Big 12 Notes: Defense shines in OSU’s upset of TCU

After the first College Football Poll was released, the Big 12 was not represented in the top four of the ratings after being left out of the first playoff last season.

One reason given for the hesitancy to rank a Big 12 team high enough for one of the coveted four spots was the committee evaluated teams based on their complete makeup, giving merit to teams that played well on both sides of the ball.

If that was perceived as a shot at the offensive superiority exerted by its best teams, Oklahoma State supplied a nice response by stunning TCU 49-29 in the first battle of league unbeatens.

The Cowboys (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) forced Heisman Trophy candidate Trevone Boykin to throw four interceptions and also administered three sacks. Key to the win was a goal-line stand Oklahoma State used to thwart a long third-quarter drive that took seven-plus minutes, yet resulted in no points for the Horned Frogs.

The stand enabled Oklahoma State to preserve a 42-23 lead, which it built with a fabulous first half that included three touchdown passes by quarterback Mason Rudolph.

“Our defensive staff did a tremendous job in their game plan,” Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said. “Just really proud of the guys for being able to run (Boykin) down some and make some plays.

“We played base defense and ran to the football. There wasn’t anything special with what we did. There were some things, Xs and Os wise. If there was an answer (to successfully defend Boykin), someone already would have done it. The answer is to run and chase the ball down, and tackle in space.”

Ranked 14th in the initial CFP poll, Oklahoma State was slotted lower than any undefeated team in a Power 5 conference. TCU came in rated eighth and Baylor, which beat Kansas State to improve to 8-0, received the strongest consideration among Big 12 teams at No. 6.

The win was the 11th straight for the Cowboys and ended a 16-game win streak for TCU. The game was a statement for an Oklahoma State defense that is among the most experienced in the league, but was playing without senior end Jimmy Bean, whose streak of 34 consecutive starts was halted by a season-ending knee injury suffered a week earlier in a win at Texas Tech.

Still, the Cowboys stirred pressure up front behind All-America candidate Emmanuel Ogbah and used their defensive speed to cover the field. They also benefitted from an injury to TCU’s top receiver, Josh Doctson, who left in the first half with an injury to his left forearm.

It may have just been the kind of defensive effort the CFP committee is looking for, but by now, everyone in the Big 12 has learned to hold its breath when it comes to those assessments.

Besides, plenty of football remains. Oklahoma State has a potential advantage in the league chase because it draws Baylor and Oklahoma at home the last two weeks of the season.

BAYLOR (8-0, 5-0)

Game: Baylor 31, Kansas State 24. QB Jarrett Stidham, a true freshman making his first start, completed 23-of-33 passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns as the Bears, who were slotted sixth in the first CFP poll, outlasted the feisty Wildcats. Corey Coleman again stated his case as the best wide receiver in college football with 11 catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears were stymied much of the second half but used an interception inside the final minute to thwart Kansas State’s rally.

Takeaway: All eyes were on Stidham, a highly-touted recruit Baylor thrust into the backup role this year behind Seth Russell. When Russell suffered a season-ending neck injury, Stidham had an off week to prepare for his first start.

The freshman showed poise as well as a live arm and threaded a loose Kansas State secondary. A second-quarter strike to Coleman came when the receiver was left uncovered. Coleman sailed 81 yards for a touchdown, one play after Baylor recovered a fumble in the red zone by Wildcats quarterback Joe Hubener.

That strike gave Baylor a 21-7 advantage and it eventually boosted its margin to 31-10, but Kansas State mounted fourth-quarter touchdown drives of 84 and 77 yards to make it interesting.

Perhaps too interesting for a Baylor team anxious to make a favorable impression on the CFP committee. Still, Stidham showed he has the potential to maintain the Bears’ aspirations to both reach the playoffs and claim a third consecutive Big 12 title. He got rolling by completing three passes for 64 yards on the Bears’ first drive, which required fewer than two minutes to produce a touchdown.

“We told him to show the nation what we already knew,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “Our hearts and souls go out to Seth. He did a great job getting us here. But Jarrett has talent and instincts. He played just like we knew he would.”

The initial CFP poll left Briles somewhat defiant, especially after the Bears needed the midfield interception by CB Terrell Burt with 44 seconds left. The Wildcats took over after a missed field goal by PK Chris Callahan from 41 yards.

The finish created some doubts over Baylor’s playoff qualities, and Briles went on the stump.

