Big 12 Report: Texas preps for road test at No. 13 Kansas State

After spending a bye week getting healthier, the Texas Longhorns have turned their attention to defeating No. 13 Kansas State. Texas is coming off a disappointing loss to No. 11 Oklahoma State, in which the Horns led 21-10 in the third quarter. Head Coach Steve Sarkisian said that the missing component to finishing big games is consistency, “The reality of it is, to play really good football… is you’ve got to fight for consistency.”

This search for consistency will begin under center. After playing well against Oklahoma in his return from injury, starter Quinn Ewers has struggled with accuracy the last two weeks. The Longhorns overcame his struggles in a close victory against Iowa State, but the inability to convert big plays to open receivers against Oklahoma State was one of the keys in that loss.

Several players used the time off to get closer to 100% after injury. Sarkisian said that Ryan Watts and Anthony Cook made progress in getting healthier.

Sarkisian was happy with the energy at practice coming off the bye week. Many of the team’s goals are still within reach, and a win this week would be crucial to the progress of the program.

Around the Big 12

No. 22 Kansas State shellacked No. 9 Oklahoma State 48-0. The Wildcats held the high-octane Cowboy offense scoreless and limited Oklahoma State to only 217 total yards in a smothering defensive performance. Kansas State quarterback Will Howard threw for 296 yards, and Deuce Vaughn chipped in 158 on the ground. Cowboy quarterback Spencer Sanders left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder injury. Oklahoma State will look to get healthy as they have a bye this week.

Oklahoma won for the second week in a row behind a strong showing on defense and trickery in the kicking game. Kicker Zach Schmidt scored the first touchdown of the game on a fake field goal, and the Sooners were able to seal the game late. This marks Iowa State’s fifth consecutive loss on the season; they will hope to get their first conference win this week as they host West Virginia. The Sooners will look to continue their resurgence at home versus Baylor.

No. 7 TCU remained unbeaten after outsourcing West Virginia 41-31. The Horned Frogs improved to 7-0 by using big plays and doing just enough on defense. Quarterback Max Duggan completed 16 of 28 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns to continue his stellar play. Mountaineer running back CJ Donaldson continued his excellent season, rushing for 104 yards on 19 carries. This marked the fourth 100-yard rushing game for the freshman. TCU will put its unbeaten streak on the line against Texas Tech this week, and West Virginia will take on Oklahoma.

Baylor held Texas Tech to 17 points and rode running back Richard Reese to victory in Lubbock for the first time in 10 games there, as the Bears defeated the Red Raiders 45-17.  Reese rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns as Baylor controlled the game, never letting the Tech offense get on track. Baylor forced five interceptions and effectively bottled up the Tech offense as the Red Raiders cycled through three different quarterbacks. The Red Raiders must find answers quickly as they will travel to Fort Worth this week to take on No. 7 TCU. Baylor will face Oklahoma.