Big 12 Notebook: OU sinks Bears national title hopes

results do not predict future outcomes.

No one needs to walk down Wall Street to know that is true in football.

Past results, however, can at least motivate a team humbled the past two seasons by the same opponent.

After suffering humiliating losses to Baylor each of the last two seasons, Oklahoma carried a different attitude into their rematch on Saturday. The No. 6 Bears had never lost in two-year-old McLane Stadium and carried a 20-game home winning streak. The two-time defending Big 12 champs controlled their destiny again in the conference race, only to watch the No. 12 Sooners alter those dynamics.

Oklahoma used a complete game from quarterback Baker Mayfield (270 yards passing, 76 rushing) to topple Baylor 44-34 in Round 2 of what amounts to a November tournament among contenders in the backloaded Big 12 schedule.

A week earlier, Oklahoma State handed TCU its first defeat. The Cowboys are now the only undefeated team left in the race, improving to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the Big 12 by outlasting Iowa State 35-31.

For the Sooners (9-1, 6-1), whose only loss was a stunning defeat to Texas early in the conference schedule, the win at Baylor required some strong resolve, especially since eight personal fouls were called, including one that led to the ejection of Oklahoma defensive tackle Matt Dimon for kicking a Baylor player on a PAT conversion.

“There’s a little bit of bad blood between some of our guys and some of their guys,” senior center Ty Darlington told The Oklahoman. “It’s become a little bit of a rivalry game. That’s the way it is. We’ve gotta do a better job of not costing ourselves with bad penalties.”

That is something to account for in the future. But at least that future still includes a shot at the College Football Playoff.

While the Big 12 has not gained much love in that poll, the unpredictability of the CFP panel can always lead to some shuffling — particularly after the Sooners won on the road against the previously unbeaten Bears (8-1, 5-1). Oklahoma State came in at No. 8, but may not climb much after needing to rally from a 17-point deficit to knock off the sub-.500 Cyclones.

Before the CFP derby shakes out yet another week, Oklahoma was content beating a rival that had recently flexed its superiority.

Asked about the difference for the Sooners in this year’s showdown, coach Bob Stoops said: “Playing together as a team. The offense stayed on the field and moved the ball. I think our personnel this year matches up better.”

BAYLOR (8-1, 5-1)

Game: Oklahoma 44, Baylor 34. A 20-game home win streak for the Bears, including the first 10 games played in McLane Stadium, ended as Corey Coleman — the leading receiver in the Bowl Subdivision — was limited to three catches for 51 yards and no touchdowns. QB Jarrett Stidham, a freshman making his first home start, passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. RB Shock Linwood added 103 yards on 21 carries while RB Devin Chafin rushed for three scores. The Bears, who had beaten the last eight Top 25 rivals they faced, managed 416 yards, well below their average.

Takeaway: A weak nonconference schedule prompted Baylor coach Art Briles to continually state that if the Bears went undefeated, they would have a great shot at being included in the College Football Playoff.

As it was, Baylor was ranked sixth in the latest CFP poll after being left out of the four-team mix a year ago when it finished with one defeat while sharing the Big 12 title with TCU. Another title run is still possible this year, but any inclusion in the playoff would require considerable turmoil among the top-rated foursome, all of which won Saturday.

“There’s nothing to hang our heads about,” said Baylor OT Spencer Drago. “We lost at home and that sucks, but we can still win the conference so that’s what our goal is.”

Discipline has been an issue for Baylor all season and was again. The Bears actually were cited for just six infractions, though a horse-collar tackle by LB Travon Blanchard extended an Oklahoma drive that sealed the outcome in the fourth quarter.

“When you’re going full speed in the game, it’s tough,” Blanchard said. “I pretty much just tried to grab jersey and bring (Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield) down, but I had bad hand placement and got a flag that extended the drive to help them score.”

Other problems hurt the Bears, namely their inability to move the football with the same crisp precision they showed in earlier games against inferior opponents. None of the teams Baylor had beaten carried winning records into games played Saturday.

Using its athletic secondary, the Sooners constantly managed to keep Coleman, who came in with seven consecutive games scoring multiple touchdowns, in check. With their go-to receiver blanketed, the Bears also failed to generate consistent gains on the ground as their big-play capabilities were limited.

