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Saturday, August 31, 2013

CMan's Big 12 roundup - Week 1

Week 1 of the college football season is always interesting. Expectations are high for everyone, the results are not often as expected. This week 1 in the Big 12 was no exception.

The Winners -

Louisiana Monroe - 0
(#16) Oklahoma  - 34

This game was the coming out party for new OU QB Trevor Knight. knight beat out junior Blake Bell for the starting job and despite a slow start, proved why. The second unanswered question was the OU defense. Question answered. The defense was quicker, applied pressure and gave up little ground, 166 total yards to be exact. (See OU post tomorrow for a complete game analysis)

Mississippi State - 3
(#13) Oklahoma State - 21

The surprise in this opener was the pokes defense. Oklahoma State could not generate any offense in the first half but the Cowboy's defense kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone. The defense allowed the Cowboys to get their offense in gear and it, in the midst of a quarterback battle, J.W. Walsh. Walsh clearly outplayed Clint Chelf, however, both struggled against the Mississippi state defense. A win is a win, especially against the SEC. We'll see how the offense moves against the Big 12. The Pokes defense though, looks vastly improved.

New Mexico State - 7
(#15) Texas - 56

Texas started slow falling behind NMSU 7-0 to start the game but scored 14 in the second quarter to take control. Texas QB David Ash played well connecting on 20 of 28 passes for 343 yds and 4 TD's but also threw 2 int's. Texas gained 715 yds but gave up 346. Not a complete game, but a win none the less. The jury is still out on the Longhorns.

Texas Tech - 41
Southern Methodist - 23

TTU should have won this game, even in Dallas. SMU has not yet recovered from the NCAA imposed death penalty. New head man Cliff Kingsbury and the Red Raiders started slow but looked solid by games end. It was SMU though. Look for Texas Tech to be average this season.

The Players? -

Wofford - 3
Baylor - 69

Wofford?? Who knew they had a football team outside of Spartanburg SC. Their team name is the Terriers for crying out loud, a small pesky dog. Believe it or not they are a D-1 team as well. The Terriers gained a measly 233 yards playing 4 QB's and with 12 players running the ball. I guess they threw every dog in the pound at the Bears....and still stunk the place up. If the Bears can't beat the Terriers they should be playing the Taco Bell dog.

William and Mary - 17
West Virginia - 24

If I was a Mountaineer fan I would be embarrassed. WVU scored with 3 minutes left to beat the William and Mary "Tribe". I would be more embarrassed if Mary actually played. The Tribe actually led this game 17-7 at the half. The Mountaineers high powered offense didn't show until the second half, and apparently only half speed. WVU outscored the tribe 17-0 in the second half but the game performance spells doom once the Mountaineers enter the Big 12 schedule which, by the way, starts at OU next Saturday.

The Losers -

(#12) LSU - 37
(#20) TCU - 27

I'll start with this game because it was competitive. TCU was down 30-17 in the third quarter and I thought the game was over. An LSU fumble led to a TCU touchdown, add a field goal and this was a 3 point game with 10 minutes left. LSU pulled it out in the forth but the Horned Frogs put up a strong fight until the end. No shame here for TCU. A loss sucks but the experience will make them a stronger team going forward.

Northern Iowa - 28
Iowa State - 20

This game would have been far worse had Northern Illinois not beaten Iowa 30-27 ( Its high time Iowa thinks about replacing Kirk Ferentz). Its a shame when Northern Iowa is the only undefeated team among the three in the first week. Northern Iowa led 21-14 at the half and outscored ISU 7-6 in the second half. The pain can only get worse for Iowa State if they actually paid Northern Iowa to come play.

North Dakota State - 24
Kansas State - 21

Kansas State normally plays pretty weak early in the season but they don't lose. North Dakota State is the reigning 2 time FCS National Champion but its still the FCS. The Bison were not intimidated by the Wildcats or playing in the stadium named for the Wildcats historic coach Bill Snyder. NDSU beat KSU consistently on both sides of the ball. It was an impressive game and should help NDSU compete for a third straight National Championship. As for the Wildcats they need to figure out how to compete with the rest of the FBS teams on their schedule. The Wildcats loss affected their checkbook as well as they reportedly paid the Bison six figures to come to the "little apple" to play.

Kansas fortunately had a bye week and did not play.

Overall,  not a bad start save the humiliating losses by KSU and ISU. Many questions were answered. Unfortunately, with some teams, more questions emerged.