Kansas State tops Texas Tech in Manhattan
The Kansas State Wildcats showed off their defense Saturday night against Texas Tech, holding the Red Raiders to only 10 points in the second half, and pulling off a 44-38 win. It was the first time this season that the Red Raiders were held to under 55 points. Despite Kansas State’s defensive performance, Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes III still had an impressive game, racking up 504 passing yards and five total touchdowns. For Kansas State, the rushing attack, spearheaded by running back Charles Jones, stood out with the team accruing 231 yards on the ground.
The game brought both programs’ records to 3-2, keeping them both in the conference title hunt.
TCU, Oklahoma State win in tough contests
TCU continued their trend of playing Kansas close when it sneaked by Kansas in a 24-23 victory. After letting the Horned Frogs score ten unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take a one-point lead, the Jayhawks attempted a game-winning 54-yard field goal in the final seconds only to have the attempt sail wide right. The passing game was messy on both teams, with TCU quarterback Kenny Hill and Kansas quarterback Ryan Willis each throwing three interceptions. With the win, TCU improved to 4-2 while Kansas fell to 1-4.
For the second game in a row, Iowa State showed improvement against a good team only to falter in the final quarter. The Cyclones played Oklahoma State, who fell behind 31-21 at the start of the fourth quarter. However, the Cowboys scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback and win 38-31. Oklahoma State now has a 4-2 record while Iowa State has a 1-5 record.
Oklahoma, West Virginia games highlight upcoming weekend
No. 19 Oklahoma will host Kansas State Saturday at 11 am with hopes of keeping their unbeaten conference streak going. Kansas State, for their part, will undoubtedly aim to make a statement in Norman and contain another high-powered offense. The game should be close, as all of the Sooners’ conference wins have been by less than a touchdown, while the Wildcats have played their Big 12 games close, including losing to an undefeated No. 20 West Virginia team by only one point.
Speaking of West Virginia, the Mountaineers will head to Lubbock to face Texas Tech Saturday at 11am. Texas Tech’s high-powered offense, combined with West Virginia quarterback Skylar Howard’s improvement should make for an interesting shootout.
No. 11 Baylor will host Kansas and Texas will host Iowa State to round out the weekend.
Big 12 honors players with weekly awards
Oklahoma senior receiver Dede Westbrook picked up the Offensive Player of the Week for his 232 yard, three touchdown game against Texas.
The Defensive Player of the Week was awarded to TCU senior defensive end Josh Carraway, who contributed to TCU’s victory over Kansas by making three sacks in the fourth quarter and having four tackles-for-loss.
Kansas State players Byron Pringle and D.J. Reed picked up Special Teams Player and Newcomer of the Week, for their touchdown scoring performances against Texas Tech.
