What we learned in the Big 12, week 1

[JLEW1818]

1. The league's top defenses still have a lot to prove. Texas and Oklahoma were wholly unimpressive in their debuts, although Texas' mistakes weren't nearly as costly. Of the three supposedly elite defenses in the Big 12, Oklahoma looked the worst, giving up 341 yards and two touchdowns through the air to Utah State's Diondre Borel. Meanwhile, Nebraska gave up 179 yards on the ground to Western Kentucky in a performance coach Bo Pelini called "an absolute embarrassment." Texas wasn't gashed as badly against Rice, and gave up just 219 total yards, but the Longhorns defensive backs missed a handful of big plays. All three have to get a lot better to equal either of their 2009 editions.

2. The most impressive team in Week 1: Oklahoma State. Dana Holgorsen's Air Raid went nuts on Saturday night, racing all over the field at Boone Pickens Stadium for 544 yards and 65 points -- 38 in the first half. Kendall Hunter ran for four touchdowns and the Cowboys won the turnover battle 2-0. The Cowboys made fans a little nervous after letting Washington State inch to within 17-10 from an early 17-0 deficit, but Oklahoma State answered with the game's next five touchdowns to put the game ... uh ... out of reach.

3. Hes baaa-aack. Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin once again showcased his big-play capability, rushing for a 30-yard touchdown and throwing for two more -- a 68-yarder to Brad Taylor and a 23-yarder to Terrance Williams. He completed 19 of 36 passes for 242 yards and ran for 59 yards on six carries, a 9.8 yard average.

4. Kansas? Well, they're just not very good. Hard to envision a worse start for Turner Gill at Kansas. At least Ole Miss' 49-48 loss to an FCS team in double overtime was fun to watch. The Jayhawks 6-3 debacle had to be painful for fans watching at home and even more so for those in attendance. It's hard to find many positives from a mistake-laden performance at home against the Bison, who went 3-8 last season. I'll try: My preseason prediction of the Jayhawks as the Big 12's most improved team at season's end is looking pretty good. There's nowhere to go but up, but it's still hard to believe how far Kansas has fallen since a BCS bowl win in 2007. I got a few complaints after I pegged the Jayhawks at No. 12 in my preseason power rankings. I doubt I'll get any when they're right back there again on Tuesday morning. When Kansas suits up next weekend against No. 19 Georgia Tech, it will have been over 11 months (Oct. 10, 2009 vs. Iowa State) since the program has recorded a win.

5. I was 100 percent wrong about Kendall Hunter. It's easy to forget how good a guy can be when he struggles for so long like he did last year. The ankle injury must have affected him longer and more than anyone thought. You heard all spring and preseason about how Holgorsen thought Hunter was even better than he had been told, and Hunter validated all of that on Saturday night. Dominant, unstoppable, whatever. Use all the hyperbolic terms you want. Kendall Hunter was all of them, topping 200 yards in the first half. He should have been higher on my top 25 list, and he should have been higher on my ranking of the Big 12's running backs. He's better than Alexander Robinson at Iowa State. He's better than Roy Helu at Nebraska. Neither is capable of putting on the show Hunter did on Saturday night. Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray and Kansas State's Daniel Thomas? We'll find out over the next three months. All three topped 200 yards in impressive debuts.

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/16498/what-we-learned-from-week-1

[meoveryouxinfinity]

I'm happy for O State.

[adoniijahsooner]

I heard a longhorn say just yesterday, that Kendell was one of the best players he saw play in DKR stadium.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Daniel Thomas is an absolute stud

[Jacie]

Tommy Tuberville is not a pirate.

He had the sand aggies playing June Jone's SMU ponies up 15 points with 7 minutes to play in the 4th quarter and facing a 4th & 1 inside their own 30 yard line. Under Mike Leach, the punter played less than the third string place kick holder, so it was a given he would go for it. But pretty much all of the other 160 FBS coaches would play field position, kick the ball away, and let the defense go back to work.

But now here comes Tuberville to Lubbock and he wants to win the hearts and minds of the home crowd, many of whom still miss Leach and his unique style of play. So ole Tommy decides to go for it. His QB has been in the shotgun formation all day but late in the game in a critical situation he goes under center for the first time. The center, who has been snapping the ball three yards everytime, does it once more. The ball is on the ground behind the line of scrimmage and only some quick thinking by the tailback who fell on it prevented an SMU lineman from getting a scoop and an easy touchdown. They gave up the ball deep in their own territory instead of flipping the field and an eventual touchdown with plenty of time remaining. Fortunately for Tuberbville, that was all the points tech would give up the rest of the way but his Leach impersonation almost cost him his first game as a sand aggie and it was only due to SMU's QB having a sore throwing arm that negated this costly mistake.

[texaspokieokie]

anyone watch the Tulsa game ??

lotsa offense.

lost on last play of game, as time ran out.

[King Crimson]

i miss the pirate, he always covered OOC. Tuberville, prolly not.

