Big 12 Football Week 1 Results: The Cougars Shocked

The Big 12 went 14-2 in Week One - UNLV trounced Houston, Penn State beat West Virginia, and Texas Texas barely survived ACU in overtime.

Sep 20, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; UNLV Rebels running back Keith Whitely (28) dives over the goal line to score a touchdown against the Houston Cougars during the first half at Houston Football Stadium. / Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Big 12 Week 1 Games

New Hampshire (0-1, 0-0) vs. UCF (1-0, 0-0)

Score: UCF won 57-3 over New Hampshire.

The Knights won their first home game against New Hampshire with a dominating rushing attack that ran for 454 yards. R.J. Harvey and Penny Boone led the way. They rushed for a combined 223 yards and three touchdowns, averaging over 10 yards a carry. K.J. Jefferson had an underwhelming start to the season, throwing 164 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception with a 50% completion accuracy. The Knights play Sam Houston next week and opened as a 23-point favorite.

Lindenwood (0-1, 0-0) vs. #22 Kansas (1-0, 0-0)

Score: #22 Kansas beat Lindenwood 48-3.

The Jayhawks started off the season well with a decisive win over Lindenwood. Junior quarterback Jalon Daniels only played in the first half and threw for 148 yards, one touchdown, and one interception with 60% accuracy. Kansas head coach Lance Leipold said, “I thought Jalon played really well." The team rushed for 331 yards, with lead running back Devin Neal rushing for 112 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 14 yards a carry. Next week, the Jayhawks will travel to Illinois to play the Fighting Illini.

North Dakota State (0-1, 0-0) vs. Colorado (1-0, 0-0)

Score: Colorado beat North Dakota State 31-26.

Colorado started the season with a win for the second time under Coach Deion Sanders. Colorado was losing 17-20 going into the half and rallied in the second half to win the game. Travis Hunter played all but two snaps of the game; as a receiver, he had seven receptions for 132 yards with three touchdowns. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 445 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Shedeur played well but needed to be smarter with the ball; for example, he threw an incomplete deep ball with under two minutes left, which stopped the clock. This allowed NDSU to regain the ball with 31 seconds left, which they almost won with. In the final play, quarterback Cam Miller threw a ball from the NDSU 47 that was caught 4 yards short of the endzone. After the game, Coach Sanders banned a writer from the Denver Post from asking post-game questions to any player or staffer. Next week, Colorado plays at Nebraska, which looked good under first-year quarterback Dylan Raiola and is favorited by six points.

Southern Utah (0-1, 0-0) vs. #12 Utah (1-0, 0-0)

Score: #12 Utah beat Southern Utah 49-0.

Utah is here! Quarterback Cam Rising was 10/16 with 254 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 25 yards. This is a career-high in touchdowns for him, even though he was taken out in the second quarter. In response to Rising’s success, Southern Utah’s head coach, Delane Fitzgerald, said, "We didn't make the windows very tight. We didn't make him have to be very accurate on the throws.”. We will see whether Fitzgerald’s comment holds true or if Rising improved after missing last season.

The Utes had two standout players on offense besides Rising; running back Dijon Stanley had six rushes for 34 yards while catching three balls for 150 yards with two touchdowns. The other was Brant Kuithe, who had four receptions for 69 yards and three touchdowns, which broke a Big 12 record for three receiving touchdowns in a half by a tight end.

TCU (1-0,0-0) vs. Stanford (0-1, 0-0)

Score: TCU beat Stanford 34-27.

Coach Sonny Dykes captured his first win over Stanford in his career after never beating them at California. The game was not pretty, but a win is a win. TCU started the game, giving the Cardinal forty-five yards in penalties, leading to an opening touchdown. TCU played sloppy with three fumbles, two of which were lost, and gave up four first downs by penalties on defense. The Frogs had 176 more total yards of offense than the Cardinal, but between the fumbles, numerous dropped passes, and a missed field goal, they kept the game unnecessarily close. Quarterback Josh Hoover played well; he threw for 353 yards with two touchdowns while connecting 28 of 42 passes. The defense had ten tackles for loss with four sacks included in that, which shows massive improvement compared to last season. Next week, TCU plays Long Island State.  

For a complete recap of the game, read our article here. Also, our writer, JD Andress, discusses the key takeaways from the game here.

