By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The Topper
>No. 5 Baylor (1-0) will play host to Norfolk State (2-0) at 7:00 p.m. Friday at the Ferrell Center. This is a rematch of the 2022 NCAA tournament first-round game at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth. Baylor, 85-49. The Bears are coming off their 117-53 rout of Mississippi Valley State on Monday to open the season.
>One linebacker option for the 2023 class is recent offer Chase Martin from Thousand Oaks, CA. Rivals doesn’t have a rating for him yet. His early offers were coming from MAC and Mountain West Schools. But he picked up offers from the Bears and Boise State this week.
>Recruiting Note I: Baylor made a push for 2023 North Crowley LB S’maje Burrell before he committed to Texas late in the spring. Don’t be surprised if the Bears regain some momentum here. That doesn’t mean Baylor will flip him – our Nick Harris had him as a potential flip candidate in a story earlier this week – but the longer Baylor can stay in this, things could change with the Rivals No. 243 prospect.
>Recruiting Note II: Even though he re-opened from Northwestern in mid-October, it does not appear Baylor is making any kind of push for 4-star defensive end Ashton Porter from Cy Ranch. There’s been little to no dialogue between the two sides. Baylor and Porter were in a good place in the spring through the spring football season until Porter went in another direction.
Notable Kansas State visitors
Baylor is promoting a blackout for this game against the Wildcats. But it’s also expected to be a good recruiting opportunity for targets. Subject to change, here is the list of those recruits who told SicEmSports they plan to attend.
2023
Austin Novosad, QB, Dripping Springs (Baylor commit)
Caden Jenkins, DB, Lewisville (Baylor commit)
Taurean York, LB, Temple (Baylor commit)
Brendan Bett, DE, Killeen Ellison (Baylor commit)
Micah Gifford, WR, Pflugerville Weiss (Baylor commit)
Dawson Pendergrass, RB, Mineola (Baylor commit)
Isaiah Robinson, OL, Arlington Lamar (Baylor commit)
DK Kalu, DT, Fort Bend Ridge Point (Baylor commit)
Wes Tucker, OL, Argyles (Baylor commit)
DJ Coleman, DB, Mesquite Horn (Baylor commit)
Corey Kelly, LB, League City Clear Falls (Baylor commit)
Matthew Klopfenstein, TE, Scottsdale (AZ) Horizon (Baylor commit)
Latreveon McCutchin, LB, Austin Johnson (Baylor interest)
Notable: Pretty good turnout by the 2023 commitment class. RB Bryson Washington has a family function so he couldn’t make it. DB Tay’Shawn Wilson said he plans to come to TCU. As for McCutchin, this is going to be the Baylor coaching staff's first time to ever see him. He didn't come to any of the camps. Again, he has no offer. Time will tell how/if the staff will move forward on him.
2024
Mason Dossett, Ath, Fort Bend Ridge Point (Baylor offer)
Brock Jackson, LB, Lumberton (Baylor offer)
Jadon Porter, WR, Lorena (Baylor commit)
D.G. Lagway, QB, Willis (Baylor offer)
Tre Griffiths, WR, Keller (Baylor offer)
Notable: Of course, the two Baylor legacies in Dossett and Lagway are coming. Still not a fan of Baylor’s chances with Lagway. Going to be tough. Rivals FutureCasts have him heading to Florida.
2025
Logan Schram, OL, Boerne (Baylor offer)
Talan Holmes, WR, Haslet V.R. Eaton (Baylor interest)
Harry Stewart, RB, Frisco Centennial (Baylor offer)
Adrian Wilson, WR, Pflugerville Weiss (Baylor offer)
Taz Williams, WR, Red Oak (Baylor Offer) - NEW Friday
TCA-Addison DT (Baylor interest) - NEW Saturday
Notable: All four of these are multiple visitors to home games. Baylor doing really good work on Schram, someone the staff really liked at the June camps.
Baylor Players talk Kansas State
Quarterback Blake Shapen, WR Josh Cameron, PK Noah Rauschenberg met with the media earlier this week to discuss the matchup with the Wildcats.
Blake Shapen
(How good is it to be home?) It's great. We had a tough couple of weeks going on the road and playing in some big environments and things like that. So, it feels good just to be able to come home and play in another good environment at home. Night game obviously, so it's gonna be fun and it's great that we're back home.
