The Oklahoma football travel party was delayed over eight hours as it waited on planes to be cleared for the charter flight the Sooners booked into Manhattan, Kan., for their game against Kansas State.
Oklahoma was scheduled to depart at 2:45 p.m. Friday, but the plane was late to arrive. Then, after boarding, a mechanical issue forced Bob Stoops’ squad to get off the plane and wait for another ride. The problems only multiplied after that and the team did not arrive to its hotel until 12:15 a.m.
Barely 14 hours later, Oklahoma’s game against Kansas State kicked off. Less than one minute in, the 19th-ranked Sooners established their dominance, breezing to an early touchdown en route to a 55-0 rout of the Wildcats and handing Bill Snyder his worst defeat as Kansas State coach, a span of 24 seasons and 288 games.
Oklahoma had recorded lopsided wins in the series many times over the years when Kansas State was among the nation’s worst programs. But this outcome was the worst shutout defeat the Wildcats ever suffered at home and came after narrow losses suffered in the final minute against two undefeated teams, Oklahoma State and TCU.
So much for travel itineraries mattering a great deal.
The Sooners played video games, studied film and dined on fast food while waiting for their plane to depart from the Oklahoma City airport.
“Coach Stoops said fast food on Fridays from here on out,” joked wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who caught a 22-yard touchdown pass just 64 seconds into the game.
The rout righted the Sooners (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) coming off a stunning loss to Texas a week earlier.
Oklahoma played fast and never bothered to substitute on the first series while racing 75 yards in five plays. It was the first time this season the Sooners scored on their opening possession.
“Defenses can’t line up and do all their crazy stuff,” said quarterback Baker Mayfield, who completed 20-of-27 passes for 282 yards and five first half touchdowns before he was replaced by Trevor Knight.
“I think I play better faster. I’m able to react and go on the run, and our guys like it when we play fast because the defense doesn’t get set up.”
Better not sleep on the Sooners. Particularly if they get little sleep themselves.
BAYLOR (6-0, 3-0)
Game: Baylor 62, West Virginia 38. Seth Russell joined former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III (2011) as the only Baylor players to pass for 300 yards and rush for 100 in the same game. Russell was 20-of-33 for 380 yards and five touchdowns and added 160 rushing yards and another touchdown on 14 carries. WR Corey Coleman caught three TD passes to boost his nation-leading total to 16. He had 10 catches for 199 yards as the No. 2 Bears boosted their FBS-best home win streak to 19 in a row.
Takeaway: Just halfway through the season, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen did not hesitate to make this declaration regarding Coleman:
“The best player in college football,” Holgorsen said. “You can put me on record for that.”
The 5-foot-11 junior broke the Baylor record for TD receptions in a season with his fourth consecutive game scoring multiple touchdown catches, and his seventh straight with at least 100 yards receiving.
In doing so, the Bears avenged their only regular-season defeat from a year ago when they fell 41-27 at West Virginia, a point Baylor coach Art Briles emphasized during his postgame remarks.
“Really good win against really the only Big 12 team that we don’t have a winning record against since 2011,” Briles said. “That’s a big deal for us as a program. We felt a lot of desire, a lot of need to clear our name. We didn’t feel like we had a good name in West Virginia, so that was kind of our motivating factor.”
Beginning with Coleman and Russell, the Bears’ names are becoming household throughout America as Baylor attempts to position itself for the College Football Playoff. Although CFP ratings have not yet been released, the committee must consider Baylor long and hard since last year’s setback against West Virginia left the Bears tied with TCU for the Big 12 title, and both were left out of the playoff.
“It’s the best Baylor team I’ve ever seen,” said Holgorsen, a long-time Big 12 assistant before becoming the Mountaineers’ head coach.
Next: vs. Iowa State, Oct. 24.
IOWA STATE (2-4, 1-2)
Game: TCU 45, Iowa State 21. Sam Richardson passed for 251 yards and directed Iowa State to a quick start as the Cyclones led 21-14 after one quarter before going scoreless the rest of the way against the No. 3 Horned Frogs. After averaging 182 yards rushing in the previous three games, freshman RB Mike Warren was limited to 78 yards. WR Allen Lazard had a 74-yard touchdown reception and finished with 147 yards on five catches. The Cyclones allowed 31 unanswered points as TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin accounted for 510 yards and five touchdowns.
