Big 12: League benefits from nation's upsets

The Big 12 emerged from a wild weekend with no major casualties.

Major bragging rights, rather, including the ultimate: We’re No. 1.

That’s the Oklahoma Sooners, the beneficiary of Southern Cal’s Thursday night upset at Oregon State. OU surged into the No. 1 ranking, a status it has held in the AP Poll more than any other program in history – 96 weeks dating back to 1936.

The Sooners did it by having no part of the upset fever that struck college football’s fifth week of action, routing TCU 35-10 in Norman.

And it wasn’t just the Sooners carrying the conference flag. mThe Big 12 now has four teams among the top seven in the rankings and six in the Top 25.

For now.

Last week, it was the SEC riding high, but league play brought two major clashes – and falls. Alabama popped Georgia in Athens and Ole Miss stunned Florida in Gainesville.

It’ll take true upsets to rankle the Big 12 hierarchy this week, since in a schedule oddity, the six ranked teams are facing the conference’s six unranked squads. Still, those riding high best beware.

“We talked earlier this week that anyone can beat anybody on any given Saturday,” Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford said after the rout of TCU. “That’s why you have to come out and play on edge every week.

“If not, someone’s liable to come in and beat you.”

The Sooners are No. 1 for the first time since the last week of the 2003 regular season. They’re the first league team to occupy No. 1 in the coaches poll since Texas won the national title and stood atop the final poll of 2005.

Missouri, now No. 3/4 (Coaches/AP), was No. 1 in the AP rankings the week before losing in the Big 12 title game. Texas is fifth in both polls, Texas Tech is 8/7, Kansas is No. 16 and Oklahoma State stands No. 22/21

It’s OSU’s first time in the rankings under fourth-year coach Mike Gundy.

“That was one of our goals,” said Cowboys linebacker Andre Sexton. “And if you don’t talk about it, it can’t happen. We talked about being in the Top 25.

“Everyone’s excited about it.”

Scoreboard

Oklahoma 35, TCU 10
Oklahoma State 55, Troy 24
Texas A&M 21, Army 17
Texas 52, Arkansas 10
Florida State 39, Colorado 21
Kansas State 45, Louisiana-Lafayette 37
Virginia Tech 35, Nebraska 30

Team of the Week: Oklahoma

Who else? The Sooners were supposedly facing a real test in the then-No. 23 Horned Frogs, who carried the nation’s leader in run defense and total defense.

The Frogs were tough against the run, holding OU to just 25 net yards on the ground. But Bradford and Co. ripped the gambling TCU defense for 411 and four touchdowns through the air.

“Our pass game was great,” said Bradford, whose stock as a Heisman favorite is rising, “and we knew they were going to load the box and try to stop the run.

“As many good receivers as we have, we like our chances when teams want to play us man-on-man across the board.”

Bradford’s first six completions went to different receivers and the 411 yards were the third-most by a Sooner quarterback.

OU hasn’t lost at home since the season opener of 2005 – to TCU. Now the Sooners own a 21-game home winning streak, just four off a program record that dates back to Bud Wilkinson.

Before this poll, they’d been tied with Notre Dame for the most weeks atop the AP poll. Now the Sooners stand alone.

Disappointment of the Week: Nebraska

The Cornhuskers thought their defense was returning to the stingy ways of old. Not yet, apparently.

Not after a previously sluggish Virginia Tech offense rolled up 377 yards, including 171 through the air. Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who began the season in a redshirt, also ran for 87 yards and a touchdown, gouging the Huskers with his speed on scrambles.

“We couldn’t stop him from running the ball,” said Nebraska linebacker Cody Glenn. “There were some breakdowns, but there were some plays where he just got out of the pocket and made plays.”

The Hokies went 6-for-6 on red zone opportunities and their 21 first downs were a season high. Virginia Tech hadn’t score more than 24 points in its first four games, and that high-point mark came against Furman.

As for the Huskers, a soft early schedule against the likes of Western Michigan, San Jose State and New Mexico State in which they allowed just 43 combined points may have led to a false sense of stoutness.