“They really did a good job with (Coleman) and we didn’t do a good job of taking advantage of the other things we had,” Briles said. “But they came in and by not being able to run the ball, it allowed them to do some things on the back end that limited everything and that’s why you keep trying to run, because if you run, then you can define the back end a little better.”

Next: at Oklahoma State, Nov. 21.

IOWA STATE (3-7, 2-5)

Game: Oklahoma State 35, Iowa State 31. QB Joel Lanning rushed for 130 yards on 14 carries, including touchdowns of 24 and 21 yards. He also completed 11-of-22 passes for 162 yards and a TD while leading the Cyclones to three touchdowns and a field goal on their first four possessions. The Cowboys, however, rallied from a 17-point deficit and produced the decisive touchdown with 3:06 left. Iowa State had two possessions after that. After turning the ball over on downs on the first possession, Lanning threw an interception with 1:38 left and Oklahoma State remained unbeaten as the Big 12 leader.

Takeaway: As for achievements, RB Mike Warren continues to assert himself as one of the conference’s top newcomers, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark in rushing on the season with 73 yards on 15 carries.

“I thank those (linemen) a lot for getting me there,” said Warren, who strained his lower back in the second half but later returned.

One key gain Warren did not get came on a fourth-and-one call on the Cyclones’ first drive after Oklahoma State went ahead in the fourth quarter. Stuffed on that play after throwing incomplete on third down — after the ISU coaches mistakenly thought a first down had been recorded — the Cyclones turned the ball over on downs. They got the ball back at their own 5-yard line, but the interception by Lanning ended the upset bid.

Although Iowa State came out on fire, it never managed defensive stops on a consistent basis. The Cowboys converted 11 times on 17 third downs.

“It was maybe the biggest key to the whole night was their success at converting on third down and they got it time and time again in the first half and the second half,” said Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads.

The ability to prolong drives also forced the Cyclones to stay on the field and eventually wither at the end, when Oklahoma State scored 14 unanswered fourth-quarter points. The Cyclones managed just seven points and five first downs in the second half.

The Cyclones seemed to get conservative while relying on Warren, but Rhoads disagreed.

“There was no variation in the plan,” he said. “Did we get conservative? Absolutely not.”

Next: at Kansas State, Nov. 21.

KANSAS (0-10, 0-7)

Game: TCU 23, Kansas 17. QB Ryan Willis engineered an upset bid with 203 yards passing, including a 10-yard scoring strike on a fourth-down play, but the Jayhawks failed to score on two late possessions and suffered their 13th consecutive loss. The TD pass to WR Tyler Patrick capped a 77-yard drive with 6:19 remaining. The Kansas defense then made critical stops, but Willis threw an interception and was also sacked on the Jayhawks’ final possession. The last 0-10 start for the Jayhawks was in 1954 when the Jayhawks finished with that record for the only winless season in their history.

Takeaway: Although a hit by LB Joe Dineen knocked out TCU QB Trevone Boykin early in the game with an injury to his right ankle, it wasn’t as if Kansas was using a healthy quarterback.

Willis played with two strained groins and often had trouble picking himself off the ground after rushing attempts. Although Willis showed courage, his ailments, and freshman experience, contributed to the Jayhawks’ inability to cash in on a strong defensive performance.

They limited to the Horned Frogs to a season-low scoring output, allowing 5.3 yards per snap while grabbing an interception and getting off the field with two fourth down stands.

“They’ve really grown over the last couple of games,” Kansas coach David Beaty said of a defense led by S Fish Smithson, who had the interception in addition to a team-high 12 tackles.

While the Jayhawks’ road losing streak was extended to 35 straight — and 38 consecutive defeats away from home — the narrow loss as a prohibitive underdog was a marked sign of improvement under their first-year coach.

“The thing that I’m probably most proud of is I saw in our guys’ eyes that they were playing a football game they were not worried about who they were playing,” Beaty said. “And that was a whole different feel.”

Better execution could lead to even better results. Five false-start penalties were devastating for an offense that punted 11 times. WR Steven Sims provided a spark, returning from a one-game suspension to grab six receptions for 55 yards as Willis completed 20-of-41 passes.

