Around the Big 12: Week 12 (Football)
The Big 12 Conference had a quiet week last week, as there were only two matchups. TCU traveled to Morgantown to face West Virginia, and Baylor traveled to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech.
West Virginia got the victory against the Horned Frogs 24-6 behind a stout performance from the defense. The Mountaineers held TCU to just 295 total yards and forced two turnovers as well.
The Mountaineers defense is now only giving up a conference-best 274 yards per game. The Big 12 is known for its poor defense, but this West Virginia unit is trying to change that narrative. The Mountaineers’ record now stands at 5-3, while TCU falls to 3-4.
The other game in the Big 12 last weekend was a battle. Heading into the fourth quarter, Baylor was leading Texas Tech 23-12. The Red Raiders came storming back in the final period, scoring 12 unanswered points, with the last three coming off of Jonathan Garibay’s toe for the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Texas Tech’s comeback garners them a 3-5 record now, while Baylor can’t seem to stop adding to the loss column. The Bears are now 1-5.
There won’t be a ton of action in the Big 12 this weekend either. The game between No. 22 Texas and Kansas has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues. This leaves just two matchups this week for the conference.
First, Kansas State will travel to Ames to take on No. 17 Iowa State. The Cyclones enter the game as 11-point favorites, but Kansas State has won 11 of the last 12 matchups in this series dating back to 2008.
Iowa State is in first place in the Big 12 as it stands right now with only three games remaining in the regular season. A win this weekend would improve the Cyclones’ record to 6-2.
No. 14 Oklahoma State will head to Norman to face off with No. 18 Oklahoma in this week’s primetime matchup at 7:30 p.m. The Sooners have won 15 of the last 17 in this series.
Oklahoma has looked impressive in its last two showings, scoring 62 points in each game. This will be a clash of differing styles this weekend, as the Sooners average 46.1 points per contest, while the Cowboys only give up 17.8 points per game.
Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler got off to a tough start to the season but has looked great as of late. The freshman gunslinger has 10 total touchdowns and only two turnovers in the last four games.
Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard will have to have a great game running the ball if the Cowboys want to pull off the win. Oklahoma enters the game as a seven-point favorite.
Trevor Grady is a junior majoring in management information systems and minoring in journalism. To contact him, email tmg5685@psu.edu.
