A few scattershot takeaways from the week across the Big 12. Just let me run back to the locker room and take my pads off real quick...
Kansas State's secondary will be a problem soon. Jack Cantele's three missed field goals (he missed two all last season), Jake Waters' unforced fumble early and Tyler Lockett's bobbled ball-turned interception in the end zone got a lot of attention, but those mistakes were out of character and may not show up again this season. I wouldn't be very concerned there. I would, however, be concerned about the secondary. Danzel McDaniel broke out as a talented run supporter and big hitter, but K-State had issues covering Auburn's receivers for much of the night. K-State will face better passers and they will take advantage Auburn's Nick Marshall completed 17-of-31 passes for 231 yards, including a 39-yard completion to ice the game. K-State did an outstanding job of shutting down the running game, but even though Auburn's best receiver, Sammie Coates, was hobbled, the Tigers had receivers running free in the secondary far too often. Big 12 offenses will have much more refined passing games and if those issues aren't fixed, Kansas State can forget any dreams of a 10-win season.
Oklahoma has found its identity on offense. All the questions in the preseason centered around Trevor Knight's consistency, and it's still somewhat relevant after a shaky outing at West Virginia, but his margin of error just got bigger. Oklahoma's defense has been solid all year, but this running game is sustainable behind a talented, experienced offensive line. Samaje Perine had a breakout game with 242 yards and four touchdowns, but he was running through gigantic holes and proving how difficult he is to tackle in space. Keith Ford was out with a fractured fibula and might still be the best back on the roster, but Perine, a true freshman, showed why he earned so much hype in preseason camp. He'll be hard to take off the field. As one of my followers tweeted at me tonight, just about every team in the Big 12 would take Alex Ross (who returned a kick for 100 yards vs. WVU) as its featured back and he may struggle to get touches in this offense when Ford returns. Oklahoma should feel very fortunate to have this much talent in its backfield.
Knight has been a little inconsistent at times and I don't know why OU refuses to showcase his running ability, but they won't have to if the offensive line plays like this all season.
Texas Tech got what it needed the least. Kliff Kingsbury wants continuity on his staff. Matt Wallerstedt would not have resigned before the fourth game of his second season on a three-year contract for moderate defensive failures. In talking to people around the Red Raiders' program over the past few days, it was very clear that off-field reasons spurred the decision. For a defense desperately searching for answers, a change in leadership won't help. New DC Mike Smith has a very different style and personality than Wallerstedt, but Wallerstedt was very highly regarded and respected by the players. I talked to a few former players this week who played under Wallerstedt and were shocked that anything away from the field impacted his position as defensive coordinator.
Look at what Baylor has been able to do under Phil Bennett. He recruited players to his scheme and system and after a couple rough years, the Bears' defense turned the corner. Texas Tech needs continuity and talent to do it, and the change at DC won't help matters.
Kansas is ignoring a possible answer to its offensive issues. I don't want to endlessly harp on this (I mentioned it in my picks column last week), but I don't know if I've ever seen something so perplexing. Kansas doesn't have many players on its roster who would start for more than a few Big 12 teams, but Tony Pierson would get major touches at just about any school in the league.
Except, I guess, Kansas. He got just two touches in last week's loss to Duke and KU opened its win over Central Michigan by giving him a carry. He turned it into 74 yards and a touchdown. OC John Reagan called a quick bubble screen on KU's next offensive play, which went for three yards, but he only got two touches the rest of the game. Pierson began his career at running back and later moved to receiver, but he's a versatile talent that Kansas seems far too intent on turning into a true wide receiver. That's an even bigger problem when your quarterback hasn't shown an ability to complete more than 50 percent of his passes. You're actively taking away touches from your best player when you do that, a strategy that flies in the face of any kind of effective offensive game plan.