(What do you see from K-State’s defense?) I think their secondary’s pretty good. They got some good corners. I know they got one really long corner, number 23, he’s pretty good. But they run a pretty unique defense, kind of similar to Iowa State. And so, hopefully we'll have some big opportunities in the pass game and in the run game, too.
(On Josh Cameron’s big day) Yeah. No, Josh had a great week of practice leading up to the game. He was fun just to have on the field and see him have a game like that. And that only just boosts confidence in a guy like that. When you're young and you’re starting to get more experience game by game, and to be able to kind of have your breakout game, and that only gives you more confidence under your belt for the future. And so, I'm excited to see what Josh can do for us.
(What do you think about the versatility in the running back room?) Yeah, all of them are great. I mean, you're right. There's a bunch of versatility with each guy. They all have their strengths and they bring kind of everything that you need in a running back to the table. And that only helps us. And so does having the offensive line that we have opening up those holes and things like that is also a plus for us. So, it's been fun watching those guys running around.
(How cool was it to see Sqwirl have that kind of game?) It's awesome. That makes me more happy than anything seeing a guy like that. That's been here for so long. And finally … he's on and off the field and hurt, and seeing him be able to come out and do what he did – rush for what? 290 (yards) or something like that, couple of touchdowns. And just seeing that, it was great to see. He played a great game and I’m so proud of him, too.
(Where do you think you and the offense has grown in terms of confidence over the past couple weeks?) I think that you can talk about playing more complimentary football and things like that. And more of … we're playing as a team more, too. It helps watching our defense get a stop and us getting a turnover, a stop or whatever, and feeding off that. That only makes us go out there and want to score even more. And so, just being able to bounce back off of each other and things like that gives us a lot of confidence. And also, us being able to establish the run game these last couple of weeks. I know y'all see the numbers that we're putting up in that area, and it's pretty impressive. And so, that has a lot to do with it.
(What does it say about this team to be able to get a win in Norman despite not having the best game?) I think that just shows how close we are as a team. We’ve faced so many different obstacles and struggles throughout the season. And we've lost some games that maybe we feel like we should have won. And I think that we've got that feeling, we've had that feeling. And so, that only makes us know that that feeling can happen again and we do our best to not let that happen again. Even if we're not playing our best game, being able to stick together as a unit, as a team. Like I said earlier, playing complimentary football and things like that, you're seeing that more out of us now. And so, that's what's helping us.
(At this point in the season, how do you feel like you’ve evolved; what’s something you’ve learned about yourself?) Yeah, just, I've had to evolve in being more vocal, I guess, and things like that. Just trying to get better as a player every single day. When it's such a long season like this, it's easy to try to be out of the facility as early as you can and things like that and maybe take shortcuts. And for me personally, I'm not the type of person that can do that because I know that's gonna come back and haunt me. If I'm not in and out of the facility late and I'm not watching film, and I'm not putting in all the work that needs to be put in prior to the game, I know that I'm not giving my team the best opportunity to win. And so, that's what I have to do week in and week out and I know a bunch of other guys are doing the same.
(What’s allowed you guys to have a killer instinct to finish key drives at the end of the game?)
I think everything falls behind our offensive line. They’re a bunch of veteran guys that kind of (have) been through it. They're mature and they understand kind of just what it takes to get the job done. And so, I think us being able to follow their lead and let them lead the way is a huge key in that happening.
(Do you like the confidence Aranda has to go for it deep in your own territory?) Yeah, he’s great. No, it's awesome. And for us, we just got to keep converting for that to keep happening. So, no it's awesome to see your head coach have confidence in the unit like that and be able to understand that we're gonna go out there and execute.
(Is it to the point now where you expect it?) Yeah. I understand when we're going to go for it and things like that. So, yeah. I’m not really surprised.
Also, I just want to say, we need to have as many fans as we can get out to the game. It's going to be a night game, it’s going to be a big game. And we need everyone there. We're on a roll and we got to keep it going. So, I'm excited to see everybody at the game.
Josh Cameron
(Coming off two road wins, confidence level) I’d say it’s really high, to be honest. Even in practice today, the energy level was probably the highest it’s been, like ever, this whole season, to be honest. Everybody was coming together, flying around, all that stuff. So, I’d say we’re really confident right now, for sure.
(Having a game like that on Saturday) It’s cool, I guess, but I just love working, to be honest. Really, just getting the opportunity to go out there and do my thing. I’ve got to give credit to really the other guys. Like, the O-line, if they weren’t on their stuff, then Blake wouldn’t have time to get me the ball and all that stuff. So, I just have to give credit to them. I’d say it definitely feels good, but shoot, we’re on to the next game now.
