Texas Longhorns: Trevone Boykin
The season has come and gone, and brought with it lots of change in the Big 12 Power Rankings. Still, with all the games officially over, here's how I ranked the Big 12 to close the season:
1. Kansas State (11-2, 8-1 Big 12, last week: 1) K-State's year met an unsatisfying end in the desert with another ugly bowl loss. Like last season, the loss was to a team not very far outside of the BCS title picture. Oregon knocked off K-State, but the loss didn't mar all the fantastic things K-State accomplished this year.
2. Oklahoma (10-3, 8-1, last week: 2) Oklahoma suffered a bad bowl loss too, but it mostly exposed defensive deficiencies that may get worse next year. Oklahoma shared a Big 12 title this season, but lacked a big, impressive win. It did have two home losses, but the gap between K-State and OU and the rest of the Big 12 is wide in the standings.
3. Baylor (8-5, 4-5, last week: 4) No team was hotter than the Bears, who closed the season with four consecutive victories, including a home win against then-BCS No. 1 Kansas State to kick off the finish. The streak that featured three wins against ranked teams and the blowout bowl victory over UCLA has Baylor thinking big in 2013.
4. Oklahoma State (8-5, 5-4, last week: 3) The Pokes were better than their record this year, with blowout wins over decent teams such as Texas Tech, West Virginia and TCU. OSU wishes it had those Arizona and Texas games to do over again, but winning eight games with the injuries at quarterback is no small feat. The Pokes will be loaded for 2013, especially if Joseph Randle returns.
5. Texas (9-4, 5-4, last week: 5) Texas rescued a bowl win against a top-15 team, but David Ash still must be better if the Longhorns are going to return to Big 12 prominence. The tenor of spring practice will be heavily influenced by how an ongoing sexual assault investigation plays out. Regardless, until it's over, it's a possible distraction that could substantially affect personnel.
6. TCU (7-6, 4-5, last week: 6) With a bowl win, TCU might have slid inside the league's top five, but coughing up a late lead put a really frustrating end to a gutsy season from the Frogs. Trevone Boykin and Matthew Tucker did their best filling in for injured players, but the Frogs didn't have enough offense without Casey Pachall and Waymon James to win big in 2012.
7. Texas Tech (8-5, 4-5, last week: 8) Tech's finish was ugly, and narrowly surviving against a barely mediocre Minnesota team didn't really impress many folks. The Red Raiders' losing four of five in Big 12 play didn't inspire much confidence, but the future will be really, really intriguing in Lubbock.
8. West Virginia (7-6, 4-5, last week: 7) West Virginia's ugly bowl loss to Syracuse removed any question about the conference's biggest disappointment in 2012. The defense is nowhere near good enough to be competitive in the Big 12, and the offense didn't have enough juice to outscore very many good teams.
9. Iowa State (6-7, 3-6, last week: 9) Beating teams twice is never easy, but Iowa State had an opportunity to move up in these rankings with a win over the Golden Hurricane. Instead, Tulsa dominated the final three quarters, and did so on the line of scrimmage. A second lopsided bowl loss in as many years is not the finish Paul Rhoads wanted.
10. Kansas (1-11, 0-9, last week: 10) No bowl, and not much to report, but the recruiting class is loaded up with about 70 percent junior college commits. We'll see how that looks in the fall, but this spring should be interesting, too.
1. Kansas State (11-2, 8-1 Big 12, last week: 1) K-State's year met an unsatisfying end in the desert with another ugly bowl loss. Like last season, the loss was to a team not very far outside of the BCS title picture. Oregon knocked off K-State, but the loss didn't mar all the fantastic things K-State accomplished this year.
2. Oklahoma (10-3, 8-1, last week: 2) Oklahoma suffered a bad bowl loss too, but it mostly exposed defensive deficiencies that may get worse next year. Oklahoma shared a Big 12 title this season, but lacked a big, impressive win. It did have two home losses, but the gap between K-State and OU and the rest of the Big 12 is wide in the standings.
3. Baylor (8-5, 4-5, last week: 4) No team was hotter than the Bears, who closed the season with four consecutive victories, including a home win against then-BCS No. 1 Kansas State to kick off the finish. The streak that featured three wins against ranked teams and the blowout bowl victory over UCLA has Baylor thinking big in 2013.