“We feel like we’re a team of survivors,” he said. “You can slap us around and talk about us all you want, but in November we’ll still be around.”

Next: vs. Oklahoma, Nov. 14.

IOWA STATE (3-6, 2-4)

Game: Oklahoma 52, Iowa State 16.Three first-half touchdowns by Oklahoma were countered by three field goals by Iowa State, resulting in a 21-9 halftime difference. The Sooners then reeled off 31 unanswered points before WR D’Vario Montgomery caught a 13-yard TD pass for the Cyclones with 5:08 remaining. QB Joel Lanning completed 26-of-51 passes for 260 yards.

Takeaway: One constant for Iowa State offensively has been the steady production of RB Mike Warren, the leading candidate for freshman of the year honors in the Big 12.

Warren came in averaging 154 yards rushing over the previous six games, but was limited to 43 yards on 18 attempts as Iowa State managed just 114 yards on the ground. Warren was left three yards shy of the 1,000 mark for the season.

“Nothing worked out for us,” Warren said.

That was fairly accurate considering the Cyclones could only answer with field goals in the first half, then did not answer at all as Oklahoma sealed the outcome with five touchdown drives that required three plays or fewer.

“In the second half, when we lost our rhythm to match theirs, they hit us on the big plays,” Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said. “A little bit of that is not playing as urgently and hard as you need to at that point.”

The loss was the fourth in five games for the Cyclones. Even more alarming is the advantage Oklahoma has maintained in the series, dating back to the Big Eight days. Rhoads knew the numbers, something he no doubt shared with his players as possible motivation.

“Since 1961, that makes it 1-44-1 for Iowa State. 1-44-1,” Rhoads repeated for emphasis.”That’s as lopsided as it probably is across the country as far as two teams playing against each other. You look over that time, as you walk down the carpet, you walk over some national championship years. …

“I don’t think there’s any stigma. These kids, they don’t know what happened in 2006 or ’96. They’ve got good players and they’re well-coached. At halftime, we all felt we had an opportunity to go out there and compete to win a football game, finish up with the momentum.”

That, however, did not happen and the next challenge for Iowa State is playing Big 12 leader Oklahoma State.

Next: vs. Oklahoma State, Nov. 14.

KANSAS (0-9, 0-6)

Game: Texas 59, Kansas 20. The Jayhawks drove inside the Texas 10-yard line on two scoreless trips in the second quarter and were badly outplayed the remainder of the game after trailing just 24-14 at halftime. The loss was the 34th in a row on the road and 37th straight away from home for KU. QB Ryan Willis played through a groin injury before he was lifted late in the game. He completed 17-of-34 passes for 214 yards, with two interceptions and one touchdown. The Jayhawks’ top receivers, Tre’ Parmalee and Steven Sims, served disciplinary suspensions and did not play.

Takeaway: Despite another lopsided outcome, Kansas had opportunities to draw even closer before halftime. That made the defeat even more difficult to accept, even for a team looking at the possibility of going winless, something the Jayhawks have not done since 1954.

“You look at some opportunities that you had that might change that thing a little bit,” said first-year coach David Beaty. “You just wonder, ‘Man, what if?”‘

Although Kansas was much better in the first half, it was hurt by several mistakes.

TE Ben Goodman could not hold his balance on a fourth-and-2 call from midfield, resulting in a false start. Two receivers mistakenly ran routes to the same area, flooding it with Texas defenders which Willis threw into for an interception. PR Derrick Neal muffed a return deep in Kansas territory, leading to a Texas recovery and easy touchdown.

RB Ke’aun Kinner could not convert on fourth-and-inches from the goal line and the fumble he coughed into the end zone did not count for a touchdown because, by rule, another Jayhawk was not allowed to recover the ball. Beaty also did not call a time out late in the half to run another goal-line play and instead waited to use it with three seconds left to set up a 26-yard field goal try that PK Nick Bartolotta banged off the right upright.

These are things that absolutely devastate outmanned teams. And the second half served as proof Kansas was outmanned by Texas, which went on a 35-point rampage before the Jayhawks scored with 1:07 remaining on a 19-yard pass from backup QB Keaton Perry to WR Darious Crawley.

The Longhorns produced 408 second-half yards, compared to 190 for the Jayhawks.

“Sometimes it starts snowballing, and it’s hard to get it stopped,” Beaty said. “But that’s our job. We’ve got to get it done.”

