
By Scott Dochterman, Justin Williams and Sam Khan Jr.
The Big 12 cranked up the chaos Saturday with a pair of top 20 teams falling to unranked opponents. No. 11 Iowa State, which entered the weekend undefeated, lost 23-22 at home to Texas Tech, and No. 17 Kansas State fell 24-19 on the road to Houston. Both outcomes disrupt the top of the conference standings and have ramifications on the College Football Playoff race.
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In Ames, Iowa, the Cyclones’ bid for the first 8-0 start in program history slipped away when Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks burst into the end zone with 20 seconds left in a 23-22 upset at rain-drenched Jack Trice Stadium.
Texas Tech (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) took over at its 29-yard line with 2:06 remaining and drove 71 yards in 12 plays. The Red Raiders converted a fourth-and-7 with an 8-yard pass from quarterback Behren Morton to Josh Kelly that moved the ball past midfield. Morton then completed three straight passes on the drive to take the Red Raiders to the Iowa State 1-yard line.
Two plays after a false start penalty bounced Texas Tech to the 6-yard line, Brooks broke through for the game-winning touchdown.
Brooks finished with 122 yards on 25 carries. Kelly had eight catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
Tahj Brooks for the lead in Ames‼️ ⌚️
📺 ESPN | #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/P8CH4cgCvw
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) November 2, 2024
The No. 11 Cyclones (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) equaled their best start since 1938 and had plenty of opportunities to win. After pulling within 17-16, Iowa State missed a 51-yard field goal.
Then with 2:11 left, quarterback Rocco Becht threw a 44-yard strike to Carson Brown, who raced through the Texas Tech defense to put the Cyclones ahead 22-17. The two-point conversion fell incomplete, which proved pivotal.
In Houston, K-State blew a 9-point fourth-quarter lead, hampered by a pair of interceptions by quarterback Avery Johnson. The first gave Houston (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) a first-and-goal situation, resulting in a three-play touchdown drive. The second interception came on the heels of a 41-yard touchdown run by Cougars quarterback Zeon Chriss that gave Houston a decisive 24-19 lead.
HE’S GONE!!! @zeonchriss pic.twitter.com/9QrtOqvYiR
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) November 2, 2024
Kansas State (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) outgained Houston 327 to 232 in total yards, but the Wildcats struggled to establish a run game, managing just 89 yards on 34 attempts (2.6 yards per carry). The late turnovers were enough to turn the tide for the Coogs, led by Chriss who was a perfect 11 for 11 through the air for 103 yards and a touchdown. He added 75 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground.
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The Wildcats got the ball back with 35 seconds remaining, but a last-ditch Hail Mary was deflected out of the end zone as time expired.
In the end, two of the Big 12’s four ranked teams suffered defeat, while the other two (BYU and Colorado) are idle this weekend.
What Iowa State’s loss means
Saturday was a gut punch in an otherwise magical season for the Cyclones. But they came up just short of the best start in program history and could have some work to do to reach the Big 12 title game — most notably the season finale against Kansas State. It also puts a dent in Iowa State’s at-large College Football Playoff odds.
A Cyclones team that lost in the Big 12 championship — maybe to a still-undefeated BYU? — would have had a strong claim to earning a first-round Playoff berth. Now, an Iowa State team that doesn’t win the conference title would have at least two losses, and the best win might be the Week 2 non-conference win over then-ranked Iowa. — Justin Williams, college football senior writer
What Kansas State’s loss means
It’s a big — though not fatal — blow to the Wildcats’ Big 12 championship and CFP hopes. Kansas State is two games behind conference leader BYU in the loss column, but the Wildcats are helped by the fact that Iowa State suffered its first conference loss. Kansas State and Iowa State meet in the regular season finale on Nov. 30, which could turn out to be a Big 12 championship play-in game.
This was a win the Wildcats needed because the next three weeks are tough: K-State hosts Arizona State and Cincinnati before traveling to Ames, Iowa. Kansas State’s final three opponents had a combined record of 17-6. — Sam Khan Jr., college football senior writer
What the upsets mean for Big 12 and CFP races
Colorado is the big winner. The team is tied for second place in the conference, level with Iowa State and a game behind BYU. Kansas State, which handed Colorado its only conference loss thus far, suffered its second loss to drop below the Buffs in the standings.
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BYU remains the only unbeaten team in the Big 12 at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in league play. There’s still a month left in the season, but Saturday’s developments set up some potential tiebreaker headaches in the Big 12 championship race. BYU, which beat K-State earlier this season, doesn’t face Colorado or Iowa State the rest of the way. Colorado doesn’t face Iowa State either, setting up the potential for both teams to finish the regular season with one conference loss apiece and no head-to-head matchup.
The Cyclones face Kansas State in the regular-season finale. Beyond the jockeying for a spot in the conference title game, a second loss for K-State and Iowa State dropping from the ranks of undefeated teams also lessens — but doesn’t eliminate — the Big 12’s odds of sending two teams to the Playoff. — Williams
Texas Tech’s roller-coaster week
You could hear the cracks in coach Joey McGuire’s voice during ESPN’s postgame interview, with the emotion fighting its way through.
“Woo. We had a really rough week last week,” said McGuire, who coached the Red Raiders to bowl eligibility in the team’s biggest win of the season.
Texas Tech lost a 35-34 heartbreaker on the road to TCU last Saturday, fumbling away the ball in the final two minutes after blowing a 17-point second-half lead. That loss came one week after getting embarrassed at home by Baylor.
Then this week, Texas Tech was at the center of the unencrypted helmet communication ordeal. Audio of Tech’s in-game headset communications was captured by an outside entity, leading Tech to request a Big 12 review of its losses to Baylor and TCU and switch to a new company for its coach-to-helmet communication equipment.
The Big 12’s review found no evidence of wrongdoing against Tech, but a program and fanbase that felt placated and dismissed will find some vindication in Saturday’s upset in Ames. — Williams
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What the win means for Houston
It’s a huge step for new coach Willie Fritz. The Cougars struggled mightily out of the gate and entered this game with the Big 12’s lowest-scoring offense. Their defense has kept them in games and did so again Saturday.
But Chriss — who began the season as the backup before overtaking Donovan Smith for the starting role — has given this offense a spark. He helped lead an upset win over TCU last month. On Saturday, he went 11 for 11 passing, threw a touchdown pass and ran for 75 yards, including a 41-yard score that proved to be the game winner.
Chriss Career Night at home
Zeon Chriss Highlights ->#GoCoogs #Big12FB pic.twitter.com/xAYtW2fOWY— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) November 3, 2024
Few pegged Houston to make a bowl in Fritz’s first year, but that might be in the cards for the rebuilding Cougars. — Khan
Avery Johnson’s ups and downs
Johnson, the sophomore quarterback who entered the season with K-State’s Playoff hopes resting on his shoulders, has been the catalyst for the Wildcats in their wins and losses. When he’s on, he’s been terrific. But his lows have been tough to endure.
Johnson threw two interceptions Saturday, including a costly one late in the fourth quarter that stifled a potential scoring drive with 1:43 remaining. In Kansas State’s two losses, Johnson has thrown four of his seven interceptions. The other two came in the Wildcats’ 38-9 loss at BYU on Sept. 21. — Khan
Required reading
(Photo of Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks: Reese Strickland / Imagn Images)
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