Around the Big 12: Week 12
Week 11 of College Football has ended with not much movement in the rankings.
The Big 12 had an exciting week with a couple of big upsets and some high scoring affairs.
The most anticipated game of the week was a battle between No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 13 Baylor.
Oklahoma started strong with a short touchdown run by quarterback Caleb Williams, but it was all Baylor after that. Quarterback Gerry Bohanon led the way for the Bears as he threw a touchdown pass to Tyquan Thornton after the Sooners’ score.
Bohanon then proceeded to rush for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as the Bears pulled away from the Sooners. He finished with 12 completions for 117 yards and a touchdown while adding nine carries for 107 yards and two scores.
Oklahoma’s offense could not get anything going as the Bears’ defense suffocated their quarterbacks. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley elected to replace Caleb Williams with the Sooners’ original starter, Spencer Rattler, late in the third quarter.
Neither quarterback could get anything rolling for the Sooners as they were held to 260 total yards of offense.
The rushing attack for Baylor stood out as running back Abram Smith rushed for 148 yards on 20 carries. Baylor finished with 414 total yards and 297 yards on the ground. Baylor would go on to win by a score of 27-14.
This is a huge win for Baylor and a disappointing loss for Oklahoma as their College Football Playoff chances practically disappear.
Baylor jumps to No. 11 in this week’s rankings as Oklahoma falls to No. 13.
The other big upset in the Big 12 included Kansas defeating Texas in overtime.
The Jayhawks held the lead for most of the game until the Longhorns tied it up to send it to overtime. In overtime, Texas came out and scored on an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Casey Thompson to wide receiver Marcus Washington.
Kansas needed a touchdown and either the extra point to tie or a 2-point conversion to win.
The Jayhawks were able to get the touchdown on a two-yard run by running back Devin Neal, and Kansas head coach Lance Leipold was not satisfied with tying the game and instead decided to go for the win.
Kansas was able to successfully convert on a pass from Jalon Daniels to fullback Jared Casey. The Jayhawks would upset the Longhorns by a score of 57-56.
Daniels, the quarterback for the Jayhawks, finished with 21 completions for 202 yards and three scores. He also added a rushing touchdown.
Texas quarterback Casey Thompson had a spectacular day as he threw for 358 yards and six touchdowns on 30 completions. He too added a rushing touchdown.
No. 10 Oklahoma State was able to take care of business against TCU as they dropped 63 points in a 63-17 victory.
Cowboys running back Jaylen Warren had a great day as he ran 17 times for 113 yards and had three touchdowns in the first half.
Oklahoma State improves to No. 9 in this week’s rankings.
Texas Tech was able to defeat Iowa State on a game-winning 62-yard field goal as time expired. The Red Raiders won by a score of 41-38.
Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith threw for 322 yards on 25 completions and added three touchdowns.
Breece Hall had a quiet day for the Iowa State Cyclones as he rushed 18 times for 51 yards and two scores.
Kansas State was able to beat West Virginia by a score of 34-17.
Deuce Vaughn led the way for the Wildcats as he rushed 25 times for 121 yards and a touchdown.
Week 12 for the Big 12 brings a matchup between No. 13 Oklahoma and Iowa State.
Big 12 fans have a lot to look forward to in Week 12 and the rest of the season as games become more important for the College Football Playoff.
Thomas English is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email tfe5082@psu.edu.
