Week 2 in the Big 12 delivered just about everything: statement wins, ugly setbacks and a few results that told you a lot about where teams stand right now.
The weekend began Friday night in Lawrence and stretched all the way to late Saturday in Salt Lake City, and by the time it was over, the conference had a handful of wins it can feel good about - and a few losses it would rather forget.
Oklahoma State authored the loudest result of the bunch, knocking off Oregon 39-31 and finally ending a drought that had lasted more than two years against a Power Four opponent. The final margin doesn’t really capture how this one looked.
The Cowboys controlled the game, piling up 554 total yards while holding Oregon to 251. Drew Mestemaker passed for more than 300 yards, and he paired with Caleb Hawkins to fuel a ground game that produced 237 rushing yards.
It was a huge win for Oklahoma State, and for the Big 12 too.
Utah made its own kind of noise in Salt Lake City, rolling past Arkansas 43-10. It’s not every day a Big 12 team beats an SEC opponent by more than 30, and the Utes did it with a defense that took over the game.
Devon Dampier and the running game were solid, but Utah’s front was the real story. Arkansas never found much of anything offensively, and the Utes controlled the line of scrimmage from start to finish.
Kansas State also looked the part in a 34-7 win over Washington State. The Wildcats nearly ran for 300 yards, Avery Johnson had a strong night aside from one costly mistake, and the defense smothered the Cougars. Washington State managed only 166 total yards, and Kansas State followed up its Week 1 cruise with another convincing showing against better competition.
BYU may have made the strongest case of all. The Cougars beat Arizona 28-17, and Bear Bachmeier was a big reason why.
He threw three touchdown passes and added another score on the ground, while LJ Martin came close to 100 rushing yards. After allowing 10 points early, BYU’s defense settled in and gave up only seven the rest of the way.
Right now, BYU looks like the best team in the Big 12 in my eyes.
Texas Tech picked up a 35-24 win over Oregon State, though it was far from clean. The Red Raiders gave up more than 400 passing yards and never seemed fully comfortable on offense.
Even with the win, there are still clear issues to sort through before Big 12 play heats up. After two games, this team does not look better than it was a year ago - at least not yet.
The league’s “Bad” section starts with Iowa State, which dropped a tight Cy-Hawk battle to Iowa, 16-13. The Cyclones jumped out to a 10-0 lead and seemed to have some control early, but by halftime the game was tied at 10.
Iowa State’s defense kept doing its part, but the offense couldn’t generate enough in the second half. For much of the day, the Cyclones matched Iowa’s style of game pretty well.
When the finish line arrived, though, they couldn’t close it out.
Kansas had a rough night in a 38-21 loss to Missouri. Isaiah Marshall struggled as a passer, Kansas turned it over three times, and Missouri made the Jayhawks pay for back-to-back giveaways in the third quarter before pulling away.
The defense had its own problems, with Austin Simmons doing damage through the air and Missouri averaging more than four yards per carry. After the game, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz also made it clear he was bothered by the pregame hype video Kansas put out and wanted to make the Jayhawks pay for it.
With the loss, Lance Leipold is now 0-7 against Kansas State and Missouri.
Arizona also landed in the bad column after falling 28-17 at BYU. Provo is a tough place to go, and the Wildcats found that out the hard way.
They came out well enough, scoring 10 points in the first quarter, but Noah Fifita and the offense couldn’t keep it going. Defensively, Arizona had trouble slowing BYU both in the air and on the ground, and the Cougars kept extending drives and controlling the football.
Arizona may be better than people think, but it still has to make more plays in the biggest moments.
Then there was the ugly.
UCF’s 12-7 loss to Pitt was a mess offensively. The weather in Pittsburgh was rough, and that clearly affected the passing game, but the Knights couldn’t run the ball either.
They finished with just 20 rushing yards on 22 carries. The defense held up, but it didn’t matter because the offense never showed up.
It was pathetic, to say the least.
Arizona State’s 48-20 loss to Texas A&M was different, because for three quarters the Sun Devils were hanging around. Cutter Boley flashed, Arizona State outrushed Texas A&M, Reed Harris had a moment on a national stage, and the defense was competing.
But four turnovers and nine penalties are a brutal combination against a top-10 road team. Texas A&M eventually slammed the door with a 24-0 fourth quarter, turning a competitive game into a blowout.
In Other News...
Kansas State Just Got A Huge Quarterback Recruiting Opportunity
The recruiting spotlight was already going to be bright for Kansas States matchup with Washington State, but it got a little more interesting with Titus Huard in the building. The four-star quarterback from the 2028 class, and the son of former NFL player Brock Huard, was among the visitors taking in the game, giving the Wildcats a chance to make an early impression on one of the countrys more talked-about young passers.
Huard was not the only recruit on hand, either, as Grant Nehls and Brady Lawhon also attended. For Kansas State, nights like this matter because they are as much about relationships and first impressions as they are about what happens on the field, and getting several prospects to show up for the same game suggests the staff had a real opportunity to showcase the program in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]
Former K-State Transfers Are Already Creating One Uncomfortable Debate
Week 2 offered a little reminder of just how many former Kansas State players are scattered across the country, and a few of them wasted no time making an impression. Austin Romaine was everywhere for Texas Tech, piling up nine tackles while playing every snap, and DeVon Rice gave Hawaii a real spark by finding the end zone twice. Elsewhere, the numbers were quieter, with Jayce Brown at LSU and Dylan Edwards at Kansas leaving more of a trace through usage than box-score fireworks.
For K-State fans, the awkward part is that these outings were not hard to notice. When transfer movement is this visible this early in the season, it naturally invites a familiar question about who got away, who found a better fit, and whether the Wildcats are watching some of their best depth pieces blossom somewhere else. The full answer will take more than one September weekend, but the first batch of evidence is already enough to make the conversation uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Avery Johnson Gave K-State Fans One Big Reason To Worry
Avery Johnson still did plenty to like in Kansas States 34-7 win over Washington State, moving the offense efficiently through the air and adding another layer with his legs. He finished with 192 passing yards and three touchdowns, and his 78 rushing yards helped the Wildcats keep control of the game while showing why his ceiling has people around the program so optimistic.
Even so, the outing came with a few rough edges that Kansas State could not ignore. Johnson turned the ball over twice and had a shaky moment on fourth down, the kind of sequence that can linger even after a comfortable victory. Collin Klein praised the quarterbacks overall showing, but also made clear there were plays Johnson will want back as the Wildcats keep building momentum. [Read more 🡒]