Takeaway: Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads is never reluctant to use trick plays to provide his team an early edge while hoping the Cyclones sustain momentum, particularly at home.
That was the case again against TCU. P Holden Kramer threw a 21-yard pass on a fake punt to help manufacture a touchdown on the opening drive. Later in the first quarter, after tying the game 14-14, the Cyclones kicked onside and recovered the ball, only to be penalized for illegally touching the football before it traveled 10 yards.
Nonetheless, the gambits gave both the Cyclones and their fans considerable life, which they rode to a 21-14 first quarter lead before going scoreless the remainder of the way. TCU’s defense then stiffened and made it difficult on Warren, who has been one of the Big 12’s most promising offensive newcomers.
The Iowa State defense also struggled, allowing 621 yards.
“It’s very frustrating because I personally felt like we could have won the game,” WR Quenton Bundrage told the Ames Tribune. “We sort of, kind of, let it slip out of our hands.”
Maybe, but the Cyclones were playing short-handed in terms of comparable talent. That prompted Rhoads to execute first quarter trickery to get the game started in the Cyclones’ favor and actually make it competitive well into the second half as Iowa State trailed by just 10 entering the final period.
“The blueprint is about execution,” Rhoads said. “You are putting together a plan to win and the blueprint is about execution.”
That goes for both conventional, and gadget, plays.
Next: at Baylor, Oct. 24.
KANSAS (0-6, 0-3)
Game: Texas Tech 30, Kansas 20. The Jayhawks pulled within three points on a fourth quarter touchdown reception by WR Tre’ Parmalee and a touchdown plunge by RB Taylor Cox, but could not manufacture an upset as Texas Tech’s Jah’Shawn Johnson returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown. QB Ryan Willis completed 35-of-50 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns in just his second start for the Jayhawks as a true freshman. Willis distributed the ball to nine different receivers, while RB DeAndre Mann added 107 yards on 15 rushes.
Takeaway: No coach will ever admit to a moral victory and David Beaty, in his first year directing Kansas, is among them. Still, the comeback bid the Jayhawks manufactured was exactly that as it injected some life into the moribund program Beaty took over.
“It shows hope,” said WR Darious Crawley.
In particular, the Jayhawks have a freshman quarterback who is showing promise after making strides in just his second start. Willis engineered the second half comeback after a solid defensive effort in the first half, but little offense left Kansas staring at a 20-0 halftime deficit.
“I just love the kid’s demeanor,” Beaty said. “I think our kids gravitate to him. I think they really appreciate the fact that he loves the game.”
Credit Beaty too. When he was hired as the Kansas coach, Willis had already committed. Beaty opted not to dump the quarterback, but instead kept him as the top-rated high school prospect signed in the Jayhawks’ 2015 class.
Willis played two snaps in the season opener, but then did not appear for two games, leaving many to wonder when he would get back on the field. As it was, he dropped to third string, but injuries to starter Montell Cozart and backup Deondre Ford elevated Willis to the first team after the Jayhawks also lost the quarterback who had been named the starter in spring camp, Michael Cummings. Cummings tore an ACL in the spring game and will seek an NCAA medical hardship.
By throwing for 330 yards, Willis’ output was the best by a Kansas quarterback since Todd Reesing in 2009. Still, the pick-six thrown late in the fourth quarter enabled the Red Raiders, favored by more than four touchdowns, to avoid an upset. That possession began at the Kansas 7-yard line with 4:47 left and the interception came on a third-and-6 call.
A favorable impression was made nonetheless, something the downtrodden Jayhawks sorely needed.
“I was like, ‘You kind of remind me of a little Peyton Manning, man. Just keep throwing it. Just keep doing your thing, man,”‘ Crawley told the Topeka Capital-Journal. “As a true freshman, he’s showing.”
Next: at Oklahoma State, Oct. 24.
KANSAS STATE (3-3, 0-3)
Game: Oklahoma 55, Kansas State 0. The Wildcats managed only 110 total yards while allowing 568 to the Sooners as Bill Snyder, in his 24th season as coach, suffered his worst loss at Kansas State. QB Joe Hubener started for the Wildcats and came out throwing the football, even though Oklahoma ranked eighth in the Big 12 in rush defense. After going 4-of-14 for 39 yards with two interceptions, Hubener was replaced in the second quarter by Kody Cook, who started at wide receiver. Cook was 1-for-8 passing as the Wildcats finished 5-for-22 with three interceptions.