4. Oklahoma State (8-5, 5-4, last week: 3) The Pokes were better than their record this year, with blowout wins over decent teams such as Texas Tech, West Virginia and TCU. OSU wishes it had those Arizona and Texas games to do over again, but winning eight games with the injuries at quarterback is no small feat. The Pokes will be loaded for 2013, especially if Joseph Randle returns.
5. Texas (9-4, 5-4, last week: 5) Texas rescued a bowl win against a top-15 team, but David Ash still must be better if the Longhorns are going to return to Big 12 prominence. The tenor of spring practice will be heavily influenced by how an ongoing sexual assault investigation plays out. Regardless, until it's over, it's a possible distraction that could substantially affect personnel.
6. TCU (7-6, 4-5, last week: 6) With a bowl win, TCU might have slid inside the league's top five, but coughing up a late lead put a really frustrating end to a gutsy season from the Frogs. Trevone Boykin and Matthew Tucker did their best filling in for injured players, but the Frogs didn't have enough offense without Casey Pachall and Waymon James to win big in 2012.
7. Texas Tech (8-5, 4-5, last week: 8) Tech's finish was ugly, and narrowly surviving against a barely mediocre Minnesota team didn't really impress many folks. The Red Raiders' losing four of five in Big 12 play didn't inspire much confidence, but the future will be really, really intriguing in Lubbock.
8. West Virginia (7-6, 4-5, last week: 7) West Virginia's ugly bowl loss to Syracuse removed any question about the conference's biggest disappointment in 2012. The defense is nowhere near good enough to be competitive in the Big 12, and the offense didn't have enough juice to outscore very many good teams.
9. Iowa State (6-7, 3-6, last week: 9) Beating teams twice is never easy, but Iowa State had an opportunity to move up in these rankings with a win over the Golden Hurricane. Instead, Tulsa dominated the final three quarters, and did so on the line of scrimmage. A second lopsided bowl loss in as many years is not the finish Paul Rhoads wanted.
10. Kansas (1-11, 0-9, last week: 10) No bowl, and not much to report, but the recruiting class is loaded up with about 70 percent junior college commits. We'll see how that looks in the fall, but this spring should be interesting, too.
Instant Analysis: TCU 20, Texas 13
November, 22, 2012
11/22/12
9:42
PM CT
By
Carter Strickland | ESPN.com
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas was poised to work its way back into the BCS picture. All the No. 16 Longhorns (8-3, 5-3) had to do was win their last two. And it was the second of those two, a game at Kansas State, most were pointing to as the game that would decide Texas' fate. Instead it was TCU (7-4, 4-4), in the penultimate game, that sealed the Longhorns' season.
The Horned Frogs, after losing three straight to ranked opponents, used a solid run game and turnovers to pull off their first win at Texas' Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium since 1967. TCU last beat Texas in 1992.
It was over when: Texas failed to score a touchdown to start the third quarter. The Longhorns, down 14-3, picked off a Trevone Boykin pass to start the third and were set up with a first-and-goal from the TCU 9-yard line. But Texas could not push the ball in and had to settle for a field goal. TCU immediately responded with a field goal of its own to push the lead back to two touchdowns.
Stat of the game: Texas came into the game averaging 201.5 yards rushing in its last four games. The Longhorns had 80 rushing yards against the Horned Frogs. Overall the Longhorns managed to gain just 300 yards. This comes one game after the Longhorns gained 609 against Iowa State.
Stat of the game, Part 2: Texas quarterback David Ash continued to have trouble with turnovers in the red zone. The sophomore threw two interceptions inside the TCU red zone. All seven of Ash's interceptions this season have come on balls inside the opponents' red zone. Ash's turnover issues were not over. The quarterback also had a ball slip from his hand inside the Texas' red zone. TCU won the turnover battle 4-1.
Game ball goes to: Boykin was not exactly flashy but he did everything right to manage a game that was controlled on the ground. The freshman was 7-of-10 for 82 yards passing. He did have one interception, but that was countered by his ability to use his legs to pick up crucial first downs. Twice on third-and-long, Boykin realized Texas had an inside rush and immediately took off for the outside yard marker. The Horned Frogs had 219 yards rushing against Texas.
