Sixteen penalties for one hundred and fifty-eight yards pretty much tells the story of Texas Tech’s 45-35 loss to Oklahoma State on Thursday night. The Red Raiders had the opportunity to pull off the road upset in Stillwater but they couldn’t get out of their own way. They ran for over 100 hundred yards, passed for 394 more, and put five touchdowns up on the board. However, they also shot themselves in the foot with the same frequency as they recorded first downs.
Oklahoma State did their part to assist the Red Raiders on their destructive path. Quarterback Daxx Garman fired four touchdown passes to lead the Cowboys’ offense in victory.
The remainder of the Big 12 schedule gets underway on Saturday morning with four games slated on the day.
UTEP (2-1) @ (25) Kansas State (2-1)
Kickoff: 12:00 PM (ET) Line: KSU -28 O/U: 41.5
The Miners’ only loss this season it to Texas Tech and that came in El Paso. Traveling to Manhattan is no doubt the strongest test of the season for UTEP, and waiting on them is a K-State squad that is reeling a week after blowing the opportunity to take out the defending SEC champions.
Key Matchup: UTEP’s Aaron Jones vs. the K-State linebackers. Jones is averaging 7.8 yards per carry and has rushed for seven touchdowns this season. Kansas State has the third-ranked run defense in the Big 12 and put the brakes on Auburn’s rushing attack a week ago.
Score Prediction: KSU 31 – UTEP 28
TCU (2-0) At SMU (0-3)
Kickoff: 12:00 PM (ET) TV: CBS Sports Network Line: TCU -33 O/U: 47
The Mustangs have to be ready to see the 2014 season come to an end after the disastrous month they’ve had. SMU is currently ranked 128th nationally in both points scored per game (4) and points allowed (48.7).
Key Matchup: TCU defense vs. SMU offense. At 10.5 points allowed per game, the Frogs have the second best scoring defense in the Big 12 conference and SMU is just down right pitiful when it comes to scoring. The Mustangs can’t win if they can’t score.
Score Prediction: TCU 45 – SMU 7
Texas (1-2) At Kansas (2-1)
Kickoff: 4:10 PM (ET) TV: Fox Sports 1 Line: Texas -13 O/U: 41.5
What a monumental opportunity to catch the Longhorns and score the most significant victory of the Charlie Weis era. Texas comes into Lawrence limping from back-to-back losses and the Jayhawks are actually sporting a better record.
Key Matchup: Running backs Corey Avery and De’Andre Mann vs. the Texas linebackers. The Jayhawks one/two combination has them ranked as the fifth best rushing attack in the conference. Meanwhile the Longhorns have the Big 12’s sixth ranked rush defense. This game will be won – or lost – on the ground.
Score Prediction: Texas 24 – Kansas 21
(7) Baylor (3-0) At Iowa State (1-2)
Kickoff: 7:00 PM (ET) TV: FOX Line: Baylor -22 O/U: 71.5
After beating up on their out-of-conference slate through the first month of the season, the Bears will now have the opportunity to flex their muscle against a Big 12 opponent. Iowa State is usually good for pulling off one shocking upset at home each season, but this most likely won’t be the weekend for it in 2014.
Key Matchup: Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty vs. the ISU secondary. The Cyclones are currently fourth in the Big 12 in passing defense with opposing quarterbacks completing 61.7% of their passes for an average of 196.3 yards per game. Those are pretty much first quarter stats for Petty.
Score Prediction: Baylor 45 – Iowa State 14
*Section Photo credit to Kevin Hoffman, USA Today Sports; Featured Photo (above) credit to Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press
