The Big 12 played its second night of games for Week 1 on Friday, as three teams — Baylor, Colorado and Kansas — hit the field for non-conference showdowns.
While Kansas was facing FCS foe Wagner, both Baylor and Colorado were facing power conference programs in Auburn and Georgia Tech, respectively. But had homefield advantage too. Here are my thoughts from Friday night.
Baylor’s Big Defensive Problem
Well, I think you can put Baylor in the category of “if everything goes right” Big 12 contenders after the Bears’ 38-24 loss to the Auburn Tigers on Friday night. At least for now.
Baylor had a chance to prove that it had improved its defense from a season ago, one that was No. 87 in the country in total defense, giving up 386.2 yards per game. Using that as a standard, the Baylor defense had a bad night. It allowed Auburn 415 yards — and this was on a night in which Baylor’s offense had 483 total yards. Plus, neither team had a turnover.
The problem was big plays and missed stops. One was on special teams, a 98-yard kickoff return by Auburn’s Rayshawn Pleasant that made it 31-17 late in the third quarter. But Baylor answered right away as quarterback Sawyer Robertson led a quick touchdown drive.
Another was on Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold’s 27-yard touchdown run with 4.32 left. This was a simple option handoff to his running back, with the back sweeping left. The hope was to get Baylor’s middle linebacker to freeze long enough to get the first down (it was 4th-and-1). Just get the yard and move the chains. Instead, three Baylor defenders bit on the fake and Arnold had a hole big enough to run the Baylor Line through. Game over.
The two teams combined for nearly 900 yards in total offense. But Baylor was inefficient on third down (5-of-15) and Auburn was (5-of-10). Plus, the gambler in Bears coach Dave Aranda saw them go for it on fourth down six times and only convert three. One was a failed fourth down touchdown pass in the first quarter, a huge early missed opportunity.
Baylor didn’t need to win this game to prove to me that it had the potential to be better on defense this season. But it had to play better than Friday night. I don’t want to overreact to one game, but SMU is next week and that Baylor defense must get better or else it doesn’t matter how good the offense is — and that offense has the potential to be incredible.
Colorado’s Missed Opportunities
Many of you are looking at Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King’s game-winning touchdown run in the final two minutes to lift the Yellow Jackets past Colorado, 27-20. I was looking back at the first quarter.
The first quarter was an absolute mess for Georgia Tech. it turned the ball over on all three possessions. That was a golden opportunity for the Buffs to build a double-digit lead. Colorado scored after the first miscue but went three-and-out after the next two. That ended up being the ball game. Why?
Georgia Tech had seven possessions after that and it went field goal, touchdown, field goal, punt, touchdown, punt and touchdown. Combined that with the Buffs’ impotent offense for most of the first half and Colorado missed a golden opportunity to control the game. Sure, it was still close. But the Buffs could have put the Yellow Jackets in a big hole early and couldn’t do it.
When you get those chances, you must capitalize. Colorado was plus-3 in the turnover game and lost. That just cannot happen.
Kansas Makes It Look Easy
The Kansas Jayhawks did what they should have done against the Wagner Seahawks — make it look easy. Kansas won, 46-7, against the FCS program and moved to 2-0 for the season. The numbers look great for Kansas, and they should have.
Quarterback Jalon Daniels threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns. Daniel Hishaw Jr. rushed for 89 yards and a score. Emmanuel Henderson Jr. caught six passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Wagner had 163 total yards. This was a happy meal game if there ever was one for Kansas.
Now? Well, things finally get harder for Kansas. Next week the Jayhawks are on the road for the first time this season. Kansas will face Missouri, its old Big 8 rival, in a game that will test them like no other game so far. If the Jayhawks win that game, they get a week off before hosting West Virginia and Cincinnati in back-to-back games, and that’s a pathway to a potential 5-0 start.
Weigman Needs Work
I was at the Houston-SFA game on Thursday. From an SFA alumni standpoint, I don’t want to talk about it. But we need to talk about Houston quarterback Conner Weigman.
On paper, he looked efficient. He went 15-of-of-24 (62%) with 159 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. But I saw something different in person. I saw a quarterback that repeatedly locked in on certain parts of the field, didn’t look defenders off and didn’t appear to be going through progressions. On a few occasions he threw unnecessary jump balls that put his receivers — and his team’s possession of the football — in danger.
It isn’t that he isn’t capable. In the third quarter, I watched him clearly go to his third progression and find a wide-open receiver deep down the middle. But he didn’t do it nearly as often as I would expect from a quarterback in his fourth year of college.
Chalk it up to a season opener? Maybe. But he and the Cougars play their Big 12 opener in two weekends against Colorado. What I saw on Thursday night won’t cut it.