What it means for Texas: The Longhorns can still go to the Cotton Bowl with a win at Kansas State. But with quarterback issues -- Ash and Case McCoy both played -- and an offense that cannot get its ground game going against fast defenses, Texas appears as if it might have to settle for the Alamo Bowl or the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
What it means for TCU: The Horned Frogs are able to thump their chest and let everyone in the Big 12 know they belong. This was a program that was decimated by suspensions earlier this year but has bounced back to notch its first win against a ranked opponent in four tries. The win was TCU's second in its last 30 games against Texas and puts the Horned Frogs in a position to compete for the Holiday Bowl if everything breaks right.
Texas 31, TCU 24
Texas has won the last four but as Mack Brown says, they only matter if you lose them. Nobody looks back after the fact and says that any of these games were big games even though I thought going on the road to Lubbock and winning was huge. Texas is a better football team, we can start with that. This is a game that will rely heavily on the brain trust of Bryan Harsin and Major Applewhite as the offense will have to do everything they can to keep the TCU defense on its heels. The Texas defense will have to manage with the speed position players for the Horned Frogs but will play its most complete game as a defense to help get the win. Texas will win but I still think this game is fairly close.
- Sean Adams
Texas 35, TCU 31
Texas has won the last four but as Mack Brown says, they only matter if you lose them. Nobody looks back after the fact and says that any of these games were big games even though I thought going on the road to Lubbock and winning was huge. Texas is a better football team, we can start with that. This is a game that will rely heavily on the brain trust of Bryan Harsin and Major Applewhite as the offense will have to do everything they can to keep the TCU defense on its heels. The Texas defense will have to manage with the speed position players for the Horned Frogs but will play its most complete game as a defense to help get the win. Texas will win but I still think this game is fairly close.
- Sean Adams
Texas 35, TCU 31
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Stats that matter: Texas vs. TCU 
November, 20, 2012
11/20/12
3:30
PM CT
By
Carter Strickland | ESPN.com
Each week, with the help of ESPN Stats and Info, HornsNation takes a look inside some of the stats that might shape the outcome of Texas’ next game. This week the focus is on TCU, a team that has struggled losing four of its last six.
1. 23 and 67
TCU has a young quarterback. Young quarterbacks are prone to mistakes when pressure is applied. In fact, Trevone Boykin has thrown eight interceptions since he became the starter six games ago. The only team he managed to protect the ball against was Baylor and that is not so odd given that the Bears, prior to their win over Kansas State, had the worst defense in FBS.
1. 23 and 67
TCU has a young quarterback. Young quarterbacks are prone to mistakes when pressure is applied. In fact, Trevone Boykin has thrown eight interceptions since he became the starter six games ago. The only team he managed to protect the ball against was Baylor and that is not so odd given that the Bears, prior to their win over Kansas State, had the worst defense in FBS.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Stats that matter: Baylor vs. Texas
October, 17, 2012
10/17/12
4:00
PM CT
By
Carter Strickland | ESPN.com
Numbers, it's said, rarely lie. With that thought in mind, HornsNation -- with a healthy assist from the ESPN Stats and Info crew -- will dig into the numbers each week and pull three stats that could play a significant role in the outcome of Texas' game. This week the focus is on Baylor, its explosive offense and wet-firecracker defense.
1. 120
Baylor is dead last in total defense allowing 559 yards per game. Seriously, West Virginia is better. Only six spots, but better.
1. 120
Baylor is dead last in total defense allowing 559 yards per game. Seriously, West Virginia is better. Only six spots, but better.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
ABOUT HORNSNATION
Sean Adams
Sean Adams has covered the Texas Longhorns and college football for the last 12 years as a writer and radio host. Sean co-hosts "The Big Show" with Erin Hogan each afternoon on ESPN Austin 104.9 The Horn. He lives with his family in Round Rock, Texas. Email him at thisean@gmail.com.
Max Olson
Max Olson joined ESPN in 2012 after covering the University of Nebraska for the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald and high school and college sports for the World-Herald and Rivals.com. Olson is a University of Nebraska graduate and lives in Austin, Texas. Email him at maxolsonespn@gmail.com.
Carter Strickand
Carter Strickland joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the University of Georgia for Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the University of Oklahoma for The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman and Washington State University for The (Spokane, Wash.) Spokesman-Review. Strickland lives with his wife and family in Austin. Email him at cstrickland70@gmail.com.
William Wilkerson
William Wilkerson joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering high school sports, college sports and the Texas Rangers over four years at the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. William is a University of Texas graduate and lives in Austin. He can be reached at wilkerson.espn@gmail.com.