THE BIG 12 REPORT
Oklahoma and West Virginia will battle it out with Big 12 title hopes on the line
Nov 20, 2018, 8:12 am
Kyler Murray and OU face a tough challenge. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
All eyes will be on one matchup in week 13 that will decide who will face off in the Big 12 Championship. This storybook season in the Big 12 could not have been written any better. With a pending win over Kansas the Longhorns will be a lock in the Big 12 Championship game and will be set to face the victor of Oklahoma vs. West Virginia. Fans should be in for a treat no matter who ends up facing off against the Longhorns, because in each of their games vs. Texas the margin of victory was less than a touchdown. Both of these Big 12 powerhouses will have to leave it all out on the field to keep their season alive.
Must watch games week 13
Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
After the Mountaineers suffered a devastating 45-41 loss to Oklahoma State in week 12, everything will be on the line when they face off against the Sooners. Both teams season will come down to this single game and the winner will most likely take on Texas. While a win for the Sooners not only means a chance at redemption against the Longhorns, who defeated them earlier this season, but it also keeps them in the college football playoff conversation. There is no doubt that this showdown will be a high scoring affair as both teams are led by top tier quarterbacks, both of which are ranked top 10 in passing yards and top five in touchdowns this season. Though both of these teams are proven offensive powerhouses, they have shown major flaws defensively. Get ready to find yourself on the edge of your seat this entire game.
Texas vs. Kansas
The Longhorns are just one win away from punching their ticket to the Big 12 championship game. With a big home win vs. Iowa State on senior night this past weekend, Texas will look ahead to their final game of the regular season against an interesting Kansas team. The Jayhawks actually led Oklahoma early in the second quarter of their Week 12 matchup and finished with 40 points. There is always the concern that the Longhorns will overlook their lesser competition, but this game should carry some extra meaning for UT, considering the fact that they have not been Big 12 champs since 2009. While at first glance the Jayhawks do not seem like much of a challenge for the 8-3 Longhorns, no win is ever guaranteed. Expect the tone for this game to be set early. If the Longhorns come into the game unfocused or lackadaisical I have no doubt that Kansas will give them a run for their money, but if Texas plays with their regular sense of urgency this one should be over early.
Players to watch week 13
Kansas RB Pooka Williams: The first player on the list to watch this last weekend of the regular season is a young, dynamic playmaker who has proven to be the driving force for the Jayhawks offense in 2018. Freshman running back Pooka Williams has accounted for nearly 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns this season for a Kansas team who has had their best season in recent memory. While the Jayhawks have a not so promising matchup with Texas to finish off the season, Williams is coming off a career game in which he ran for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns against Oklahoma. It will be hard to completely count out Kansas if their young star is able to duplicate his last performance.
Texas RB Keaontay Ingram: Another young running back to pay attention to in Week 13 is Texas freshman Keaontay Ingram. While Ingram’s playing time has been limited all season as he has split reps with Senior Tre Watson, the young back has shown big playmaking ability both on the ground and through the air. Ingram has shown the reliability to be deemed serious threat anytime he touches the ball and has helped to give the Longhorns a change of pace option coming out of the backfield. Ingram caught the ball five times last weekend on top of his twelve rushing attempts. Look for Ingram to get plenty of opportunities as coach Tom Herman continues to find different ways to best utilize his young talent.
TCU WR Jalen Reagor: Sophomore receiver Jalen Reagor has been the one bright spot for the Horned Frogs in 2018. The go to target for TCU has scored a touchdown in each of his last six games and has provided college football with some of its most exciting moments in the process. With his elite speed and elusiveness, Reagor is a threat to score anytime he touches the football and gash defenses wide open. TCU will need one last big performance from Reagor if they hope to end the season on a positive note with a win against a dangerous Oklahoma State team.
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Jan 17, 2025, 3:11 pm
When DeMeco Ryans became coach of the Houston Texans before last season, the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker brought his swarm defense with him.
It’s an identity the Texans have embraced as they prepare for their second straight trip to the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday where they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs.
“You really can’t go out there if you’re not about it,” Ryans said.
And while every member of the defense has bought into Ryans’ aggressive style, there is one player who epitomizes it like no one else.
“Will every time,” cornerback Derek Stingley said of defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson, last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, has taken his game to another level this season and had 1½ sacks last week after piling up 11 in the regular season.
He described what playing swarm defense means to him.
“Do whatever it takes to get the ball, attacking the ball,” Anderson said. “We’ve got this saying in our D-line room; ‘who gonna pop it off?’ Whoever pops it off first, that’s swarming. Like who’s gonna make the big play? And I feel like there’s a lot of guys on defense that pop it off, who swarm.”
The Texans intercepted Justin Herbert a career-high four times, including one which was returned for a score, in last week’s win over the Chargers after he had been picked off just three times all season. Houston’s four takeaways in the first week of the playoffs are tied with Philadelphia for most in the NFL.
That performance came after Houston ranked fifth in the league in the regular season by forcing 29 turnovers.
Stingley, who had two of the interceptions last week a day after earning AP All-Pro honors, shared his mindset on the team’s defensive mentality.
“It really just comes down to if I was to tell you this is the last time you’re gonna do something, how you gonna do it,” Stingley said. “It’s simple as that. Just do that every single play.”
Ryans said there’s really no secret to why his team has such a knack for forcing turnovers. He believes it’s because he has good players, and they emphasize it in practice which translates to games.
“That’s our main thing that we go into every week is talking about attacking the football, taking the football,” Ryans said. “Because we know, when you take the football away, it just raises your percentages of winning the football games… it’s the defense helping the team win the game.”
While all of Houston’s takeaways last week came on interceptions, Stingley was quick to point out that those picks wouldn’t have happened if not for the pressure the defensive line put on Herbert. The Texans sacked him four times and hit him another nine in the 32-12 victory.
“The defense starts with them up front,” Stingley said. “They’re doing their job and it just makes it easier for us on the back end.”
Anderson said with each turnover, the defense got more and more amped up and was pushing each other to see who the next player would be to force one.
“That’s just that swarm mentality and we just feeding off each other,” Anderson said. “This person can’t do it by themselves so who is gonna be next and that just generates that contagious energy.”
The Texans were the fifth team since 1963 to have at least four sacks, four interceptions and an interception return for a touchdown in a playoff game last week. The past three teams to do it all went on to win the Super Bowl, with Tampa Bay doing so in the 2002 season, Baltimore in 2000 and San Francisco in 1989.
This Texans team would love to keep that going. But first they’ll need a win Saturday to put them in the AFC championship game for the first time after losing their previous five divisional matchups.
“That’s what you come here for,” Anderson said. “That’s what they’ve been rebuilding for is moments like this… we’ve got all the right pieces, we’ve just got to go out there and make it happen.”