Big 12 Football Week 2 Results: Nebraska Dismantles Colorado

This week was full of upsets and close games, with most games being within single digits.

Sep 7, 2024; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon II (0) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

Big 12 Football Week 2 Results: The Week of Close Games

Week 2 of the college football season has finished. The Big 12 went 10-6, loaded with nail-biter finishes. TCU shut out LIU and won 45-0 for their first shutout since 2017.

The week's games started strong on Friday night with a BYU road win at SMU. On Saturday, Colorado played Nebraska and was truly humbled, with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leaving early for undisclosed reasons.

Big 12 Week 2 Results

BYU (2-0, 0-0) at SMU (2-1, 0-0)

BYU shocked many by beating SMU this week. SMU used a two-quarterback system, and `Kevin Jennings took a majority of the snaps this week. He threw with under 50% percent accuracy and an interception.

Result: BYU beat SMU 18-15.

Pittsburgh (2-0, 0-0) at Cincinnati (1-1, 0-0)

On the predictions article last week, I said, “This game is going to be very close. It really could go either way.”. It could not have been any closer; Pittsburgh won by one point and was down by eleven going into the half. Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby played very well, throwing for 298 yards and three touchdowns.

Result: Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati 28-27.

Arkansas (1-1, 0-0) at #16 Oklahoma State (2-0, 0-0)

Oklahoma State may have won, but they have a lot of issues. They were down 21-7 going into the half. The Cowboys' defense kept the team alive by creating three turnovers, one of which was returned for 73 yards. The offense started very slow, but in the fourth, they scored eighteen points with help from their defense by leaving them with good field position. Star running back Ollie Gordon II had a very underwhelming performance, rushing for 49 yards on 17 attempts, but scored a touchdown to win the game.

Result: Oklahoma State beat Arkansas 39-31 in 2OT.

#17 Kansas State (2-0, 0-0) at Tulane (1-1, 0-0)

This game was even closer than the score shows. Kansas State was down 21-0 at the half but rallied and scored 24 points in the second half while only allowing seven. The Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson threw for 182 yards with a pair of touchdowns and rushed for an additional 40 yards. Tulane had 95 more total yards than Kansas State did, but Tulane had two turnovers. Next week is a good test for the Wildcats as they play #20 Arizona.

Result: Kansas State beat Tulane 34-27.

Iowa State (2-0, 0-0) at #21 Iowa (1-1, 0-0)

Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) passes the ball for a touch down against Iowa during the third quarter in the Cy-Hawk series at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cy-Hawk Showdown did not disappoint! The Hawkeyes' offense looked great to start the game and then hit the brakes. They were shut out in the said half. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht played well. He threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns with an interception as well. Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara did the Hawkeyes no favors as he threw for 99 yards and two interceptions. Iowa State is on a bye next week.  

Result: Iowa State beat Iowa 20-19.

Baylor (1-1, 0-0) at #11 Utah (2-0, 0-0)

Well, Utah may have won, but star quarterback Cam Rising left the game injured with a bloody hand and did not return. He threw for 92 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game. With backup quarterback Isaac Wilson in, the Utes only had 92 yards in the second half. In the first quarter, Baylor had -10 yards on ten plays and did not have a first down until midway through the second quarter. Utah plays Utah State next week, and Baylor plays Air Force.

Result: Utah beat Baylor 23-12.

Albany (1-1, 1-0) at West Virginia (2-0, 0-0)

West Virginia took care of business this week. Garret Greene threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns after a lackluster week against Penn State. The game was much closer than the score suggests. Albany had 21 first downs, whereas WVU had 30, and Albany dominated time of possession. The Mountaineers had two different quarterbacks rush for over 100 yards.

Result: West Virginia beat Albany 49-14.

Sam Houston (1-1, 0-0) at UCF (2-0, 0-0)

UCF played well and had five players rush for over 50 yards. UCF quarterback K.J. Jefferson played well, and he threw for 169 yards with an 80% completion accuracy while rushing for 50 yards as well.

Result: UCF beat Sam Houston 45-14.

#19 Kansas (1-1, 0-0) at Illinois (2-0, 0-0)

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels played poorly this week. He threw for 141 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Kansas could not put things together and struggled on offense. They had four turnovers. Kansas demonstrated they have a great rushing attack led by Devin Neal, who rushed for 101 yards on 14 attempts. Kansas plays UNLV next week, who beat Houston earlier this season.