Takeaway: Play-calling for Kansas State was strange in the previous two games, both of which were narrow defeats in which the Wildcats allowed late scores against Oklahoma State and TCU.
Although Oklahoma was susceptible to the run, and coming in off a loss during which it allowed 313 yards on the ground to Texas, the Wildcats attacked through the air at the outset.
“I am not a game-planner, but if you saw the (Texas) game, I would have run the ball,” said Oklahoma DE Matt Dimon. “That is what we thought they were going to do, but they came out slinging it. They had the wind. I didn’t get a run-block until the eighth or ninth play. It was surprising, but I’ll take what they give us.”
An indicator for the kind of day it would be came on the first play of the Wildcats’ second series. Hubener launched a bomb to wide-open WR Deante Burton, but the receiver appeared to slow down on his route and the ball fell incomplete just beyond Burton’s grasp on what was a sure touchdown.
From there, Oklahoma stuffed anything attempted by Kansas State, which did not hand the ball to a running back until the first play of its fourth possession when Charles Jones was stopped for no gain.
Problems also mounted for the Wildcats defensively. Oklahoma scored at will, claiming a 35-0 halftime margin on five touchdown passes by QB Baker Mayfield.
“All of us are embarrassed,” said Snyder, whose worst loss previously came in his third season (1991) when the Wildcats lost 56-3 at Washington.
“I can’t remember being involved in a game like this since 1989, the first year we were here, and I don’t know if we had one that bad during that first go-round. I’m not smart enough to really put my finger on it. I feel badly for the guys in the locker room, but we weren’t prepared to play, and it’s more than the emotional preparation. We all share in it and it’s my responsibility.”
Next: at Texas, Oct. 24.
OKLAHOMA (5-1, 2-1)
Game: Oklahoma 55, Kansas State 0. Baker Mayfield completed 20-of-27 passes for 282 yards and the first of his five touchdown strikes (all in the first half) came 64 seconds into the game. The No. 19 Sooners raced to 30 first downs and generated 568 total yards while also holding the Wildcats to 110 yards and seven first downs. While Oklahoma’s passers did anything they wanted through the air, the defense snagged three interceptions while holding Kansas State to 45 yards passing on 5-for-22 accuracy.
Takeaway: Following a disturbing loss to Texas a week before in the Red River Rivalry, the Sooners needed to recover and did so convincingly. Just one Kansas State series crossed into Oklahoma territory and it ended on a missed field goal.
“That was probably the best game we’ve played as a team in a long time — offense, defense and special teams,” said defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. “That was the great part about this win. It was a team win. Last week, it was a total team loss in all facets of the game.”
Stoops’ brother Bob was even more succinct after improving to 16-1 in games that followed the matchup with Texas, and also rose to 6-0 against Kansas State in Manhattan, where both he and Mike once served as assistants under Bill Snyder.
“It’s one of our better ones, complete that way,” Bob Stoops said.
The aggravating element is the performances came back-to-back. Now critics are left to wonder what kind of team Oklahoma possesses. Certainly the potential is there to compete with virtually any team, including a pair of Big 12 clubs ranked among the nation’s finest, No. 2 Baylor and No. 3 TCU. But the stinker at Texas remains a curiosity.
“We talked about it,” CB Zack Sanchez told the Tulsa World after grabbing two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown. “It wasn’t that guys weren’t ready (for Texas). Bad things happened real fast, and it’s hard to get back up after those things. But we have to do a better job of limiting those bad things, and after they do, bouncing back.”
Against Kansas State, there was no need to recover. Oklahoma dominated the entire game and managed its first Big 12 shutout since a 52-0 win over Iowa State in 2010.
“We had been itching to get back on the field after last week,” Sanchez added. “Everybody was fired up and ready to play. We definitely had the edge and probably a little more today.”
Next: vs. Texas Tech, Oct. 24.
OKLAHOMA STATE (6-0, 3-0)
Game: Idle.
Next: vs. Kansas, Oct. 24.
