Big XII Recap: The Big Shakeup

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The Big XII wasn’t spared from the flurry of upsets over the weekend. With two of the top 10 teams going down, the conference champion looks like it will be decided between instate rivals Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on the final weekend.

Oklahoma State 31 Iowa State 37

On Friday, Iowa State shattered Oklahoma State’s BCS dreams with a stunning overtime win. The Cyclones trailed by 17 points in the second-quarter until freshman quarterback Jared Barnett found wide receiver Darius Reynolds in the end zone. Barnett finished the game with 376 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Backup running back Jeff Woody scored the winning touchdown on a rush from the four yard line. Oklahoma State’s quarterback, Brandon Weeden, threw for 476 yards and three touchdowns, but his three interceptions proved costly, likely ending his Heisman hopes. Oklahoma State had five turnovers total.

Oklahoma 38 Baylor 45

With Oklahoma State’s loss, the Oklahoma Sooners had a golden opportunity to climb up the Big XII and BCS rankings with a win over Baylor. But Robert Griffin III made sure that didn’t happen. Griffin led the Baylor charge, throwing for a career-high 479 yards and four touchdowns. It was Baylor’s highest ranked victory since 1985 against USC. Once-Heisman candidate quarterback Landry Jones had 447 yards but no touchdowns. Instead,  six-foot-six, 245 pound freshman quarterback Blake Bell was used as a goal-line back for the Sooners, scoring four touchdowns. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will play December 3, with Big XII championship implications on the line.

Kansas 7 Texas A&M 61

Texas A&M came into the game needing one more win to make them bowl eligible. Mission accomplished. Senior quarterback (and NFL prospect) Ryan Tannehill threw for three touchdowns and 280 yards. Halfback Cyrus Gray averaged 10.4 yards per carry, finishing the game with 94 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Ryan Swope contributed with nine receptions, 137 yards and two touchdowns. The Jayhawks offense was obsolete, amounting just 197 total yards. Kansas quarterback Jordan Webb was hunted down by the Aggie defense, fumbling twice, throwing an interception, and getting sacked six times.

 

Texas Tech 27 Missouri 31

It was unclear how Missouri would respond to head coach Gary Pinkel being suspended and Big XII leading rusher Henry Josey out after a season-ending knee injury, but a 10 point rally in the fourth quarter proved that the Tigers were fine without them. The Red Raiders were close to winning the game, driving to the Missouri six yard line, but Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege was intercepted by Michael Sam to end the game. Missouri sophomore quarterback James Franklin was 13-for-20, for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Texas Tech showed a vast improvement on offense from what they have shown the past few weeks, totaling 457 yards. The Red Raiders must win next week against Baylor to be bowl eligible for the 12^th consecutive season.

 

Kansas State 17 Texas 13

A week after their 53-50 overtime shootout win against Texas A&M, Collin Klein led his Wildcats over the Longhorns in a game where scoring was scarce. Klein came into the game averaging 101 yards rushing, but was held to just four. He threw for only 83 yards and his only touchdown was a 16 yard pass to Chris Harper right before halftime. Texas had 310 total yards compared to Kansas State’s 121, welcoming back freshmen running backs Joe Bergeron and Malcolm Brown from injury. But the real welcoming was to freshman quarterback Case McCoy, who was substituted in for David Ash after throwing his second interception in the third quarter. McCoy finished the game 8-for-16, with a touchdown to tight end Blaine Irby. The move will likely reignite a quarterback controversy, as Ash is 2-3 in his five starts and has thrown three touchdowns and eight interceptions.

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