The Texas Longhorns needed a win on Saturday as they were chasing two other teams in action. Iowa State and Kansas State looked to remain perfect and stay atop the Big 12 Conference standings. The Cyclones were hosting the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Wildcats took their show on the road as they traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, to play the Horned Frogs.
Texas Tech at Iowa State
Following their huge win over the Oklahoma Sooners, the Cyclones could have fallen into the trap game. Often when a team gets a huge win, they are prone to the letdown game. However, it didn’t happen in Ames, Iowa. The Red Raiders struck first on a blocked field goal where Zach McPherson ran it back 90 yards. The Iowa State defense however didn’t give up a single offensive point until the final five minutes of the game.
Breece Hall once again ran like a man possessed. He rushed for over 100 yards for a fourth straight game to open the season. The Tech defense had no answer as Iowa State averaged five yards per carry in this game. They had 227 yards on the ground, and Brock Purdy added 302 yards in the air. The offense held a 31-7 lead before Henry Colombi found Erik Ezukanma for the touchdown. The Cyclones won 31-15 and improved to 3-1.
They remained perfect in conference play. Next week, Iowa State will be on a bye week before heading to Stillwater to take on the undefeated Oklahoma State Cowboys. Texas Tech will host West Virginia after its bye week. Saturday’s game was a tough one for the Red Raiders, who might have a quarterback controversy on their hands.
Kansas State vs Texas Christian
It was an old school defensive slugfest between Kansas State and TCU. The Wildcats were without quarterback Skylar Thompson. Will Howard took all the snaps under center. Howard ran for 86 yards and touchdown. He added another 117 yards on the ground for KSU. The defense was able to harass the Horned Frogs quarterback.
A week after Max Duggan torched the Longhorns defense, he wasn’t able get it going against the Wildcats. Kansas State was able to get to Duggan for three sacks, ultimately ending with him being benched. Matthew Downing didn’t do any better for TCU. Duggan rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown but his passing wasn’t there for him.
The Wildcats defense held strong in this game. Despite the offense not putting up many points, the defense decided to take matters into their own hands. A.J. Parker picked off Downing to put the Wildcats up 21-7 in the third. Duggan did rush for a score with 3:39 left in the game but Kansas State joined Iowa State in staying perfect.
Next up for Kansas State is its yearly fight for state bragging rights. It will play Kansas. The Horned Frogs will look to get back on the winning side when they host the Oklahoma Sooners.