Next: at TCU, Nov. 14.

KANSAS STATE (3-5, 0-5)

Game: Baylor 31, Kansas State 24. QB Joe Hubener established career rushing bests for attempts (29) and yards (153) while directing the Wildcats to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but their comeback bid ended with a midfield interception in the final minute. WR Kody Cook, who has subbed for Hubener previously, attempted that throw on a gadget play, but the Bears’ Terrell Burt was ruled in-bounds on a sideline pick. Hubener and Cook combined for only 172 passing yards. The Wildcats netted 258 yards on the ground as RB Charles Jones added 76 yards.

Takeaway: The outcome was again proof Kansas State can compete with the nation’s finest, the second seven-point loss of the season at home to a team ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings.

In the end, however, the Wildcats were haunted by two second-quarter turnovers by Hubener, who lost a fumble on a keeper into the red zone and fired an ill-advised deep ball into double coverage that was intercepted. The Bears converted immediately on the second takeaway as Corey Coleman, one of the country’s best receivers, went uncovered and sailed 81 yards with a touchdown grab to make it 21-7.

That halftime margin for Baylor eventually climbed to 31-10, but the resilient Wildcats showed spunk in the fourth quarter before a sparse crowd after many fans left.

“I saw the improvement today and I thought we got a little bit better and that was the result of the way we had practiced,” Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. “We just had not put enough of them together back-to-back and we need to be able to do that. It is not rocket science. It is a pretty simple process.”

Maybe so, but not enough to keep the Wildcats from sinking to 0-5 in the Big 12, their worst conference start since finishing 0-7 in the Big Eight in 1989, Snyder’s first season at Kansas State.

Hubener entered with a 45.5 percent completion rate and did not rank in the top 10 of the Big 12 in pass efficiency. He was 12-of-21 against the Bears. However, the deep ball that was intercepted strayed from what had worked on an 88-yard, 17-play scoring march that stuck to the ground the first time the Wildcats had the football.

Snyder placed blame on WR Deante Burton for not finishing the route properly, and also noted that Kansas State connected on critical passes during its two late TD drives.

The comeback bid, however, fell short, and leaves the Wildcats needing three wins in their last four games to extend a string of five consecutive bowl bids. Those games are against other teams sitting in the bottom half of the Big 12 standings, but Snyder bristled at the prospect of an easier stretch.

“We lost five games. We don’t have an easy part of the schedule,” Snyder said. “We haven’t proven we can win in the conference yet.”

Next: at Texas Tech, Nov. 14.

OKLAHOMA (8-1, 5-1)

Game: Oklahoma 52, Iowa State 16. Oklahoma mounted six touchdown drives of five or fewer plays, including three in the first quarter, to gain control early. QB Baker Mayfield completed 23-of-31 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score. RB Samaje Perine and RB Joe Mixon supplied a one-two rushing punch with 95 and 88 yards, respectively, while combining for 21 carries. The Sooners, ranked 15th in the initial CFP poll, have outscored opponents 232-to-50 in four straight wins.

Takeaway: The Big 12 back-loaded its schedule to set up big games in November and the Sooners face one of the more difficult stretches with games against Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State to close the season. The Sooners, however, will at least go in brimming with confidence after dominating opponents following their only defeat, an upset loss against Texas.

“The guys have a good trust and we don’t need to do anything special,” said offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley. “The whole team has bought in. … If we keep winning, the games will get more important.”

Oklahoma wasted no time trying new wrinkles against Iowa State. The Sooners opened the game with a double-reverse pass, which Mayfield turned into a 75-yard touchdown strike to WR Dimitri Flowers.

The Sooners went on to score 21 first-quarter points, then were blanked in the second quarter before eventually generating 684 yards. A key third-down reception by WR Dede Westbrook preserved a scoring drive to begin the second half and got Oklahoma redirected to beat an old Big Eight rival it has lost to only once since 1961.

It did so while establishing offensive balance that will be critical in upcoming games. WR Durron Neal had 10 catches to lead nine different OU receivers, while the ground game produced 279 yards. During one segment in the second half, the Sooners scored 31 unanswered points.

“We try and use everybody and make defenses defend everybody,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “Spread the field and give opportunities to everyone instead of trying to force it to one or two guys, whether it’s run or pass. It’s exciting when you get that many guys involved in making plays.”

