Around the Big 12: Week 1

By Steve Lansdale

Football is here … finally.

While Texas was running over Louisiana Tech in its opener, the rest of the Big 12 also[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] was knocking off the offseason rust. Some notes from around the conference:

Oklahoma State 52, Oregon State 36
In a battle of teams whose fans wear orange and black “OSU” shirts and hats, the Cowboys started the season with a solid road victory, thanks in large part to 555 yards of total offense.

In his first collegiate start, redshirt-freshman quarterback Spencer Sanders threw for three touchdowns and 203 yards for the victors.

Quarterbacks often say that the best assist they can get from their teammates is a solid running game, and Sanders got that from running back Chuba Hubbard, who ran for 221 yards and three touchdowns of his own. Receiver Tylan Wallace caught five passes for 92 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The season opener for both teams was the first time the schools ever had faced off on the gridiron. They’ll play again in the 2020 opener in Stillwater.

No. 21 Iowa State 29, Northern Iowa 26
Wide receiver La’Michael Pettway caught a pair of touchdown passes and running back Sheldon Croney Jr. plunged into the end zone from a yard out in triple overtime to lead the Cyclones to a 29-26 victory.

The victory prevented a potentially devastating upset for the Cyclones, who began the season in the national rankings for the first time since 1978.

Croney’s game-winning score came after he fumbled as he headed toward the end zone, a gaffe that was erased when quarterback Brock Purdy pounced on the bouncing ball. Purdy finished the day with 30 completions on 41 attempts for 278 and a pair of touchdown passes.

Kansas 24, Indiana State 17
Head coach Les Miles was brought to Kansas to help make the Jayhawks into winners … and he delivered, at least in his first game, as KU rallied to beat the Sycamores in overtime.

Miles, who built Oklahoma State into a viable national program and then won a national championship at LSU, almost watched his new team cough up a game it should have won Indiana State took the lead after recovering a fumble by KU quarterback Carter Stanley in the end zone with 4:24 left. But Stanley led his team downfield on a drive that ended with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Daylon Charlot (and the subsequent two-point conversion) to win Miles’ debut in Lawrence.

Other key performers for the Jayhawks included cornerback Hasan Defense, who returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown, and running back Khalil Herbert, who rushed for 88 yards.

Kansas played without star running back Pooka Williams, who was suspended for a game but is expected back for Saturday’s home game against Coastal Carolina.

West Virginia 20, James Madison 13
The first season in Morgantown for new head coach Neal Brown and quarterback Austin Kendall wasn’t pretty, but the Mountaineers got the desired end result with a 20-13 win over visiting James Madison.

Kendall, who transferred from Oklahoma, completed 27 of 42 passes for 260 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns to rally his team for the victory over the FCS Dukes, who were ranked No. 2 in the Championship Subdivision preseason poll and whose coach, Curt Cignetti, was coaching against his own alma mater.

West Virginia kicker Evan Staley hit a couple of field goals for the Mountaineers, including one from 43 yards out.

The West Virginia rushing attack, expected to be one of the team’s strengths in 2019, struggled, as the Mountaineers mustered just 34 yards on the ground. Running back Kennedy McCoy, who ran for 802 yards last year, only picked up 11 yards on 11 carries.

WVU plays Saturday at Missouri.

Texas Tech 45, Montana State 10
Quarterback Alan Bowman passed for 436 yards and a pair of scores to help lead the Red Raiders to victory in new head coach Matt Wells’ debut in Lubbock.

After McLane Mannix on its opening drive, the first of two SaRodorick Thompson scores proved to be the winning margin when he plowed into the end zone from a yard out.

Running back Armand Shine led the Texas Tech ground game with 125 rushing yards and a touchdown run on just 11 carries, while Ta’Zhawn Henry rushed 12 times for 55 yards. In addition to his passing prowess, Bowman also ran for a score.

Wide receiver Xavier White led all receivers with five receptions for 107 yards and a score. Eleven different Red Raiders caught at least one pass.

Texas Tech hosts UTEP next week.

Baylor 56, Stephen F. Austin 17
Junior running back Trestan Ebner scored three touchdowns — he scored on his only two carries, from 21 and 11 yards out, respectively, and reached the end zone on one of his five receptions, from 16 yards out — to help lead the Bears to victory in Waco.

Despite playing little more than the first half, quarterback Charlie Brewer threw for 215 yards and three touchdowns. Wideout R.J. Sneed caught five passes for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Baylor linebacker Blake Lynch chipped in with an interception and a partially blocked punt.

Third-year head coach Matt Rhule pulled Brewer after his touchdown pass to Sneed to start the second half.

The game was just the fifth between the schools, and only the second in more than half a century.

Baylor hosts UTSA next Saturday in the third game between the programs, which split the first two meetings.

Kansas State 49, Nicholls 14
The Wildcats made a winner of Chris Klieman in his first game as Kansas State’s head coach, rolling up 573 yards of total offense (including 361 rushing yards) in a game that was effectively over at halftime after the Wildcats scored on their first four possessions.

Quarterback Skylar Thompson completed 16 of 22 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown in the first game ABS (“After Bill Snyder”). The Wildcats’ offense immediately looked like the system run by Kleiman’s teams at North Dakota State, dominating the lines of scrimmage and rotating fresh running backs in and out of the lineup. James Gilbert led the KSU ground game with 18 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Burns and Harry Trotter each had 10 carries, for 64 and 50 yards, respectively, and each reached the end zone once, as did Jordan Brown and Thompson.

In addition to the running game, Kleiman-coached teams traditionally feature strong defenses, and that was the case against Nicholls, whose star quarterback, Chase Fourcade, was limited to 10-of-18 passing for 126 yards and an interception.

Kansas State hosts Bowling Green Saturday.

TCU 39, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7
One of the preseason storylines for the Horned Frogs was who would become the team’s starting quarterback. After their relatively easy season opener, that question remained unanswered as graduate transfer Alex Delton and true freshman Max Duggan each played significant minutes.

Duggan completed 16 of 23 passes for 165 yards and a score and piloted all three of the Horned Frogs’ touchdown drives, while Delton, who started the game, completed 10 of 22 for 119 yards.

Neither TCU quarterback threw an interception. The Frogs’ defense was typically stingy, snagging a pair of interceptions and forcing 11 punts. TCU kicker Jonathan Song tied a school record with six field goals.

TCU has an unusually early bye next week before heading to Purdue the following week for its first road game of the season.

No. 4 Oklahoma 49, Houston 31
The Sooners have had good luck in recent years with transfer quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield transferred to OU from Texas Tech, and Kyler Murray headed to Norman after starting his college career at Texas A&M; each ended up winning a Heisman Trophy and each became the first pick in the NFL Draft.

It is far too early to predict the list of accolades for new OU quarterback Jalen Hurts, but the former Alabama signal caller announced his arrival by accounting for 508 total yards (the fifth-most in school history), passing for three touchdowns and running for three more as the Sooners ran over the Cougars in Norman, with Murray in attendance. Hurts’ 128 first-half rushing yards tied Jamelle Holieway’s school record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a half, and his 176 rushing yards for the game were the second-most ever for an OU quarterback, trailing only Thomas Lott’s 195 rushing yards against Kansas State in 1976.

Wide receiver Charleston Rambo had three catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, while running back Trey Sermon rushed for 91 yards.

The OU defense was aggressive and tackled well in the first game under first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, and limited Cougar quarterback D’Eriq King to 14-of-27 passing. Linebacker Kenneth Murray, the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, led the Sooners’ defense with 13 tackles.

The Sooners host South Dakota next Saturday.
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