| With a 56-53 triple-OT win over TCU, Texas Tech beat ranked teams in back-to-back games for the first time since 2008. (US Presswire) |
Big 12 scoreboard
No. 4 Kansas State 55, No. 17 West Virginia 14: Is it time yet to hand Bill Snyder national coach of the year and Collin Klein the Heisman? Klein and the Wildcats proved that assuming Geno Smith was the runaway favorite for the Heisman was premature with their beatdown of the Mountaineers. Klein accounted for seven touchdowns and threw for 323 yards, the latest QB to pick on West Virginia's struggling secondary. Smith threw for a season-low 143 yards and was picked off twice. K-State (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) proved it's undoubtedly a national title contender and West Virginia (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) fell out of the Big 12 title race. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
No. 18 Texas Tech 56, TCU 53, 3 OT: Texas Tech trailed by 10 in the first half, led by 10 in the second half and trailed twice in three overtimes. The difference was QB Seth Doege's poise in the fourth quarter and OTs. Doege threw for 318 yards and seven touchdowns, his final three coming in the three OTs. He lofted the game-winner into the hands of Alex Torres. TCU's Trevone Boykin was almost as good, rallying his team from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but when TCU (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) had to settle for a field goal in the third OT, it opened the door for Doege. The Red Raiders (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) will have a chance to play for at least a share of first place in the Big 12 next weekend in Manhattan. (For more on the game, check out CBSSports.com's Eye on College Football blog)
Texas 56, Baylor 50: Both teams have rarely stopped anyone this year and it continued Saturday night. The Longhorns (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) got five touchdowns from RB Joe Bergeron, and David Ash threw for 274 yards and a TD to Mike Davis, who led UT with 148 receiving yards. Baylor's Nick Florence put up 352 yards and two touchdowns. In three Big 12 games, Baylor (3-3, 0-3 Big 12) has scored 134 points and has yet to win.
Oklahoma State 31, Iowa State 10: Mike Gundy is now the all-time winningest coach at Oklahoma State (4-2, 2-1 Big 12), and his ability to get great quarterback play was the difference Saturday. J.W. Walsh had his best game in place of Wes Lunt, throwing for a career-high 415 yards and a touchdown. RB Joseph Randle ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns. After scoring on its opening drive, Iowa State (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) struggled to move the ball and Jared Barnett (19 of 39) struggled with his accuracy for the second straight week.
No. 10 Oklahoma 52, Kansas 7: Another week, another impressive performance by the Sooners. The first-team defense held Kansas (1-6, 0-4 Big 12) scoreless -- KU scored late in the fourth quarter -- and forced three turnovers. Landry Jones threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns, and Justin Brown had a 90-yard punt return TD as Oklahoma dominated all three phases. The Sooners (5-1, 3-1 Big 12) have another chance next week to add to their impressive resume as undefeated Notre Dame comes to Norman.
Play of the day: Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville made the call of the day, choosing to onside kick after Texas Tech cut TCU's lead to 17-14 in the second quarter. The Red Raiders were off to a slow start and Tuberville's timing was perfect. Kramer Fyfe recovered his onside kick, which led to a touchdown and Texas Tech's first lead.
He said what? Gundy on Walsh and Oklahoma State's quarterback situation: "At this time last week, everyone was telling us how bad he played. That’s the good thing about college football -- you get another shot. Everybody was down when I went to the coffee shop, the gas station, dropping the kids off at school, everyone was worried about J.W. He is not the answer. He hasn't arrived because he's a freshman who's played four games. He was very productive today. We don't have to make a decision right now. The good news is that we've always felt like we've had two quarterbacks who are good players."
RapidReports defensive star of the day: LB Arthur Brown, Kansas State. Brown was the first player to intercept Robert Griffin III last year and was the first one to intercept Smith this season. He also had eight tackles, including two for a loss.
RapidReports offensive star of the day: Doege. The Red Raiders would not be having a special season if it wasn't for the major improvement to their defense, but they also wouldn't be where they are without Doege. His performance is even more impressive when you consider he was without several of his receivers and star TE Jace Amaro.
A possible spot on the bench for: Iowa State's Barnett. The Iowa State offense is not moving the ball consistently enough with Barnett. Steele Jantz got a chance to run the offense late in the fourth quarter and he made a couple nice throws on his second drive. It's tough to say which quarterback is better suited for this offense, but it's likely Rhoads will consider going back to Jantz, who opened the season as the starter.
Why you care about these three stat lines:
- Since knocking off No. 9 Oklahoma State on Nov. 8, 2008, Texas Tech was 0-4 the week following a win against a ranked opponent. The Red Raiders ended that streak with the win over TCU and have back-to-back wins over ranked opponents.
- Kansas State held West Virginia's offense to 243 yards. The Mountaineers came in averaging 543.7 yards. Geno Smith's 143 passing yards were his fewest since Nov. 10, 2010, in a 17-10 win over Louisville.
- The Cyclones had 101 rushing yards. Iowa State's Big 12-worst rushing attack is not doing enough to alleviate pressure on its quarterbacks. For the ISU offense to get going, the running game needs to do more.
Key number: 625. Oklahoma State's offense had 625 yards against Iowa State. The Cowboys lead the nation in total offense and they've done it with two freshman quarterbacks. The most yards Iowa State had allowed this year before Saturday was 455 in a win over TCU.
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).