Next: vs. West Virginia, Nov. 21.

KANSAS STATE (3-6, 0-6)

Game: Texas Tech 59, Kansas State 44. The Wildcat defense allowed four first quarter touchdowns on just 20 plays. That early deficit proved to be too much to overcome as Kansas State allowed 658 yards and suffered its sixth straight Big 12 loss this season. QB Joe Hubener completed 19-of-41 passes for 289 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He added just nine yards rushing as the Wildcats relied primarily on RB Charles Jones, who gained 99 yards on 18 carries. WR Kyle Klein produced career bests with six receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown.

Takeaway: The Wildcats showed resolve, forcing a turnover early in the second half and cashing in with a touchdown while also recovering an onside kick they converted into a score to make things interesting late in the game.

Still, the 28 points they allowed in the first quarter proved devastating and were part of a pattern that has been prevalent throughout their worst start in conference play since going 0-7 in the Big Eight in 1989, Bill Snyder’s first year as Kansas State coach.

“You can’t spot someone 28 points in the first quarter,” said DT Will Geary, who came up with the strip that led to the third quarter TD that drew the Wildcats within seven. “I’m proud of the guys for fighting back, and we came pretty close. It was too little, too late.”

Dealing with poor starts has been problematic. The Kansas State defense, which implements a soft zone for pass coverage, lacks speed and also missed too many tackles while allowing 658 yards to the Red Raiders.

In addition, offensive play-calling was suspect, just like in previous games. After Texas Tech scored on its first possession, Kansas State stalled in five plays, four of them passes against the nation’s worst rush defense. The Red Raiders allow 280.6 yards rushing on average, yet Kansas State managed 123 yards and did not use Hubener much on keepers after the quarterback rushed for a career-best 153 yards the previous week against Baylor.

“We’ve got to be able to throw the ball and have balance in our offense to become a productive offensive football team,” Snyder said. “If we’re one-sided and you’re (playing against) a decent football team, we’re in trouble.”

That much is true for the Wildcats, who need wins in each of their remaining three games to qualify for a bowl and preserve a run of consecutive postseason appearances that began in 2010.

Next: vs. Iowa State, Nov. 21.

OKLAHOMA (9-1, 6-1)

Game: Oklahoma 44, Baylor 34. QB Baker Mayfield completed 24-of-34 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for another score while adding 76 yards on the ground as Oklahoma ended Baylor’s 20-game home winning streak. WR Sterling Shepard caught 14 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns and RB Samaje Perine added 166 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Shepard’s touchdown with 9:52 remaining gave the Sooners the lead for keeps. Perine added a 55-yard scoring run less than a minute later to give Oklahoma a 34-20 lead.

Takeaway: Baylor needed little time to score its first touchdown and seemingly exert its authority. The Bears drove 80 yards in nine plays, scoring in less than three minutes, to go up 6-0.

Give Baylor that kind of quick momentum at home and it can be curtains. Especially considering Oklahoma lost by lopsided margins the past two years against Baylor after once dominating the series with victories in each of the first 20 meetings.

Yet Oklahoma’s defense stiffened during a wet night in which some of the game was played in heavy rain.

“After the first series we settled in and really started to control the run game,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “We got them into more predictable yardage situations and I thought our secondary was great in really challenging their receivers and coming up with some big plays, some interceptions.

“It all started though with controlling the run game, and once we were able to do that, we challenged them outside and really did a great job. Kicking game was solid, ball was slippery, but a good solid team win. Offense, defense, I thought really complimented one another well and came up with a solid win.”

The Sooners rode the leadership provided by Mayfield, who overcame a couple of early mistakes to develop the timing and rhythm used to connect 14 times with Shepard. Mayfield also used his scrambling ability to prolong a few plays and fluster Baylor defenders.

“I thought it was the most settled in early that I’ve seen him in a game like this,” Oklahoma offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said.

Fact is, the game with Baylor was the biggest Mayfield has been in since sitting out a year after transferring from Texas Tech. Bigger games await now that Oklahoma remains very much in the Big 12 title hunt, and also the possibility of reaching the College Football Playoff.

