New teams in Big 12 go 4-0 in a week filled with new coaches, coordinators, QBs and jerseys
AP Sports Writer
Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes looked snazzy even as they scuffled to put away North Dakota State in the season opener. They wore an all-black uniform combination featuring a white silhouette of a mountain range on the shoulders and pants, along with shiny gold numbers.
A fashionable debut as members of their new league.
Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State all began their Big 12 tenures in the win column. Last season, the newcomers of BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and Central Florida also started 4-0. But those teams went on to have losing records.
The motif around the league was definitely “new” — from head coaches to sharp-looking uniforms to coordinators calling plays to temporary stadiums and to quarterbacks stepping in.
In some instances, there was a combination of a lot of new. That was the case for No. 20 Arizona, where the Wildcats made it a successful premiere for their new coach (Brent Brennan), offensive coordinator (Dino Babers) and defensive boss (Duane Akina, promoted from defensive analyst) in a 61-39 win over New Mexico.
It was a dynamic performance from receiver Tetairoa McMillan as he set a school-record with 304 yards receiving and matched another with four touchdown receptions from quarterback Noah Fifita. McMillan earned the AP’s inaugural player of the week accolade.
“The best player in the country,” Fifita trumpeted.
The debut of new coaches in charge
Brennan’s debut in the desert went well. For Willie Fritz in Houston, it’s back to the drawing board.
Taking over for Dana Holgorsen, Fritz brought with him new coordinators to run the offense (Kevin Barbay) and defense (Shiel Wood). The Cougars couldn’t get on track in a 27-7 loss to UNLV.
Next up, No. 15 Oklahoma.
“Keep your head up,” junior receiver Joseph Manjack IV said of the Fritz’s message to the team. “If you have anything good to say, then speak up. If you have anything bad to say, keep your mouth closed.”
A coordinated effort
All around the league, there were new coordinators on the headsets. Arizona State’s Marcus Arroyo, the former head coach at UNLV, called quite a game, leading the Sun Devils to a 48-7 win over Wyoming.
He’s not the only coordinator to step in with head coaching experience. Andy Avalos once coached Boise State and now runs the defense for a TCU team coming off a 34-27 win over Stanford.
Some programs are splitting the duties: Jim Zebrowski and Jeff Grimes are co-offensive coordinators for Kansas. A similar arrangement with Conor Riley and Matt Wells at Kansas State. Wells joins the Wildcats after serving as an offensive analyst at Oklahoma. Before that, he was the head coach at Texas Tech and Utah State.
Baylor head coach Dave Aranda has a defensive coordinator but also is calling the plays. So far, so good — the Bears didn’t allow a touchdown in a 45-3 win over Tarleton State.
The Buffaloes brought in Robert Livingston to fix a decimated defense. He made halftime adjustments to allow the Buffaloes to rally from a 20-17 halftime deficit against FCS North Dakota State for a 31-26 win.
“He did a great job of balancing everything,” Deion Sanders said.
New QBs on the scene
Sam Leavitt arrived at Arizona State from Michigan State and made an instant impact. He threw for 258 yards and two scores.
“I didn’t do anything special,” he said. “I just got the ball to my playmakers and let them make a play and we had great results.”
He wasn’t the only Big 12 QB who made a debut with their new team. There was also Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby (previously at Indiana), Baylor’s Dequan Finn (Toledo) and Central Florida’s KJ Jefferson (Arkansas).
Their combined stats: 997 yards, eight TDs and three interceptions. They also ran for four TDs.
It was all part of a big week for Big 12 QBs, who averaged 290.4 yards passing per game. That led all FBS conferences, according to research by the league.
We’re not in Lawrence anymore
The Jayhawks are on the move this season with their stadium undergoing renovations. They opened the season by beating Lindenwood 48-3 at Children’s Mercy Park, home of Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. They have one more game there and four games at Arrowhead Stadium.
Wait, what?
Yes, Baylor and Utah are both in the Big 12. But no, the Bears and Utes won’t be playing a conference game this weekend.
The contest was on the schedule before the Utes joined the league so it counts as a nonconference affair Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Heisman watch in Colorado
Colorado’s never-leave-the-field cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter was plus-3500 in the Heisman race entering season, according to BetMGM. But after a 132-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 31-26 win over FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, his odds are now plus-1500.
His quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, had his odds drop to plus-2000 after throwing for 445 yards, and four TDs.
The green of Baylor
The Buffaloes weren’t the only ones to break out a fashionable new look for the start of the season. Baylor went with all green with yellow stripes on the shoulders against Tarleton State.
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.
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