There's plenty to cover in this week's best and worst wrapup. Let's get to it.
Best offensive performance: Jake Waters, QB, Kansas State Waters takes the early lead for the gutsiest performance we've seen from a Big 12 talent this season. He took a beating with 20 carries and rallied K-State from a two-touchdown deficit on the road in a conference game. He finished with 377 yards of offense (139 rushing) and two touchdowns
Best defensive performance: Malcom Brown, DT, Texas. Defensive tackles are not supposed to be able to put up this kind of stat line. Despite Texas' loss, Brown logged a team-high 11 tackles with three sacks, five tackles for loss and a forced fumble. How a defensive tackle does that in a 34-point loss on a defense that gives up 248 rushing yards, I have no idea. It's impressive on multiple fronts. Honorable mention: Caleb Gastelum, LB, Oklahoma and Dexter McDonald, CB, Kansas
Best performance in a losing effort: Jarvis West, WR/PR, Iowa State. West was the first player since 2010 (Randall Cobb) and just the third since 1998 to log receiving, return and passing touchdowns in the same game. We'll talk more about his passing touchdown in a bit.
Best team performance: Oklahoma. No Big 12 team really stood out this week, but for the second consecutive outing, the Sooners put together a complete performance in every way, blowing out Tulsa, 52-7. The Sooners averaged better than eight yards a carry, converted half of their third downs and forced four turnovers while committing none.
Worst team performance: Texas. The Longhorns looked pretty good in the first half, heading into the locker room with at 6 with BYU. Then they gave up 28 points in less than eight minutes and made fans long for the days when losses to BYU came by only 19 points. That was last year, and Texas fired its defensive coordinator the next day. Nobody will get the ax in Austin for this disaster, but Charlie Strong, who called the game an "embarrassment," has to be surprised at how far his team has to come to regain its status among college football's elite. Dishonorable mention: Texas Tech.
Best quote: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State. He weighed in on Daxx Garman's 87-yard touchdown pass across his body, 40 yards downfield. "The only guy I thought could make that throw was wearing a headset," he said.
Second-best quote: Vance Bedford, defensive coordinator, Texas. Almost two weeks after imploring Texas fans to get off their "duff" and fill the stadium vs. North Texas, Bedford found himself on common ground with fans after Texas' 41-7 loss to BYU. "I would've left early," he said. "After seeing that mess, I would've been right there with 'em."
Best hit: Julian Wilson, CB, Oklahoma. It's not often you see a receiver's shoulder be the first thing that hits the turf. Poor guy.
Second-best hit: Kamari Cotton-Moya, S, Iowa State. Cotton-Moya was ejected from last week's game for targeting, but this hit helped Iowa State keep its lead in the fourth quarter.
Best moment: Bob Stoops/Caleb Gastelum, Oklahoma. After picking off a pass and grabbing a sack, Gastelum earned a game ball ... and a scholarship from Stoops in the postgame locker room. Check out this video of Gastelum's story and the moment from Oklahoma. That's what college football's all about.
Best sideline antics: Paul Rhoads, Iowa State (again). How long until game broadcasts feature an in-game Rhoads cam? You know you'd watch it. I love this.
Best play: Jarvis west to Allen Lazard. I'm going to finish this post without using the word trickeration (wait, oh no), but I love the reverse pass. It's such a beautiful trick play and the Cyclones pulled off a flawless rendition. Jarvis West loaded up and delivered a perfect pass to the back of the end zone and freshman sensation Allen Lazard and put Iowa State up 28-13 late in the first half. ISU could run that play 100 times and it might never look better. Kudos, fellas.
Worst job manning the replay booth: Farmageddon officials. The replay official and communicator have been reprimanded and suspended a game for the disaster at the end of the first half. It was clearly a close play, but I have no idea how the replay booth didn't deem it worthy of a review. The Big 12 said video evidence was inconclusive, but it certainly looked like Tyler Lockett's knee hit the pylon before he possessed the ball, which would make it an incompletion.
Best quarter: KD Cannon, WR, Baylor. Cannon finished the first quarter with 188 yards and three touchdowns on four catches. Remember, he's a true freshman and this was his second game ever. I feel for you, Big 12 defensive coordinators.
