Kansas and Baylor gave UCF fans a clear look at what’s coming next, and it ended with the Bears in free fall.
The Jayhawks erased a 21-10 deficit entering the fourth quarter and survived Baylor’s last chance at a go-ahead field goal with 18 seconds left, blocking the kick and escaping with a 25-24 win for their first Big 12 victory. Baylor had already taken a hit before that final snap, coughing up the game with a pick-six in the third quarter, a fourth-quarter interception by quarterback DJ Lagway and 12 penalties that piled up 116 yards.
Kansas leaned on Dylan Edwards to control the game. The running back ran for 156 yards on 30 carries, 34 more than Baylor’s entire rushing output combined.
Isaiah Marshall added another layer to the ground attack with 15 carries for 31 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing for 212 yards and two scores. He did toss two interceptions, but Kansas did enough damage elsewhere to make them survivable.
Baylor still had some fight through the air. Gavin Freeman caught nine passes for 123 yards, accounting for more than half of the Bears’ receiving production. But the Jayhawks held the Bears down on the ground, with Lagway leading Baylor rushers at just 47 yards.
The loss cost Dave Aranda his job, and Baylor now heads to the Bounce House on Friday at 7:30 p.m. UCF then turns right around and goes to Lawrence to face Kansas the following weekend.
Oklahoma State also offered a useful snapshot of what UCF will run into later in the season, and the Cowboys looked sharp in a 57-24 win over Colorado. After a tight first half, Oklahoma State took over in the second and buried the Buffaloes.
Drew Mestemaker was right back in rhythm after throwing for 304 yards against UCF on Oct. 10.
He posted 386 passing yards on Saturday, just short of his season best, and spread four touchdown throws to four different receivers. Justin Bowick made the biggest splash, turning five catches into 138 yards.
The Cowboys weren’t one-dimensional. Caleb Hawkins delivered 120 rushing yards on 19 carries, his third game above 100 yards this season. Colorado never came close to matching that pace on the ground, finishing with only 56 rushing yards.
Oklahoma State’s defense made the day even harder for Colorado quarterback Isaac Wilson, forcing three turnovers - two interceptions and a fumble. The Cowboys beat UCF 42-28 on Oct. 10, and Colorado will host the Knights to close the regular season on Nov. 28.
No. 10 Utah also kept its unbeaten Big 12 run alive, pulling away late for a 21-13 win over No.
14 Houston. The Utes scored twice in the fourth quarter to remain the conference’s last undefeated team.
Houston quarterback Conner Weigman turned in a familiar stat line, completing about 54% of his passes and failing to throw a touchdown. But this time the Cougars couldn’t lean on the run game the way they did against UCF on Oct. 3, when they had 154 rushing yards.
Utah held them to 86 on the ground. Weigman also lost a fumble deep in his own territory, and Utah made the Cougars pay immediately with a touchdown on the next play.
That score came on a nine-yard run by Devon Dampier, who finished with 150 yards on 15 carries against a Houston defense that had limited UCF to 73 rushing yards as a unit on Oct. 3.
Houston fell to No. 18 in the nation after the loss, while Utah climbed to No. 6. The Utes are not on UCF’s schedule this season.
In Other News...
Steve Lutz Has An Early Oklahoma State Guard Decision To Make
Steve Lutz has spent the early stretch of preseason trying to figure out how his newest Oklahoma State team will come together, and the guard rotation is one of the first real decisions on his desk. Lutz believes he has his best offensive group yet as he works toward getting the Cowboys back to the NCAA Tournament, but after a pair of scrimmages, he is still sorting out how much responsibility to hand true freshman Anthony Felisi. The young guard has already flashed the kind of defensive energy that can make a coach lean in, while also contributing enough on offense to stay in the conversation.
The bigger question is how Felisi fits once the roster is fully available and the experienced guards settle into their usual roles. Oklahoma State has depth at the position, which makes every minute a little harder to win, and Lutzs choice will depend as much on health as it does on trust and timing. Felisi has given the staff reasons to keep watching closely, and the early read on his role could say a lot about how Lutz wants this team to play once the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Faces One Last Chance To Answer A Growing Concern
Oklahoma State gets one more preseason test before the games start counting, and it comes in a tough setting against Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. The Cowboys have already worked through two exhibition tuneups, and they have at least seen encouraging production from guard Kashie Natt as they continue sorting out roles and rhythm ahead of the regular season.
Wisconsin brings its own momentum into the matchup after winning both of its preseason exhibitions, though this will be its first chance to see a power-conference opponent this fall. For Oklahoma State, the backdrop is simple enough: another live look at where the roster stands, another chance to sharpen the details, and a final exhibition spotlight that will be easy to follow on B1G+, the Cowboy Radio Network and the Varsity Network app. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Has New Names Pushing For Bigger Roles After Colorado
Oklahoma States rout of Colorado did more than keep the Cowboys in the Big 12 race, it also gave a few lesser-known names a chance to show where they fit as the season gets late. The win was big enough to strengthen the teams standing for the conference title chase, but the more interesting follow-up has been how the staff can now sort through who earned a larger say in the rotation after that performance.
Braydon Nelsons rise is one of the cleaner examples of that momentum, and William Mason added to it by scoring his first touchdown while carving out more snaps through his special teams work. LaDainian Fields helped the defense with interceptions, Lawson came up with a key play, and the depth chart still has a few questions attached to it, including the status of Ayo Adeyi, making this one of those weeks where the box score only tells part of the story. [Read more 🡒]