Big 12 Conference Goes 9-1 on Opening Weekend with Average of 50.8 Points per Game

STILLWATER – The Big 12 Conference opened the 2022 season with a 9-1 mark on the openign weekend that stretched from No. 12 Oklahoma State’s 58-44 win over a game Central Michigan team to No. 18 Texas celebrating the debut of quarerback recruit extrordinaire Quinn Ewers with a 52-10 win over Louisiana-Monroe. 

Even the new members of the Big 12 did well going 2-2 with some tough games. Central Florida beating South Carolina State 56-10 on Thursday was good and then on Saturday No. 25 BYU exploded on South Florida 50-21, No. 24 Houston survived UTSA 37-35 in triple overtime, and No. 23 Cincinnati lost on the road to No. 19 Arkansas 31-24.

You know about the Cowboys win. Also on Thursday in the renewal of the Backyard Brawl No. 17 Pittsburgh scored late and got a final stop against a hot Mountaineers quarterback in J.T. Daniels in his first game ever for WVU. The 38-31 loss hurts, but West Virginia impressed a lot of folks in the ESPN featured game on Thursday night.

On Friday night Kansas was stout at home with a 56-10 win over Tennessee Tech. The Jayhawks are much better and got a good performance from three different running backs in rushing for 297-yards. It was the kind of night Kansas has not experienced in a while, except a couple of times with wins over Texas.

TCU used special teams and a first touchdown on a Derius Davis 60-yard punt return to beat Colorado 38-13 on the road in Boulder. Davis later scored on a 27-yard jet sweep to seal the win.

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Hunter Dekkers in opener.

On Saturday, Iowa State did not struggle in a 42-10 win over Southeast Missouri. New starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers was 25-of-31 for 293-yards and four touchdowns, three to Xavier Hutchinson. Dekkers did throw a pick, but it was a strong start for the Iowa native at quarterback.

Oklahoma was opening with new head coach Brent Venables and new transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel. All of that went well as Oklahoma

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Gavin Freeman dives into the end zone.

steamrolled UTEP in over 100 degree heat 45-13. The Sooners bounced out to  21-0 first quarter lead and the star of the show was Oklahoma City Heritage Hall freshman Gavin Freeman. Freeman had drawn  a lot of praise from Venables in the summer and fall camp. He came in and took a jet sweep on his first college football play ever and went 46-yards to the end zone. The crowd went nuts and Freeman, while on scholarship is kind of an underdog player.

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Baldwin scores on his TD run

Baylor was heavily favored at home with the Albany Great Danes. The Bears scored early and often setting some records along the way in a 69-10 win. Quarterback Blake Shapen was 17-20 for 214-yards and two touchdowns. The first one went to Monaray Baldwin, a 47-yard picture perfect delivery. Baldwin later added a 50-yard touchdown run. It was easy pickens for the Bears, who next week go on the road to face future Big 12 member BYU in Provo, Utah.

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Vaughn had an easy night.

Kansas State has been discussed as a sleeper candidate to win the Big 12 or go to the Big 12 Championship Game and then later in the summer they became more than a sleeper. They were the first pick by numerous afficionados. K-State did not disappoint in the opener handling a solid South Dakota FCS standout well with a 34-0 win. Deuce Vaughn was his usual outstanding slef with 126-yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Adrian Martiniez had zero turnovers to go with a touchdown run.

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Ewers with pass in win over ULM

All the hubbub in Austin for the debut of Quinn Ewers, his first series ended in an interception, but he came back and completed 16-of-24 for 225-yards and two touchdowns to go with one interception. Texas hammered Louisiana-Monroe 52-10 as star running back Bijon Robinson had 71-yards for 1 touchdown. Texas did start two true freshmen on the offensive line including Kelvin Banks, who did get beat up some in the game. Next week it gets real serious as No. 1 Alabama comes to Austin for a big noon kickoff game with Texas. 

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Shouck in a sling for the second opener in a row.

Texas Tech won in the debut of new head coach Joey McGuire, but it was bittersweet as for the second year in a row quarterback Tyler Shough hurt his non throwing shoulder in the contest. McGuire said it is either collarbone (more serious) or AC joint (less serious), but either way there was a lot of praise for the new look Red Raiders that threw for 472-yards in the 63-10 win over Murray State.