(Seemed like Blake had a lot of confidence in you) I think that’s just a trust thing, to be honest. Like, that’s my boy, on and off the field. That’s the main thing is just the trust, for sure.
(Having so many backs that can contribute) It's awesome, to be honest. You’ve got Sqwirl, speed, really power, too, because once he gets downhill, you’ve got to watch out for that, too. But then you have Qualan, also the big power back. Then, you’ve got my boy, Reese, for sure. Just the variety, I think it’s just really hard for teams to kind of game plan that, because let’s say Sqwirl gets hurt or something, and then Reese steps in. And it’s like, ‘Oh, who’s this guy?’ It’s a completely different game plan now, it’s a lot of variety, for sure.
(Different receiver each week, how do you stay patient to wait for your turn) I’d say one thing Coach Baker has done a good job is really keeping the room together and not really focusing on individual accolades and stuff like that. He’s always like, wait for your time, your time is going to come. Or, whenever your time comes, be ready. So, he always just prepares us for that. It just so happens that the last game was my time. And he had me ready for it, for sure.
(Each time you’ve had a one-possession lead and the ball in the fourth quarter, you guys have either scored or bled the clock. Where does that killer instinct come from to close out the game)
That’s truly just the work we put into practice. One thing we always talk about is strain to finish. That’s finishing blocks, through the whistle, in and out of plays, getting out of the huddle quick, just really strain to finish in practice. And then, when it gets to the game, it’s just second nature at that point. So, it’s just easy.
(What do you see from K-State’s defense, Blake said they have some good corners) They have some pretty long corners, that’s something we’re going to be looking out for. And then another thing is they like to fill the run pretty hard. So, really just meeting that contact and just really exploiting that.
(Was that an adjustment coming to college and going for it on 4th-and-1 from your own 30) That’s actually really funny, because when I was at Cedar Park, we actually rarely punted the ball. It was the exact same way, probably even worse there in terms of going for it. We’d go for 4th-and-1, probably at the 10-yard line. We just had that kind of confidence. So, I’m really used to it, to be honest.
(Coach Aranda talked about how some of the younger guys had to adjust to him, when he’s talking in metaphors, maybe he has to be a little more direct)
We have this young guy meeting group, and it was actually a moment where he was speaking in metaphors, and I pretty much picked up on it. But I looked around, and everyone was like, ‘Uhhh’ (confused looks). So, he just reiterated it and made it a little bit more clear, but I think that’s just the young guy thing. And once you get around him more, you kind of get used to what he’s saying, and then you just start picking up on the things he’s saying.
Noah Rauschenberg
(K-State) Every time we’ve played them, they’ve always been a really physical team, always tough. They’re always well coached, and they handle their business and do everything right. So it’s going to be a tough opponent. We’ve just got to execute and do our thing, and hopefully we can come out on top.
(Phillip Brooks) He’s just an elite player. He’s very agile, great speed, and he just has an instinct that a lot of other guys really don’t have. He knows when to cut, how to cut, and just finds open space to get good yardage whenever he can.
(Touchbacks) It was tough to start the season. We were using different balls. I was using Keebeen balls to hit kickoffs, and we figured out if I was able to use my own ball that I like produces a better kickoff. After the OSU game, I got to choose my own ball and I’ve had better production with that, so I’m happy with how it’s performed out there.
(What makes Mayers a good kicker) He consistently hits a good ball, and it goes in. That’s all you can ask for as a kicker is to make three points. That’s all you really need. It’s a great testament to his willpower, especially what happened last year and losing the job, and fighting back and winning it back this year, just all the respect to him.
(Back to McLane) We always love playing at McLane. We want our fans to come out strong. We know it’s a night game. It’s the first night game in a couple of years for us here. It’s going to be fun just watching all the excitement, all the buzz. So it’s going to be a huge atmosphere and we expect a lot, and we hope they can make a difference in this game.
SicEmSports Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports unveils its looks at the league who in its view deserves to be ranked where. Agree or disagree, here’s how they look.
