No. 12 Texas Tech at Colorado
That first drive of Colorado was a thing of beauty as they averaged 4.5 yards per carry and 15 yards per pass to take a 7-0 lead at home against No. 12 Texas Tech on an 8 yard TD pass from Junior QB Isaac Wilson to Junior WR Joseph Williams. But in spite of holding the Red Raiders to a field goal in the 1st Qtr and scoreless in the 2nd—leading 7-3 at the half—Colorado couldn’t stop getting in their own way with two missed field goals, 84 yards in penalties, an interception returned for TD as well as back-to-back-to-back interceptions—all three leading to scores by the Red Raiders—in addition to possessions that ended in three punts, and three turnovers on downs. Result—a 29-7 loss to still undefeated Texas Tech who now stands all alone on top of the Big-12 standings.
For Colorado, Junior QB Isaac Wilson was 26-of-44 for 290 yards, 1 TD, and 3 interceptions while also rushing 17 times for 42 of the team’s 78 total yards on the ground. For Texas Tech, Junior QB Will Hammond connected on 17-of-26 for 134 yards, 1 TD to Senior TE Terrance Carter Jr., and no interceptions. On the ground, Junior RB J’Koby Williams and Senior RB Quinten Joyner combined for 151 of the team’s 181 total yards rushing on 27 carries with Joyner picking up the only TD. Colorado actually led this game in first downs and total yards of offense, 22-19 and 375-315 respectively, but so far can’t seem to get out of their own way. Hopefully the bye will give them time to get their act together as they’ll face another tough team in No. 13 Utah on October 17th.
Baylor at Arizona State
The Bears came out with their foot on the gas in this one and never let up in a 55-19 beat-down of the Sun Devils. They led 14-3 after the 1st Qtr., 24-13 at the half, 45-16 after three, and 55-19 at the end. The Sun Devils Senior Place Kicker Carson Smith had a field goal in each quarter with Arizona State’s only touchdown coming in the second on a 30 yard TD pass from Junior QB Cutter Boley to Senior WR Omarion Miller.
For Arizona State, Boley connected on 25-of-43 for 304 yards, 1 TD, and 1 interception that led to a TD. The Sun Devils collectively rushed for 99 yards on 30 carries. For Baylor, Junior QB DJ Lagway was 25-of-40 for 306 yards, 4 TD’s, and no interceptions as well as rushing three times for one of their three TD’s on the ground. Although Senior WR Gavin Freeman led the Bear’s receiving corps with 115 yards on 7 receptions, Lagway connected with four other receivers multiple times—each with a TD.
Kenny Dillingham was quoted in the AP Recap as saying; “It was an atrocious game and we can either point the finger at who was wrong, or we can all take extreme ownership and try to fix it. I think it was more the fundamentals. We didn’t do very well, and that starts and ends with me.” The Sun Devils have a non-conference game this coming Saturday against Hawaii before they hit the road to take on the conference leading Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Cincinnati at Arizona
Cincinnati came into this matchup undefeated and averaging 40 points per game. Arizona held them scoreless through three quarters while building up a 34-0 lead with just five minutes left in the 4th Qtr. The Bearcats finally found the end zone on a 2 yard TD run by Senior QB JC French to make it 34-7 with under two minutes left in the game which the Wildcats ran out for the win. For Arizona, Senior QB Noah Fafita was 25-of-37 for 284 yards, 2 TD’s—1 to Senior TE Tyler Powell and 1 to Junior WR Brandon Phelps—and 1 interception as well as rushing eight times for one of the team’s two rushing TD’s. The other score came from Senior RB Kedrick Reesecano on a 10 yard run to give the Wildcats a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game. Besides Reesecano and Fafita, Senior RB’s Antwan Roberts Jr. and Quincy Craig combined for almost 70% of the team’s 238 rushing yards on just twelve carries.
For Cincinnati, French connected on 16-of-29 for 153 yards without a touchdown or an interception in addition to picking up their only rushing TD. French, Senior RB Bi’Bran Payne, and Junior RB Cole Tabb collectively rushed for 72 of the team’s 74 total yards on the ground. Arizona led in first downs, 30-12; total yards of offense, 522-227; converted their 3rd downs at a 64% clip compared to 50% for the Bearcats; and had the ball for 11 minutes longer.
Andy Patton in his article for Sports Illustrated titled, How Arizona dominated Cincinnati in Big-12 home opener, wrote; “The story coming into this game was how Arizona would hold up against Cincinnati’s elite, top ten rushing offense. Arizona answered the call in jaw dropping fashion, holding the Bearcats to 74 total rushing yards . . . The Bearcats had just 47 rushing yards in the first half, and incredibly the Wildcats came out even stiffer in the third quarter, holding Cincinnati to just six yards . . . Cincinnati came into this matchup averaging 270 rushing yards per game, making Arizona’s performance one of the biggest head turners of the season – and a message sent to the rest of the conference that they are still very much a contender.”