Around the Big 12 Week 7: BYU lands a signature win as Texas Tech rolls
BYU takes down Notre Dame, Texas Tech rolls and Houston holds off Oklahoma State in the debut of our weekly Big 12 roundup.
By Bearcat Bunch · Published
Welcome to Around the Conferences, a new weekly series from CFBDepth covering every FBS conference. Each installment will examine the week’s results and the roster developments behind them, with a closer look at individual performances and what they mean for the games ahead. We begin with the Big 12’s Week 7 slate.
BYU gave the Big 12 its biggest national headline of Week 7, turning a primetime visit from Notre Dame into a signature win. The conference’s other unbeaten teams survived, too, with Texas Tech overwhelming Arizona State and Utah recovering from a third-quarter scare at Colorado.
Houston kept pressure on the leaders by outlasting Oklahoma State. Elsewhere, TCU’s defense carried it through a rivalry game, West Virginia finally broke through in conference play, and Kansas State extended its hold on the Sunflower Showdown. Here’s what mattered across the league.
BYU delivers on the biggest stage
BYU 28, Notre Dame 24
Bear Bachmeier had a hand in all four BYU touchdowns, throwing for one, running for two and catching another as the eighth-ranked Cougars knocked off No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo. The Cougars gave themselves a chance to control the game early, then had to recover when that advantage disappeared. Bachmeier was central to both parts of the performance.
His versatility gave BYU a 21–10 halftime lead, but the defense’s work during a difficult third quarter helped preserve the opportunity to win. A fumbled punt return and a failed fake punt handed Notre Dame favorable field position. Both possessions ended in field goals, keeping the Irish from fully capitalizing on BYU’s mistakes.
Those two stops kept a difficult stretch from becoming decisive. Notre Dame had chances to seize control without having to drive the length of the field; BYU limited the damage and left its offense within reach of a late winning possession.
After Notre Dame moved ahead 24–21, Bachmeier delivered the decisive six-yard touchdown pass to Walker Lyons with 1:47 remaining. He finished with 224 passing yards, while Preston Rex supplied 66 rushing yards. Safety Raider Damuni also contributed seven tackles in his first appearance since the season opener.
The Big 12 subsequently acknowledged that one second should have remained after Notre Dame’s final incompletion, adding controversy to BYU’s highest-ranked victory since beating No. 1 Miami in 1990.
Texas Tech gets its fast start and Arizona State faces a quarterback decision
Texas Tech 53, Arizona State 25
Texas Tech had 404 yards and a 43–10 lead by halftime. For a team whose slow starts had drawn attention earlier in the season, this was a convincing response.
J’Koby Williams supplied the biggest plays with Cameron Dickey sidelined by a high ankle sprain. Williams rushed for 165 yards on just 11 carries, scoring from 62 and 38 yards. His opening-drive fumble briefly interrupted the offense, but Ben Roberts answered with a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown to open the scoring.
Will Hammond added 232 passing yards and touchdowns through the air and on the ground. Kenny Johnson caught seven passes for 120 yards as the Red Raiders improved to 6–0.
That distribution is encouraging for a team playing without its full backfield. Williams did not need a heavy workload to change the game, and Tech could still lean on Hammond and Johnson when it went to the air. Arizona State had to account for more than the replacement in the backfield, and the first-half deficit quickly made its own offense’s job more difficult.
Arizona State left with a more immediate personnel question. Mikey Keene replaced Cutter Boley at halftime after Boley threw two interceptions, then passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns. That improvement came against a defense protecting a 33-point lead, which matters when evaluating the change.
Kenny Dillingham declined to disclose his quarterback plans Monday ahead of the Kansas State game. Keene gave the Sun Devils something to consider, but the halftime switch had not become a publicly confirmed change at starter.
Houston finishes the game with the ball
Houston 35, Oklahoma State 32
Conner Weigman’s five touchdown passes gave Houston the lead it needed. The Cougars’ final possession made sure Oklahoma State never got another chance to erase it.
