Associated Press Photo
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) -
BAYLOR: The Bears suffered their fourth consecutive setback as they fell at Iowa State over the weekend, 35-21. After starting the season 3-0, Baylor is now 3-4 and remains winless in Big 12 play. The defense had no answer for Iowa State quarterback Steele Jantz, who set career highs with 381 yards passing and five touchdowns. Jantz also tied a school record with 36 completions against Baylor's porous secondary. The Bears rank last out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in total defense (553.7 ypg), and they are allowing a hefty 42.7 points per game, which ranks 118th in the nation. The team also ranks 100th or worse in pass defense (119th), pass efficiency defense (115th), sacks (108th) and tackles for loss (t-100th). Week in and week out, Baylor's top-ranked passing offense (395.7 ypg) is overshadowed by the team's lackluster defensive effort. Saturday was no different, as Nick Florence threw for 426 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort. This week, the Bears have a good chance to break out of their slide with a home bout against lowly Kansas.
IOWA STATE: Steele Jantz threw for a career-high 381 yards and tied a school record with five touchdown passes in the Cyclones' 35-21 win over Baylor. Making his first start since late-September, Jantz also tied a school record for completions by going 36-of-52 for Iowa State (5-3, 2-3 Big 12), which snapped a two-game losing streak. Jarvis West caught seven passes for 99 yards and was on the receiving end of three of Jantz's touchdowns strikes. His 22- yard touchdown catch with 8:37 left gave the Cyclones a 35-14 lead. It is worth noting that the ISU's offensive output came against a Baylor squad that entered the weekend rank last in the country in total defense and scoring defense. Still, the defense was able to limit the Bears' high-powered offense to a season-low 21 points. Iowa State is now within one win of bowl eligibility for the third time in four years, with Oklahoma coming to town this week.
KANSAS: Unfortunately for Charlie Weis and the Jayhawks, close does not count in the win-loss column. Despite leading Texas late in the fourth quarter, the Jayhawks could not close out the upset bid as they lost a heartbreaker, 21-17. Trailing 17-14 in the waning moments, UT's Case McCoy threw a one-yard touchdown to D.J. Grant with 12 seconds remaining to shock the KU faithful. That final dagger came on the heels of a 70-yard drive that ate up most of the final two minutes, after Kansas had taken the lead on a field goal. But as it turned out, the Jayhawks left too much time on the clock. The game-winning drive included an 18-yard completion on fourth down and a 39-yard gain to the Kansas three-yard line. It was a gut-wrenching blow for the Jayhawks (1-7, 0-5), who have not beaten a FBS opponent since topping Northern Illinois last September, a span of 18 games. James Sims ran for a game-high 176 yards on 28 carries, but quarterback Michael Cummings finished with a meager 39 yards on 3-of-9 passing and he was sacked twice. KU will try to end its lengthy skid at Baylor this weekend, as the Jayhawks play three of their final four games on the road.
KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats strengthened their case for a shot at the BCS title, as they improved to 8-0 with a 55-24 rout of 15th-ranked Texas Tech, which came a week after dismissing then 17th-ranked West Virginia on the road, 55-14. Heisman frontrunner Collin Klein ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw two more in Saturday's victory, as K-State moved up to No. 2 in the latest BCS standings. Klein tallied 83 rushing yards on 12 carries and threw for 233 yards on 19-of-26 efficiency for Kansas State, which is 8-0 for the first time since 1999. The effort came against a Red Raiders defense that hadn't allowed more than 72 yards rushing to any individual player this season. KSU outscored the Red Raiders 42-14 in the second half to turn the game into a rout. John Hubert ran for 64 yards and two scores, Chris Harper caught five balls for 99 yards and Tyler Lockett added 62 yards on seven receptions in the win. The Wildcats, who rank fifth nationally in scoring offense (44.4 ppg) and 13th in scoring defense (17.1 ppg), will host Oklahoma State this Saturday.
OKLAHOMA: The Sooners proved no match for fourth-ranked Notre Dame, as they were dealt a 30-13 loss for their second setback of the season. With the loss, OU dropped six spots to No. 14 in this week's AP poll. Landry Jones was 35- of-51 for 356 yards with an interception for the Sooners (5-2), who had a three-game win streak snapped. Jalen Saunders tied the OU single-game receptions record with 15 grabs for 181 yards in the setback. Late in the first half, the Sooners had a touchdown called back for a holding penalty. It was one of two red zone possessions that ended with field goals, until they finally punched one in with 9:10 remaining to tie the score at 13. However, Notre Dame scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:05 to play, and Irish linebacker Manti Te'o intercepted Landry on the ensuing possession to set up another score. OU entered the weekend boasting the nation's No. 5 scoring offense with an average of 44.7 ppg. However, the Fighting Irish and their second-ranked scoring defense (9.9 ppg) have not allowed more than 17 points in a game this season. The Sooners will try to rebound at Iowa State this Saturday.