1. TCU – Now, No. 4 in the CFP poll
2. Baylor – Running game starting to dominate
3. Kansas State – Adrian Martinez late fumble vs. Texas stings
4. Texas — When Bijan Robinson is right….
5. Kansas – Going bowling for the first time since Bush 43
6. Oklahoma State – This is looking like a collapse
7. Oklahoma – This defense is so bad
8. Texas Tech – Have to beat Kansas to be in the bowl hunt
9. Iowa State – QB Hunter Dekkers isn’t that bad
10. West Virginia – Neal Brown watch continues
Big 12 Weekend
A look at the Big 12 schedule for the upcoming weekend. All games are Saturday unless otherwise listed. Rankings are from the coaches and AP polls. All times are central. TV is listed. All 10 teams are in action.
Oklahoma (5-4, 2-4) at West Virginia (3-6, 1-5); 11:00 a.m. Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV (FS1).
Series: Oklahoma leads, 11-2
Notable: Sooners need one more win to become bowl eligible. If the Mountaineers officially become ineligible for the postseason, would they make the move with Neal Brown.
Iowa State (4-5, 1-5) at Oklahoma State (6-3, 3-3); 2:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (ESPNU)
Series: Oklahoma State leads, 33-20-3
Notable: It’s unknown if QB Spencer Sanders will return to play for the Cowboys this week. Cyclones need to win two of the final three to become bowl eligible.
No. 13 Kansas State (6-3, 4-2) at Baylor (6-3, 4-2); 6:00 p.m., McLane Stadium, Waco (FS1)
Series: Baylor leads, 10-9
Notable: Two of the top turnover teams in the Big 12 in turnover ratio. KSU +9, Baylor +3.
Kansas (6-3, 3-3) at Texas Tech (4-5, 2-4); 6:00 p.m., AT&T Jones Stadium, Lubbock (ESPN+)
Series: Texas Tech leads, 21-2
Notable: Now, that bowl eligibility is secured, Kansas is looking for its first winning season since 2008. Red Raiders are 4-1 at home and 0-4 on the road.
No. 4 TCU (9-0, 6-0) at No. 18 Texas (6-3, 4-2); 6:30 p.m., Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (ABC)
Series: Texas leads, 64-27-1
Notable: ESPN College GameDay will be in Austin. This is the national night game. Texas needs this to stay in the race. TCU can pretty much wrap up a berth in the Big 12 title game with a win.
Publisher
The Topper
>No. 5 Baylor (1-0) will play host to Norfolk State (2-0) at 7:00 p.m. Friday at the Ferrell Center. This is a rematch of the 2022 NCAA tournament first-round game at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth. Baylor, 85-49. The Bears are coming off their 117-53 rout of Mississippi Valley State on Monday to open the season.
>One linebacker option for the 2023 class is recent offer Chase Martin from Thousand Oaks, CA. Rivals doesn’t have a rating for him yet. His early offers were coming from MAC and Mountain West Schools. But he picked up offers from the Bears and Boise State this week.
>Recruiting Note I: Baylor made a push for 2023 North Crowley LB S’maje Burrell before he committed to Texas late in the spring. Don’t be surprised if the Bears regain some momentum here. That doesn’t mean Baylor will flip him – our Nick Harris had him as a potential flip candidate in a story earlier this week – but the longer Baylor can stay in this, things could change with the Rivals No. 243 prospect.
>Recruiting Note II: Even though he re-opened from Northwestern in mid-October, it does not appear Baylor is making any kind of push for 4-star defensive end Ashton Porter from Cy Ranch. There’s been little to no dialogue between the two sides. Baylor and Porter were in a good place in the spring through the spring football season until Porter went in another direction.
Notable Kansas State visitors
Baylor is promoting a blackout for this game against the Wildcats. But it’s also expected to be a good recruiting opportunity for targets. Subject to change, here is the list of those recruits who told SicEmSports they plan to attend.
2023
Austin Novosad, QB, Dripping Springs (Baylor commit)
Caden Jenkins, DB, Lewisville (Baylor commit)
Taurean York, LB, Temple (Baylor commit)
Brendan Bett, DE, Killeen Ellison (Baylor commit)
Micah Gifford, WR, Pflugerville Weiss (Baylor commit)
Dawson Pendergrass, RB, Mineola (Baylor commit)
Isaiah Robinson, OL, Arlington Lamar (Baylor commit)
DK Kalu, DT, Fort Bend Ridge Point (Baylor commit)
Wes Tucker, OL, Argyles (Baylor commit)
DJ Coleman, DB, Mesquite Horn (Baylor commit)
Corey Kelly, LB, League City Clear Falls (Baylor commit)
Matthew Klopfenstein, TE, Scottsdale (AZ) Horizon (Baylor commit)
Latreveon McCutchin, LB, Austin Johnson (Baylor interest)
Notable: Pretty good turnout by the 2023 commitment class. RB Bryson Washington has a family function so he couldn’t make it. DB Tay’Shawn Wilson said he plans to come to TCU. As for McCutchin, this is going to be the Baylor coaching staff's first time to ever see him. He didn't come to any of the camps. Again, he has no offer. Time will tell how/if the staff will move forward on him.
