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BAYLOR: Baylor is off to a 2-0 start following Saturday's 34-6 triumph over
Buffalo. The Bears have outscored their first two opponents by a 68-9 margin,
with a couple more non-league bouts on tap before the Big 12 schedule gets
underway. It's the first time since 2005 that Baylor has started a season 2-0.
Robert Griffin continues to dazzle in his return from knee surgery, throwing
for a career-best 297 yards, 230 of which came in the first half. He had a
role in all four of the team's touchdowns, throwing for two and running for
two more. Kendall Wright finished with five catches for 128 yards and a score,
while Jay Finley carried 13 times for 76 yards. Defensively, Chance Casey led
the charge with eight tackles and a forced fumble. Baylor plays at No. 4 TCU
on Saturday.
COLORADO: The Buffaloes traveled to Berkeley only to be handed a lopsided 52-7
loss by the California Golden Bears. Colorado falls to 1-1 on the season and
has now lost 13 straight road games. It was a rough day for quarterback Tyler
Hansen, who was sacked six times, threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.
Those four turnovers resulted in 24 points for the Bears, and that was all the
leeway they needed to turn it into a rout. The Buffs found themselves trailing
31-0 at halftime, and they went on to total just 241 yards from scrimmage.
They also compiled nine penalties for 75 yards, leaving coach Dan Hawkins with
a laundry list of things to correct this week at practice. They'll look to get
back on track this weekend when Hawaii comes to town.
IOWA STATE: Saturday's intrastate battle with ninth-ranked Iowa resulted in a
35-7 setback for the Cyclones. ISU's only score came in the final minutes of
the game, with the outcome already decided. Iowa held a 28-0 edge at halftime
after out-gaining the Cyclones by nearly 200 yards in the first half. Austen
Arnaud struggled against a tough Hawkeye defense, finishing with 197 yards and
a touchdown passing, along with three interceptions. Alexander Robinson rushed
for just 48 yards on 11 carries, as the Cyclones were forced to abandon the
run before long. Defensively, the Cyclones had trouble against the Iowa ground
attack, which racked up 275 yards (5.5 ypc) and three scores. ISU will remain
on the road to face Kansas State this Saturday in the league opener for both
teams.
KANSAS: In one of the biggest shockers this past weekend, Kansas knocked off
No. 15 Georgia Tech, 28-25. A week earlier, the Jayhawks opened their season
with an ugly 6-3 loss to North Dakota State. However, this time around, they
looked like a completely different squad. Redshirt freshman Jordan Webb,
making his first start under center, threw three touchdown passes in the
victory, the first for new KU head coach Turner Gill. It also marked the
program's first win over a ranked team since the final game of the 2008
season, and it snapped an eight-game skid overall. Freshman running back James
Sims ran for 101 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. The Jayhawks will look
to build off the win when they travel to Southern Miss on Friday night.
KANSAS STATE: Kansas State improved to 2-0 following Saturday's 48-24 win over
Missouri State. Carson Coffman threw for a career-high 280 yards and three
scores, as the offense kept the ball moving all game long. It was a reassuring
sight for Wildcat fans after Coffman threw for only 66 yards the previous
week. Daniel Thomas powered the ground game, churning out 137 yards a week
after tallying 234 yards against UCLA. The major caveat, of course, is that
Missouri State is just 1-24 all-time versus FBS opponents. Still, it was a
solid momentum-builder for the Wildcats, who even pulled out a couple of trick
plays in the victory. The real test starts this week, when K-State opens its
Big 12 schedule against Iowa State.
MISSOURI: The Tigers flexed their muscles in a 50-6 trouncing of McNeese State
on Saturday. The win improved the Tigers' record to 2-0, as they'll remain
home to face San Diego State and Miami-Ohio, followed by a bye in the coming
weeks. Freshman Henry Josey had an ultra-efficient day in the backfield,
turning three of his first four carries into touchdowns. Josey finished with
112 yards on just seven carries, with 105 of those yards coming in the first
half. Blaine Gabbert was also operating in high efficiency, as he completed
his first 15 passes to stake Missouri an early cushion. T.J. Moe had double-
digit receptions for the second straight game, finishing with 10 grabs for 79
yards.