The second-quarter fallout was about the only concern Oklahoma had coming out of the win. By stalling in that period, a string of 31 straight possessions without a punt came to an end. P Austin Seibert had not been summoned since the Sooners stalled on the first drive of an Oct. 24 win against Texas Tech.

Next: at Baylor, Nov. 14.

OKLAHOMA STATE (9-0, 6-0)

Game: Oklahoma State 49, TCU 29. The Cowboys jumped to a 26-point lead early in the third quarter, then secured the win with a defensive stand to blunt a long TCU drive that took over seven minutes. QB Mason Rudolph completed 16-of-24 passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. WR James Washington caught three TD strikes among his five receptions for 184 yards. Oklahoma State recorded four interceptions to spoil a 445-yard passing output by the Horned Frogs’ Heisman Trophy candidate, Trevone Boykin.

Takeaway: With Boykin attempting to deliver a sensational comeback, TCU displayed some offensive might but had nothing to really show for it at the end.

Discrepancies on the final stat sheet favored the Frogs in total yards (663-456), rushing yards (218-81), offensive plays (110-53) and first downs (36-16). TCU even converted 9-of-19 third downs, while Oklahoma State was just 2-of-11. TCU also possessed the football for 37-plus minutes.

Still, the ability to make key stops, either off tackles or takeaways, enabled the Cowboys to control the game. The offense also capitalized on the big plays the defense provided.

Oklahoma State scored touchdowns after three of the four interceptions, the last of which was returned 42 yards for a TD by LB Chad Whitener. LB Jordan Burton also had a pick the Cowboys converted into a touchdown.

“We’ve had the same motto all year, WTIB, which means we’re taking it back,” said S Tre Flowers. “It’s been the same every game, every week because we have to force turnovers as a defense to be great, and that’s our goal. It’s been that way from the beginning.”

The offense responded by averaging 8.6 yards per play as Washington enjoyed another productive performance after generating 201 yards off four receptions the previous week at Texas Tech.

“We felt like we had an advantage with the way they were defending us and singling him up,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “We think we’ve got a few guys who have the ability to make a deep play, and he’s certainly got the ability to run down the field and get open.”

As with any Oklahoma State home game, the man whose name graces the stadium, T. Boone Pickens, was front and center. This time the benefactor wore a shirt that read, “We are going to be competitive,” a slogan he coined after giving $165 million in 2006 to the refurbishment of the stadium.

At halftime, Pickens shared his satisfaction with reporters.

“That was the best half of a football game,” he said as the Cowboys led 28-9. “It was perfect. The coaches were good; the players were good.”

Next: at Iowa State, Nov. 14.

TCU (8-1, 5-1)

Game: Oklahoma State 49, TCU 29. QB Trevone Boykin passed for 445 yards, but his Heisman Trophy candidacy was tarnished with four interceptions and the end to a 16-game winning streak for the Horned Frogs. The Cowboys raced to a 26-point advantage early in the third quarter, then used a defensive stand to keep TCU from scoring on a long second-half march that consumed over seven minutes. WR Josh Doctson, one of the nation’s top receivers, left in the second quarter with an injury to his left forearm. Boykin added 73 yards rushing, while RB Aaron Green led the Frogs with 97 yards.

Takeaway: Incredibly, TCU executed 110 offensive snaps to only 53 for Oklahoma State, yet the big gains the Cowboys struck for were decisive. Of the 352 yards generated through the air by Cowboys QB Mason Rudolph, five completions accounted for 279 on completions of 48, 50, 25, 82 and 74 yards.

“They kicked our butt,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “You can’t give up big plays. It’s as simple as that. … They had 30 plays and 28 points in the first half. If you give up big plays and turn the ball over, you’re not going to win big ballgames.”

Patterson accepted blame for problems the TCU secondary had in coverage.

“There’s no confusion,” he said after the Cowboys made several long receptions look far too easy. “I’ve just got to call a better ballgame until we play better.”

While improvement is still possible, any shot at getting into the College Football Playoff mix took a serious jolt after the Horned Frogs were slotted No. 8 in the initial poll. Oklahoma State was ranked 14th entering the first of what appears could be several titanic clashes over the last few weeks involving the Big 12 leaders.

Three of Boykin’s interceptions led to touchdowns for the Cowboys. The last one was returned 42 yards for a score by Oklahoma State LB Chad Whitener. Boykin had engineered comebacks for narrow road wins at Texas Tech and Kansas State earlier in the season, but against a better opponent he had no chance for redemption.