2024
Mason Dossett, Ath, Fort Bend Ridge Point (Baylor offer)
Brock Jackson, LB, Lumberton (Baylor offer)
Jadon Porter, WR, Lorena (Baylor commit)
D.G. Lagway, QB, Willis (Baylor offer)
Tre Griffiths, WR, Keller (Baylor offer)
Notable: Of course, the two Baylor legacies in Dossett and Lagway are coming. Still not a fan of Baylor’s chances with Lagway. Going to be tough. Rivals FutureCasts have him heading to Florida.
2025
Logan Schram, OL, Boerne (Baylor offer)
Talan Holmes, WR, Haslet V.R. Eaton (Baylor interest)
Harry Stewart, RB, Frisco Centennial (Baylor offer)
Adrian Wilson, WR, Pflugerville Weiss (Baylor offer)
Taz Williams, WR, Red Oak (Baylor Offer) - NEW Friday
TCA-Addison DT (Baylor interest) - NEW Saturday
Notable: All four of these are multiple visitors to home games. Baylor doing really good work on Schram, someone the staff really liked at the June camps.
Baylor Players talk Kansas State
Quarterback Blake Shapen, WR Josh Cameron, PK Noah Rauschenberg met with the media earlier this week to discuss the matchup with the Wildcats.
Blake Shapen
(How good is it to be home?) It's great. We had a tough couple of weeks going on the road and playing in some big environments and things like that. So, it feels good just to be able to come home and play in another good environment at home. Night game obviously, so it's gonna be fun and it's great that we're back home.
(What do you see from K-State’s defense?) I think their secondary’s pretty good. They got some good corners. I know they got one really long corner, number 23, he’s pretty good. But they run a pretty unique defense, kind of similar to Iowa State. And so, hopefully we'll have some big opportunities in the pass game and in the run game, too.
(On Josh Cameron’s big day) Yeah. No, Josh had a great week of practice leading up to the game. He was fun just to have on the field and see him have a game like that. And that only just boosts confidence in a guy like that. When you're young and you’re starting to get more experience game by game, and to be able to kind of have your breakout game, and that only gives you more confidence under your belt for the future. And so, I'm excited to see what Josh can do for us.
(What do you think about the versatility in the running back room?) Yeah, all of them are great. I mean, you're right. There's a bunch of versatility with each guy. They all have their strengths and they bring kind of everything that you need in a running back to the table. And that only helps us. And so does having the offensive line that we have opening up those holes and things like that is also a plus for us. So, it's been fun watching those guys running around.
(How cool was it to see Sqwirl have that kind of game?) It's awesome. That makes me more happy than anything seeing a guy like that. That's been here for so long. And finally … he's on and off the field and hurt, and seeing him be able to come out and do what he did – rush for what? 290 (yards) or something like that, couple of touchdowns. And just seeing that, it was great to see. He played a great game and I’m so proud of him, too.
(Where do you think you and the offense has grown in terms of confidence over the past couple weeks?) I think that you can talk about playing more complimentary football and things like that. And more of … we're playing as a team more, too. It helps watching our defense get a stop and us getting a turnover, a stop or whatever, and feeding off that. That only makes us go out there and want to score even more. And so, just being able to bounce back off of each other and things like that gives us a lot of confidence. And also, us being able to establish the run game these last couple of weeks. I know y'all see the numbers that we're putting up in that area, and it's pretty impressive. And so, that has a lot to do with it.
(What does it say about this team to be able to get a win in Norman despite not having the best game?) I think that just shows how close we are as a team. We’ve faced so many different obstacles and struggles throughout the season. And we've lost some games that maybe we feel like we should have won. And I think that we've got that feeling, we've had that feeling. And so, that only makes us know that that feeling can happen again and we do our best to not let that happen again. Even if we're not playing our best game, being able to stick together as a unit, as a team. Like I said earlier, playing complimentary football and things like that, you're seeing that more out of us now. And so, that's what's helping us.
