Tuesday brought a few clear themes across the Big 12, and Baylor, UCF and Texas Tech each offered one of their own.
Baylor’s win over Arizona State in Tempe changed the feel around the Bears in a hurry. They may not look like a true top-tier Big 12 title contender just yet, but they might not need to be. For the first time all season, Baylor showed what it can look like when everything clicks: DJ Lagway had his best game, the ground game showed up, and the defense made stops when it had to.
The bigger reason for optimism is what comes next. Baylor has a bye this weekend, then gets TCU, Kansas and UCF. Those are three games that look very winnable, and it would not be a surprise if the Bears are sitting at 7-1 overall and undefeated in Big 12 play when the calendar turns to the final month.
UCF, meanwhile, keeps getting hit by quarterback misfortune. Since the Knights joined the Big 12, it’s hard to think of another team that has dealt with worse luck at that position. Over the last four seasons, they’ve gone through so many quarterbacks that keeping track has become a challenge.
This year has followed the same script. Alonza Barnett III already went down earlier in the season, forcing Keyone Jenkins into action.
Then Jenkins got hurt against Houston last weekend, though he did return. Still, it raises the same question again: is there some kind of curse in Orlando for quarterbacks??
It’s tough enough to win with backup quarterbacks at this level, and UCF has spent far too much time asking its depth chart to carry the load.
Texas Tech’s problem is different, but it could end up being just as damaging. The Red Raiders keep coming out flat. Against Abilene Christian, Oregon State, Houston, Sam Houston and Colorado, they have not looked sharp in the first half of any of their five games.
The numbers show some balance, but not enough to erase the concern. Texas Tech has outscored opponents 66 to 45 in first halves, which is fine on paper but not nearly dominant enough given the schedule. The second half has been a completely different story, with the Red Raiders outscoring opponents 103 to 33 after halftime.
That split tells the whole story. Multiple times this season, Texas Tech has been behind at the break because the offense needs an entire half to get rolling.
If the Red Raiders are going to be the elite team they think they can be, they have to start faster. The good news is the back end of the schedule is manageable.
The bad news is that sooner or later, those slow starts are going to put them in a hole they can’t climb out of.
In Other News...
UCF Needs Its Passing Game Fast With Oklahoma State Up Next
UCFs loss to Houston was already hard enough to absorb after a 17-0 lead slipped away, but the bigger concern may be how quickly the Knights can get their passing game back on track. Backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins was part of that uneven afternoon, and the offense has spent the week trying to steady itself after a game in which the aerial attack never truly settled in. Against a defense like Houstons, the issues showed up in the kind of way UCF cannot afford to let linger with No. 18 Oklahoma State next on the schedule.
Scott Frost has pointed to the need for more production downfield without pinning the problem on the receivers alone, but the numbers still tell a grim story for a Power 4 offense that ranks near the bottom in receiving yards. Oklahoma State brings a much different challenge, with Drew Mestemaker coming off recent performances that featured more than 300 passing yards and multiple touchdowns. For UCF, the question is less about style and more about urgency, because the Knights will need sharper timing and more explosive plays fast. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Could Be Getting Back A Star It Desperately Needs
Riley Kugel was the kind of scorer UCF mens basketball leaned on last season, and the Knights suddenly have reason to think they might not have seen the end of his college run. Kugel has received favorable legal rulings that could open the door to an extra year of NCAA eligibility, a development that matters for a program looking to keep proven production close to home rather than replacing it from scratch.
Kugel had already moved on toward the pro path, declaring for the NBA Draft before going undrafted and later landing with the Los Angeles Clippers for Summer League. But with the eligibility question now tilting his way, UCF is watching a situation that could reshape its backcourt and alter the rest of its offseason plans, even if the final answer still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]