Around the Big 12: Iowa State, Oklahoma headed to Big 12 Championship game
The Texas Longhorns turned in one of their most impressive performances of the season when they crushed Kansas State, 69-31. The Longhorns will find out their bowl future after Saturday's game at Kansas, but other games around the Big 12 brought the conference's title game into focus.
Iowa State 42, West Virginia 6
Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy completed 20 of 23 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns as the No. 12 Cyclones rolled West Virginia to clinch their first appearance in the Big 12 championship game, after finishing the season in first place in the Big 12.
Iowa State (8-2 overall, 8-1 in Big 12 games) will face No. 13 Oklahoma in the title game Dec. 19. West Virginia fell to 5-4 overall and 4-4 in conference games.
The Cyclones scored the game’s first three touchdowns to put the game out of reach early.
Running back Breece Hall, the conference’s leading rusher, ran for 97 yards on 22 rushing attempts and caught three passes for 56 receiving yards.
ISU’s eight conference wins are the most in program history.
Oklahoma 27, Baylor 14
Quarterback Spencer Rattler threw for 193 and a pair of touchdowns, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson had 50 and a touchdown on the ground, and five receptions for 48 more yards, to lead the Sooners past Baylor in Norman.
OU’s sixth straight win improved the team’s record to 7-2 overall, and 6-2 in Big 12 games, while Baylor fell to 2-6 — overall and in games against Big 12 opponents. The Sooners will face Iowa State Dec. 19 in the Big 12 championship game.
The game featured two normally potent offenses, which either had poor outings or faced defenses playing exceptionally well. Oklahoma was limited to 269 total yards, and its defense held Baylor to 288, including just 25 rushing yards; the Sooners have held their last three opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards.
The Sooners, who held a 10-0 lead at halftime, were the beneficiaries of a pair of missed field goals by Baylor kicker John Mayers.
Texas Tech 16, Kansas 13
The Texas Longhorns’ next opponent got four takeaways in Lubbock, but still came up three points short of their first victory of the season.
Texas Tech got its only touchdown of the game on a 70-yard reverse by wide receiver Myles Price en route to a 16-13 victory that improved its record to 4-6 overall and 3-6 against Big 12 opponents. The Jayhawks lost their ninth straight game, eight of which have come against Big 12 opponents.
Texas Tech was without head coach Matt Wells, who stayed home after testing positive for Covid-19. He was replaced on the sideline by defensive coordinator Keith Patterson.
KU had a pair of opportunities in the final minutes to tie the game, but both drives stalled.
Neither team threw the ball with much effectiveness. Tech quarterback Alan Bowman completed 15 of 26 passes for 117 yards, while Kansas quarterback Miles Kendrick completed 17 of 29 for 102 yards through the air. Neither one threw a touchdown.
TCU 29, Oklahoma State 22
Quarterback Max Duggan completed 12 of 26 passes for 265 and a score, and rushed 19 times for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Horned Frogs past the No. 19 Cowboys in Fort Worth.
With the victory, TCU improved to 5-4 — overall and in Big 12 games — while Oklahoma State fell to 6-3 overall and 5-3 in conference games. The loss officially eliminated the Cowboys from contention for a spot in the conference title game.
The Frogs pulled off the win despite turning the ball over five times, but the TCU defense came up with a pair of stops in the fourth quarter: once on fourth down, and once on Trevon Moehrig’s interception off a deflection in the end zone.
Oklahoma State was led by quarterback Spencer Sanders, who completed 16 of 34 passes for 270 yards and matched his late interception with touchdown pass. Running back Dezmon Jackson paced the OSU ground game with 29 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown.