Weigman threw for 343 yards, with Amare Thomas producing 126 receiving yards and two touchdowns and Trent Walker adding 104 yards and another score. Each time Oklahoma State threatened after halftime, Houston found an answer. Weigman’s 48-yard touchdown pass to Koby Young restored a ten-point lead after the Cowboys had closed within three early in the fourth quarter.
The distribution of those throws was encouraging for Houston. Thomas and Walker supplied the sustained production, while Young’s score showed the Cougars could get a critical play from another target.
Drew Mestemaker kept Oklahoma State dangerous, finishing with 365 passing yards and three touchdowns. Caleb Hawkins contributed 193 yards from scrimmage, including a 66-yard touchdown reception. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on four of their five second-half possessions, but their 14–3 halftime deficit left little margin for another empty trip.
After Justin Bowick’s touchdown cut the score to 35–32 with 4:54 remaining, Houston converted the third downs it needed and kept possession through the finish. The Cougars improved to 6–1 overall and 3–1 in conference play, setting up a consequential trip to Utah.
Still, the finish puts Houston’s defensive work in perspective. Controlling the final possession was essential because the Cougars had struggled to end Oklahoma State drives after halftime. That is a concern to carry into Utah, even with Weigman playing well.
Utah survives the response in Boulder
Utah 27, Colorado 24
Utah controlled the first half, outgaining Colorado 248–70 and taking a 13–0 lead into the locker room. That control disappeared quickly when the Buffaloes scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Once Colorado moved in front, Utah’s offense had to take a larger share of the responsibility. The comfortable first-half rhythm was gone, and the Utes needed touchdown drives to regain control of a game that had changed quickly.
Devon Dampier and Braden Pegan supplied the response. Dampier threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, with Pegan catching both of Utah’s second-half touchdown passes as part of an eight-catch, 86-yard night. Those scoring drives restored the lead and gave the Utes enough room to withstand Colorado’s late touchdown.
The Buffaloes generated 324 of their 394 yards after halftime. Isaac Wilson’s 68-yard touchdown pass to JaQuail Smith started the rally, and his late scoring throw to DeAndre Moore Jr. brought Colorado within three.
Colorado’s second-half passing game gave the Buffaloes a route back into the contest and something to build on. The challenge is finding that production earlier, before a sluggish opening leaves so little room for empty possessions.
Utah remained unbeaten, but the second half exposed how quickly its early advantage could disappear once Colorado started creating explosive plays. With Weigman and Houston visiting next, that is the part of the performance the Utes need to address.
TCU makes Baylor work for every yard
TCU 17, Baylor 6
Baylor ran 87 plays and never reached the end zone. TCU’s defense made that volume largely unproductive, limiting the Bears to 310 yards and shutting them out after halftime.
Koron Hayward led the disruption with three of the Horned Frogs’ four sacks. DJ Lagway completed 22 of 53 passes for 256 yards and an interception, while Baylor managed just 54 net rushing yards. The Bears repeatedly found themselves trying to rescue drives through the air.
TCU’s offense had its own limitations, finishing with only 33 net rushing yards. Jaden Craig and his receivers generated the big plays TCU needed. Craig threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns, Jordan Dwyer caught six passes for 150 yards, and Ed Small added seven receptions for 91 yards and a score.
The decisive sequence came immediately after halftime. Leading 7–6, TCU covered 75 yards in three plays, with Dwyer’s 67-yard reception setting up an eight-yard touchdown to Ka’Morreun Pimpton. The drive took just 44 seconds.
That quick strike was especially valuable in a game where neither offense could lean on its running game. TCU turned a one-point halftime lead into an eight-point advantage before Baylor’s offense returned to the field. The Horned Frogs had found enough through the air to give their defense a bigger lead to protect, even with the ground game struggling to contribute.
For Baylor, allowing 17 points and losing by double digits puts the focus squarely on the offense. Its defense kept the game within reach; its protection, running game and finishing could not turn enough possessions into points.
