| Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones has the ball knocked out of his hands by Kansas State linebacker Justin Tuggle (2) and Jarrell Childs takes the fumble into the end zone for a score. (US Presswire) |
Big 12 scoreboard
Kansas State 24, Oklahoma 19: Bill Snyder, take a bow. This win was classic Wildcats. Classic Snyder. The 'Cats (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) were outgained 387-362, won the turnover battle 3-0, got a defensive touchdown and did not make a mistake. Oklahoma (2-1, 0-1 Big 12) QB Landry Jones, meanwhile, made two biggies, holding the ball too long on a sack that he fumbled for a K-State TD and throwing an interception that led to K-State's go-ahead touchdown. RB John Hubert ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and Collin Klein made plays when he had to, giving Snyder his second win in nine tries against Bob Stoops. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).
West Virginia 31, Maryland 21: Turns out Geno Smith is human if you hit him. Smith had a good day -- 338 yards, three touchdowns and (Gasp!) 13 incompletions -- but the Mountaineer (3-0) offense was not dominant. The Terps (2-2) got pressure on Smith with blitzes and there was no need to respect WVU's running game. The Mountaineer RBs -- minus an injured Shawne Alston (bruised thigh) -- produced 34 yards on 16 carries. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).
TCU 27, Virginia 7: The Horned Frogs' (3-0) defense had a good day again despite allowing their first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter. It was another day for big yards but few points from the passing game. Casey Pachall threw for 305 yards and three TDs with an interception.But the INT came inside the 10-yard line. He also missed a touchdown when WR Skye Dawson fumbled the ball through the back of the end zone. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog here).
Northern Illinois 30, Kansas 23: If they didn't have to play fourth quarters, the Jayhawks would be 3-1. Instead, they're 1-3 and have two tough losses to begin the Charlie Weis era. KU led 23-13 after a Tyler Patmon interception return for a touchdown and a missed extra point following a hold on the first attempt. The Huskies scored 17 unanswered points, repeating a similar scenario two weeks ago when Rice rallied from 24-13 to win on a last-second field goal.
Play of the day: TCU WR Brandon Carter made two one-handed grabs that will likely be featured on all of the late-night highlight shows. The first was a 68-yard touchdown on a Pachall pass over the middle that Carter reached up with his right hand and snagged out of the air.
He said what? West Virginia coach Smith on what Maryland's defense was doing to get to QB Smith so much, via Geoff Coyle of WVillustrated.com: "They blitzed the crap out of us."
Co-RapidReports defensive stars of the day: LB Justin Tuggle and S Ty Zimmerman, Kansas State. Tuggle, who was K-State's backup QB last year, chased down Jones in the second quarter for a sack, knocking the ball out in the process for K-State's first touchdown. Tuggle also batted down Jones' two-point try that would have cut K-State's lead to three in the fourth quarter. Zimmerman played a part in two of OU's turnovers. He had an interception and also fell on a fumbled snap to Blake Bell.
RapidReports offensive star of the day: WR Tavon Austin, West Virginia. Austin came into the game trailing teammate Stedman Bailey in all-purpose-yards per game in the Big 12. No longer. Austin caught 13 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns.
His seat is getting uncomfortable: Charlie Weis has this on lockdown. One group will say it's not fair. Weis was handed the keys to a bad team and has the Jayhawks at least competitive. The other side will point to Weis' play-calling late in games being suspect, and he's leaning too heavily on his supposed ace, QB Dayne Crist.
A possible spot on the bench for: QB Crist, Kansas. The Jayhawks needed something out of Crist in the fourth quarter and he didn't deliver. Crist could have iced the game when Weis decided to go for it on forth-and-17 at the NIU 29 with a 23-20 lead. WR Kale Pick was wide open and Crist overthrew him on what would have been a touchdown. Crist was 10 of 26 for 147 yards and no touchdowns, lowering his completion percentage to 48 percent.
Why you care about these three stat lines:
- West Virginia had a plus-3 turnover margin against Maryland. The Terps nearly kept pace with the Mountaineers, who outgained them 363-351, and the three turnovers made a huge difference. WVU defensive coordinator Joe DeForest has said he's OK with giving up yards as long as his defense is forcing turnovers. They're doing that as the Mountaineers are plus-5 in turnover margin.
- Virginia was 3 of 16 on third-down conversions. The Horned Frogs came into the game leading the Big 12 in third-down defense, allowing a first down on only 18.5 percent of third-down tries. That's a big reason why they went 11 quarters without giving up a touchdown.
- Kansas has been outscored 36-13 in the fourth quarter this season. It's looking doubtful the Jayhawks will win another game this season, but they've been competitive and will be able to play with some Big 12 opponents at home. But if they're going to get another win, they're going to have to figure out how to close games.
Key number: 14-1. That's now Bob Stoops' record against ranked teams at home. K-State gave Stoops only his fourth loss at Owen Field and the first to a ranked opponent.
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Big 12 bloggers C.J. Moore and Patrick Southern, follow @CBSSportsBig12 on Twitter. You can also follow C.J. (@cjmoore4) and Patrick (@patricksouthern).