TCU (7-0, 4-0)
Game: TCU 45, Iowa State 21. QB Trevone Boykin again bolstered his Heisman Trophy credentials with 436 yards passing and four touchdowns as the No. 3 Horned Frogs claimed their third road win in four weeks. WR Josh Doctson added 190 yards receiving and two touchdowns, breaking his own school records for receiving yards and TDs in a season as TCU used 31 unanswered points to put away the host Cyclones. A 3-yard touchdown run by Boykin provided a 17-point advantage with 14:36 remaining and he followed with a TD strike to Doctson six minutes later. The win was the 15th in a row, a TCU record.
Takeaway: After several weeks of dealing with injuries that created a patchwork defense, TCU coach Gary Patterson is finally expressing some frustration over the tight games the Horned Frogs seem intent on playing.
“I think I’m just going to start not coming out until the second half,” he said. “We might be the worst first quarter defense in college football right now. After that, they seem to wake up.”
Iowa State scored on the opening possession and added two more touchdowns to gain a 21-14 advantage after the first period. The Horned Frogs then administered a shutout the remainder of the game and soared into sole possession of first place in the Big 12, a half-game ahead of two other unbeaten teams, Baylor and Oklahoma State.
The early jitters not only were felt by the Frogs’ defense, but also Boykin and company.
“The first half was kind of rough, but it was mainly we needed to just settle down and play our game,” Boykin said. “The defense came up with stops. The only thing we can do on our side of the ball is try to score points.”
Boykin generated 510 yards of total offense and accounted for five touchdowns, boosting his career total to 104 TDs, a TCU record. He completed 84.4 percent of his passes, the best completion rate of the season, going 27-of-32.
Still, the slow start was reminiscent of Big 12 games at Texas Tech and Kansas State which the Horned Frogs had to squeak out in the final minute for victories. TCU plays at home in three of its remaining five games and will have additional time to prepare for an Oct. 29 matchup against West Virginia.
“We have to quit playing tentative when we go on the road,” Patterson said. “It’s really three ballgames we’ve played like this. Once we get them settled down and get into rhythm, it’s been OK.”
Next: vs. West Virginia, Oct. 29.
TEXAS (2-4, 1-2)
Game: Idle.
Next: vs. Kansas State, Oct. 24.
TEXAS TECH (5-2, 2-2)
Game: Texas Tech 30, Kansas 20. SS Jah’Shawn Johnson returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown with 4:07 remaining as the Red Raiders halted a concerted upset bid by the Jayhawks, who scored two touchdowns earlier in the fourth quarter to pull within 23-20. RB DeAndre Washington gained 90 of his 160 rushing yards in the fourth quarter as Texas Tech evened its Big 12 record with a second straight win. QB Patrick Mahomes, who led the Big 12 in passing yardage going in, threw for 359 yards but was sacked five times by a Kansas defense that came in allowing an average of 45 points.
Takeaway: An early kickoff on the road against arguably the worst team in a Power-5 conference proved to be an unfulfilling challenge for Texas Tech. And the Red Raiders almost paid dearly before Johnson’s interception return blunted the Jayhawks’ fourth quarter rally.
“I thought we had mature players who could get it done and handle it,” Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “But we’re playing with those young wide receivers that all got nervous and started dropping balls, and (Kansas defenders) walked down, played man and we couldn’t win.”
Kingsbury was referring to winning the matchups, though the outcome of the game eventually was in question too, a development that disappointed the Tech coach.
“I mean, it was a disaster,” Kingsbury added. “The quarterback (Mahomes) didn’t play well at all. DeAndre was the only guy that took us on his back at times and got it done.”
The loss was the 51st for the Jayhawks in their last 54 Big 12 games which reflects just how difficult it can be to play in a stadium that is half-full at best.
Still, it’s not like Texas Tech is a team accustomed to beating league opponents after finishing 4-8 last season with a 2-7 league mark last year. Those victories were against Kansas and Iowa State by a collective total of 14 points.
A second-quarter injury to OT Le’Raven Clark, an All-American who caught a two-point conversion pass, proved devastating to the Tech line, which had trouble protecting Mahomes. Although he will undergo more medical tests, Clark was withheld in the second half as a precautionary measure.