“You’re not going to come into an environment like this and have four turnovers and expect to win a game,” Boykin said. “We played a great football team, and coach (Mike) Gundy is a great coach so props to those guys.”

Next: vs. Kansas, Nov. 14.

TEXAS (4-5, 3-3)

Game: Texas 59, Kansas 20. QB Tyrone Swoopes rushed for four touchdowns and added another with a 40-yard scoring pass in mop-up duty while starting QB Jerrod Heard passed for 201 yards. The Longhorns rebounded from a shutout loss they suffered at Iowa State. Heard hit WR John Burt with an 84-yard touchdown strike on the first play Texas ran. RB D’Onta Foreman rumbled 93 yards for a third-quarter touchdown as the Longhorns continually hurt the Jayhawks with big gains, averaging 8.5 yards per play en route to 598 total yards.

Takeaway: Texas coach Charlie Strong was alarmed by the effort his team gave in the first half.

“They were playing harder than we were,” Strong said. “I said we can’t allow that to happen.”

Those remarks were relayed to his team, which led by 10 but still seemed jarred by the 24-0 loss suffered at Iowa State a week earlier. The offensive resurgence marked the most points Texas has scored under their second-year coach and lifted hopes for obtaining a bowl berth. The Longhorns need two wins in the final three games to do that.

In addition to the offensive onslaught, the defense came up big. Twice it prevented Kansas from scoring in the red zone and Texas allowed just six second-half points. The Longhorns recorded six sacks and also generated four takeaways, including two interceptions by S DeShon Elliott, a freshman.

“We knew that we were playing a little slow on defense,” LB Peter Jinkens told the Daily Texan after recording a team-best six tackles, including 1.5 sacks. “Everybody just got their minds right, and we just came out and did really good in the second half.”

Texas is now 3-2 at home and also pulled off an upset over Oklahoma in Dallas. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, two of their last three games are on the road, at West Virginia and at Baylor. That creates an even bigger need to start games with more urgency.

“We have to take the energy and excitement that we play with when we’re at home and take it on the road,” S Dylan Haines said. “That’s easier said than done, but we have to find a way to do it, because we have to win on the road if we want to be successful here.”

Next: at West Virginia, Nov. 14.

TEXAS TECH (5-5, 2-5)

Game: West Virginia 31, Texas Tech 26. QB Patrick Mahomes, the Big 12’s top passer, was limited to a season-low 196 yards passing. The Red Raiders were blanked on two trips inside the West Virginia 25-yard line in the second quarter and also settled for two field goals in the second half on drives into the red zone that came after interceptions. Mahomes had three TD passes. RB DeAndre Washington gained 102 yards and became the first Red Raider to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since 1995.

Takeaway: Since 2011, the Red Raiders are 2-21 in the final five games of the season. The loss to West Virginia also assured Tech of a losing record in the Big 12 for the sixth straight year, the last three under coach Kliff Kingsbury’s watch.

The lack of progress was typified by two personal foul penalties Texas Tech committed when it desperately needed the ball back but let West Virginia burn the final 6:47 off the clock before going into a victory formation just inches away from the end zone.

The penalties were committed by a pair of seniors, DT Branden Jackson and LB Micah Awe.

“It was kind of tough,” DE Pete Robertson said. “We had them in third downs a couple of times. We couldn’t seem to get off the field, and that’s what you’ve got to do against a team like this, and we didn’t capitalize.”

West Virginia capitalized on openings in the run game, including third-down gains of 10 and 12 yards when faced with situations that required six and nine yards to move the sticks.

“It’s been a rough season for the rush defense,” Kingsbury said. “We’re just not getting it done up front against the run for the most part. As coaches, we have to do a better job, and as players, we have to do a better job. They exploited us in that area and held the ball a lot.”

The defense was not completely to blame, though it entered the game as the second-worst unit in the country behind only Kansas. In each of the Red Raiders’ previous four defeats they allowed 56, 63, 63 and 70 points.

Drops hurt Mahomes’ passing totals, a point Kingsbury acknowledged, but he pinned blame for missed execution on the entire offense, as well as himself.

“I thought for the most part (Mahomes) protected the football well, moved it well,” Kingsbury said. “We were bad in the red zone. I’ll take that on me.”

As for his young receivers making drops, “they shouldn’t be young. It’s our 10th game,” Kingsbury added. “They’ve played enough. It’s just not making plays when we needed.”