[King Crimson]

anyone watch the Tulsa game ??

lotsa offense.

lost on last play of game, as time ran out.

47 points in the 4th quarter. ECU coach Ruffin McNeil is the former Tech DC, yeah?

[texaspokieokie]

i like leach; but sure got tired of losing in lubbock.

[King Crimson]

i like leach; but sure got tired of losing in lubbock.

not a lot of good luck for us in Lub. even in 99 we blow a lead. we got hosed in 05 (?), Bradford concussion in 07 (Joey Halzle rallied, but too late after we couldnt' defend them for about 5 minutes in the 2nd Q), and then just asswaxed last year wearing those dumb unis.

[badger]

This might just be the year the OSU ends the 0-10 streak against Texas and OU with Gundy as their head coach.

... but it will not end in Stillwater.

It will end in Austin :D

:OPleasepleasepleaseplease

As for all the other teams, Tech nearly handed the game to Smoo. Credit the ponies for not giving up, but Tech still has defensive issues even though Mikey is gone.

Turner Gill... wow. Time for some tough love, man. The hugging and non-cursing coaching days have gotta end, even though cursing and lack of hugs ended your predecessor's tenure at KU. It sounds on paper, but it just does not work for every player.

[Breadburner]

The TU game just made me sick....!!!!

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

i miss the pirate, he always covered OOC. Tuberville, prolly not.LEACH FOR OC at OU...NOW!

[kelloggOUballa]

For those impressed with OSU, please see:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/265/year/2009/washington-state-cougars

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

For those impressed with OSU, please see:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/265/year/2009/washington-state-cougarsThe Cougs haven't done squat since Mike Price left for 'Bama, after the '02 season.

[MR2-Sooner86]

You forgot one fact in your post that can't be overlooked and that is that Hook em still succs

[badger]

For those impressed with OSU, please see:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/265/year/2009/washington-state-cougars

The Pokes might not readily admit it, but everyone votes with their dollars and their efforts as fans, and thus, they weren't very impressed with their opponent selection either.

For the first time in awhile, OSU had less than 50k attend a game at The Boone. More tickets have been sold for next week's Troy game - a mid-major conference opponent - than for this past Saturday's game against a Pac-10 team.

Link (http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/OSU/article.aspx?subjectid=93&articleid=20100906_93_B8_hOSUst231992&archive=yes)

So, let the Pokes gloat at how they beat a BCS conference opponent by a ton when we struggled against a mid-major opponent - they knew it wasn't going to be a contest, because they didn't show up to the game.

PS: The linked article also states that more fans showed up to a Grambling State game than a Mizzou game a few years ago - that was because it was Dad's day/Parents weekend, and I think Grambling was bringing their band too :D

[soonerhubs]

LEACH FOR OC at OU...NOW!

:gary:

I'm a fan of KW myself.

[King Crimson]

The Cougs haven't done squat since Mike Price left for 'Bama, after the '02 season.

not 100% correct. pretty sure Larry Doba was the coach of the Wazzou team we pasted in the Rose Bowl. in 2002.

[bluedogok]

Price left for Bama after the bowl game, Bill Doba took over after the bowl game. He had one good year there with Price's players. Kind of like Bill Stewart at West Virginia after RichRod.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Price left for Bama after the bowl game, Bill Doba took over after the bowl game. I didn't research it, but that was my recollection, too

[King Crimson]

I didn't research it, but that was my recollection, too

looks like you guys are right. i could have sworn (word?) we played Doba in the 02 Rose Bowl.

[TexasLidig8r]

1. The league's top defenses still have a lot to prove. Texas and Oklahoma were wholly unimpressive in their debuts, although Texas' mistakes weren't nearly as costly. Of the three supposedly elite defenses in the Big 12, Oklahoma looked the worst, giving up 341 yards and two touchdowns through the air to Utah State's Diondre Borel. Meanwhile, Nebraska gave up 179 yards on the ground to Western Kentucky in a performance coach Bo Pelini called "an absolute embarrassment." Texas wasn't gashed as badly against Rice, and gave up just 219 total yards, but the Longhorns defensive backs missed a handful of big plays. All three have to get a lot better to equal either of their 2009 editions.

2. The most impressive team in Week 1: Oklahoma State. Dana Holgorsen's Air Raid went nuts on Saturday night, racing all over the field at Boone Pickens Stadium for 544 yards and 65 points -- 38 in the first half. Kendall Hunter ran for four touchdowns and the Cowboys won the turnover battle 2-0. The Cowboys made fans a little nervous after letting Washington State inch to within 17-10 from an early 17-0 deficit, but Oklahoma State answered with the game's next five touchdowns to put the game ... uh ... out of reach.

3. Hes baaa-aack. Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin once again showcased his big-play capability, rushing for a 30-yard touchdown and throwing for two more -- a 68-yarder to Brad Taylor and a 23-yarder to Terrance Williams. He completed 19 of 36 passes for 242 yards and ran for 59 yards on six carries, a 9.8 yard average.

