As the race towards the Big 12 Championship Game heats up, the week 9 schedule represented plenty of crucial games for a spot in Arlington.
Texas and Kansas State needed a win to control their destiny, while a win from Oklahoma would’ve likely guaranteed their spot in Arlington for the Big 12 Championship Game.
Here is a recap of the Big 12 action you may have missed.
OKLAHOMA 33 VS. KANSAS 38
Kansas took down the Big 12 leader in Oklahoma at home, marking a statement win for Lance Lepoid and the Jayhawks. Dillon Gabriel did not have the stats we’ve been used to seeing him put up, as the Kansas secondary posed a problem for the receivers for a majority of the game.
I thought Jason Bean looked really solid and will be a great starter while Jalon Daniels continues his holdout. However, he did make some mistakes as he threw a couple of interceptions that kept the Sooners in the game. This was a big win for Kansas that, in the long run, will help Kansas State’s Big 12 championship hopes alive.
BYU 6 VS. TEXAS 35
BYU traveled to Austin, Texas, where they had another really rough day offensively.
Kedon Slovis failed to throw for 200 yards through the air and also threw multiple interceptions, while their leading rusher only had 56 yards on the ground.
This Texas defense is the real deal and will be a good test for the Kansas State offense next week, which has been on a roll lately. We got our first look at Maalik Murphy, who will replace Quinn Ewers as he misses time with injury. Murphy threw for 170 yards and a couple of touchdowns, while also having an interception. Jonathan Brooks looked solid yet again, rushing for 98 yards on just 16 carries to pair with a rushing touchdown.
This Kansas State vs. Texas game next week will be must-watch television, as it will determine who has the best shot at the Big 12 championship later this season.
WEST VIRGINIA 41 VS. UCF 28
The Mountaineers traveled to Orlando, where UCF was still looking for their first Big 12 win.
West Virginia got out to a quick lead, but the Knights stayed in the game for most of the first half. West Virginia, led by Garrett Greene, started to pull away in the second half as the quarterback punched in 3 rushing touchdowns while also having some efficient passing.
Despite having John Rhys Plumlee back for the first time since earlier in the season, the Knights will need to improve defensively if they want to snag that first conference win.
IOWA STATE 30 VS. BAYLOR 18
Iowa State traveled to Waco to take on Baylor and got a good win in a tough environment. While Baylor hasn’t been amazing this season, it was another strong win for the Cyclones, and it keeps their surprising Big 12 championship run hopes in view.
Rocco Becht didn’t have a great day, but he did enough to get a win. Cartevious Norton had a really solid day, punching in two touchdowns.
Despite the loss, I thought Blake Shapen looked solid throwing the ball and trying to keep the Bears in the game for as long as he could.
OKLAHOMA STATE 45 VS. CINCINNATI 13
Ollie Gordon and Alan Bowman continued their tear this weekend, destroying the Bearcats at home on homecoming weekend. Bowman threw for just under 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns, while Gordon rushed for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Gordon has looked like a first-team all-conference back as of late, and the Cowboys have really turned their season around after that bad loss to South Alabama at home.
What once seemed like a bad loss for Kansas State is starting to look solid, similar to how Tulane felt a season ago.
Cincinnati needs to figure out something on both sides of the ball as they can’t seem to get a conference win, similar to newcomer UCF.