“We knew Baylor was going to score points,” Mayfield said. “We needed to just focus on us, so we went out and executed. Our goal was just to react and respond to them, and that’s what we did.”

Next: vs. TCU, Nov. 21.

OKLAHOMA STATE (10-0, 7-0)

Game: Oklahoma State 35, Iowa State 31. QB Mason Rudolph completed 24-of-36 passes for 327 yards and one touchdown. WR Marcell Ateman had a TD reception and finished with career bests of eight receptions and 132 yards. The Cowboys rallied from two 17-point deficits and are the only undefeated team left in the Big 12 with games remaining at home against Baylor and Oklahoma. Oklahoma State’s winning march covered 84 yards in 11 plays and was capped by a 7-yard pass from QB J.W. Walsh to WR Jeff Carr.

Takeaway: The comeback from a 17-point deficit was the second this season for the Cowboys, who also made up that deficit in an Oct. 31 win at Texas Tech. This time at Iowa State, the Cowboys won a game in which they led for just eight of the 60 minutes played.

“That’s crazy. Our team is unbelievable,” quarterback J.W. Walsh told the Tulsa World. “It’s not just the leaders who say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a chance. We’re in this thing.’ It’s everybody. The whole team believes.”

That begins with the quarterbacks as Rudolph often drives the Cowboys downfield, only to come out and let Walsh finish off things. The situational backup accounted for both of the touchdowns Oklahoma State scored to overturn Iowa State, scoring on a 16-yard keeper with 11:33 remaining to draw the Cowboys within three points.

It was the second rushing touchdown for Walsh, who has combined with Rudolph to generate 39 TDs for Oklahoma State on the season. During a 7-6 run last season, Oklahoma State quarterbacks combined to account for 22 touchdowns.

“Both quarterbacks were great,” Ateman said. “Strong players. Strong-minded. Mason made some great throws. J-Dub plays with so much heart. He’s just a tough kid, you know.”

Tough kid playing for a resilient team. Five of Oklahoma State’s wins have been by single-digit margins.

“We just kept trusting one another,” said FS Jordan Sterns, whose interception with 1:38 left ended any bid by Iowa State for a late rally. “Everyone on the sideline was very encouraging. We kept fighting, and I believe that’s why we came out on top.”

Next: vs. Baylor, Nov. 21.

TCU (9-1, 6-1)

Game: TCU 23, Kansas 17. A fourth-down sack by Terrell Lathan ended the last offensive possession for Kansas and enabled TCU — which closed 46 1/2-point favorites — to dodge what would have been one of the biggest upsets in college football history. The No. 15 Horned Frogs lost QB Trevone Boykin in the first half to a sprained right ankle while standout WR Josh Doctson had just one reception while playing with a sore wrist. Forced to rely on its running game, TCU turned to RB Aaron Green, who gained 177 yards. QB Forest Sawyer added a 42-yard touchdown pass on his only completion out of seven attempts.

Takeaway: The loss of a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback would devastate many teams, particularly those that have battled all season and played without three starting lineman while eventually relying on a third-stringer to fill in at QB.

But this is TCU and the Horned Frogs continue to come through in difficult circumstances.

True, a loss to Kansas would have been embarrassing given that the winless Jayhawks are considered the worst Power 5 team in the country and saw their losing streak in games away from home extended to 38 straight.

TCU, which lost several key defenders at the beginning of the season, persevered as two backups came on in place of Boykin, who is expected to return this season although coach Gary Patterson could not provide a timetable for his star quarterback’s recovery.

“I don’t know how these next two weeks will go because we’re pretty banged up,” Patterson said. “We have our share of bangs, but it is OK. This group will battle. They’ll play hard in the next two weeks. So don’t get any indication that I’m all of a sudden throwing in the towel, because that’s not going to happen.”

Boykin suffered his injury on the second snap that TCU executed. He was noticeably hobbling as he tried to stay in the game before leaving. He was one of five Horned Frogs who suffered injuries. For the season, TCU has had 23 players miss a game, or part of a game, due to injuries.