(At this point in the season, how do you feel like you’ve evolved; what’s something you’ve learned about yourself?) Yeah, just, I've had to evolve in being more vocal, I guess, and things like that. Just trying to get better as a player every single day. When it's such a long season like this, it's easy to try to be out of the facility as early as you can and things like that and maybe take shortcuts. And for me personally, I'm not the type of person that can do that because I know that's gonna come back and haunt me. If I'm not in and out of the facility late and I'm not watching film, and I'm not putting in all the work that needs to be put in prior to the game, I know that I'm not giving my team the best opportunity to win. And so, that's what I have to do week in and week out and I know a bunch of other guys are doing the same.
(What’s allowed you guys to have a killer instinct to finish key drives at the end of the game?)
I think everything falls behind our offensive line. They’re a bunch of veteran guys that kind of (have) been through it. They're mature and they understand kind of just what it takes to get the job done. And so, I think us being able to follow their lead and let them lead the way is a huge key in that happening.
(Do you like the confidence Aranda has to go for it deep in your own territory?) Yeah, he’s great. No, it's awesome. And for us, we just got to keep converting for that to keep happening. So, no it's awesome to see your head coach have confidence in the unit like that and be able to understand that we're gonna go out there and execute.
(Is it to the point now where you expect it?) Yeah. I understand when we're going to go for it and things like that. So, yeah. I’m not really surprised.
Also, I just want to say, we need to have as many fans as we can get out to the game. It's going to be a night game, it’s going to be a big game. And we need everyone there. We're on a roll and we got to keep it going. So, I'm excited to see everybody at the game.
Josh Cameron
(Coming off two road wins, confidence level) I’d say it’s really high, to be honest. Even in practice today, the energy level was probably the highest it’s been, like ever, this whole season, to be honest. Everybody was coming together, flying around, all that stuff. So, I’d say we’re really confident right now, for sure.
(Having a game like that on Saturday) It’s cool, I guess, but I just love working, to be honest. Really, just getting the opportunity to go out there and do my thing. I’ve got to give credit to really the other guys. Like, the O-line, if they weren’t on their stuff, then Blake wouldn’t have time to get me the ball and all that stuff. So, I just have to give credit to them. I’d say it definitely feels good, but shoot, we’re on to the next game now.
(Seemed like Blake had a lot of confidence in you) I think that’s just a trust thing, to be honest. Like, that’s my boy, on and off the field. That’s the main thing is just the trust, for sure.
(Having so many backs that can contribute) It's awesome, to be honest. You’ve got Sqwirl, speed, really power, too, because once he gets downhill, you’ve got to watch out for that, too. But then you have Qualan, also the big power back. Then, you’ve got my boy, Reese, for sure. Just the variety, I think it’s just really hard for teams to kind of game plan that, because let’s say Sqwirl gets hurt or something, and then Reese steps in. And it’s like, ‘Oh, who’s this guy?’ It’s a completely different game plan now, it’s a lot of variety, for sure.
(Different receiver each week, how do you stay patient to wait for your turn) I’d say one thing Coach Baker has done a good job is really keeping the room together and not really focusing on individual accolades and stuff like that. He’s always like, wait for your time, your time is going to come. Or, whenever your time comes, be ready. So, he always just prepares us for that. It just so happens that the last game was my time. And he had me ready for it, for sure.
(Each time you’ve had a one-possession lead and the ball in the fourth quarter, you guys have either scored or bled the clock. Where does that killer instinct come from to close out the game)
That’s truly just the work we put into practice. One thing we always talk about is strain to finish. That’s finishing blocks, through the whistle, in and out of plays, getting out of the huddle quick, just really strain to finish in practice. And then, when it gets to the game, it’s just second nature at that point. So, it’s just easy.
(What do you see from K-State’s defense, Blake said they have some good corners) They have some pretty long corners, that’s something we’re going to be looking out for. And then another thing is they like to fill the run pretty hard. So, really just meeting that contact and just really exploiting that.
(Was that an adjustment coming to college and going for it on 4th-and-1 from your own 30) That’s actually really funny, because when I was at Cedar Park, we actually rarely punted the ball. It was the exact same way, probably even worse there in terms of going for it. We’d go for 4th-and-1, probably at the 10-yard line. We just had that kind of confidence. So, I’m really used to it, to be honest.
