The wait is finally over because Big 12 football is back! On Thursday, we saw four opening games for the conference as UCF, Kansas, Colorado, and Utah hit the field. While almost all of the games were blowouts, there still were a few things that I learned about each team. Here are my four takeaways from an action-packed Thursday night!
Final Scores
UCF: 57, New Hampshire: 3
Kansas: 48, Lindenwood: 3
Colorado: 31, North Dakota State: 26
Utah: 49, Southern Utah: 0
UCF Couldn’t Be Stopped on the Ground
It’s not often you see a team rush for over 400 yards in a game but that is exactly what UCF did to New Hampshire in Orlando on Thursday evening. Star running back RJ Harvey led the charge with 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Outside of Harvey, Peny Boone and Myles Montgomery did an excellent job in backup roles combing for over 150 yards and two scores. What I saw from UCF was the depth they have in their running back room. Now if they can get better play from quarterback KJ Jefferson then this offense will be tough to stop.
No Stadium No Problem
Despite having to play in a soccer stadium for their home opener, Kansas didn’t look fazed at all. In fact, they looked just as good as ever before. Quarterback Jalon Daniels didn’t need to be a hero in this one as the offense rushed for 331 yards against Lindenwood. Devin Neal ran for 112 yards and two scores and how about wide receiver Luke Grimm? He had a monster game with 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns as well. While the offense was humming, the defense was lights out as they held Lindenwood to just 208 yards of total offense.
Colorado Adjusted
Offensively Colorado couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game. Shedeur Sanders hit Travis Hunter for a 41-yard touchdown pass and then found Jimmy Horn Jr. for a 69-yard score. Unfortunately, their defense couldn’t quite hold up in the first two quarters as North Dakota scored on their first four possessions of the game.
I am not sure what happened at halftime, but Colorado came back out on the field and tightened up their defense. They held the Bison to just six points in the second half and it wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter when North Dakota State crossed the 100-yard mark in the second half. While the defense started to come up with stops, the offense made some key plays to take the lead. Just take a look at this crazy grab from Travis Hunter.
In the end, the game got a little too close for comfort. Colorado had a chance to just kneel the ball or hand it off to run the clock out and instead, they tried throwing the ball for some odd reason. Outside of the poor clock management in the second half, I thought Colorado did an excellent job with adjustments to win their first game since last October.
Welcome Back Cam Rising
It’s been nearly two years since we saw Cam Rising playing quarterback for the Utes and it looked like he didn’t skip a beat. In the first half of the game, Rising threw for 254 yards and five touchdown passes which is absolutely absurd. But Cam wasn’t the only offensive weapon to come back. Tight end Brant Kuithe also missed the entire 2023 season due to injury and in his first game back he caught three touchdown passes.
I also want to welcome back Utah’s defense because they put on a clinic against Southern Utah. They held the Thunderbirds to just 150 yards of total offense and only allowed them to convert three of their thirteen third down attempts. I know it’s early, but Utah already looks like they are in midseason form.