Bram Kohlhausen was the first QB to sub in for Boykin. The senior completed 13-of-19 passes for 112 yards, but was yanked following an interception at the Kansas 10-yard line. His third-quarter replacement was Sawyer, leaving TCU to examine both backups in practice if Boykin is ruled out for any stretch of time. The Frogs still generated 478 yards despite Boykin’s injury and Doctson’s one catch.

“(Sawyer) can just see the field better; he’s a lot taller,” Patterson said. “Came in, ran the ball. He made some mistakes. He should have kept the ball on the one last read on the last drive. Young-guy mistakes. He can do better.”

He may have to if Boykin is out, but the situation is no different for TCU than it’s been at several other positions all season.

Next: at Oklahoma, Nov. 21.

TEXAS (4-6, 3-4)

Game: West Virginia 38, Texas 20. RB D’Onta Foreman rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown but also lost a fumble that West Virginia returned for a touchdown as Texas lost for the fourth time in as many road games. The Longhorns generated 439 yards to outgain the Mountaineers (379) but could not overcome five turnovers. QB Jerrod Heard passed for 162 yards but also threw two fourth quarter interceptions and was sacked on another drive deep into West Virginia territory, forcing Texas to settle for a field goal.

Takeaway: The minimum standard for Texas football is to finish .500 and qualify for a bowl.

Yet the Longhorns’ postseason chances were severely jeopardized by the West Virginia loss. They need wins in each of their remaining games — against Texas Tech at home and at Baylor — to get to 6-6 and avoid a second straight losing season under second-year coach Charlie Strong. Texas finished 6-7 in 2014.

The road has not been kind. Texas has been outscored 150-30 in road contests. Its signature win came on a neutral field — the Cotton Bowl in Dallas — against Oklahoma.

In addition to the problems with turnovers, Texas could not get off the field as West Virginia controlled the clock for nine-plus minutes in the final quarter. The Mountaineers were content keeping the ball on the ground while recording their fewest passing completions (10), attempts (12) and yards (122) of the season.

Numerous mistakes were cited by Strong, who fell to 10-13 as Texas coach.

“That’s what’s frustrating when you turn the ball over so many times and you’re on the road, and you have to protect the football, knowing that you can’t turn it over,” he said.

“Then you think about the penalties. We get a long run to score a touchdown and we get a holding call. You get a third and inches, there’s another penalty, so you just can’t do it. You can’t do it against a good football team.”

Next: vs. Texas Tech, Nov. 26.

TEXAS TECH (6-5, 3-5)

Game: Texas Tech 59, Kansas State 44. QB Patrick Mahomes drove the Red Raiders to four first quarter touchdowns in just 20 plays. Texas Tech rode that early start and never relinquished the lead as Mahomes fired for 384 yards, completing 33-of-42 passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions. RB DeAndre Washington added 248 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries, a 9.3-yards per carry average. Seven Tech receivers had multiple receptions led by WR Devin Lauderdale with 10 for 94 yards.

Takeaway: As with many Texas Tech games, the ending frayed a few nerves.

Still, the Red Raiders snapped a three-game losing streak and in the process qualified for a bowl game for the 23rd time in 25 years.

Although the score is not an indicator — or the 16 unanswered points Kansas State managed in the fourth quarter to draw within eight — the Red Raiders’ defense came up big in one realm.

Tech limited the production the Wildcats got in the quarterback run game. That’s always a key staple to any offense designed by Bill Snyder, Kansas State’s Hall of Fame coach. QB Joe Hubener was coming off a career-high 153 yards rushing against Baylor.

Hubener managed three rushing touchdowns against Tech, but all came off 1-yard sneaks. Tech limited Hubener to just nine yards rushing and held Kansas State to 123 yards on the ground after opponents had averaged 273.6 yards per game.

“We felt like we were going to do whatever we could to take (the quarterback run game) away,” Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “If he could beat us throwing it, then we’ll let him beat us throwing it. … He threw it better than I expected honestly.”

By limiting the Wildcats’ rushing prowess, the Red Raiders kept Kansas State from controlling the clock and also outgained Kansas State by more than 200 yards.

Next: at Texas, Nov. 26.

