Predicting the Big 12 Season: Week Five

Week Five is the first week that features only matchups within the conference as Big 12 play is fully underway.

Previous Weeks: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4

Week 5

Oklahoma State 24 at Baylor 34

The game starts with a bang as Spencer Sanders and Blake Shapen each throw a touchdown in the first half. Unfortunately for Sanders he also throws two interceptions including one that is returned for a touchdown by Al Walcott. Baylor takes a 17-10 lead at half. In the second half, it is more of the same as both offenses play well but also have moments when the defenses make big plays. Brennan Presley catches a touchdown from Sanders then Monaray Baldwin responds with a touchdown from Blake Shapen to make the score 24-17. Gabe Hall gets a sack to stall the Cowboys' next drive the Sqwirl Williams gets loose for 45 yards on the ground and a score on the following drive to push the lead to 31-17. Spencer Sanders finds Jaden Bray for a touchdown with 7 minutes left to cut the lead to 31-24. Shapen is sacked by Collin Oliver as the Cowboys get the ball back. Sanders is then strip-sacked by Devin Lemear. The Cowboys' defense holds Baylor to a field goal but Baylor runs the clock down to 2 minutes. Not enough time remaining as Baylor wins the biggest battle of the weekend.

Iowa State 31 at Kansas 19

Hunter Dekkers and the Cyclones go on the road to Lawrence in a must-win situation for the hopes of the season. Iowa State and Kansas go back and forth for the first two quarters as both teams have explosive plays from their top offensive players. Xavier Hutchinson and Devin Neal both total 100 yards in the first half and each find the end zone. Cyclones lead 17-16. In the second half the Cyclones defense ramps it up as Will McDonald comes through with two sacks and O’Rien Vance makes an impact with a pick-6 in the 3rd quarter. The defense holds Kansas to under 100 yards of offense in the half as Iowa State pulls away.

Texas Tech 20 at Kansas State 40

The Wildcats are coming off of a tough road loss to Oklahoma so they come into this game knowing they need a win to keep pace in the conference. Meanwhile, Tech is continuing to struggle in part due to a tough schedule and in part due to terrible early-season defense. Adrian Martinez and Deuce Vaughn continue to pick apart defenses with their running style as each run for over 100 yards and they combine for three rushing touchdowns. Martinez throws two more. The Tech offense continues to move the ball but turnovers sneak up as Tyler Shough throws two interceptions and fumbles the ball after a sack. The Wildcats are up in this one from start to finish.

Oklahoma 33 at TCU 27

Oklahoma heads to Fort Worth with the hopes of starting 6-0 in Brent Venables first season. Dillon Gabriel and Chandler Morris both lead scoring drives to start the game as Eric Gray and Kendre Miller both score. Both teams stall for consecutive drives following that. Then some fireworks happen as Marvin Mims goes 55 yards on a strike from Gabriel and Quentin Johnston takes the top off the defense with a 70-yard touchdown from Chandler Morris. The teams exchange field goals on the next drives as it is 17-17 at half. Gabriel finds Theo Wease three times for 50 yards on the opening drive which results in a touchdown but miss the extra point. TCU responds with a field goal then Javontae Barnes breaks off a 40-yard run to make the score 30-20 heading into the 4th. Chandler Morris leads the Frogs to a touchdown with eight minutes left to cut the score to 30-27. Then Dillon Gabriel guides the Sooners on a seven-minute drive that eventually leads to a field goal. Morris gets the ball back with a chance to win the game. He has Quentin Johnston wide open on a busted coverage but is hit from behind by Ethan Downs and the ball goes right into the hands of Danny Stutsman. Sooners get a massive road win.

West Virginia 28 at Texas 37

Another back and forth game in the conference as both of the teams play well on offense. Both Quinn Ewers and JT Daniels throw for 300 yards and guide their offenses to efficient performances. The run game for West Virginia continues to be a problem as they are unable to control time of possession, whereas Bijan Robinson runs for a steady 100 yards to keep the Longhorns ahead of the chains and in possession of the ball. Daniels throws an interception to Ryan Watts with the Mountaineers up 28-27 early in the 4th quarter. That leads to a Longhorn touchdown and that is the ultimate turning point as WVU does not score after that point. Texas wins time of possession 11 minutes to 4 minutes in the 4th.

Big 12 Standings

1. Baylor — 5-0 (2-0)

1. Oklahoma — 5-0 (2-0)

1. Texas — 4-1 (2-0)

4. Kansas State — 4-1 (1-1)

4. Iowa State — 3-2 (1-1)

4. West Virginia — 3-2 (1-1)

7. Oklahoma State — 3-1 (0-1)

7. TCU — 2-2 (0-1)

9. Texas Tech — 1-4 (0-2)

9. Kansas — 2-3 (0-2)