1. Oklahoma had a bye after taking over the No. 2 spot in the AP poll. Unfortunately for the Sooners, the week off was not enough time to heal injured defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger, who will be out at least three weeks. Up next for Oklahoma is a matchup with TCU, a team that has emerged at the No. 24 spot in the poll after a 4-0 start.
2. Sloppy play by the Tigers allowed Buffalo to hang around until the fourth quarter, as Missouri lost three fumbles in Bulls territory and gave up a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown in the 42-21 victory. Quarterback Chase Daniel continued to look sharp, though, completing a Big 12-record 20 consecutive pass attempts.
3. Quarterback Colt McCoy continued to shine in the Longhorns’ 52-10 rout of Rice. McCoy accounted for 412 of Texas’ 600 total yards, and his four touchdowns allowed him to pass Major Applewhite as the school’s all-time passing touchdowns leader with 62. However, Texas did lose tight end Blaine Irby with a season-ending knee injury.
4. The Red Raiders scored on six of seven first-half possessions against Massachusetts, charging out to a 42-7 lead at the break. Running back Shannon Woods scored three touchdowns on 108 yards rushing, and quarterback Graham Harrell threw for four touchdowns, all in the first half, in the 56-14 victory.
5. The Jayhawks looked sluggish starting their game against Sam Houston State, perhaps a carryover from the previous week’s loss to South Florida. But three second-quarter touchdowns by quarterback Todd Reesing gave the Jayhawks a 38-14 victory. Kansas has this week off to ready itself for the start of Big 12 play against Iowa State.
6. After a dominant performance against Missouri State in which they racked up 450 rushing yards, the Cowboys were idle last week, giving them time to prepare for a Troy team that upset them last season. The Cowboys will look for revenge in their final non-conference game of the season, as they were embarrassed by the Trojans 41-23 last year.
7. The Buffaloes looked like a ranked team out of the gates against West Virginia, scoring two touchdowns in the game’s first five minutes. However, they were unable to score for the remainder of regulation, and the Mountaineers answered to send the game into overtime, with Baylor eventually losing 17-14.
8. The Cornhuskers had the week off to rest and recover before a tough three-week stretch in which they will face Virginia Tech, Missouri and Texas Tech. Nebraska’s ground game looked strong in its contest against New Mexico State. The Huskers could get a better idea of where they stand heading into conference play.
9. The Wildcats again fell flat — as they tend to do against BCS conference opponents not named Texas — in a 38-29 loss to Louisville. Kansas State struggled to contain the Cardinals’ offense. The loss earns to speculate whether the Wildcats have actually turned the corner in their third season under head coach Ron Prince.
10. The Bears continued to show signs of promise even in a 31-28 loss to Connecticut. It was a back-and-forth contest that featured six lead changes. After an impressive performance the week before, freshman quarterback Robert Griffin did not disappoint in the second start of his career passing for 208 yards and three touchdowns.
11. After scoring on the first play of the game, the Aggies didn’t have much to cheer about in a 41-23 rout at the hands of Miami. The Hurricanes scored 17 points in a 71-second span in the third quarter to blow open the game. Aggie quarterback Jerrod Johnson threw three touchdowns and one interception in the first start of his career.
12. The Cyclones rallied back from a 21-point first-half deficit against UNLV before falling 34-31 in overtime. Quarterback Austen Arnaud accounted for all four of Iowa State’s second-half touchdowns, the last a 28-yard pass to R.J. Sumrall to tie the game at 28 with three seconds remaining. The Cyclones have now lost 13 straight games on the road.
Be the first to comment on this article!