WEST VIRGINIA (5-4, 2-4)

Game: West Virginia 38, Texas 20. QB Skyler Howard passed for two touchdowns and added another on the ground while RB Wendell Smallwood rushed for 165 yards. The Mountaineers capitalized on five Texas turnovers, three off fumbles and two off interceptions. The takeaways contributed to 24 West Virginia points. Howard attempted just 12 passes, but completed 10 for 122 yards as West Virginia maintained its hopes to obtain a bowl berth. The Mountaineers need one win in their last three games — all against teams West Virginia is either tied with or ahead of in the Big 12 standings.

Takeaway: To facilitate a move into the Big 12 in 2012, West Virginia hired a coach with experience in the league. Dana Holgorsen was even at the forefront of the Big 12’s offensive explosion as one of the architects of the Air Raid system.

Yet in a recent two-game swing at home, Holgorsen grounded the Mountaineers’ aerial tendencies and relied instead on a budding strength, their ground game.

Howard entered the Texas game with just a 43-percent completion rate in the Big 12. So, after effectively using the rush to generate 300 yards on the ground in a Nov. 7 win against Texas Tech, the Mountaineers stuck to that plan and kept rushing the ball behind Smallwood, who logged his sixth 100-yard performance on a season-high 24 carries.

“It gets to a point where you say, ‘You know what? I want to win the game,”‘ Holgorsen said. “What we’re doing is working, so let’s keep doing it.”

West Virginia attempted just three second half passes and none in the fourth quarter after generating 126 first-half rushing yards. It netted 257 yards on the ground and a 5-yard average per rush while still posting its highest scoring total of the season against Big 12 rivals.

“I couldn’t have seen that when I was coming here,” said Smallwood after the junior from Wilmington, Del., rushed for a career-high for the second straight week. RB Rushel Shell, who has worked in tandem with Smallwood all season, added 53 yards. Howard had 34 yards, including a 2-yard plunge for the Mountaineers’ final TD.

While protecting the lead, West Virginia controlled the ball for nine-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter. Still, for much of the game, Holgorsen elected to use a fast-tempo with his run-based attack to prevent the Longhorns from using different looks defensively.

“You lean on what you’re doing well,” running backs coach JaJuan Seider said. “They were having a hard time stopping us running the ball, especially with the fullback in the backfield.”

Next: at Kansas, Nov. 21.

NOTES, QUOTES

–Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy recognizes the challenge that awaits the Cowboys, who were ranked No. 8 in the College Football Playoff poll entering their win at Iowa State on Saturday.

Gundy is careful about how to approach those ratings, realizing the Cowboys did not gain any style points after needing to rally from a 17-point deficit to avoid an upset in Ames. Oklahoma State’s two remaining games are at home — against Baylor and Oklahoma, two other one-loss teams in the Big 12 chase.

“We get to play a team (Baylor on Nov. 21) that’s been ranked second in the country,” Gundy said. “We don’t have to politic. We have to prepare and play the next game. I’m not a politic guy anyway.”

At this point, the CFP committee probably cannot be swayed. It has shown little support for the Big 12 and the brand of football played in the conference, moving Oklahoma State to No. 8 after it handed previously unbeaten TCU a 20-point loss on Nov. 7.

Still, a shot remains at an unbeaten season, with the Cowboys’ 10-0 mark just the second in school history. Oklahoma State has a 12-game win streak and a win over Baylor would tie the school record set from 1944-46 when the Cowboys played in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“If we keep winning, I think we’re up there with anyone at the top of the rankings,” QB Mason Rudolph told the Tulsa World. “For this week, we’re focused on beating Baylor and becoming 11-0 and continuing that quest for a Big 12 championship.”

–Texas Tech has a pretty good judge when it comes to evaluating Senior Day performances.

In his final home game as a quarterback for the Red Raiders, Kliff Kingsbury passed for 473 yards and six touchdowns as Texas Tech defeated Texas.

“It was a good one,” Kingsbury, who is now the Red Raiders coach, said of his last home performance. “I just remember seeing my parents’ faces, the pride that they had and I’ve talked about it with our seniors. That’s a day your family and your friends won’t ever forget — the ones that come in for it — and you want to make the most of it, no doubt.”

DeAndre Washington took his coach’s message to heart.

