TCU, still digging An insane day.
TCU 47, Utah 7
Thanks for playing, Utah. TCU took the sixth-ranked team in the nation at their own field and whipped their ass. Frankly, TCU could have been playing Wyoming or Idaho State. Considering what happened elsewhere in college football, I would daresay that -- should the TCU win out -- this win would guarantee them the No. 3 spot in the land. An Auburn or Oregon loss puts them in the title game.
I do think the nation is noticing now. I think the defense impresses most of all. They held Utah to 198 total yards. The Utes had 54 rushing yards. No one's beating TCU with that output. The Frog offense is just too good. TCU is a special team. They'll get to show it on a huge stage soon enough.
Oklahoma State 55, Baylor 28
The Pokes were up 24-0 before the Bears woke up. Then, 34-0 before the Bears could get up off the ground. That "thud" you heard were the Bears falling flat on their face in a gigantic game and the "swoosh" was the Cowboys taking full control of the Big XII South. The Cowboys piled up 724 total yards. Of those, 172 went to Justin Blackmon, who is a stud's stud. This game showed that if Baylor is going to play with the big boys, defense is the most important thing. The Bears would've traded their one Robert Griffin for an Earl Thomas, Ndamukong Suh, Michael Griffin, Brian Orakpo and a couple of the guys from the Wrecking Crew.
Texas A&M 33, Oklahoma 19
I hope everyone took A&M and the points. Simply put, A&M controlled the front on both sides of the ball. They ran the ball really well -- with DeSoto's Cyrus Gray -- and OU couldn't run if they wanted to. Landry Jones was sacked three times and it was ball game. Mike Sherman needed a signature win and he's got one. Meanwhile, OU has to be at a loss. I think they expected to be playing for the South against Oklahoma State. Now, they'll be looking forward to the Holiday Bowl. Ryan Tannehill wasn't awful, but he wasn't very good either. Didn't matter. Aggies ran the ball wherever they wanted.
Texas Tech 24, Missouri 17
Home teams in the Big XII went 5-1 this week. No matter what, it's tough to play on the Llano Estacado at night. Ask the Longhorns of a couple of years ago. Ask the Tigers right now. The Sooners' dreams were smashed along with the Tigers'. Tech threw the kitchen sink at Mizzou and they played stellar pass defense. The usually good Blaine Gabbert was awful going 13-32 for 98 yards. When someone playing that poorly is throwing a pass for the win with four minutes in the game, you might as well concede.
Kansas State 39, Texas 14
Don't let the trash-time points fool you, this was a rout like Texas hasn't seen in a good, long while. Still, this wasn't some methodical victory for K-State. They weren't very good, although they ran the ball at will. The Wildcats scored five touchdowns. For their touchdown drives, the Wildcats took 15 plays for 124 yards. So, on average, the Wildcats took three plays and 24 yards. Thanks to five Garrett Gilbert interceptions, K-State started drives within the Texas 20-yard-line. K-State didn't win it; Texas gave it to them.
Kansas 52, Colorado 45
This game is getting buried. That's a shame. Colorado was up 45-17 at the start of the fourth quarter. Naturally, they allowed 35 unanswered points to Turner Gill's Jayhawks for a win. Damndest thing I never saw. Despite 10 penalties, Kansas went 11-16 on third-down conversions. It's remarkable that the Jayhawks had enough time to comeback. One touchdown came on a fumble return. The other four scoring drives took no longer than three minutes and 39 seconds. We need a funeral for Dan Hawkins' coaching career in Boulder. Is he still employed?
Nebraska 31, Iowa State 30
If you thought the week was already crazy, it was almost completely off the hook. Nebraska was up 24-10 starting the fourth quarter. They gave up 14 unanswered and the Cyclones took Nebraska to overtime. Instead of taking it to a second overtime, Iowa State opted for the two-point conversion at home and it failed. Gusty. Nebraska officially in control in the Big XII. Although, the hold is tenuous.
UTEP 28, SMU 14
SMU's put up some stinkers this season. This is one of them. Mustangs have to win this game against the Miners. No turnovers, but 10 penalties broke the Mustangs' backs and the offense was sleepwalking and have been the last four or so weeks. Disappointing.
Troy 41, North Texas 35
Riley Dodge has never looked so good and if UNT has an ounce of A) luck or B) defense, they have six wins this season.
SFA 48, Nicholls State 13
More like it. SFA shakes off some ugly starts and whips up on Nicholls State.
