The first week of college football brought more excitement than anticipated. Even with four games between top 25 opponents, very few people could have expected this many upsets. Oklahoma was defeated by the Houston Cougars 33-23. LSU fell to Wisconsin 16-14. And maybe most shocking of all, Texas beat Notre Dame in two overtimes 50-47. The Big 12 seems to be the conference most shaken up after week one.
Oklahoma State and Texas Prove Worth in Big 12 After Week One
Oklahoma State vs. Southeastern Louisiana Takeaways
Oklahoma State came into the season ranked number 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. After a 61-7 thrashing of Southeastern Louisiana out of the FCS, the Cowboys sit in good position at the top of the conference. They were able to spread the ball around quite a bit with 14 different receivers getting at least one reception. Quarterback Mason Rudolph looked solid, completing more than 70 percent of his passes. He also had 188 yards and two touchdowns on the day.
Texas vs. Notre Dame Takeaways
The Longhorns came into yesterday’s game with Notre Dame as three and a half point underdogs. True freshman quarterback Shane Buechele led the way with 280 yards and two touchdowns passing. Running back D’Onta Foreman had a solid game as well with 131 yards and one touchdown rushing. Furthermore, Texas should move into the top 25 after this week. There is no doubt that the Longhorns look like one of the most improved football teams in the country after week one.
Takeaways for the Rest of the Big 12 Contenders
Other teams such as Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma are still at the top of the conference. The Sooners were the favorite to win the conference coming into the season. However, they have had a history of falling short of expectations when ranked in the top five in the pre-season. After being ranked number three to start the season, they will fall out of the top five after losing to Houston.
Baylor came away with a 55-7 victory over Northwestern State. Quarterback Seth Russell threw for 163 yards and four touchdowns. The offense put up 498 yards, 275 of them rushing, in a very impressive effort.
TCU struggled early against South Dakota State. However, they did pull away in the end with a 59-41 victory. Quarterback Kenny Hill put up 439 yards and two touchdowns passing. He also threw two interceptions. The Horned Frogs’ defense might have been the most worrying sight for TCU fans. With eight returning starters, they were expected to be one of the best defensive units in the conference. South Dakota State was able to put up more than 450 total yards while only turning the ball over once.
Other impressive performances were shown by West Virginia, Texas Tech, and Kansas. The Mountaineers came away with a 26-11 victory against a former Big 12 team in Missouri. The Jayhawks won their first game since 2014 with a 55-6 victory over Rhode Island. And the Red Raiders put up 69 points in a win over Stephen F. Austin. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes kicked off the season with a six touchdown performance.
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