Baylor continues to fly under the radar
Big 12 Report: Red River center stage
Oct 9, 2019, 12:33 pm
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Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts
Results that matter
Ranked dub to move to 3️⃣-0️⃣ at home. 🤫
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) October 5, 2019
🔴#WreckEm⚫️ pic.twitter.com/JgXOPlwTQR
Texas Tech 45 Oklahoma State 35
It was the first home win over a ranked team for the Red Raiders since 2013. That's an incredible stretch for a place that in the early 2000's was a hard place to play. Jett Duffey didn't start the year as the starter but injuries led to him taking over and against Oklahoma it was a rough go. He got it going against Oklahoma State to the tune of 424 yards and four touchdowns. This was a huge win for first year Red Raiders head coach Matt Wells.
Baylor 31 Kansas State 12
This was a close one that saw the Bears struggle to get going but eventually finish off Kansas State. It wasn't the prettiest game at all, but it moved the Bears to 5-0 and led to them being ranked yet again. Head coach Matt Rhule got a contract extension before this game and now the Bears have a shot to factor into the Big 12 race. They face a Texas Tech team riding high after a big win. The Bears are in the conversation, until they aren't. Fun stuff for a team that struggled to be relevant for a few years.
Studs of the week
1️⃣9️⃣ tackles
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) October 5, 2019
3️⃣ sacks
4️⃣ tackles for loss
1️⃣ forced fumble
1️⃣ QB hurry
Big Boy Ball from @jordynbrooks25‼️
🔴#WreckEm⚫️ pic.twitter.com/ipqtkTvl2a
Texas Tech DB Douglas Coleman
Two interceptions but when they happened were key. The Red Raiders were up 13-0 and had just missed a field goal when Coleman came up with his first interception. Momentum was on the Cowboys side but Coleman took it back. His second one ended the Cowboys chances at a comeback in the fourth quarter. He's the nation's leader in interceptions.
Texas Tech LB Jordyn Brooks
19 tackles. 3 sacks. 4 tackles for loss. What a line for the linebacker. My goodness. What a freaking day for Brooks. He was all over the field and a big key in the Red Raiders keeping the Cowboys at bay throughout the contest.
Texas RB Roschon Johnson
What a great performance from the former quarterback turned running back. With injuries devastating the depth at running back the Longhorns have had Johnson playing for a few weeks now. With Keaontay Ingram banged up, he helped the Horns move the ball to the tune of 21 carries for 121 yards in their win over West Virginia.
Must-watch game:
#BeatTexas #GoCrazy pic.twitter.com/ExRf0oQYNh
— Dede Westbrook (@DedeTHEGreat11) October 8, 2019
6 Oklahoma 11 Texas
Red. River. Shootout. NOT rivalry. Come on now. Loved the name but love the game even more. No matter what the records this is always must-watch TV for the rest of the Big 12 conference. For the Sooners, beat Texas and keep rolling and hope you have their number should they show up in the Big 12 Championship game. For Texas, you have no more room for error if you have desires on making the college football playoff. A loss here likely eliminates you from contention for one of the four playoff spots.
Who better ball?
FINAL: Texas falls to Oklahoma 29-24. Heck of an effort from Sam Ehlinger down the stretch to keep Texas in the game @cbsaustin pic.twitter.com/zVk7L4WlpR
— Jeff Barker (@JeffBarker_) October 14, 2017
Texas QB Sam Ehlinger
Can Ehlinger make it 3 for 3 in outplaying Heisman Trophy contending Oklahoma quarterbacks? He has done it the past two years no reason to think he can't do it again. He will have to, honestly. The Longhorns will need Super Sam against the Sooners if they want to win this one.
Big 12 Rankings
1. Oklahoma
2. Texas
3. Baylor
4. Iowa State
5. Texas Tech
6. Oklahoma State
7. West Virginia
8. TCU
9. Kansas State
10. Kansas
It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
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