Even senior WR Jakeem Grant struggled. He ranked third with a 106.3-yard receiving average per game but was limited to eight yards on five catches.

Next: vs. Kansas State, Nov. 14.

WEST VIRGINIA (4-4, 1-4)

Game: West Virginia 31, Texas Tech 26. RB Wendell Smallwood logged his fifth 100-yard game with a career-high 163 yards rushing while RB Rushel Shell added his first 100-yard game of the season with 111 yards. The Mountaineers limited the Big 12’s top passer, Patrick Mahomes, to 196 yards. Tech managed season lows for points and yards (378) as West Virginia snapped a four-game losing streak. The WVU run game bailed out QB Skyler Howard, who did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time all season.

Takeaway: A handful of times this season, Texas Tech defensive coordinator David Gibbs wondered aloud why opponents had not tried to use the run predominantly against the Red Raiders. Well, a former member of the Texas Tech staff under Mike Leach decided to listen.

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen let the Mountaineers run at will and they converted 57 attempts into 300 yards. While the production milked more clock than usual and kept the score well out of the 40s for both teams, the plan worked.

“We obviously wanted to run the ball but didn’t know I was going to run it that much,” Holgorsen said. “But (you) do that just to control it a little bit, as much as we can. I felt like we could come into the game and run the ball. What we did offensively, we’ve kind of been building toward, to be able to do it when we needed to do it and to rest our defense when we needed to be able to rest.”

Changes along the offensive front helped key the ground game. Most helpful was the move by OG Adam Pankey back into his normal spot after playing at tackle because of injuries.

At the end, West Virginia exerted its dominance, running the final 6:47 off the clock on a drive that included 16 snaps and ended in a victory formation the Mountaineers executed just outside the end zone.

“The offense kept us off the field,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. “I’m thinking, ‘All right. Five minutes to go. We’ve got a short field. How are we going to run all the time out? The only way it could have happened, it happened.”

Well, Howard did change a couple of calls at the line of scrimmage. Both came on second downs and resulted in incomplete passes. As the crowd murmured, teammates urged their junior quarterback to stick with the plan and run the football.

“He caught us all off guard,” Smallwood told the Charleston Gazette-Mail. “We saw the ball in the air. The defensive guys were all yelling, knowing we threw the ball. We’re like, ‘No, let’s keep running. Let’s keep getting first downs.”‘

Howard threw two interceptions and no touchdown strikes while going 12-of-23 for 149 yards. It was the first win for the Mountaineers without a TD pass since 2011, when they appeared in the Orange Bowl. None of the teams Holgorsen ever coached, including those at Oklahoma State, Houston and Texas Tech, where he served as an assistant, ever completed fewer passes.

Yet keeping the ball on the ground was the smart move, just like Tech’s defensive coordinator suggested.

“This is something to build off of,” Howard said. “We still have a long stretch to go, but this definitely feels great.”

Next: vs. Texas, Nov. 14.

NOTES, QUOTES

–Baylor allowed Kansas State to rally within seven points with 4:07 remaining, yet the Bears quickly answered. Well, almost.

They reached the Kansas State 8-yard line, then handed the ball to RB Devin Chafin, who rumbled to the 1. Just when it appeared the Bears would seal the win, a holding penalty on TE LaQuan McGowan put them on the 18. QB Jarrett Stidham was sacked on third down, prompting a 41-yard field goal attempt that PK Chris Callahan missed.

“An untimely penalty kept us from scoring again and then we did not make the field goal,” Baylor coach Art Briles lamented. “I do think we were in position to more or less ice the game, but we needed a tough win. They are all tough, but we needed a tough road win like this.”

At some point, however, Baylor is going to have to convert a golden opportunity. To do so, the Bears need to be more disciplined. They committed 11 penalties for 119 yards. With 77 flags on the season, they are the most penalized team in the Big 12.

In addition, Kansas State capably solved the pressure Baylor likes to bring defensively. The Bears managed just one sack while allowing the Wildcats to rush 258 yards and control the football with 38 minutes of possession.

That may have offered a blueprint on how to slow the Bears, who entered as the nation’s leader in average points (61.1) and yards (686.1). They managed 522 points against Kansas State and were actually outscored 17-10 in the second half.

