Around Big 12 Football for Week Two
Big 12 football week two of the 2021-22 college football season has come and gone. And it was a good one overall for the Big 12. All but three of the current members won their games this week, with only Texas, Iowa State, and Kansas dropping their matchups. Even the four future members Houston, UCF, Cincinnati, and BYU, won with BYU taking down no. 23 Utah 26-17.
Core Big 12 Football Week Two Teams
No. 14 Iowa State (1-1)
This week featured a top 10 matchup between Iowa State and Iowa. This was the first time both teams entered the game ranked in the top 10. Iowa was ranked 10th, and Iowa State sat at 9th. The game was a clinical performance from Iowa’s defense, forcing ISU quarterback Brock Purdy into three interceptions. The Hawkeyes also held NCAA first-team running back Breece Hall to only 69 yards on 16 carries with one touchdown.
Baylor (2-0)
In another game of Big 12 football for week 2, Baylor was matched up with Texas Southern and obliterated the Tigers. The Bears racked up 66 points in an offensive explosion that hasn’t been seen since RG3 was running the offense. Both of Baylor’s top running backs Abram Smith and Tristan Ebner, had accumulated over a hundred rushing yards before halftime. This game was over before it even started. This will give Baylor a ton of confidence before their game against Kansas.
Texas Tech (2-0)
In Lubbock, Texas Tech hosted the Lumberjacks of SFA this week. The Red Raiders opened the scoring with a 75-yard bomb from Tyler Shough to Erik Ezukanma. But they failed to keep up the pace. Tyler Shough showed flashes of brilliance but would then follow it up with bad interceptions. One was even returned for a touchdown. Luckily for Tech, however, SFA was given fits in the red zone. They only punched one drive into the endzone while settling for field goals on the three other attempts. Texas Tech does have a game this week against FIU that will hopefully give them time to fix the problems on offense and defense before they get their first real test on the road against Texas.
TCU (2-0)
Five hours down the road in Fort Worth, TCU was in a dogfight against Cal. The Horned Frogs looked uncharacteristically porous on defense this week, allowing Cal to jump out to an early 19-7 lead at the half. Cal quarterback Chase Garbers picked apart the TCU secondary throughout the half. TCU would fight back, however, taking a 21-19 lead in the 3rd quarter. The 4th quarter was hotly contested with both teams finding the end zone twice, and with the game on the line, the TCU defense finally woke up denying Cal the two-point conversion clinching the game 34-32. Coach Patterson has his work cut out for him to try and patch up the defense before TCU takes on cross-town rivals SMU this weekend.
No. 3 Oklahoma (2-0)
Oklahoma State got their quarterback Spencer Sanders back this week, and they needed him against Tulsa. OSU never was able to distance itself from Tulsa. They always seemed to make critical mistakes when they had the chance to get breathing room. After a successful drive in the second quarter, Sanders was intercepted by Tulsa’s Justin Wright, who ran it back for a pick-six to tie up the game. Later in the fourth quarter, OSU had pushed the lead to two possessions, but Tulsa again kept the heat on, methodically marching down the field and punching it in to bring the lead down to eight. The Cowboys’ defense held on the two-point attempt, and OSU’s special teams denied Tulsa another drive sealing the game 28-23.
West Virginia (2-0)
In a game eerily like the Baylor game, West Virginia scored 66 points against FCS Long Island. The Mountaineers defense held firm the whole contest denying Long Island any points. Jarret Doge passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns while freshman quarterback Garrett Greene ran the ball exceptionally well, gaining 98 yards on 14 carries earning two trips into the end zone. West Virginia needed a game like this to prepare for a massive game for the Big 12 against number 15 Virginia Tech.
Kansas (1-1)
Another Big 12 team to play this week was the Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks took on the number 17 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Kansas did surprisingly well in the first quarter finishing with a lead of 9-7. CCU responded in a big way scoring 21 points in the second quarter to take the lead 28-15 heading into the half. Kansas never was able to recover and wound up losing the game 49-22. This continues the Jayhawks’ streak of losing to the Chanticleers to three straight years. Things won’t get any easier for Kansas as the Baylor Bears will travel to Lawrence.
Kansas State (2-0)
The final game of the week played by an active Big 12 football team in week 2 was Kansas State taking on Southern Illinois. K-State was carried by Deuce Vaughn, who exploded for 120 and three touchdowns on 26 carries. Malik Knowles also had a good game gaining 112 yards on only four receptions. The usual problems showed again with starting quarterback Skylar Thompson going down with an injury and Will Howard coming off the bench with poor results. The defense was also subpar; they allowed Southern Illinois to score 23 points in just one quarter. K-State does have one of the best coaching staff in CFB, but will that be enough to overcome a very shallow roster?
Big 12 Football to the SEC Teams
Texas (1-1)
The second Big 12 team to lose this week was Texas, which was the 15th ranked team in the nation. The Longhorns traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, and got a taste of what life would be like in the SEC. The Razorbacks dominated every facet of the game. Defensively, Arkansas completely shut down Heisman candidate Bijan Robinson whose longest run of the game was a mere four yards. The Longhorns did not find any success through the air either. Both quarterbacks finished with less than 75 yards through the air. Starting quarterback Hudson Card was pulled during the game in favor of Casey Thompson. Thompson will be the new starter next week against Rice.
Oklahoma State (2-0)
The Oklahoma Sooners proved why they deserve their ranking as the 3rd best team in the nation on Saturday by obliterating FCS Western Carolina Catamounts 76-0. Spencer Rattler put up the numbers you would expect from a Heisman favorite. He threw for 243 yards and five touchdowns before being pulled. The Sooner defense forced the Catamounts into three turnovers. Which helped them force a shutout for only the second time in five years. Oklahoma will try and keep the momentum going into this week when they face the Nebraska Cornhuskers a meeting of two former Big 12 foes. The game will be played in Norman, Oklahoma.
Overview of Big 12 Football Week 2
Looking forward, the Big 12 has a relatively easy week with only one inter-conference game between Baylor and Kansas. West Virginia plays #15 Virginia Tech, the only game where a Big 12 team faces a ranked opponent.
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Story by Campus Live Intern Ryan Scott