Result: Illinois beat Kansas 23-17.

Colorado (1-1, 0-0) at Nebraska (2-0, 0-0)

Nebraska dismantled Colorado this week. Shedeur Sanders was sacked five times, and the Buffs did not have a first down until five drives into the game. Nebraska led 28-0 going into halftime, and Shilo Sanders left in the first half with an arm injury. Nebraska first-year quarterback Dylan Raiola stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. He had a 77% completion accuracy with 185 yards and a touchdown. Sanders threw for 244 yards with one touchdown and an interception with a 61% completion accuracy. He left the game early, seemingly injured. Two-way player Travis Hunter had 110 yards on 11 catches with one tackle.

Result: Nebraska beat Colorado 28-10.

Houston (0-2, 0-0) vs. #15 Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0)

This game shocked the college football world this past weekend. UNLV pummeled Houston last week. Houston almost pulled off a massive upset the next week in Norman. Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold threw for 174 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and in the second half, the Sooners were shut out offensively. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said, “We did enough things wrong to deserve to lose.”. Oklahoma plays Tulane next week and could easily lose that game. Next week, Houston looks to win their first game of the week against Rice.

Result: Oklahoma beat Houston 16-12.

Long Island State (0-2, 0-1) at TCU (2-0, 0-0)

TCU shut out LIU in a great Week Two win. The Horned Frogs allowed 149 yards and forced one turnover. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover tied a TCU record for fourteen straight completions while throwing for 278 yards and two touchdowns. TCU running back Cam Cook rushed for three touchdowns and played a great game. This was TCU’s only non-Power Four opponent this year. Head coach Sonny Dykes said, “It is hard to shut out a team… They didn’t really give up any big plays.”. TCU kept driving their way down the field with very few plays over twenty yards.

Result: TCU beat LIU  45-0.

North Arizona (1-1, 0-0) at #20 Arizona (2-0, 0-0)

Arizona’s offense looked lackluster this week after a great performance last week. Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita completed 67% of passes for 143 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Northern Arizona was up 10-6 going into the half. Star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was held to two catches and eleven yards. Arizona plays Kansas State next week in a nonconference game.

Result: Arizona beat North Arizona 22-10.

Texas Tech (1-1, 0-0) at Washington State (2-0, 0-0)

Texas Tech played without running back Tahj Brooks who rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown the week before. The Red Raiders kept taking unnecessary risks all game. They started the game with a modified onside kick and failed to convert on fourth down two times during the games. Tech quarterback Behren Morton threw for 323 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions, and 58 attempts. Washington State rushed for four rushing touchdowns and was led by quarterback John Mateer, who rushed 197 yards and scored once. Texas Tech plays North Teas next week and is favored by 10.5 points.

Result: Washington State beat Texas Tech 37-16.

Mississippi State (1-1, 0-0) at Arizona State (2-0, 0-0)

Arizona State pushed the envelope this week by going for it four times and converting it every time. The Sun Devils dominated time of possession. They held the ball for forty minutes of the game. ASU running back Cam Skattebo rushed for 262 on 33 rushes, with his longest going for 39 yards. Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen played well; he threw for 269 yards with two touchdowns. Arizona State plays Texas State next week.

Result: Arizona State beat Mississippi State 30-23.

So, if you are counting, after all that, I went 13-3 in Week 2 and am 28-4 on the year. Now it’s time to get ready for Week 3 of the season!

Games Outside the Big 12:

• #3 Texas massacred #9 Michigan 31-12 in an embarrassment of a game. Texas outscored Michigan 24-3 in the first half! Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 246 yards with three touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes. Michigan’s offense just looked lost on the field. Texas plays UTSA next week, and Michigan plays Arkansas State.

• #8 Penn State went down to the wire and beat Bowling Green 34-27. The Falcons were up 24-20 going into halftime and were dominating Penn State’s defense. Penn State played sloppy in the first half and this game could have gone either way. Bowling Green plays Texas A&M next week.

• Yikes #5 Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois 16-14. Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard threw for 163 yards and two interceptions. This game was not only an embarrassment for Notre Dame but for Texas A&M too. Notre Dame hopes to bounce next week against Purdue.

• #14 Tennessee defeated #24 North Carolina State 51-10. Nico Iamaleava threw for 211 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. NC State did not show up to this game. The Volunteers rushed for 249 yards and controlled the pace of the game. The Wolfpack had three turnovers and were sloppy.

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