West Virginia saves its only lead for the final play
West Virginia 45, Cincinnati 42
Cincinnati produced 622 yards and averaged 8.9 yards per play. It still left Morgantown with a loss because Michael Hawkins Jr. kept finding an answer, including when West Virginia was pinned against its own goal line in the final two minutes.
Facing third-and-nine from the Mountaineers’ 2, Hawkins found Prince Strachan for 41 yards. Another 39-yard connection between the two put West Virginia in position for Jack Cassidy’s 35-yard field goal as time expired. The kick gave the Mountaineers their first lead of the afternoon and their first Big 12 win.
Hawkins finished with 464 passing yards and three touchdown passes, adding two rushing scores. DJ Epps caught eight passes for 163 yards. Cincinnati limited Cam Cook to 40 rushing yards on 15 carries, but Hawkins punished the defense through the air.
West Virginia needed that production. The Mountaineers spent the afternoon answering Cincinnati, unable to establish a lead until Cassidy’s kick. Hawkins kept them within reach of a winning possession while the defense searched for the stop that would give him another chance.
The Bearcats had plenty of production to match. JC French IV threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing score. Cole Tabb ran for 118 yards and scored three total touchdowns. His six-yard run put Cincinnati ahead 42–35 with 5:35 remaining.
Cook answered with a 40-yard touchdown catch, and West Virginia finally got the stop its offense needed when Cincinnati went three-and-out. Even after a punt pinned the Mountaineers deep, the Bearcats could not finish the job. They had the field position to make a winning drive difficult and an opportunity to force overtime, but two completions left Cassidy with a manageable attempt. With Texas Tech coming next, the passing defense has an urgent problem to solve.
Kansas State keeps the streak alive with its ground game
Kansas State 35, Kansas 24
Kansas State rushed for 359 yards, with Joe Jackson accounting for 159 and Avery Johnson adding 132. Even so, the Wildcats needed a fourth-quarter defensive play to take control of their 18th consecutive victory over Kansas.
The Jayhawks led 24–18 after Dylan Edwards’ third-quarter touchdown and later drove into scoring position while trailing 25–24. Safety Logan Bartley intercepted Isaiah Marshall in the end zone with 9:53 remaining, ending an 81-yard drive. Jackson then broke a 64-yard run to help set up Johnson’s touchdown pass to Jaron Tibbs.
Kansas kept itself in the game with Marshall’s mobility and Bryson Hayes’ 95-yard kickoff-return touchdown. K-State also left opportunities behind with failed fourth-down attempts, allowing the game to stay close despite its 568 total yards.
Kansas had enough answers to put a rivalry breakthrough within reach. Hayes supplied the special-teams score, Marshall helped the offense keep moving, and the fourth-quarter drive put the Jayhawks in position to reclaim the lead. Leaving that possession empty was costly against a K-State offense still capable of creating another big gain on the ground.
Freshman defensive back Nick McClellan made the most of his first career start. He forced the fumble on a Kansas punt attempt that produced a safety, finishing with two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Luis Rodriguez added four field goals as K-State earned its first conference win.
Week 8 brings immediate tests
Houston’s trip to Utah gives two contenders a direct chance to improve their position. The Utes will need to limit the explosive passing plays that brought Colorado back into the game; Houston will need another efficient performance from Weigman against an unbeaten opponent. Both teams leaned on their quarterbacks to answer second-half challenges. The next step is getting enough stops to avoid another exchange of touchdowns.
Texas Tech visits Cincinnati, where the Bearcats must find a way to pair their offensive production with timely stops.
Arizona State hosts Kansas State with its quarterback plans still undisclosed. The decision between Boley and Keene will draw attention, but the Sun Devils also have to deal with a rushing attack that just produced two 100-yard performers.
BYU returns to conference play at UCF, where it will try to follow its national-stage win with another strong performance. West Virginia visits a TCU defense coming off its best result of the Big 12 schedule, matching Hawkins’ productive passing game against a unit that just kept Baylor out of the end zone.
