The Big 12 RedZone: Week 8 showed separation forming at the top of the league
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Find out who had big performances, who slumped, and what teams made a big move in the power rankings as Grayson Grundhoefer wraps up all the Big 12 action.
Iowa State blew by Texas Tech 34-24
What went wrong?
ISU - The Cyclones got in their own way at times. An offensive pass interference call negated a huge touchdown (that was not PI), two missed field goals, a missed extra point, and Purdy missing a few guys downfield would have made this game look more like how it was played.
Tech - Watching Texas Tech try to move the football was excruciating to watch. It was short throws, barely any yards after the catch, and not much int he way of explosive plays. QB Jett Duffey threw for just 239 yards on 52 attempts which equals a miserable 4.6 yards per pass. No surprise to me that Tech lost this game the way that they did. All week had been saying they were due for an L because they could not get their focus of the Baylor loss. Texas Tech allowed Baylor to beat them twice, we will see if it happens a third time.
What went right?
ISU - Brock Purdy kept up his monster Brocktober. The Iowa State gunslinger was 23-of-32 with 378 yards and three touchdowns. There was meat left on the bone for this offense and he could have had an even bigger performance but he was very good regardless. Also 11.8 yards per pass is quite impressive.
Tech - The running game was solid again as the Red Raiders averaged nearly five yards per carry and freshman Sarodorick Thompson added two touchdowns. Also QB Jett Duffey ended the game with no turnovers which is always a positive development.
Key Stats
*ISU true freshman running back Breece Hall continues his breakout as he ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns on just 19 carries. He also caught three ball for 73 yards.
*ISU tight end Charlie Kolar had three catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns as he tries to continue making his case as the best tight end in the conference.
*Both teams struggled a little bit on 3rd down. Iowa State was 4-for-10 and Tech was 7-for-17.
Oklahoma pummeled West Virginia 52-14
What went wrong?
OU - The Sooners had nine sacks against Texas but were unable to come up with any in this one. The offense finished just 2-for-7 on 3rd down as well, those were the only negatives.
WVU - The run game continues to be dreadful for the Mountaineers as they ran the ball 30 times for just 51 yards, that is 1.7 yards per carry.
What went right?
OU - It was simply domination on both sides of the football. The Sooners out-gained West Virginia 560 yards to 242 yards.
WVU - Wide receiver TJ Simmons has gotten things back on track after a slow start to the season. He finished with six catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
Key Stats
*OU QB Jalen Hurts was a ridiculous 16-of-17 for 316 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 75 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Hurts just keeps rolling.
*WVU QB Austin Kendall was 15-of-31 for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
*Clean game as neither team turned the ball over and there was just 10 total penalties in the game.
Kansas State ran over TCU 24-17
What went wrong?
KSU - The Wildcats could not stop the Horned Frogs run game as they gave up 228 yards and two touchdowns on just 40 carries.
TCU - A scoreless 4th quarter due to the lack of explosive plays was the different in the matchup late as the Wildcats were able to hit on a big one and get the score they needed.
What went right?
KSU - Quarterback Skylar Thompson won the Wildcats this football game with a decent performance as he finished 11-of-23 for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 68 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
TCU - The Horned Frogs had 100 more yards, had three less penalties, won the time of possession battle by three minutes, were better on 3rd down and the turnover battle was tied at zero. Got to feel pretty good winning all of those categories.
Key Stats
*TCU true freshman QB Max Duggan finished 16-of-29 for 132 yards. He also added 115 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. He also had one of the more impressive run of the season in this game.
*TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor had eight catches for 85 yards.
*KSU running back James Gilbert was shut down as he had 14 carries for just 38 yards.
Baylor mauled Oklahoma State 45-27
What went wrong?
BU - The first half and beginning of the 3rd quarter. Baylor could not get out of their own way. A Hasty fumble took points off the board, a Bedier hold ended a drive, and a Platt hold took points off the board. If they would have played clean they are probably up by a score or two at half.