NEBRASKA: The sixth-ranked Cornhuskers handled Idaho on Saturday afternoon,
38-17. The fireworks erupted during a stretch of 8:15 in the second quarter,
in which Nebraska rolled up 28 unanswered points to seize control. Those
points came from back-to-back touchdown runs by quarterback Taylor Martinez
(67 yards) and Roy Helu Jr. (58 yds), and consecutive interception returns for
touchdowns by the defense. Defensively, the Cornhuskers finished the day with
five interceptions and a fumble recovery. Helu (107 yds, TD) and Martinez (157
yds, two TDs) both went over the century mark for a ground attack that piled
up 360 yards, NU's highest rushing total since the opening game of the 2007
season. For Martinez, the redshirt freshman quarterback, it marked his second
straight 100-plus yard rushing effort to start his collegiate career. DeJon
Gomes led the defense with 10 tackles and an interception. NU takes aim at a
3-0 start when it heads to Washington this Saturday.
OKLAHOMA: The Sooners passed their early-season test from No. 17 Florida State
with flying colors, cruising to a 42-17 victory over the Seminoles. It was a
bittersweet win for OU head coach Bob Stoops, whose younger brother Mark
coaches the FSU defense. Landry Jones had a stellar day passing for OU,
finishing with 380 yards and four touchdowns to quiet the critics from last
week's narrow victory over Utah State. He guided the Sooners to touchdowns on
each of their first four drives. Ryan Broyles racked up 12 catches for 124
yards and a touchdown, while Demarco Murray scored twice on the ground.
Defensively, the Sooners stifled the FSU ground attack to 3.8 yards per carry,
while Christian Ponder was sacked four times and held to 113 yards passing and
two interceptions on 11-of-28 accuracy. OU will host Air Force this Saturday.
OKLAHOMA STATE: The Oklahoma State Cowboys won a closer-than-expected shootout
against Troy this past weekend, 41-38. For the second straight week the OSU
offense was in midseason form, racking up 522 total yards in the victory.
Kendall Hunter ran for 157 yards and a pair of scores, while Justin Blackmoon
had another big day in the passing game, finishing with 10 catches for 132
yards and two TDs. Josh Cooper also went over the century mark, hauling in
eight balls for 114 yards. Brandon Weeden completed 29-of-39 passes for 348
yards on the day. Defensively, the Cowboys were exposed in the secondary, as
Troy quarterback Corey Robinson completed 28-of-38 tosses for 272 yards and
three TDs. They'll look to tighten up in that area with Tulsa coming to town
this weekend.
TEXAS: The Longhorns improved to 2-0 with Saturday's 34-7 win over Wyoming.
This time, it was the air attack that propelled the Longhorns, as Garrett
Gilbert threw for 222 yards and a score. Mike Davis had seven catches for 104
yards and a TD. On the ground, Texas combined for 167 yards (5.8 ypc) and
three scores. However, things didn't exactly come easy, as the first five
drives resulted in two field goals and three punts. Texas also committed nine
penalties for 80 yards, an area which head coach Mack Brown will surely want
to clean up before the schedule gets tougher. Defensively, Texas held Wyoming
to 257 total yards, including just 58 on the ground. Eddie Jones and Keenan
Robinson each had eight tackles and a sack in the victory. Texas opens its Big
12 slate at Texas Tech on Saturday night.
TEXAS A&M: The Aggies put up 48 points for the second consecutive week, as
they claimed a 48-16 triumph over Louisiana Tech. Jerrod Johnson had a banner
day, finishing with 349 yards and four touchdowns passing to lead the A&M
attack. The defense bailed out the offense in the first half, as the Aggies
had five fumbles and a missed field goal all before halftime. Still, they led
21-10 at the break, and then opened it up in the second half. Christine
Michael compiled 107 rushing yards on 14 carries, while Jeff Fuller had 10
catches for 160 yards and a TD. Garrick Williams had a team-high nine tackles,
and Damontre Moore finished with two sacks and seven stops. Texas A&M will
host Florida International this Saturday.
TEXAS TECH: The Red Raiders cruised to a 52-17 win over New Mexico this past
Saturday, thanks to another strong showing by the offense. Taylor Potts threw
for 293 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while Baron Batch scored twice
on the ground. Lyle Leong paced the receiving corps with 75 yards and two TDs
on five catches. The special teams also chipped in with a pair of blocked
punts to set up two short touchdowns. The Red Raiders were aided by a parade
of New Mexico penalties, as the Lobos were whistled 16 times for 145 yards.
Bront Bird led the defense with nine tackles, while Cody Davis and Will Ford
(INT) each had seven. The Red Raiders open Big 12 play on Saturday night as
they play host to No. 6 Texas.