
1. Oklahoma — 4-0 (1-0)
1. Oklahoma State — 4-0 (1-0)
1. Texas — 3-1 (1-0)
5. TCU — 3-0 (0-0)
6. Baylor — 3-1 (1-1)
7. Texas Tech — 3-1 (0-1)
7. West Virginia — 3-1 (0-1)
7. Kansas State — 2-2 (0-1)
7. Kansas — 1-3 (0-1)