The Texas Tech offense was limited to three second half points, settling for a 25-yard field goal from PK Clayton Hatfield late in the third quarter following a 68-yard drive. The Red Raiders benefitted from three missed field goals and a missed extra point by Kansas.
Next: at Oklahoma, Oct. 24.
WEST VIRGINIA (3-3, 0-3)
Game: Baylor 62, West Virginia 38. Skyler Howard completed 18-of-37 passes for 289 yards, four touchdowns and an interception but it was far from enough to keep pace with the No. 2 Bears. WR Shelton Gibson scored on a 70-yard strike at the 12:45 mark of the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7, but the Mountaineers played from behind the rest of the way and remain winless in the Big 12. Gibson added a 100-yard kickoff return for West Virginia’s last score. RB Wendell Smallwood added 89 yards rushing, ending a three-game streak of 100-yard performances.
Takeaway: With 692 yards to go with its 62 points, Baylor pretty much produced what it came in averaging, although the Bears could have tacked on another score in the final seconds and opted to take a knee instead.
Afterward, the West Virginia staff could only credit Baylor and shrug over the performance, though the Mountaineers blew first half scoring opportunities that could have tightened the 27-17 deficit they faced at the break.
“Baylor’s got a great team, they’ve got great confidence and they’re really good on offense,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said. “Are we 62 points bad defensively? I guess against them we are. It’s not like we gave them any free ones.”
West Virginia came leading the country with 13 interceptions through five games. Still, the Mountaineers are short-handed with S Karl Joseph, an influential All-Big 12 senior, out for the season with a knee injury suffered in practice prior to the Oct. 10 loss to Oklahoma State.
Without Joseph, who had three picks in the season opener, the Mountaineers failed to disrupt Baylor quarterback Seth Russell, who accounted for 380 yards passing and 160 rushing, with no turnovers.
“If they let us play with 14 (defenders), maybe we’d be able to get it done,” Gibson added. “We had 11, and we didn’t. We weren’t good enough.”
After scoring on their fourth play from scrimmage, the Bears added TD drives that consisted of seven, six, eight, one, seven and eight plays. The longest march required three minutes, 14 seconds, and was executed by Baylor backups.
“We’ve got some young guys and some inexperienced guys who will continue to improve,” West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. “With the experience they have on offense, we can’t outscore them. We’ve got to have them have an off day where they miss throws and we create some turnovers. Clearly, we didn’t have that.”
Next: at TCU, Oct. 29.
NOTES, QUOTES
–Baylor seems capable of doing virtually anything at will on offense, in large part because it can. Still, there are adjustments the Bears make depending on the strategy of opponents.
In their 62-38 romp over West Virginia, the Bears encountered a tight grouping of defenders as the Mountaineers stacked the box with as many as seven defenders to take away Shock Linwood.
Although the Big 12 rushing leader had some trouble getting going, which is often how the Bears loosen defenses to make their passing game more effective, they still managed to rush the ball. QB Seth Russell found openings on keepers, gaining 160 yards on 14 carries.
“It’s basically pick your poison,” Russell said. “That’s the way I like to look at it. If we continue to executive with our deep balls, and we hit a couple, which was good, (the runs) softened them up. As long as we’re able to continue to run the ball and throw the ball, we’ll be able to come out on top.”
In addition to stacking the box defensively, West Virginia wanted to control the clock. Still, Baylor scored in such a hurry — and so often — that the plan backfired. The longest it took the Bears to convert on any of their eight touchdown drives was three minutes, 14 seconds, and that was on a march executed by their reserves.
WR Jay Lee added TD receptions of 36 and 52 yards to go with three scoring grabs from WR Corey Coleman. And, if you’re wondering about Linwood, he still managed 84 yards and one touchdown, though his 4.4-yard average was somewhat pedestrian.
–TCU has battled injuries all season, including setbacks to Ty Slanina and Kolby Listenbee that thinned the Horned Frogs’ receiving corps. Another wideout, freshman KaVontae Turpin, was injured in the first quarter at Iowa State.
That placed even more responsibility on WR Josh Doctson, a standout TCU can ill afford to lose. But Doctson lay hurt on the field for a few minutes also in the first quarter. Eventually he popped up and ran off the field, but soon headed to the locker room for additional treatment.