For his Senior Day sendoff, Washington became the first rusher at Tech to gain 200 yards in a game since 1999, when Kingsbury was just a redshirt freshman. Washington gouged Kansas State for 248 yards, including TD bursts of 5, 80 and 12 yards. The last accounted for Texas Tech’s final touchdown after Kansas State had closed within eight with 16 unanswered fourth quarter points.

“It was huge, especially being my last game in the Jones,” Washington said, referring to Tech’s home, Jones AT&T Stadium. “What better way to go out? Especially since we haven’t won a Senior Day around here in a while and haven’t beaten Kansas State in a while.”

The burst that got Washington untracked was the 80-yarder. He used a lead block from All-Big 12 OT Le’Raven Clark to find the hole that sprung him for the long TD.

“It was a light box (defensively) and anytime you have No. 62 (Clark) one-on-one with a linebacker, that’s what you pray for,” Washington said. “So he cleaned them up and it was just off to the races.”

–West Virginia was good early in the season at forcing turnovers. Its defense even ranked among the nation’s leaders with 13 interceptions over an early stretch.

But that was back before All-Big 12 S Karl Joseph was lost with a season-ending knee injury and lockdown CB Terrell Chestnut had begun dealing with a nagging shoulder injury.

Considering Texas came into Saturday’s clash with just seven turnovers on the season — the fifth-lowest total in the country — the Mountaineers appeared to have little shot at creating mistakes after losing the turnover battle in each of their previous five games.

But against the Longhorns, five takeaways greatly influenced the outcome, beginning with a 42-yard fumble return by LB Jared Barber for West Virginia’s first touchdown. The Texas trio of RB D’Onta Foreman, RB Johnathan Gray and QB Tyrone Swoopes had not fumbled all season coming into the game.

LB Nick Kwiatkoski forced a fumble which CB Daryl Worley recovered late in the first half with Texas driving in West Virginia territory. Kwiatkoski , who led the Mountaineers with nine tackles, also snagged an interception midway through the fourth quarter for the Mountaineers’ final takeaway.

“The name of the game was turnovers,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “I thought it would be the case early. Before the game, I thought it was going to be the telling grace, which it was. It was 5-1 (turnover advantage).”

Worley also grabbed an interception for West Virginia and was in on eight tackles. DE Noble Nwachukwu was instrumental disrupting the Texas passing game, recording three sacks. One came on a third-and-goal play and forced the Longhorns to settle for a field goal early in the fourth quarter.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We are still in (the Big 12 race). We aren’t going to let this loss (to Oklahoma) define our season. We are going to come back, look at the tape, go to the drawing board and prepare for Oklahoma State and see what we can do in Stillwater.” — Baylor QB Jarrett Stidham.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 11 IN THE BIG 12:

1. Oklahoma has a defense athletic enough to counter strong Big 12 attacks and proved it by winning at Baylor. The Bears scored easily on their first possession, but the Sooners bounced back. QB Baker Myafield and WR Sterling Shepard hooked up 14 times, while RB Samaje Perine balanced the offense.

2. Oklahoma State lost at Iowa State during its 2011 Big 12 title run and that scenario almost played out again. However, the Cowboys recovered from a 17-point deficit as the two-pronged quarterback rotation of Mason Rudolph and J.W. Walsh again clicked. OSU is the Big 12’s lone unbeaten team.

3. Baylor is not invincible at home after all, losing for the first time in McLane Stadium while having a 20-game win streak in Waco snapped by Oklahoma. After a fine debut as the Bears starter, freshman QB Jarrett Stidham threw two interceptions. WR Corey Coleman was also hounded by the OU defense.

4. TCU almost suffered an inglorious loss as a prohibitive favorite, but used two late stops from its defense to preserve a six-point win over Kansas. QB Trevone Boykin was sidelined by a first quarter ankle sprain. Three starters on the offensive line were also out as the Frogs continue to battle injuries.

5. Texas Tech gained bowl eligibility as RB DeAndre Washington rushed for a career-best 248 yards. The Red Raiders limited Kansas State’s effectiveness in the run game, but had to weather a late flurry by the Wildcats who recovered one onside kick and almost got another one during their fourth quarter comeback.