(Coach Aranda talked about how some of the younger guys had to adjust to him, when he’s talking in metaphors, maybe he has to be a little more direct)
We have this young guy meeting group, and it was actually a moment where he was speaking in metaphors, and I pretty much picked up on it. But I looked around, and everyone was like, ‘Uhhh’ (confused looks). So, he just reiterated it and made it a little bit more clear, but I think that’s just the young guy thing. And once you get around him more, you kind of get used to what he’s saying, and then you just start picking up on the things he’s saying.
Noah Rauschenberg
(K-State) Every time we’ve played them, they’ve always been a really physical team, always tough. They’re always well coached, and they handle their business and do everything right. So it’s going to be a tough opponent. We’ve just got to execute and do our thing, and hopefully we can come out on top.
(Phillip Brooks) He’s just an elite player. He’s very agile, great speed, and he just has an instinct that a lot of other guys really don’t have. He knows when to cut, how to cut, and just finds open space to get good yardage whenever he can.
(Touchbacks) It was tough to start the season. We were using different balls. I was using Keebeen balls to hit kickoffs, and we figured out if I was able to use my own ball that I like produces a better kickoff. After the OSU game, I got to choose my own ball and I’ve had better production with that, so I’m happy with how it’s performed out there.
(What makes Mayers a good kicker) He consistently hits a good ball, and it goes in. That’s all you can ask for as a kicker is to make three points. That’s all you really need. It’s a great testament to his willpower, especially what happened last year and losing the job, and fighting back and winning it back this year, just all the respect to him.
(Back to McLane) We always love playing at McLane. We want our fans to come out strong. We know it’s a night game. It’s the first night game in a couple of years for us here. It’s going to be fun just watching all the excitement, all the buzz. So it’s going to be a huge atmosphere and we expect a lot, and we hope they can make a difference in this game.
SicEmSports Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports unveils its looks at the league who in its view deserves to be ranked where. Agree or disagree, here’s how they look.
1. TCU – Now, No. 4 in the CFP poll
2. Baylor – Running game starting to dominate
3. Kansas State – Adrian Martinez late fumble vs. Texas stings
4. Texas — When Bijan Robinson is right….
5. Kansas – Going bowling for the first time since Bush 43
6. Oklahoma State – This is looking like a collapse
7. Oklahoma – This defense is so bad
8. Texas Tech – Have to beat Kansas to be in the bowl hunt
9. Iowa State – QB Hunter Dekkers isn’t that bad
10. West Virginia – Neal Brown watch continues
Big 12 Weekend
A look at the Big 12 schedule for the upcoming weekend. All games are Saturday unless otherwise listed. Rankings are from the coaches and AP polls. All times are central. TV is listed. All 10 teams are in action.
Oklahoma (5-4, 2-4) at West Virginia (3-6, 1-5); 11:00 a.m. Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV (FS1).
Series: Oklahoma leads, 11-2
Notable: Sooners need one more win to become bowl eligible. If the Mountaineers officially become ineligible for the postseason, would they make the move with Neal Brown.
Iowa State (4-5, 1-5) at Oklahoma State (6-3, 3-3); 2:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (ESPNU)
Series: Oklahoma State leads, 33-20-3
Notable: It’s unknown if QB Spencer Sanders will return to play for the Cowboys this week. Cyclones need to win two of the final three to become bowl eligible.
No. 13 Kansas State (6-3, 4-2) at Baylor (6-3, 4-2); 6:00 p.m., McLane Stadium, Waco (FS1)
Series: Baylor leads, 10-9
Notable: Two of the top turnover teams in the Big 12 in turnover ratio. KSU +9, Baylor +3.
Kansas (6-3, 3-3) at Texas Tech (4-5, 2-4); 6:00 p.m., AT&T Jones Stadium, Lubbock (ESPN+)
Series: Texas Tech leads, 21-2
Notable: Now, that bowl eligibility is secured, Kansas is looking for its first winning season since 2008. Red Raiders are 4-1 at home and 0-4 on the road.
No. 4 TCU (9-0, 6-0) at No. 18 Texas (6-3, 4-2); 6:30 p.m., Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (ABC)
Series: Texas leads, 64-27-1
Notable: ESPN College GameDay will be in Austin. This is the national night game. Texas needs this to stay in the race. TCU can pretty much wrap up a berth in the Big 12 title game with a win.
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