Doctson eventually returned, to the relief of his teammates and was back playing at his usual star level, leading TCU with 10 receptions for 190 yards and two touchdowns as it clubbed Iowa State 45-21.
“It’s a huge difference when you don’t have the best receiver in college football on the field,” said QB Trevone Boykin. “When we’re going, it’s a big missing piece, but it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up and make plays.”
Still, none of the Frogs can match Docton’s production. After his quick recovery, Doctson finished the first half with seven catches for 129 yards. He eventually bettered his own school record for receiving yards in a season (1,018) by boosting his season total to 1,067. His school-record 12th touchdown catch of the season came in the fourth quarter when he raced to paydirt with a 42-yard score.
Injuries remain an issue for TCU because of the need to groom backups, particularly on defense. At the halfway mark, Boykin approved the growth he has seen from that unit while affecting the Frogs’ tendency to outscore opponents.
“We’re playing with a lot of young guys on the defensive side of the ball,” Boykin stressed while looking ahead to a bye week. “We get some off time for those guys and who are getting more reps at practice. It’s a huge confidence boost for those guys.”
–Kansas has so many issues to address that special teams seem to get lost in preparation. For that, the Jayhawks suffered in their upset bid against Texas Tech.
Three missed field goals and a missed extra point cost them 10 points, which happened to coincide with the Red Raiders’ margin of victory in the 30-20 defeat.
Problems began when Matthew Wyman missed from 52 yards just two minutes into the game. Wyman also missed another attempt, while freshman PK Nick Bartoletta field to connect on a 22-yard chip shot as well as a PAT.
“It’s a situation where it’s absolutely, unbelievably disappointing for our coaches, our players,” said David Beaty, the Jayhawks’ first-year coach. “There was a technique flaw, and you know what, we don’t get to whine and complain.”
Instead, the Kansas staff must correct the kicking flaws, along with numerous other deficiencies that began to smooth out somewhat behind a strong performance from QB Ryan Willis.
Still, missed kicks can adversely affect the offensive strides the Jayhawks showed are possible.
“All those kids that were involved, those guys wanted to make those things just as much as anybody else,” Beaty said.
If there was a bright spot on special teams, it was that Wyman replaced Eric Kahn as the Kansas punter and averaged 42.3 yards on three attempts. Net punting has been another issue for the Jayhawks and prevented them from flipping field position.
“I punted, like, three times in high school. Two out of three were good,” Wyman said. “We’ll bounce back. We work hard. I blame it on myself, these misses. Just mental errors.”
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We know we’ve got to start faster. That’s something that we all know, and you can see it. Everybody knows it, so that’s just something we’re going to have to work on over (an off week). We don’t come out, of course, and plan to start like that. It’s just something that happens, but it’s something we are going to fix. We’re going to fix it.” — TCU DE Josh Carraway.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 7 IN THE BIG 12:
1. Oklahoma regained its swagger by handing Bill Snyder his worst defeat in 24 years as Kansas State’s coach. The Sooners rolled to a 55-0 road shutout, holding the Wildcats to 111 yards and allowing them to cross midfield only once. Nice rebound for OU coming off a stunning defeat against arch-rival Texas.
2. TCU again struggled at the outset, falling behind by a touchdown after one quarter at Iowa State before holding the Cyclones scoreless over the final 45 minutes. QB Trevone Boykin continued to build his Heisman Trophy credentials as the Horned Frogs claimed their third league road win in four weeks.
3. Baylor remains unstoppable on offense as QB Seth Russell and WR Corey Coleman hooked up repeatedly as the Bears rolled past West Virginia. The win avenged the only defeat Baylor suffered in Big 12 play last season. The Mountaineers crammed the box defensively yet Russell answered with 160 yards rushing.
4. Kansas actually showed signs of life as QB Ryan Willis, a true freshman, passed for 330 yards and led the Jayhawks on a fourth quarter comeback bid against Texas Tech. A pick-six by the Red Raiders’ JahShawn Johnson halted the rally, but first-year coach David Beaty has at least found his quarterback.
5. Kansas State is in shambles under Bill Snyder, a rare position for the veteran coach. Play-calling remains questionable as the Wildcats tried to establish their aerial attack early on against Oklahoma after the Sooners allowed 313 yards rushing the week before against Texas. Kansas State was bad defensively too.