#8 Penn State (1-0,0-0) vs. West Virginia (0-1, 0-0)

Score: #8 Penn State beat West Virginia 34-12.

Penn State went into Morgantown and took care of business. The Nittany Lions hired a new offensive coordinator in the off-season, who started on the right foot this year. Last year, Penn State lacked an explosive passing attack, which they showed off their new firepower against West Virginia. Penn State's quarterback, Drew Allar, threw a 50-yard touchdown and a 20-yard touchdown on the next possession. He also had a 55-yard pass right before the end of the half to set up for a touchdown with six seconds left in the half. West Virginia looked lost; quarterback Garret Greene had three fumbles, two of which were lost, and threw for 161 yards. West Virginia plays Albany next week, which should give them time to work things out for their next matchup after Pittsburgh.

South Dakota State (0-1, 0-0) vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State (1-0, 0-0)

Score: #17 Oklahoma State beat South Dakota State 44-20.

Oklahoma State beat the defending FCS champion South Dakota State and ended their 29-game winning streak. The Cowboys only had six more total yards than the Jackrabbits, which shows how this game was very close regardless of the score. Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon rushed for 104 yards with three touchdowns. Next week, Oklahoma State plays Arkansas at home, who is coming off a win where they scored a touchdown on every drive. The Cowboys are favored by 10 points.

Towson (0-1, 0-0) vs. Cincinnati (1-0, 0-0)

Score: Cincinnati beat Towson 38-20.

The Bearcats beat Towson with an excellent passing performance from Brendan Sorsby. Sorsby threw for 383 yards with two touchdowns and completed 71% of his passes while rushing for two touchdowns as well. When asked about the game, Sorsby said, “Explosive plays win games.," which is hard to argue with after that performance. Next week, Cincinnati plays Pittsburgh at home and is favored by 2.5.

North Dakota (0-1, 0-0) vs. Iowa State (1-0, 0-0)

Score: Iowa State beat North Dakota 21-3

Iowa State beat North Dakota in a much lower-scoring game than analysts predicted. Iowa State was favored by 30.5 points and failed even to score that many. The Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht played well; he threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns while completing 77% of passes. Next week, they play #25 Iowa in the Cy-Hawk series. Iowa’s head coach Kirk Ferentz returns from suspension for this game after not having missed a game in his 26-season tenure as head coach. Iowa played Illinois State, whom they beat 40-0, and they scored 25 more points than their season average last season. Iowa is favored by 3.5 points against Iowa State.

Tarleton State (0-1, 0-0) vs. Baylor (1-0, 0-0)

Score: Baylor beat Tarleton State 45-3.

Baylor is starting the season well after losing their season opener to Texas State last season. Toledo transfer quarterback Dequan Finn demonstrated his athleticism in the Bears' victory, where he threw for 192 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while starting the game with a 39-yard rushing touchdown. He was the MAC Player of the Year last season and showed a sample of what made him so special. Baylor plays at #12 Utah next week in a nonconference game, which should put Finn and his offense to the test. Utah is favored by 16 points.

UNLV (1-0,0-0) vs. Houston (0-1, 0-0)

Score: UNLV beat Houston 27-7.

Ouch! New head coach Willie Fritz is starting the season in a poor fashion. Houston has a very tough schedule this season, and this, on paper, was one of their two easiest games. Based on this performance, Houston may not win three games this season. The Cougars were held to 38 yards rushing and played three different quarterbacks during the game. UNLV outgained the Cougars in yards 308-247 while having less turnover as well. Houston plays at #16 Oklahoma next week and is a 29.5-point underdog.

UT Martin (0-1, 0-0) vs. #18 Kansas State (1-0,0-0)

Score: #18 Kansas State beat UT Martin 41-6.

This starts Kansas State's journey to the Big 12 championship game, and their defense looks like it is ready for anything. The defense allowed 2.4 yards per play and a total of 134 yards. KSU quarterback Avery Johnson played well; he threw for 153 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception while rushing for 39 yards on three attempts. He is the second-youngest quarterback ever to start a game for the Wildcats. Kansas State blocked a punt and took it to the house for seven points in the first half of the game. Next week, Kansas State plays at Tulane and is a 10.5-point favorite.

