The West Virginia Mountaineers were sitting pretty after their Week 6 win against Texas. They were No. 5 in the nation and tied for the Big 12 conference lead.

Texas Tech altered their fate.

After being rolled by Oklahoma the previous week, Texas Tech appeared to be in for a similar result against the hot Mountaineers. But a Heisman-worthy performance by quarterback Seth Doege proved more than enough to help Texas Tech down West Virginia, 49-14.

Doege finished the game with 499 passing yards and six touchdowns, which tied his career high. The Red Raiders rank No. 5 in total passing yards this season, which spelled trouble for a Mountaineer defense prone to big plays downfield. A weak pass rush in this game did not help.

“When you don’t have a pass rush, it’s a lot easier to make your reads,” Doege said.

As good as the Tech offense was in this game, the defense accomplished an impressive feat in their containment of Geno Smith. Although he didn’t turn the ball over, Smith was forced into 26 incompletions, finishing the game with only 275 passing yards and a touchdown.

“Those guys did a great job of just attacking us,” Smith said. “They attacked us the entire game.”

Wildcats outlast Cyclones

In a game that was fought tooth and nail the entire way, Kansas State proved why it is at the top of the Big 12 by holding the Iowa State offense to 231 yards and eking out a close 27-21 win to remain the conference leader despite its record entering Week 7. Heisman candidate Collin Klein led the way for the Wildcats, beating the Cyclones on the ground and through the air. It was no secret the Cyclones are a solid football team capable of beating anyone in the Big 12. Although the Cyclones couldn’t hold off the No. 6 Kansas State Wildcats, they made the Wildcats earn their stripes.

Klein finished the game with 187 passing and 105 rushing yards, including three rushing touchdowns. The statistic that tells the most of his impact, however, is the time of possession, which shows the Wildcats held the ball more than twice as long as Iowa State.

“It’s an honor,” Klein said. “It’s a team game, though. It’s about all 11 of us out there, it’s about all 11 of us out there to execute, be calm in a high-pressure situation. We were able to get some big, big
first downs.”

After Week 7, Kansas State remains the only unbeaten team in the Big 12 and appears poised for a national title run behind its Heisman-worthy signal caller.

Printed on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 as: West Virginia upset by potent Red Raider attack