Big XII Blog: Season 23, Week 7
By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)
You Can’t Stop a Stampede
Colorado came in as the underdog against Texas A&M, but that didn’t stop them from beating the Aggies. This was despite heading into the final quarter of play down by 7. But they scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.
Texas A&M did a great job of slowing down HB Taylor James, who averaged 3.48 rushing yards per game. So they needed the passing game to step up. And boy, did they. WRs Speedy Hernandez and Pooh Sparrow gave the Aggies problems all night. They combined for 248 receiving yards, and Sparrow added 2 receiving touchdowns.
The defensive side of the ball had no shortage of playmakers. FS Jayden Sanders had a 69-yard pick-six. DE Kyle DeSantis had 4 TFLs as he wrecked the Texas A&M rushing attack. But it might be MLB Hannibal Recker who led the charge. He had a team-high 8 tackles and added 2 TFLs and a forced fumble.
This was a key win for Colorado, as it put them in a three-way tie with Texas and Texas A&M. Since Colorado now has wins over both of those teams, all they need to do is win next week, and they will finish second in the conference.
Just One More
Oklahoma improved to 7-0 last week with a win over West Virginia last week. This means they only need one more win to be the only undefeated team in the Season 23 regular season. Only Nebraska stands in their way.
While this will be quite the achievement, it isn’t the end of the road. The season would feel incomplete without winning it all. But that will be a long and difficult road. Just ask Season 22 Alabama. Or Season 21, Ohio State and Auburn. Or Season 20 Auburn. In fact, there hasn’t been a team to pull off the perfect season since Season 16 Kentucky.
Only three teams in the history of the league have had a perfect season. Joining Kentucky is Season 12 Notre Dame and Season 11 Oregon. Can Oklahoma become the 4th? Time will tell.
The Lone Star Showdown
Texas A&M will travel 107 miles to Austin, Texas, this week to take on the Longhorns. This will be the 13th meeting between the two programs. And, like normal between these two, there is a lot on the line. The winner of this game will be in the playoffs. The loser will be praying for Colorado to lose to create some funky tie or a vote-in spot. This is a must-win between bitter rivals, making the same event that much more intense.
Historically, Texas has dominated this rivalry. The Longhorns lead the series 8-4. However, the Aggies have notched back-to-back victories against Texas.
The pressure will be immense on Sophomore QBs Malcom Streets and Spunky Tolbert. Both will need to shine if they want to win this game.
This is a can’t miss game in a week full of can’t miss games. But be sure to tune in to see who gets the playoff spot…and the bragging rights.
Big XII Week 7 Results
Colorado beats Texas A&M 34-30
Oklahoma beats West Virginia 55-24
Texas beat Nebraska 42-28
Big10 Week 8 Schedule
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Texas A&M at Texas (8:30 CST Twitch)
West Virginia at Colorado (8:45 CST YouTube)
Thursday, June 26, 2025
Nebraska at Oklahoma (6:30 CST YouTube)
Big XII Game of the Week
How do you not pick the Lone Star Showdown here? But since I already wrote about it earlier, I will mention the Battle for John Denver’s Guitar. West Virginia will head to Colorado. The Buffaloes are win and in. West Virginia needs a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. WVU won the first two meetings in this rivalry, but Colorado has won the last two. Colorado should also be heavily favored in this game, but don’t count out the scrappy Mountaineers just yet. This should be a phyiscal and exciting game.