“It’s difficult as a team because we always preach to finish and things like that,” said LB Taylor Young. “Having those points on small mistakes is a really hard thing to deal with. Our defense is mature. It is about executing the things we know how to do and practicing, and going out there and doing your job, instead of someone else.”

–Oklahoma rarely tumbles to the same opponent in two successive seasons, so after the Sooners dumped Iowa State, they immediately turned their attention to Baylor.

Actually, the Bears have been on the minds of the Sooners since they suffered a 48-14 loss to Baylor last year in Norman, and a 41-12 defeat in Waco the previous year.

“We owe them one for the last two years,” said C Ty Darlington. “They’ve embarrassed us two years in a row, absolutely whooped us. We haven’t forgotten about that. It’s something we’ve talked about all offseason, I think since the day it happened last year. It’s something that’s been hard not to think ahead to. Very hard.”

The matchup is finally here and the Bears, who used those routs of Oklahoma to claim Big 12 championships the past two seasons, stand 8-0. The Sooners, meanwhile, dominated four inferior league rivals since a surprising loss to Texas.

The game at Baylor begins a rugged three-game closing sequence that also includes a home game against TCU and a trip to Oklahoma State. The Sooners will go looking whole, particularly with the return of CB Zack Sanchez, one of their key contributors on defense.

“We can finally get to work on Baylor,” Darlington added. “This point of the season, you have to emphasize having energy, having focus, having intensity. It wasn’t always going to be natural. But now you won’t have to manufacture the passion, the intensity, the energy. It’s going to be there.”

–West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen worked during the advent of the Big 12’s transformation into an aerial circus as an assistant for Mike Leach at Texas Tech.

Sometimes those schemes have worked to the Mountaineers’ benefit under their fourth-year coach, the only coach the program has known since West Virginia joined the Big 12 in 2012.

As Holgorsen has monitored offensive strides added by conference rivals this season, he cautioned his team not to take Texas Tech for granted and assume West Virginia was readying for an easier road over the second half of league play.

“We’re not going to get caught up in buying into the notion that the hard part is over,” he said. “We’re not saying that, and you won’t hear any of our guys say that. It’s not reality. The hard part’s not over.”

The Mountaineers bought into that approach and claimed a workmanlike victory against Texas Tech, winning 33-26 (not your typical Big 12 scoring derby) behind a 300-yard rushing attack and stiff defense.

To produce a pair of 100-yard rushers (Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell), the execution of West Virginia QB Skyler Howard still required a degree of precision.

“The one thing that Skyler does well is get us in the right play in the run game,” Holgorsen said. “He’s able to execute quarterback stuff. He may not be flashy. He may not make a bunch of guys miss. He gets in the right play and goes downhill. We had two backs that averaged seven-and-a-half yards a carry. That’s a credit to the offensive line, but Skyler has a role in that too.”

QUOTE TO NOTE: “(QB Jarrett Stidham) was pressured, he stay poised. I told him to stay confident and he did. … I know he’s a confident guy and it excited me because he’s 19 years old and this (Kansas State) is one of the hardest to play in the Big 12 and he did his job. At the end of the day, we won.” — Baylor WR Corey Coleman.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 10 IN THE BIG 12:

1. Oklahoma State surged to the top of the Big 12 standings behind big gains from its offense and key stops and takeaways supplied by the defense. Among the nation’s undefeated Power 5 teams, the Cowboys were ranked the lowest in the initial CFP poll. The complete performance should turn heads.

2. Oklahoma now faces a season-ending gauntlet that includes Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State. The Sooners dominated four straight opponents following their stunning upset loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry. QB Baker Mayfield directed a balanced attack and the defense was solid in a romp over Iowa State.

3. Baylor struggled to put away Kansas State. What got exposed were seams that exist in the Bears’ aggressive defense and discipline they lack as the most penalized team in the Big 12. Jarrett Stidham, however, enjoyed a terrific freshman debut as the new starting QB in place of injured Seth Russell.

4. TCU can still factor into the Big 12 race, but the loss it suffered at Oklahoma State ended a 16-game win streak and jeopardized the Heisman Trophy hopes for QB Trevone Boykin. The Frogs committed far too many mistakes on both sides of the ball. They were also hurt by an injury to WR Josh Doctson.

5. West Virginia had to play each of the Big 12’s best teams to begin conference play and started 0-4. By relying on its ground game and also shutting down Texas Tech’s high-powered aerial attack, the Mountaineers claimed their first league win and relieved some pressure on coach Dana Holgorsen.