Big 12 Conference recap week 6

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Big 12 Conference Recap Week 6 (10-6-12)

Associated Press

John Hubert’s 4 TDs lead rout, keep Kansas State perfect

MANHATTAN, Kan. – John Hubert ran for 101 yards and four touchdowns on just 10 carries,Collin Klein had two touchdowns running and throwing and No. 7 Kansas State routed Kansas 56-16 on Saturday.

Klein finished with 129 yards passing and 116 yards rushing to help the Wildcats (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) pile up more than 50 points for the third straight year against their biggest rival. They’ve won four straight against the Jayhawks (1-4, 0-2) since Bill Snyder returned to the sideline.

The longtime Kansas State coach probably had some choice words for his team at halftime, when a slew of mistakes resulted in a modest 21-14 lead. But the Wildcats scored four touchdowns in the third quarter, three in a span of about 5 minutes, to put the game away.

Kansas’ Dayne Crist threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. The Notre Dame transfer was replaced by Michael Cummings in the fourth quarter.

James Sims had 115 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Jayhawks.

Just about everything that could go right for Kansas in the first half did.

It started with a time-gobbling, 86-yard drive that kept Klein and Co. on the sideline for a good chunk of the first quarter, and ended in a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tony Pierson.

Crist was 7-of-8 passing for 77 yards on the series.

Kansas State answered with a 74-yard drive of its own. Hubert did almost all the work, and his 20-yard touchdown run over a gaping right side knotted the game late in the quarter.

That’s when Kansas got sneaky — or downright audacious.

Held to three and presumably out, Kansas coach Charlie Weis told Ron Doherty to execute what amounted to a punter draw that went for a first down. The Jayhawks marched to the Kansas State 23 before they were held again, but this time they faked a field goal, and holder Blake Jablonski threw a pass to defensive end Toben Opurum – a former running back — to set up Sims’ short TD run.

Kansas State needed only four plays and just over a minute to answer again. Klein scooted for 27 yards and two plays later hit Tyler Lockett in stride for a 34-yard touchdown reception.

After holding Kansas to three-and-out — this time the Jayhawks did punt — the Wildcats needed only three plays to score. Angelo Pease ran for 28 yards, Klein went for 31 and then the fullback-like quarterback barreled in from a yard out to make it 21-14 with 9:35 left in the half.

It looked like Kansas State might score again just before the half when Crist was intercepted by Nigel Malone, who returned it to the Kansas 5. Crist made the touchdown-saving tackle.

There were only 16 seconds left on the clock, and Klein burned Kansas State’s last timeout for no apparent reason. He then ran a designed draw play and was stacked up in bounds and short of the goal line, allowing the final seconds to tick away without getting another play off.

Not that it mattered a whole lot.

The game quickly got out of hand in the third quarter.

Klein’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Travis Tannahill made it 28-14, and after Kansas managed a safety, Tre Parmelee fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give the Wildcats the ball back. Hubert made one cut and ran untouched 32 yards for another touchdown and a 35-16 lead.

Crist was picked off again on the Jayhawks’ next possession and, three plays later, Hubert scored from a yard out. Klein added another touchdown run minutes later to make it 49-16.

That was it for Klein, who has his nation-leading 13th game with at least one touchdown rushing and throwing since the start of last season. Daniel Sams took over at quarterback and led the Wildcats to the brink of another score before the game clock finally expired.

Texas Tech’s defense succumbs to Oklahoma

LUBBOCK, Texas — Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops wasn’t surprised quarterback Landry Jones bounced back for the No. 17 Sooners after a loss two weeks ago.

“Landry’s an excellent quarterback, and I thought just overall we had a good rhythm,” Stoops said after Jones threw two touchdowns in a 41-20 win over Texas Tech on Saturday. “Our receivers did a great job coming open, catching the ball.”

Blake Bell ran for two scores to help the Sooners avenge a home loss to the Red Raiders last season.

Jones said the loss to Kansas State two weeks ago motivated him some.

“But you’ve just got to realize what kind of player you are and realize what you’re capable of and kind of silence the outside and not really listen to what’s going on around you,” he said. “Just realize who you are and go out there and play the way you think you’re capable of playing.”

The win was crucial for Oklahoma to remain in contention for the Big 12 title.

Both of Jones’ touchdown passes went for 13 yards — one each to Justin Brown and Kenny Stills. The one to Stills, in the second quarter, was the 100th career touchdown for Jones.

Bell, in at quarterback, scored his touchdowns from a yard out.

Javon Harris put the game out of reach midway through the third quarter when he returned an interception 46 yards for a TD to put the Sooners (3-1, 1-1) up 38-13.

Stoops said running the ball helped set up some play-action passes for Jones.

“The line protected him,” he said. “He slipped out of some things that helped, which some people questioned two weeks ago if that was a hindrance. And obviously, all through the year it’s going to help him.”

Geno Smith tosses 4 more TD’s as WVU tops Texas in shootout

AUSTIN, Texas – Geno Smith and No. 8 West Virginia turned their first trip to Texas into a rollicking Wild West drama.

And now, two games into playing in a new conference, the Mountaineers look every bit like one of the teams to beat in the Big 12.

Smith passed for four touchdowns, Andrew Buie ran for 207 yards and two touchdowns and West Virginia came away with another wild victory, this time taking down the 11th-ranked Longhorns 48-45 on Saturday night.

A week after West Virginia ran up 70 points on Baylor at home, the Mountaineers turned their first road game in their new league into another high-scoring, heart-pounding affair.

“Every week, we’re going to go out and have fun,” Smith said after he and his teammates celebrated the win with several thousand West Virginia fans tucked into a corner of Royal-Memorial Stadium.

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen called the win “pretty cool.”

Smith, who has 24 touchdown passes this season without an interception, hit Stedman Bailey with a 6-yard score with 10:50 left to play. Buie’s second touchdown gave the Mountaineers a 10-point lead late with 1:18 left.

But West Virginia (5-0, 2-0) didn’t seal the win until recovering an onside kick with 14 seconds left after Texas scored a touchdown on a pass from David Ash to Marquise Goodwin.

Joe Bergeron scored four touchdowns, all on short runs, for Texas (4-1, 1-1), which is 2-7 at home in conference games since 2010. Texas has lost seven in a row to ranked opponents.

Smith was 25-of-35 passing for 268 yards in a game he had to be sharp. Texas’ aggressive defense hit him early and often and forced a second quarter fumble that the Longhorns recovered for a touchdown.

“They put me under duress a bit,” Smith said. “I just get up and continue to play.”

Smith continues to make all the big throws when the Mountaineers need it, and he had to in a game where every possession was critical. West Virginia went 5 for 5 on fourth downs.

“There weren’t a lot of times when we weren’t draped all over the guy when he was trying to throw,” Texas defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “You have to give him a lot of credit, his receivers a lot of credit.”

Buie was just as important to West Virginia’s ability to carve up the Texas defense. He averaged 6.7 yards against a Longhorns unit that pressured Smith but has struggled with tackling all season.

“We just lined up and ran it right at them,” Holgorsen said.

The fumble recovery for a touchdown sparked a first-half rally that brought Texas back from a 21-7 deficit to a 28-27 halftime lead. The Longhorns forced another fumble by Smith in the fourth. But Texas couldn’t capitalize when an errant snap sailed past Ash, leading to a 16-yard loss before Anthony Fera missed a 41-yard field goal attempt that would have tied the score at 41-41.

“That really hurt us,” Texas coach Mack Brown said.