WVU: Needs to Work on Penalties

               The game that was fun to watch over the Thanksgiving weekend was West Virginia vs. Iowa State.  This was a great game because this was the first meeting between the two teams.  This was a battle to the end of the game.

                In the first half, WVU lossed the coin toss and started on defense.  The first defensive stand for WVU forced ISU to go three and out.  Then the offense of WVU was on the field and looked like they were going to score a touchdown.  The only reason why a touchdown was not scored was because WVU had penalties that halted the drive and they settled for a field goal, which made the score 3-0 WVU.  WVU had good drives throughout the first half, but the one thing that hurt them was penalties.  This is a problem they have had all year and something they need to correct in the weeks to come.  In the rest of the first half, both teams scored two touchdowns each to make the score at half time 17-14 WVU.

                At the start of the second half, WVU started with the ball first and they looked like they did on the first drive of the game.  The drive was stalled again though because of penalties and WVU had to settle for a field goal to make the score 20-14 WVU.  WVU defense might not have been ready for this half because ISU quickly scored a touchdown to make it 21-20 ISU.  The last quarter of the game both teams were trading scores.  If one team would score the other would answer.  WVU was down by a point late in the game and got a touchdown plus a two point conversion.  The final score was 31-24 WVU.

                This game was fun to watch because both teams have had a rough year so far.  The win by WVU made them bowl eligible and this is good because the seniors will get to play another game.  I believe WVU is going to be able to compete next year with the Big 12 teams even more than they did this year.  Here is a link for highlights of the game.  http://www.big12sports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?db_oem_id=10410&id=1103235&catid=undefined

My Top Two Running Backs of the Big 12

               The Big 12 Conference is always fun to watch especially the running back position of the Big 12. My top two Running Backs are James Sims of the University of Kansas and Shawne Alston of West Virginia.

                Shawne Alston is a great running back because he waits for holes to open in the defense before he runs for a big gain.  He is also very strong and it takes a group of people on the opponent’s defense to bring him down.  These are things you need out of a great running back.  I believe he will be in the NFL and when he goes pro I think any coach would want him because of his toughness.

                My second running back is James Sims for KU.  He is a player that I believe will be a household name in the NFL whenever he goes pro.  I say this because in the last six games he has had one hundred yards rushing in each of them and this is something no opponents can stop.  He is always fun to watch and you can tell he just loves to play the game.

                These are my top two running backs, but I would like to see who are your favorite running backs of the Big 12. 

Podcast Interview about the Big 12

          For some time now you have seen my reviews of games and the opinions I have on the teams.  You have also heard my opinion on different players in the Big 12.  I want you to hear from someone else’s perspective and that is why I decided to do this interview.  Here is the interview I did with a member of my family, who is a fan of the Big 12 like me.

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Oklahoma State: Is a Great Team to Watch

               The game I watched this week in the Big 12 was number 23 Texas Tech vs. number 24 Oklahoma State.  I thought this game was going to be close because both teams were ranked.

                In the first half, OSU started with the ball first.  On their first drive OSU did not have much trouble going down the field against TTU and a touchdown was made to make the score 7-0 OSU.  This was the only score in the first quarter.  At the start of the second quarter, OSU’s defense could not stop TTU from scoring a touchdown to tie the game at seven all.  OSU’s offense quickly answered the touchdown by TTU with one of their own to make the score 14-7 OSU.  On the next defensive stand for OSU, they forced an interception and quickly the OSU offense turned it into a touchdown to make the score 21-7 OSU.  The rest of the half OSU scored two more touchdowns and TTU scored one touchdown right before the end of the half to make the score at half time 35-14 OSU.

                In the second half, OSU was on defense to start this half and intercepted TTU once again.  OSU’s offense turned this into a touchdown to make it 42-12 OSU.  This half was pretty much over before the fourth quarter. OSU was ready to play TTU on senior day.  The final score was 59-21 OSU.

                This game may have been a blowout, but there are a few things OSU needs to work on and that is not having any penalties.  I am confident they will correct this in the weeks to come. OSU showed once again why they are a tough opponent to play against.  Here is a link for highlights of the game.  http://www.big12sports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?db_oem_id=10410&id=1096752&catid=undefined

Texas Tech: Needs to Stay Focused for the Whole Game

                The best Big 12 game of the week I watched was Texas Tech University vs. the University of Kansas.  This game was one that I thought Texas Tech could easily get by with a win, but that’s why fans like me watch the Big 12 games each week.

