Week 2 gave the Big 12 a little bit of everything: a few statement wins, a couple of rivalry gut-punches, and one league opener that ended with BYU still standing.
The Cougars got Big 12 play rolling for the western half of the conference by taking down Arizona 28-17. Sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier was the engine for every BYU point, throwing three touchdown passes and running for the other score.
The turning point came in the fourth quarter, when Arizona had the ball deep in BYU territory and faced fourth down while trailing 21-17. The Wildcats were first ruled to have reached the line to gain, but replay said otherwise, and BYU answered with a score soon after to put the game away.
Kansas had a much rougher night in the Border War, falling to Missouri 38-21 on Friday. The Jayhawks were tied 14-14 at halftime, but the Tigers took control after the break and outscored them 24-7 the rest of the way. KU quarterback Isaiah Marshall finished 13-for-30 for 168 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a game that also featured a few wild moments, including one throw that somehow got out of his hands.
Arizona State had a chance to hang around with Texas A&M after trailing just 24-20 heading into the fourth quarter, but the final period turned ugly fast. The Aggies scored to go up 31-20, then came the first of two fourth-quarter pick-sixes to stretch the lead to 38-20.
Texas A&M added a field goal and then another interception return for a touchdown to close out a 24-0 fourth quarter and win 48-20. Even in the loss, Reed Harris kept producing for the Sun Devils, catching nine passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns.
Through two games, he has 15 catches for 326 yards and four scores.
Utah delivered one of the league’s cleanest wins, hammering Arkansas 43-10. The Utes led 29-3 at halftime, and the Razorbacks’ only touchdown didn’t arrive until there were just 6:43 left.
Devon Dampier put together a strong all-around outing, completing 75% of his passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 50 yards and two more scores. Utah even flashed a two-quarterback package, with backup Byrd Ficklin taking a snap, handing to Dampier, and then getting the ball pitched back for a run.
The Cy-Hawk game came down to the wire, and Iowa State came up just short in a 16-13 loss to Iowa. The Cyclones jumped out to a 10-0 lead in Iowa City, but the Hawkeyes answered and turned it into a field-goal battle. Iowa State briefly regained the lead early in the third quarter, Iowa tied it again with about six minutes left, and then the Hawkeyes hit the game-winner with only 15 seconds remaining for the Cyclones to answer.
Around the rest of the league, Oklahoma State beat Oregon 39-31, Texas Tech knocked off Oregon State 35-24, Houston rolled Southern 77-6, Kansas State handled Washington State 34-7, West Virginia beat UT-Martin 52-7, Colorado topped Weber State 52-21, Pitt edged UCF 12-7, Cincinnati beat Western Carolina 62-10, TCU beat Grambling 63-7 and Baylor defeated Prairie View A&M 44-3.
Next week brings a strong slate, led by No. 22 Houston at No.
12 Texas Tech on Friday night at 7 p.m. on FOX. Saturday’s schedule includes Tulane at Kansas State, Bowling Green at Iowa State, Arizona State at Kansas, Miami (OH) at Cincinnati, Louisiana Tech at Baylor, Murray State at Oklahoma State, Georgia State at UCF, No.
11 BYU at Colorado State, West Virginia vs. No.
25 Virginia in Charlotte, Colorado at Northwestern and Arkansas State at TCU.
In Other News...
Oregon State Lost Again But This Time Fans Saw Something Real
Against No. 13 Texas Tech, Oregon State finally gave its fans a game that looked like something sturdier than a rebuilding exercise. The Beavers fell 35-24, but the performance carried real signs of progress, from a defense that held up far better than expected to a freshman wide receiver who kept showing up in the passing game.
The loss still left plenty of frustration, yet the tone around the program sounded different afterward. The coach and players pointed to the effort, the improvement and the culture taking shape inside the team, with optimism that this was more than a one-off scrap against a ranked opponent. For Oregon State, the record did not change, but the sense of what the Beavers might be building clearly did. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech May Be Leaning On One New Pressure Point Vs Houston
Will Hammonds return has given Texas Tech a steadier look at quarterback after a rough stretch of health and expectations that had the sophomore easing back in later than he actually did. Instead, he opened the season under center right away and has been efficient through his first two starts, completing 76.7% of his passes for 487 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. For a team still searching for consistency on both sides of the ball, that kind of reliability has quickly become central to how the Red Raiders want to function.
The passing game has grown more important as Texas Tech tries to smooth out the early-season inconsistency, and Hammonds ability to keep the offense moving is shaping up as a key pressure point in the matchup with Houston. The bigger question now is how much the Red Raiders can keep leaning on that part of the game if the rest of the operation continues to come and go from week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Skyler Cassity Just Pointed To Oregon States Defensive Formula
Oklahoma States breakthrough over Oregon did more than end a long drought against FBS opponents, it offered a glimpse of the defensive identity Skyler Cassity is trying to build. In the 39-31 win, the Cowboys looked quicker and sharper, and Cassity said the work has centered on fundamentals and a more urgent style of play, the kind of approach that can travel even when the matchup gets bigger.
Cassity also framed it as part of a broader climb from what he helped shape in previous stops at Sam Houston and North Texas, where the defense has been trending in the right direction. The encouraging part for Oklahoma State is that the progress showed up against a power-conference opponent, and the deeper question now is whether that fast, disciplined formula can hold up once teams start forcing them to prove it again. [Read more 🡒]