All three Big 12 games gave us plenty to chew on in this week's best and worst of the Big 12. Let's get to it.
Best defensive performance: Jake Love, LB, Kansas. Love was a standout talent during the offseason for KU and turned in a huge performance in the Jayhawks' 24-10 win over Central Michigan. Four of his five tackles were for loss, accounting for 18 total yards. Two of those four were on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter, when KU outscored the Chippewas 14-0 and surged to a victory.
Most unsung hero: Curry Sexton, WR, Kansas State. K-State's turnovers and missed field goals got a ton of attention after the Wildcats' loss to Auburn, but Sexton is the only reason those mistakes were relevant to the game's outcome. His career day got unfortunately overshadowed. He was K-State's most consistent receiver and set new career highs with 11 catches and 121 yards.
"I don't care. I really don't care," Sexton told reporters after the game. . "Like I told the guys in the locker room, I would take zero catches and miss 20 blocks and play the worst game ever if we come out on top. I could care less about statistics. I hurt. This team hurts right now."
Best play: Alex Ross, RB/KR, Oklahoma. The nominees in this category were a little thin this week, but Ross helped Oklahoma turn around a game in Morgantown with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to tie the game at 24 just before halftime. He is very fast. It may have been the game's most important play.
Worst play: Tyler Lockett, WR, Kansas State. I don't know who was more surprised: Lockett or the millions who watched a well-thrown ball from Jake Waters hit him in the chest in the end zone and float over his head and into the hands of an Auburn defender. Lockett, a speedy, sure-handed talent was incredulous immediately after the drop, but he might have had a chance to turn around and catch it or break up the interception if he'd tracked the ball after the bobble instead of smacking his helmet with his hands.
"I'm still trying to figure out what happened," Lockett told reporters after the game.
We are, too.
This photo of the play is spectacular.
Best tweet: Jack Cantele, K, Kansas State. Cantele had a rough night in K-State's 20-14 loss to Auburn, missing all three field goal attempts. This, despite missing just two kicks all last season. Because people can be terrible, Cantele and others in his family were subject to online harassment, but Cantele responded in the best way possible.
Well played, sir. Nobody should be harassed because their best, earnest efforts weren't successful. That's absurd.
Second-best tweet: Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor. Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston earned nearly 50 cutaways from TV cameras during the Seminoles' dramatic overtime win against Clemson. That number was probably heightened by coach Jimbo Fisher telling Winston to return to the locker room and take his pads off before the game. Petty chimed in near the end of the game.
Hey, look at this photo and tell me Bryce is wrong.
Best team performance: Oklahoma. Not many teams will win in Morgantown this season. I promise you that. Despite being 2-2, reality is the Mountaineers are a borderline top 25 team ready to rack up some wins when they stop facing playoff-bound teams. The Sooners dominated the second half and left West Virginia with a win that will get more impressive as the year goes on.
Best quote: Charlie Weis, Kansas. I don't have a running list of weekly expectations, but if I did, I can tell you a coach referencing ISIS would not be on it. Alas, Weis takes home this week's quote of the week for giving the world's most notorious terrorist group a shoutout in his postgame press conference.
Is he on the hot seat? Weis says he's dug in his bunker and hasn't been paying attention.
"I'm oblivious to the real world. I barely know what's going on with ISIS, to tell you the truth," he said.
Saltiest quote: Bill Snyder, Kansas State. A reporter asked Snyder if Auburn had won the game or K-state had lost it.
"The latter," he responded.
He's not wrong, but it was surprising to hear that come out of Snyder's mouth.
Worst use of Twitter: Kansas. I am not a public relations expert, but if I was in charge of an official team account, favoriting a tweet advocating the firing of a current coach would seem like a bad idea. Maybe that's just me.
Things are looking up in Lawrence! http://t.co/b0kfh7WOaZ pic.twitter.com/TX3hQJQplk
— SB✯Nation CFB (@SBNationCFB) September 20, 2014