                In the first half, TTU had the ball to start the game first.  On TTU’s first offensive drive they passed the ball down the field with ease and scored first in the game to make it 7-0 TTU.  This is when I thought they would make it a long day for KU’s defense, but KU’s defense stepped up.  On the opening defensive stand for TTU, they could not stop KU’s run game and quickly the score was tied 7-7.  Then for a while neither team could get anything going, but at the start of the second quarter TTU scored a quick touchdown pass and made the score 14-7 TTU.  TTU’s defense was not allowing KU to do much and quickly TTU scored again to make it 21-7.  At this point, I think TTU was too relaxed because KU scored the last ten points of the first half to make it 21-17.

                In the second half, neither team did much in the third quarter and only a field goal was scored by TTU to make the score 24-17.  TTU was still looking like they could have a bigger lead, but they scored a field goal to make it 27-20 TTU.  TTU’s defense would become too relaxed once again and KU would add a touchdown and a field goal to tie the game at 27-27 with 41 seconds left.  TTU still had a chance to win the game with a field goal to try to win the game, but it was no good and the game went into overtime.  In the first over time, TTU’s defense was on the field and could not stop KU and the score was 34-27 KU.  TTU now needed to force a second overtime by scoring a touchdown and they did which made the score 34-34 at the end of the first overtime.  In the second overtime, TTU’s offense scored a touchdown and all their defense had to do was stop KU’s offense.  TTU stopped KU and won the game.  The final score was 41-34 TTU.

                TTU is a tough team to play against, but they do have things to work on.  The major thing TTU has to work on is when they have a lead they need to not become too relaxed that way the opponent won’t have a chance to come back in the game.  Even though it was a battle to the end, this was one of the most exciting games I have seen in a long time in the Big 12.  Here is a link for highlights of the game.  http://www.big12sports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?db_oem_id=10410&id=1090606&catid=undefined

ISU: Needs to Work on Different Things

           The game I watched this week, that I thought would be the most intriguing, was Oklahoma vs. Iowa State.  This game was great to watch.  Iowa State once again showed no matter what they do in a game they will play a team tough for the entire game.

            In the first half, Iowa State’s offense had the ball first.  ISU could not do anything on the first drive because OU’s defense was tough.  ISU punted the ball away and the ISU defense was ready to come out on the field.  It looked like it was going to be a long day for ISU, but the defense stopped OU.  Later in the first half, ISU’s defense started to let OU’s offense dictate the game and OU went on a ninety yard drive to score a touchdown to make the score 7-0 OU.  This is where I thought the game would get out of hand for ISU because their offense could not get anything going.  Then ISU’s defense intercepted the ball twice to get the momentum back on their side.  On the two interceptions by ISU, they kicked two field goals to make the score 7-6 OU.  OU did score a touchdown before halftime to make the score 14-6 OU.

            In the second half, ISU was on defense, but it did not take long for OU to take the ball down the field and score a touchdown to make the score 21-6 OU.  ISU answered the touchdown by OU to make it 21-13 OU and this is where I thought the game was going to be close to the end.  OU answered back with another score to make it 28-13 OU.  The final score was 35-20 OU, but you could tell that OU could have scored at will on ISU because the defense was worn down. 

            This game may not have been close at the end, but ISU came to play.  The one thing ISU needs to work on is their offense and what I mean by this is they need to come up with more creative plays to trick the defense of an opposing team.  Here is a link for highlights of the game.  http://www.big12sports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?db_oem_id=10410&id=1083173&catid=34621

Top Two Quarterbacks of the Big 12

             The Big 12 has always had great quarterbacks throughout the years.  The two quarterbacks I think are the best right now are Landry Jones for Oklahoma and Colin Klein for K-State.

             The first quarterback I think is great is Landry Jones for Oklahoma.  The reason why I think this is because you can tell he is always prepared for an opponent.  Also he does not get rattled in games when things are not going well for him.  One can also tell just by watching him play that he does not take anything for granted which is something all quarterbacks need to be successful.

            The second quarterback is Colin Klein because he is always ready to play and he listens to his coaches well.  Another thing about him is he does not get sacked much and that is because he knows when to throw the ball away.  The last reason why I think he is good is because he can also run the ball besides passing it.  This makes it hard for opposing teams to stop him and is an aspect that every scout would be looking for in a quarterback. 

            These are my top two quarterbacks in the Big 12 right now, but I want to know who are your top two quarterbacks in the Big 12.  I know there are different opinions and I would like to see if we agree or disagree on our top two quarterbacks.