Big 12 Update: Baylor Comes All the Way Back, ‘Horns Exercise Jayhawk Demons

With the Cowboys on a bye after two straight losses, six Big 12 battles took place this past weekend.

Here is a recap from another wild week in the Big 12.

BYU 35, Cincinnati 27

After the Big 12 newcomers started their tenures with the league a combined 0-4, someone had to win on Friday night in the first all-newcomer matchup of the season.

The score was closer than the game actually was, with BYU keeping the Bearcats at arm’s length most of the night, building a 35-20 lead that Cincy didn’t cut into until there were 26 seconds to play.

Kedon Slovis was efficient with his 24 pass attempts, throwing for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On the other side, Emory Jones threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for another 94 yards.

Texas 40, Kansas 14

The Jayhawks left Austin with an improbable win in 2021. That was not the case Saturday.

With no Jalon Daniels, KU mustered just 260 yards of total offense against the Longhorns’ stellar defense. And the Jayhawks could not stop Jonathon Brooks on the other side of the ball, as Brooks ran for 218 yards and two touchdowns on 10.4 yards a carry.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers added to the Longhorns’ rushing attack with 40 yards and two touchdowns, and he threw for another 325 yards and a score.

Oklahoma 50, Iowa State 20

There for a while, it looked as if the Cyclones’ offensive outburst against Oklahoma State last week was no fluke, but Iowa State stopped scoring early into the second quarter.

OU scored the final 29 points of this game, hitting the 50-point mark of the third time this season. The most impressive part of that stat is that the Sooners’ rushing attack hasn’t been all that great this season, but Dillon Gabriel threw for 366 yards and a trio of scores Saturday to make up for OU’s 3.8 yards per carry.

Texas Tech 49, Houston 28

Similar to the OU-Iowa State game, Texas Tech and Houston exchanged blows for a while before the Red Raiders took off.

With Tyler Shough out with injury, the Red Raiders leaned on their rushing attack to great success Saturday. Tahj Brooks and Cam’Ron Valdez each eclipsed the 100-yard mark with Brooks rushing for 106 and a pair of scores, while Valdez also went for 106 and a score and did so on only five carries (!!!). That’s a cool 21.2 yards per carry.

In his return to Lubbock, Houston quarterback Donovan Smith played well, throwing for 335 yards and four touchdowns while running for another 59 yards. It just wasn’t enough.

Baylor 36, UCF 35

This game had it all: a 28-point comeback and two 70+-yard fumble returns.

UCF led this game 35-7 deep into the third quarter before the Bears did their best Undertaker-esque sit-up, teaching the Knights a lesson in closing in Power Five football.

The fourth quarter saw the Bears score three touchdowns (converting two 2-point conversions) and hit a game-winning field goal to deflate the Bounce House.

Monaray Baldwin caught seven passes for 150 yards and a score, and Richard Reese ran for 100 yards on 6.3 yards per carry.

West Virginia 24, TCU 21

Don’t look now, but the Mountaineers (picked last in the Preseason Big 12 Poll) are 2-0 in conference play.

TCU took a 21-14 lead into halftime, but the West Virginia defense pitched a shutout in the second half. WVU quarterback Garrett Greene appears to be a grinder. He finished with 142 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and a win.

Big 12 Standings

Week 6 Schedule

Kansas State at Oklahoma State — 6:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas — 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC
UCF at Kansas — 3 p.m. Saturday on FOX
Texas Tech at Baylor — 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2
TCU at Iowa State — 7 p.m. Saturday on FS2