OSU - Three turnovers by QB Spencer Sanders and a defense that could not stop giving up explosive plays in the second half turned this ball game into a three score loss.
What went right?
BU - Efficiency on the offensive side. The Bears averaged 18.4 yards per pass and 6.1 yards per carry. All of those numbers are indicative of a team that had a lot of explosive plays and were consistent for the majority of the day.
OSU - The run game was the thing that kept the Cowboys moving as they finished with 281 yards rushing on 50 carries.
Key Stats
*OSU RB Chuba Hubbard continued his fantastic season as he finished with 171 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.
*BU wide receivers Josh Fleeks and Tyquan Thornton combined for five catches for 222 yards and a touchdown. That is a whopping 44.4 yards per catch.
*Baylor RB JaMycal Hasty had 16 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns to go along with three catches for 66 yards.
Texas outlasted Kansas 50-48
What went wrong?
UT - The defense as a whole. They gave up 569 yards on the night and looked completely lost for most of the game including giving up a 24-point 4th quarter.
KU - The defense. Kansas couldn’t stop the Longhorns all night as they gave up 638 yards and allowed Texas to convert on 9-of-14 3rd downs. They also gave up 26 points in the 4th quarter.
What went right?
UT - QB Sam Ehlingher kept this team alive as he finished 31-of-44 for 399 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 91 yards rushing.
KU - Everything on offense but especially running back Pooka Williams. He finished with 215 total yards and two touchdowns on 29 touches.
Key Stats
*Texas ran the ball well which has been rare for them. They finished with 239 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries.
*KU QB Carter Stanley was 27-of-47 for 310 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 65 yards rushing as he tried to match Ehlingher possession after possession.
*The two teams combined for 1,207 yards and 98 points in the shootout.
Power Rankings
1. Oklahoma - The Sooners destroyed West Virginia and continue to put up ridiculous offensive numbers behind their Heisman candidate Jalen Hurts. They travel to Manhattan looking to avoid an upset loss.
2. Baylor - The Bears got a big road win and Texas looked awful against Kansas. Baylor move up this week as they head into a bye week, the Bears will be preparing for a Thursday night matchup against West Virginia next week.
3. Iowa State - Some people may not agree with this but at the moment the Cyclones have jumped the Longhorns in the power rankings. Simply put they just look like the better team at this point in the season and their two losses are to two top 20 football teams. The Cyclones will head home to take on Oklahoma State this weekend.
4. Texas - The Longhorns gave up 48 points to Kansas but narrowly survived on a game-winning field goal. This was one of the worst defensive performances of the season by any Big 12 team. They travel to Fort Worth to take on a TCU team in desperate need of a win. This could be a good one.
5. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys stay here after losing at home to Baylor. Their homecoming was completely ruined after losing by three scores. Now they have to regroup as a trip to Ames looms large this weekend.
6. Kansas State - Big win for the Wildcats as they are now just two wins away from bowl eligibility.They found a way to win at home despite being out played for most of the day. They get another home matchup this time against Oklahoma this weekend. K State has a chance to make a massive move up the rankings if they can pull of the huge upset.
7. Texas Tech - The Red Raiders complained all week about a call after losing to Baylor. All that focus on that call led to a pretty weak effort over the weekend. They allowed Baylor to beat them twice in a week which was pretty funny. Now they will have a chance to get back on track against Kansas, we will see if they let Baylor beat them three times.
8. TCU - TCU really needed that win in Manhattan but were unable to find a way to seal the deal. They need offensive help in the worst way and the defense has not been as dominant in years past. But if you are a struggling offense then you want to play Texas right now and that is exactly who TCU plays this weekend.
9. West Virginia - The Mountaineers got blown out again this time by Oklahoma, this is just not a very good football team. They have a bye week before taking on the Baylor Bears next Thursday.
10. Kansas - The Jayhawks made quite the impression with their near victory in Austin over the weekend but I can’t move them since they lost to the team directly ahead of them. The Jayhawks need a win to move out of the basement. They will have a chance this weekend in a night game against Texas Tech.