By: David Ware (@davidware)
Down Goes the Giant
The Texas Longhorns have had a fantastic season and seemed to not miss a beat even after making a quarterback change in week four. This week they met their David as the Texas A&M Aggies marched into Austin Texas and put up 52 points while only giving up 31 points to a Longhorn offense that had scored 50+ in back-to-back games. Looking at the box score, one might think that the Longhorns won, but the three turnovers were too much for them to overcome. The Longhorns had 25 more plays on offense compared to the Aggies, but could not find the endzone enough and went (1-6) on fourth down.
Aggies Quarterback Owen Dart threw for 406 yards and had six total touchdowns with only one turnover on the night. Wide Receiver Buck Stackhouse had only five catches but he turned that into 164 yards and two touchdowns. Free Safety Daniel Reed had two interceptions with one of those being a house call and seven points for the defense. One more player on defense to point out would be Carson Cutbirth who is the free safety, he had 10 tackles and two deflections.
For the Longhorns, Kody Scott had 48 rushing yards and 93 receiving yards on 19 catches. That tied him for most receptions in a single game for the Longhorns in school history. One crazy stat is that the Longhorns did not record a single sack in the game and most would say they have the best front four in the league. Linebacker Brandon Chen did have 10 tackles and three for a loss in the loss while Free Safety Damien Hines added nine more tackles, one for loss, and a deflection.
Don’t Call it a Comeback
If you are a fan of some good old-fashioned football, then you loved the Colorado and Oklahoma game this week. The game was tied at 14 points entering half and only a mere seven points separated them going into the fourth quarter with Oklahoma on top. This is where the fireworks start to happen as Colorado outscored the Sooners (21-10) in the final quarter to walk away with the 42-38 win. Both starting halfbacks had over 100 rushing yards and Oklahoma Quarterback Himoteo Del Este had 83 yards himself.
Del Este added 360 passing yards and four touchdowns on the night. His main target was Roger Blackwell who had nine catches, 105 yards, and two touchdowns on the night. Tight End Tommy Neville added seven catches, 85 yards, and a touchdown. On defense, Linebacker Jackson Chambers had 10 tackles with three for a loss and fellow Linebacker TJ Blackmon had eight tackles, two for a loss, and a sack.
Colorado Halfback Taylor James was a workhorse with 26 carries, 138 yards, and two touchdowns on the ground including a 66-yard carry. Tight End Thomas Banks had a great night with six catches, 131 yards, and a touchdown. Daniel Blackmon also contributed three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown for the Buffalos. On defense it was a battle between Linebacker Ryan Starks and his 11 tackles, two for a loss, two sacks, and a deflection; and Free Safety Rara Banks who had 12 tackles and a deflection.
Not Enough Depth
All season, West Virginia has struggled with depth issues and finishing games in the second half. This week was no different as the LSU Tigers outscored them (21-0) in the second half. They have been shut out in the last two weeks when it comes to second-half points and they only scored 10 points the week before those games against Texas A&M. Overall it appeared to be that LSU just simply overpowered the Mountaineers this week.
The LSU Tigers had eight sacks from their defense this week from five different scholarship players and a few walk-ons. They also threw in 13 tackles for loss from their scholarship players. Linebacker Akuma Hunter AKA Head Hunter, had eight missle-seeking tackles, two for a loss, one interception, and a deflection on the night. Cornerback Jaq Weinrich added seven tackles, two for a loss, one sack, and an interception as well. On offense, we can not forget the fact that Nasir Pope almost single-handedly cost the broadcaster his voice when he had eight catches for 138 yards and four touchdowns! Senior Quarterback Sean Keohane threw for six touchdowns and had no turnovers in the win.
West Virginia Quarterback Gunner Rice did all he could in the loss but his three interceptions put the Mountaineers behind the eightball and they could never recover. Defensive End Avi Beth was a bright spot for West Virginia as she had four tackles, three for a loss, and a sack. She was the only player to have more than one tackle for loss. The defense did not force any turnovers, but Cornerback JT Miller did have two deflections on the night.
Big 12 Week 7 Results
Texas A&M wins at Texas 52-31
Oklahoma loses at Colorado 38-42
LSU defeats West Virginia 42-10
Big12 Week 8 Schedule
Monday
Texas at Oklahoma 8:30 pm on Twitch
Wednesday
West Virginia at Colorado 8:30 pm on Twitch
Thursday
Texas A&M at LSU 8:30 pm on Twitch
Potential Big 12 Game of the Week
We are talking playoffs, so with that being said it has to be the Texas and Oklahoma game. The Longhorns do not stand a chance at conference title without a win and Oklahoma is looking to get an automatic bid so they need a win as well. Neither team wants to be put in a spot where they are wondering who will draft them or if they will get a vote-in spot. Major playoff implications make this the top game easily. Until next time, keep your game face on and your spirits high!