Nebraska, falling for the first time, lost a nonconference home game for only the third time since 1991. Next up: a visit from Missouri, which hasn’t scored fewer than 42 points in its four games.

Player of the Week: Manny Johnson, WR, Oklahoma

When TCU crowded the line and blitzed with frequency, Johnson became a hot read for Bradford.

And a hot hand.

Johnson caught five passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns that covered 76, 55 and 63 yards.

The senior wideout became the first Sooner to hit the 200-yard mark for receiving yards in a game, besting Mark Clayton’s school record of 190 yards set against Texas in 2003.

“Obviously, they had a lot of people in the box, so we took advantage of their defense and went outside,” Johnson said. “I enjoyed getting into the open space and being able to show off my speed a little bit.”

Freshman of the Week: Trent Hunter, FS, Texas A&M

Thrown into action as a sub for injured starter Jordan Peterson, Hunter responded with a game-high 17 tackles to help the Aggies hold off Army. A true freshman from Katy, Texas, Hunter was one of several first-year players making an impact for the Aggies.

“We had about seven or eight true freshmen play today and about six or seven started,” said A&M coach Mike Sherman. “He had his first start today in kind of an interesting situation. He did a lot for us.

“He’s just a fired-up kid and he’s got a lot of juice.”

Said Hunter: “You get a few tackles and you feel good, you know – all of those emotions running through you.”

Horns of plenty

Heading into conference play, some things are left unknown about Texas, despite its impressive 4-0 start. Is there a feature back? Are the wide receivers Big 12 threats?

This is certain: The Longhorns defense is thriving under new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

Smashing Arkansas, the Horns stuffed the run and harassed Hogs quarterback Casey Dick, sacking him seven times for 58 yards in losses. Arkansas finished with a net of 11 yards rushing.

“That’s a beating,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino conceded afterward.

The pressure came from everywhere, with end Brian Orapko contributing two of the sacks, but the other five coming from different players. The Longhorns now have 14 sacks in their last two games.

“This is the best we’ve played since the national title year,” said UT senior offensive lineman Cedric Dockery. “It shows up on the scoreboard and in the win column.”

’Cat Concerns

Kansas State rolled up 45 points and quarterback Josh Freeman racked up another big day.

Yet it was a rather uncomfortable day in Manhattan, where some in the crowd booed as the final seconds expired on a tighter-than-expected win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

The Wildcats, a three-touchdown favorite, were clinging to victory late, after surrendering 509 total yards to the Ragin’ Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference. And 335 yards came on the ground, making Lafayette the second straight foe to top the 300-yard rushing mark.

“I’m happy with the win and I’m happy with some of the production, some of the plays that were made,” K-State defensive end Ian Campbell said. “There’s definitely some issues that we need to resolve.”

Cowboy connection

Triplet talk is spreading throughout Stillwater.

Quarterback Zac Robinson, wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back Kendall Hunter continue to give the Cowboys a trio of game breakers. The Triplets.

This wouldn’t be the first time for a celebrated threesome at OSU, with the most notable coming in the late 1980s, when Barry Sanders ran to a Heisman and Hart Lee Dykes stretched the field at receiver and current coach Mike Gundy set Big Eight passing records.

Yet this could be the best set in the Big 12 era.

Behind those three, the Cowboys piled up 612 yards of offense in a rout of Troy that exacted revenge from an embarrassing loss a year ago.

Robinson tossed three touchdown passes to Bryant and Hunter ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns.

Buffs herded

Colorado carried confidence and momentum and long-term vision into its game against Florida State.

Bring on the questions and the fuzzy focus after a loss to the Seminoles.

FSU, scuffling offensively before Saturday, found a running game, going off for 259 yards against the Buffs. Antone Smith rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns as the Seminoles attempted just 22 passes and ran 46 times.

A Colorado defense that played so well in a win over West Virginia sprang holes against the Seminoles. The offense sputtered, too, especially early when Florida State surged in front.

The Buffs fell behind 25-7 through three quarters. A late rally wasn’t nearly enough.

And there was bad news beyond the season’s first loss, as starting offensive tackle Ryan Miller was lost for four to six weeks with a broken leg.

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