THIS WEEK IN THE BG 12
Saturday, October 2
Texas at TCU (ABC) 11:00 a.m.
Series: UT 63-27-1
Last Meeting: TCU 33-31 in Austin on Oct. 3, 2020.
No. 6/4 Oklahoma at Kansas State (FOX) 2:30 p.m.
Series: OU 76-21-4
Last Meeting: K-State 38-35 in Norman on Sept. 26, 2020.
Texas Tech at West Virginia (ESPN2) 2:30 p.m.
Series: WVU 6-4
Last Meeting: TTU 34-27 in Lubbock on Oct. 24, 2020.
No. 21/24 Baylor at No. 19/18 Oklahoma State (ESPN2) 6:00 p.m.
Series: OSU 21-18
Last Meeting: OSU 42-3 in Waco on Dec. 12, 2020.
Kansas at Iowa State (FS1) 6:00 p.m.
Series: KU 50-44-6
Last Meeting: ISU 52-22 in Lawrence on Oct. 31, 2020.
All Times are listed as Central. Rankings are listed as AP/USA Today Coaches.
CONFERENCE NEWS AND NOTES
For the first time this season, the Big 12 has a full slate of conference games on Saturday to welcome in the month of October.
The Big 12 has a .793 (23-6) win percentage in non-conference outings, good for second among FBS leagues. One game remains with Baylor hosting future Big 12 member BYU on Oct. 16. Four of the six losses were to other autonomy leagues and two were to ranked opponents.
No. 21/24 Baylor jumped into the national rankings for the first time this season, joining No. 6/4 Oklahoma and No. 19/18 Oklahoma State. While they have been ranked in the coaches’ poll each week, the Cowboys entered the AP ledger for the first time. Texas is the top vote-getter outside the top 25 with Iowa State and K-State also
receiving points.
Among FBS leagues, the Big 12 is second in scoring (33.7) and rushing yards per game (182.87), as well as third in fewest yards allowed (339.2).
Fifty percent of Big 12 teams are in the top 23 nationally for rushing defense, allowing less than 100 yards a game on the ground: 7. Iowa State (68.8), 9. Oklahoma (74.2), 11. K-State (75.2), 19. Oklahoma State (87.0) and 23. West Virginia (90.5).
Fifty percent of offenses are in the top 29 in scoring: 3. Texas (46.8), 10. Baylor (42.8), 20. Oklahoma and Texas Tech (38.8) along with 29. TCU (37.7).
Big 12 players of the week were awarded to Texas’ Casey Thompson (offensive) and Xavier Worthy (newcomer), Baylor’s Trestan Ebner (special teams) and Garmon Randolph (co-defensive), as well as Oklahoma State’s Malcolm Rodriguez (co-defensive).
Baylor is 4-0 for the sixth time in the last nine seasons and collected its first win over a ranked opponent since Dec. 29, 2015, when the Bears beat No. 10 North Carolina in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
Iowa State running back Breece Hall broke a pair of records last Saturday, taking over the top spot in the Big 12 with 16 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. Missouri’s Corby Jones (1997-98) previously held the record with 15. Hall also set a Cyclone school record with 40 career TDs.
Kansas’ Ra’Mello Dotson intercepted a Duke pass and returned it 65 yards. The interception marked the first of his career and the first by a Jayhawk this season.
The nation’s leader in non-offensive touchdowns since 1999 with 123, K-State got its first one of the year on a 99-yard kickoff return by Malik Knowles in the first quarter at Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma kicker Gabe Brkic’s game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired is believed to be OU’s first game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock. Brkic converted all three of his field goal attempts and his lone extra point attempt. He has scored at least 10 points in 15 of his 25 career games.
Oklahoma State won its sixth straight game, its longest winning streak since 2016. Since the beginning of the 2016 season, the Cowboys are 9-3 when unranked in the AP Top 25 and facing a ranked opponent.
TCU running back Zach Evans had 113 yards rushing on 15 carries last week, topping 100 yards for the fourth time in the last five games. He added a 46-yard touchdown catch for the first receiving score of his career.
Josh Thompson’s 27-yard interception return for a touchdown was the first defensive touchdown for Texas since 2017. The Longhorns scored 70 points for the first time since the 2005 Big 12 Championship Game.
Texas Tech QB Henry Colombi threw a single-game and career-high three touchdown passes last week. He matched a career-long 75- yard pass to Kaylon Geiger for a touchdown.
With Jackie Matthews’ interception in the second quarter, the Mountaineers have now forced a turnover in 67 of the last 87 games. West Virginia’s opening drive of the first quarter was its longest of the season in both plays (17) and time (9:07).
