Around the Big 12 – Week 2 Edition

The title of this may be a little misleading, as there was no Week 1 edition. However, I am planning to make this a weekly feature for the rest of the season. I did not think we would learn a whole lot about the Big 12 this week due to another slate of overwhelmingly uneven match-ups, and for the most part, I was right. I did my best to personally watch at least part of as many of these games as possible, but don’t expect much firsthand insight on games against PAC 12 opponents with 9:30 start times (I’m looking at you Oklahoma State).

Blow Outs

• TCU opened their newly renovated Amon Carter Stadium against an over-matched Grambling State team. Casey Pachall was a perfect 9/9 for 201 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Josh Boyce finished with 102 yards receiving on four catches as the Horned Frogs shut out the Tigers 56-0. TCU plays their first Big 12 Conference game next week as they head to Lawrence to take on the 1-1 Kansas Jayhawks.
• Oklahoma hosted Florida A&M in their home opener, and dispatched of the Rattlers in short order, 69-13. Landry Jones was 19/28 for 252 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Running Back Damien Williams was really the story, with 156 yards rushing and four touchdowns. OU is off next week, but we will find out what this team is really made of when they get what should be an undefeated Kansas State team at home in two weeks.
• More than a few people had Texas Tech on "upset alert" after Texas State surprised the University of Houston last week. I did not think Tech would actually lose, but thought the Bobcats might make a game of it. Seth Doege threw for 319 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions as the Red Raiders beat Texas State 58-10. Tech heads back to Lubbock next week to face the 1-1 New Mexico Lobos, who are coming off a lopsided loss to the Longhorns in Austin.
• In the second half of a home and home series, Kansas State played a Miami team coming into Manhattan off a win at Boston College last week. Colin Klein picked up right where he left off last season throwing for 210 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for another 71 yards and three touchdowns. Waco native John Hubert ran for 106 yards on 19 carries as the entire K-State team combined for 288 yards rushing. The Wildcats finished off the Hurricanes 52-13 and prepare for another home game against 1-1 North Texas next week.
• Teams that run the triple option continued to fare poorly this week, as Texas shutout New Mexico 45-0. Sophomore quarterback David Ash was 16/22 for 221 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Ash and the very talented group of running backs combined for a surprisingly low 146 yards rushing. Case McCoy also got in on the action throwing for 64 yards and one touchdown. The Longhorns should face a more significant test next week as they head to Oxford to take on 2-0 Ole Miss.

Close Call

• Iowa State headed to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes in the annual battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. Turnovers were the story in this game. In spite of two interceptions of Iowa State quarterback Steele Jantz, and the team losing two more fumbles, a timely interception of Iowa's James Vandenberg with just over a minute to go sealed the win for the Cyclones. Jantz did manage to throw for 241 yards and one touchdown. This game does not tell us much, as a 9-6 victory over a B1G team with a Greg Davis coached offense is not a huge accomplishment. The Cyclones will take on an undefeated Western Illinois team back in Ames next week.

The Upsets

• I went to sleep last night with Oklahoma State on the ropes at Arizona, but a 39-58 loss is not the result I expected to find this morning. True freshman quarterback Wes Lunt threw for 436 yards and four touchdowns, but the difference was turnovers. Lunt threw three interceptions and the Cowboys lost another possession on a fumble, while the Wildcats protected the ball and had zero turnovers. OSU lost many weapons from last year, including a very mature quarterback, and it showed. Oklahoma State should be able to get back on track next week as they go back to Stillwater to face 2-0 University of Louisiana Lafayette.
• The Charlie Weis era at Kansas is not off to a great start. After an underwhelming performance against South Dakota State last week, the Jayhawks moved in the wrong direction today against Rice. Notre Dame transfer quarterback Dayne Crist was unimpressive at best, as he threw for a paltry 144 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Kansas gave up their fourth field goal of the game to Rice kicker Chris Boswell as time expired and lost 24-25. The Jayhawks road does not get any easier next week when 1-0 TCU comes to town.

Someone Is Missing

• West Virginia and our own Baylor Bears were both off this week. In week three, the Mountaineers will take on 2-0 James Madison in Landover, MD, while the Bears are back home to face the 1-0, 2011 FCS National Runner Up, Sam Houston State Bobcats.

Final Thoughts

As I said at the top, I did not think we would learn a lot about the Big 12 this week and, with one exception, I was right. Most of the teams that were supposed to win big, won big. Iowa State appears to be an enigma, and while they are not great, the Cyclones may be difficult for teams to deal with. Kansas looks poised to retain their place at the bottom of the Big 12. Oklahoma State is obviously the big shocker. Their blowout of Savannah State last week clearly did not prepare them for an Arizona team that came ready to play. Based on the schedule, we will probably find ourselves in a similar situation next week, as we will see a lot more bad match-ups until everyone gets starts conference play in a couple of weeks.