Abilene Christian (0-1, 0-0) vs. Texas Tech (1-0, 0-0)

Score: Texas Tech beat Abilene Christian 52-51 in overtime.

Holy moly, this emotional roller coaster of a game could have gone either way; the Wildcats went for two in overtime and were sacked to end the game. Abilene Christian's head coach, Keith Patterson, went for broke by going for it instead of playing it safe and kicking a PAT. Texas Tech’s quarterback Behren Morton threw for a career-high five touchdowns while throwing for 376 yards. This is the second straight season the Red Raiders have had a close game against a non-Power 4 team, except last season they lost to Wyoming in double overtime.

Patterson, Abilene Christian’s head coach, previously was the Red Raiders defensive coordinator and said, “We came here to win,” and that if the Red Raiders scored a touchdown in overtime, the Wildcats were going for two if they scored a touchdown. The Wildcats outgained the Red Raiders 603 yards to 539 yards. Next week, Texas Tech plays at Washington State.

Southern Illinois (0-1, 0-0) vs. BYU (1-0, 0-0)

Score: BYU beat Southern Illinois 41-13.

This is a great way to start off BYU’s 100th season. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw for a career-high 348 yards with three touchdowns. BYU has not lost a team outside the FBS since 1960, and they kept that streak alive. Next week, the Cougars play SMU, a contender for this year's ACC championship game.

New Mexico (0-2, 0-0) vs. Arizona (1-0, 0-0)

Score: Arizona beat New Mexico 61-39.

New Arizona head coach Brent Brennan came out with a bang. Arizona’s offense totaled 623 yards with 10.9 yards per play. Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 422 yards with four touchdowns and one interception with a 61% completion accuracy. He started the season where he left off last season, gunslinging and dangerous. The team was led by wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who caught ten passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. Both have put themselves in the conversation for the best at their position in the nation.

The Lobos came into the game with multiple coverages to deal with McMillan, which was a great plan until the game actually started, and then it all crumbled apart. When asked about dealing with McMillan after the game, New Mexico head coach Bronco Mendenhall said, “We tried man, man with help, and zone pressures… they did a very good job of moving him around.”. McMillan set a school record for most receiving yards and tied the touchdown record. Arizona next week plays North Arizona.

Wyoming (0-1, 0-0) vs. Arizona State (1-0, 0-0)

Score: Arizona State beat Wyoming 48-7.

Arizona State won its first game as part of the Big 12. ASU first-year quarterback Sam Leavitt looked confident while throwing for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Sun Devils outgained Wyoming 499 yards to 118 yards; they destroyed them.

Week One - Notable Games Outside of the Big 12

• #1 Georgia reminded viewers of why they are the best team in football with a 34-3 win over #14 Clemson. Carson Beck played well after losing Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, and Rara Thomas, his primary options last season. Georgia has a forty-game winning streak in the regular season, the second longest ever.

• #7 Notre Dame proved they are a contender this season after defeating #20 Texas A&M 23-13. Senior Duke transfer Riley Leonard demonstrated he could win the game with his arm and legs, whereas Conner Weigman could not repeat last year's success before his injury. Mike Elko, Texas A&M's new head coach, snapped at his offensive coordinator, Collin Klein, in the game's final minutes.

• #19 Miami beat Florida 41-17 with ease. Miami's quarterback, Cam Ward, looked like he was playing effortlessly while throwing for 385 yards with one touchdown and interception. This game could be a sign of things to come this season for Napier's team.

• #23 USC defeated #13 LSU in a nail-biting finish 27-20. Both teams lost their quarterbacks from last season in the first round of the NFL draft. Both quarterbacks played well and stepped up to the plate for the high-stakes game. With eight seconds left in the game, Woody Marks had a 13-yard rushing touchdown to seal the win for the Trojans.

• Vanderbilt shocked the world this weekend by beating Virginia Tech 34-27 in overtime. Many people had Virginia Tech in contention for the ACC championship as a dark horse candidate going into this game. Quarterback Diego Pavia transferred to Vanderbilt this past offseason with Tim Beck, his offensive coordinator at New Mexico State. Pavia led the team in passing and rushing yards and sealed the game with a 4-yard rushing touchdown in overtime.

So, if you are counting, after all that, I went 15-1 to start the season. Now it’s time to get ready for Week 2 of the season!

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