OKLAHOMA STATE: The Cowboys picked up their third win in a row with Saturday's 36-14 triumph over TCU, extending the nation's longest streak to 33 straight games with at least 20 points. Oklahoma State is now 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in Big 12 play. Wes Lunt, starting in place of an injured J.W. Walsh, threw for 324 yards and a touchdown, although he did throw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Lunt overcame a slow start to complete 18-of-33 passes, rallying the Cowboys back with 36 unanswered points after an early 14-0 deficit. Josh Stewart reeled in six passes for a game-high 120 yards and Joseph Randle posted a game-high 126 yards rushing, leading to one score, on 32 attempts. Quinn Sharp tied a school record with five field goals, as he and the defense played a big role in the victory. Going back to the game against Kansas on Oct. 13, the Cowboys defense has allowed only four offensive touchdowns in its last 12 quarters of action. The unit will be put to the test this Saturday against Collin Klein and third-ranked Kansas State.
TCU: The Horned Frogs' 4-0 start seems like a distant memory, as they have now lost three of their last four since starting quarterback Casey Pachall was suspended for suspicion of drunk driving. TCU was on the short end of a 36-14 final at Oklahoma State over the weekend. Pachall's replacement, Trevone Boykin, completed 21-of-40 passes for 185 yards and an interception, while being sacked twice. After jumping out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead, TCU watched the Cowboys reel off 36 unanswered points. One of TCU's two TDs came on an interception return by Elisha Olabode, as the offense never really got going. It brought to an end the Horned Frogs' 33-game streak of scoring at least 20 points, which had been the nation's longest such run. Their final four games will present quite a challenge, as the Horned Frogs close out their schedule at West Virginia and Texas, and home against Kansas State and Oklahoma.
TEXAS: Case McCoy threw a one-yard touchdown to D.J. Grant with 12 seconds remaining, as the Longhorns escaped Lawrence with a 21-17 win over the Kansas Jayhawks. McCoy replaced struggling starter David Ash in the fourth quarter and guided Texas (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) on a decisive 70-yard drive in the final two minutes. On that final drive, McCoy completed an 18-yard pass to Jaxon Shipley on fourth down to keep the team's hopes alive, and he later found Mike Davis for a 39-yard gain down to the Kansas three-yard line, setting up the game-winner to Grant in the end zone. Up to that point, the offense had gone mostly stale. When he exited, Ash had completed only 8-of-16 passes for 63 yards and two interceptions. After a first-quarter touchdown, UT's following drives netted five punts, two interceptions and a turnover on downs. Fortunately, the Longhorns were able to hang around thanks to their defense holding KU to 273 yards of total offense. Jonathan Gray led the way on the ground with 111 yards on 18 carries in the victory. The Longhorns travel to Texas Tech this week.
TEXAS TECH: The Red Raiders fell victim to third-ranked Kansas State over the weekend, 55-24, snapping a two-game win streak. Seth Doege came into the contest with 13 touchdown passes over his last two games, and he was 35-of-50 for 331 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Eric Ward hauled in 11 passes for 161 yards and two scores, but the Red Raiders were unable to overcome three turnovers and a porous defensive effort. K-State quarterback Collin Klein threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for two more, as he finished with 83 rushing yards on 12 carries and 233 yards on 19-of-26 passing. Entering the game, Tech's defense had not allowed more than 72 rushing yards to any player this season. Kansas State pulled away after halftime, outscoring the Red Raiders 42-14 in the second half to turn it into a rout. Still, at 6-2 overall and 3-2 in conference, 20th-ranked Texas Tech is still a contender. The Red Raiders boast the nation's third-ranked passing offense (357.9 ypg) and they are 12th in total defense (300.0 ypg). They'll host Texas in a key matchup this weekend.
WEST VIRGINIA: The Mountaineers had the weekend off, and it came at just the right time. After starting the season 5-0, WVU got blown out in consecutive weeks by Texas Tech (49-14) and Kansas State (55-14). The Mountaineers host TCU this Saturday.