Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) -
BAYLOR: The Bears were in action last Friday night, taking down ULM on the road, 47-42 to remain unbeaten. The win also moved Baylor to No. 25 in this week's AP poll. Nick Florence bounced back from a pair of early interceptions to throw for 351 yards and four scores. Florence was an efficient 26-of-39 to go with 55 yards on nine carries on the ground. Glasco Martin led the running attack with 58 yards on 18 rushes and a touchdown for the Bears (3-0), who have now won nine in a row dating back to last season, currently the second longest winning-streak in the country behind TCU's 10 straight. Tevin Reese was Florence's favorite target, as he hauled in eight passes for 145 yards and a pair of scores. Terrance Williams added four catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Baylor, which ranks fifth nationally in scoring offense (51.3 ppg) and sixth in total offense (568.7 ypg), travels to West Virginia this Saturday for its Big 12 opener.
IOWA STATE: The Cyclones (3-0) were idle this past weekend, giving them additional time to prepare for this Saturday's league lidlifter at home versus Texas Tech.
KANSAS: The Jayhawks are coming off a 30-23 setback at Northern Illinois over the weekend. Since opening the season with a 31-17 win over South Dakota State, Kansas has dropped three in a row. In fact, the Jayhawks have now lost 13 straight outings against schools from the Football Bowl Subdivision dating back to last season. Their last victory against another FBS program came against the same Northern Illinois squad, 45-42, in the second game of the 2011 campaign. On Saturday, the defense had trouble stopping Huskies quarterback Jordan Lynch, who threw for 235 yards and two TDs, and also ran for a team-high 134 yards. The fourth quarter saw the Huskies score 17 unanswered points to close out the game. In the end, NIU held a 455-329 edge in total offense. James Sims ran for 91 yards and two TDs in a losing effort for KU. Dayne Crist had a tough day under center, completing just 10-of-26 passes for 147 yards. He was also sacked four times. The Jayhawks get a bye this week before traveling to rival Kansas State on Oct. 6.
KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats improved to 4-0 with Saturday's impressive 24-19 win at sixth-ranked Oklahoma. With the victory, Kansas State moved from No. 15 to No. 7 in this week's AP poll. John Hubert led the way with 23 carries for 130 yards, including a key nine-yard score in the fourth quarter. K-State trailed 13-10 entering the final quarter, but got a five-yard touchdown run from Collin Klein early in the frame to take a four-point lead. After a quick three-and-out from the Sooners, Hubert capped an eight-play, 77-yard drive with his touchdown surge to give the Wildcats a two-score edge. Klein finished 13-of-21 for 149 yards, while also rushing 17 times for 79 yards a score for the Wildcats (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), who won for the first time in Norman since 1997. They own the nation's No. 17 scoring offense (40.5 ppg) and are ranked 19th in rushing offense (242 ypg) thanks to the tandem of Hubert and Klein. With a bye this week, the Wildcats will have two weeks to prepare for a home bout with bitter rival Kansas on Oct. 6.
OKLAHOMA: The Sooners had two weeks to prepare for their key home showdown with nationally-ranked Kansas State on Saturday, but in the end they were dealt a 24-19 setback, falling from No. 6 to No. 16 in this week's AP poll. The defense had trouble containing K-State's John Hubert, who racked up 130 rushing yards and a critical fourth-quarter TD. They also let KSU quarterback Collin Klein rack up 79 yards and a score on the ground. Leading 13-10 entering the final quarter, Oklahoma surrendered the go-ahead touchdown to Klein. The Sooners went three-and-out on their next series, then let Hubert cap an eight-play, 77-yard drive with a nine-yard touchdown scamper. Landry Jones threw for 298 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the loss, while Shepard hauled in seven passes for 108 yards and a score, as the Sooners (2-1, 0-1 Big 12) lost their first regular-season contest against KSU under coach Bob Stoops. OU gets another bye this week before traveling to Texas Tech on Oct. 6.
OKLAHOMA STATE: The Cowboys (2-1) were idle over the weekend. They'll host 12th-ranked Texas on Saturday night before getting another bye the following week.
TCU: The 15th-ranked Horned Frogs improved to 3-0 following Saturday's 27-7 win over Virginia. Through three contests, they lead the nation in scoring defense (4.3 ppg), having given up a mere 13 points on the year. Casey Pachall led the way in Saturday's victory with three touchdown passes. He completed 21-of-32 passes for 305 yards and an interception for the Horned Frogs (3-0), who extended their winning streak to 11 games, which is the longest streak in the nation. Brandon Carter caught five passes for 128 yards and a score. LaDarius Brown and Josh Boyce also had one receiving touchdown. The defense stifled Cavaliers quarterback Michael Rocco to the tune of 126 yards and two interceptions on 13-of-28 passing. The Horned Frogs, who had four takeaways for the game, never looked back after scoring a touchdown on their opening possession. On the sixth play of the drive, Carter caught a 68-yard TD pass from Pachall. TCU improved to 80-2 when allowing 17 points or less under head coach Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs travel to SMU this week for a Saturday night showdown.
TEXAS: The 12th-ranked Longhorns had the weekend off. Coming off a 66-31 win at Ole Miss, they've got a tough upcoming stretch beginning at Oklahoma State this Saturday. Following that tilt, Texas takes on West Virginia, Oklahoma and Baylor.
TEXAS TECH: The Red Raiders were idle this past weekend. At 3-0, they'll open Big 12 play at Iowa State this Saturday. Following that contest, the Red Raiders play Oklahoma, West Virginia, TCU, Kansas State and Texas in consecutive weeks. Suffice to say, they've got their work cut out for them.
WEST VIRGINIA: The ninth-ranked Mountaineers are coming off a 31-21 triumph over Maryland on Saturday. Geno Smith completed 30-of-43 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns -- all to Tavon Austin, who led all receivers with 179 yards on 13 receptions. Head coach Dana Holgorsen called it the best game he's seen by Austin. The Mountaineers showed no signs of slowing down after a 30- point win over James Madison last week. WVU has now won seven in a row against Maryland despite only a slim edge in first downs (19-18) and total offense (363-351). The Mountaineers also managed only 25 yards rushing for the game. Still, they got the job done thanks to Smith and the nation's third-ranked passing offense (370 ypg). As the season progresses, the team will undoubtedly need to strike a better run-pass balance at some point in order to keep defenses honest. West Virginia hosts Baylor in its inaugural Big 12 matchup this Saturday.