Iowa State, Tech coaches have kept teams afloat
It’s a weekly occurrence in every sport, on all levels. Coaches lauding the coaches of the teams that are next up on the schedule. Turns out in 21st century America, every team is well-coached.
And Saturday in Ames, Iowa, it might even be true. The football seasons of Iowa State and Texas Tech both have perched on the edge of dismay earlier in the season. Yet now both teams shine as potential participants in the Big 12 Championship Game, even though both have resorted to using three quarterbacks.
Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell: “Really good coaching, no question. They do a good job adapting to their personnel. You gotta take your hat off to that staff.”
Campbell on Kingsbury: “Obviously, Kliff has always done a really great job developing quarterbacks. No matter who he’s put in, those guys have seemed to play at a really high rate.”
Tech started McLane Carter in the season opener against Ole Miss. But Carter suffered a first-quarter ankle injury, and the Red Raiders inserted true freshman Alan Bowman.
Bowman since has thrived, but he suffered a collapsed lung against West Virginia. Third-teamer Jett Duffey came on and led the Red Raiders to a spirited comeback that fell just short against the Mountaineers, then Duffey led Tech to a 17-14 victory at TCU.
Now Bowman is back, and the 5-2 Red Raiders are 3-1 in the Big 12 and in control of their own destiny to reach Arlington.
Meanwhile, Iowa State lost starting quarterback
Kyle Kempt to an ankle injury on Sept. 8 against Iowa. The Cyclones went with backup
Zeb Noland, who played mostly well for three games.
But on Oct. 6 in Stillwater, Iowa State inserted true freshman Brock Purdy, and he’s been spectacular in victories over OSU and West Virginia.
Now comes the ISU-Tech game in which true freshman quarterbacks are front and center, but their coaches have put them in great position.
Coach on the hot seat
Interim OU defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill was the most popular man in Oklahoma last Saturday against TCU. He was Anybody But Mike Stoops.
And sure enough, the OU defense played better against the hurting Horned Frogs, holding TCU’s offense to two touchdowns and two field goals.
But Saturday, McNeill is charged with holding down the cagey Kansas State Wildcats. Bill Snyder’s team is struggling, but Snyder always seems to have a twist or four up his sleeve against the Sooners, usually without the kind of throwing quarterback that gives OU fits.
K-State scored 35 on OU a year ago and has scored at least 30 on the Sooners five times in the last 10 years. Even before scoring exploded, Snyder was a thorn — his ‘Cats put up 35 on OU in that 2003 Big 12 Championship Game upset and 37 on the Sooners’ fabulous 2001 defense.
McNeill’s honeymoon could soon be over if OU’s defense allows Snyder to be up to his old tricks.
Upset special
The TCU offense has gone splat. How splat? Kansas no longer ranks last in Big 12 offensive efficiency. KU has been scoring at a slightly higher rate than have the Horned Frogs. And now TCU is without its starting quarterback and its best player.
In a 52-27 loss to OU last week, TCU quarterback Shawn Robinson was pulled in favor of backup Michael Collins, a transfer from Penn. Turns out Robinson needs shoulder surgery, and now this is Collins’ team.
Collins produced a couple of big plays, but one of those big plays was a 41-yard touchdown off a screen pass to KaVontae Turpin. Perhaps the Big 12’s best playmaker, Turpin has been dismissed from the team after a domestic violence arrest.
Kansas is 0-4 in the Big 12, but the Jayhawks are 2-5 overall and better than they’ve been in recent years. In TCU’s last two trips to Lawrence, the Frogs have escaped with 24-23 and 34-30 victories.
TCU is a 13 ½-point favorite, but let’s go with the Jayhawks in the upset.
Ranking the games
1. Texas Tech at Iowa State, 11 a.m., ESPN2: In the Air Raid era, the Cyclones have done a nice job holding down the Red Raiders — Tech has averaged 27.5 points in Ames this century.
2. Texas at Oklahoma State, 7 p.m., ABC: The last time the Longhorns played in Stillwater, Texas was ranked, OSU wasn’t and the Cowboys won 49-31.
3. Kansas State at Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m. Fox: This is the first OU-KSU game since 1988 that does not involve a Stoops brother. Bob Stoops or Mike Stoops or both were on Snyder’s staff from 1989-98. Then Bob Stoops became OU’s head coach, with Mike on the Sooner staff from 19992003 and 2012-two weeks ago. Of course, seems likely that the redshirting Drake Stoops, Bob’s son, will be dressed out for the Sooners, so maybe the streak continues.
4. TCU at Kansas, 2 p.m., Fox Sports 1: The Michael Collins era begins for the Horned Frogs. The transfer quarterback from Penn showed some chops against OU.
5. Baylor at West Virginia, won 58-14 by WVU on Thursday night: Wow, this was a mismatch. In four of these schools’ seven Big 12 meetings, the winner has reached at least 58 points.