4. Kansas? Well, they're just not very good. Hard to envision a worse start for Turner Gill at Kansas. At least Ole Miss' 49-48 loss to an FCS team in double overtime was fun to watch. The Jayhawks 6-3 debacle had to be painful for fans watching at home and even more so for those in attendance. It's hard to find many positives from a mistake-laden performance at home against the Bison, who went 3-8 last season. I'll try: My preseason prediction of the Jayhawks as the Big 12's most improved team at season's end is looking pretty good. There's nowhere to go but up, but it's still hard to believe how far Kansas has fallen since a BCS bowl win in 2007. I got a few complaints after I pegged the Jayhawks at No. 12 in my preseason power rankings. I doubt I'll get any when they're right back there again on Tuesday morning. When Kansas suits up next weekend against No. 19 Georgia Tech, it will have been over 11 months (Oct. 10, 2009 vs. Iowa State) since the program has recorded a win.

5. I was 100 percent wrong about Kendall Hunter. It's easy to forget how good a guy can be when he struggles for so long like he did last year. The ankle injury must have affected him longer and more than anyone thought. You heard all spring and preseason about how Holgorsen thought Hunter was even better than he had been told, and Hunter validated all of that on Saturday night. Dominant, unstoppable, whatever. Use all the hyperbolic terms you want. Kendall Hunter was all of them, topping 200 yards in the first half. He should have been higher on my top 25 list, and he should have been higher on my ranking of the Big 12's running backs. He's better than Alexander Robinson at Iowa State. He's better than Roy Helu at Nebraska. Neither is capable of putting on the show Hunter did on Saturday night. Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray and Kansas State's Daniel Thomas? We'll find out over the next three months. All three topped 200 yards in impressive debuts.

http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/16498/what-we-learned-from-week-1

Any thoughts about K-State's win over UCLA? Haven't seen any highlights and didn't read any stats so don't know if K-State was good or UCLA was just that bad.

Looks like the Muffaloes handled Coloraydo State pretty easily also.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

K state looked pretty good..Daniel Thomas for them is probably one of the top 3 backs in the country...great player...

I don't think CSU is that good, so I m not sure what to take from that game

[Okie35]

K state looked pretty good..Daniel Thomas for them is probably one of the top 3 backs in the country...great player...

I don't think CSU is that good, so I m not sure what to take from that game

Which is why I think they have a shot at winning the North. Nebraska let that team have 179 yards on the ground ha. I mean I did pick Missouri or KSU to surprise Nebraska.

[Okie35]

Any thoughts about K-State's win over UCLA? Haven't seen any highlights and didn't read any stats so don't know if K-State was good or UCLA was just that bad.

Looks like the Muffaloes handled Coloraydo State pretty easily also.

UCLA didn't look bad they looked pretty improved. KSU doesn't really have a passing game though. You would think the run would open up the pass but it didn't. Coffman only looks for Smith because that's the only receiver it seems he's comfortable w/. Anyway, KSU does look improved as well.

[BoulderSooner79]

I watched the K-state/UCLA game and I thought both teams looked average at best. Both had QB problems, but K-state could run the ball while UCLA could not. I saw a report that the K-state QB was suffering from stomach flu, so maybe that are better than they looked. Certainly, their running back is a stud.

[Okie35]

I watched the K-state/UCLA game and I thought both teams looked average at best. Both had QB problems, but K-state could run the ball while UCLA could not. I saw a report that the K-state QB was suffering from stomach flu, so maybe that are better than they looked. Certainly, their running back is a stud.

They are average but last year they were TERRIBLE. They improved.

[BoulderSooner79]

They are average but last year they were TERRIBLE. They improved.

I don't disagree, just responding to Lid's question with my opinion of how they looked in that game.

[Okie35]

I don't disagree, just responding to Lid's question with my opinion of how they looked in that game.

Yea that's cool. I think KSU's o-line got better.

[rawlingsHOH]

5. I was 100 percent wrong about Kendall Hunter. It's easy to forget how good a guy can be when he struggles for so long like he did last year. The ankle injury must have affected him longer and more than anyone thought. You heard all spring and preseason about how Holgorsen thought Hunter was even better than he had been told, and Hunter validated all of that on Saturday night. Dominant, unstoppable, whatever. Use all the hyperbolic terms you want. Kendall Hunter was all of them, topping 200 yards in the first half. He should have been higher on my top 25 list, and he should have been higher on my ranking of the Big 12's running backs. He's better than Alexander Robinson at Iowa State. He's better than Roy Helu at Nebraska. Neither is capable of putting on the show Hunter did on Saturday night. Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray and Kansas State's Daniel Thomas? We'll find out over the next three months. All three topped 200 yards in impressive debuts.

Tap breaks. One game against an abysmal DL. Good player, but let's just follow the situation week to week.