Coaches reflect on first week of Big 12 football

Ten teams came away with victories, with only Oklahoma and Colorado losing.

Iowa State kicked off the Big 12 season with a 34-17 victory over North Dakota State on Friday before the bulk of the league began playing Saturday. Colorado finished the conference's week with a 23-17 loss to Colorado State Sunday.

One of the league's biggest storylines was Oklahoma's 14-13 loss to BYU. Oklahoma came into the game ranked third in the nation and was one of the favorites to win the conference. To make matters worse for the Sooners, 2008 Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford left the game in the second quarter with an AC joint sprain in his shoulder. He is expected to miss 2-5 weeks.

The offense stalled after backup Landry Jones replaced Bradford.

"The offense doesn't really change with him in there," Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said of Jones. "The other night, I thought he handled it really well. They're similar styles of quarterback."

The conference's biggest win most likely belonged to Oklahoma State, which toppled No. 13 Georgia 24-10. 

"Obviously, our defense played really well," Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy said. "Offensively, we played very sloppy, and on special teams we played sloppy, but we were still able to win the game, which is important. If we can improve in those areas, we should have a chance to win on most Saturdays."

Saturday also marked the return of Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder, who retired three seasons ago, but came back for the 2009 season. The Wildcats beat Massachusetts 21-17.

"Well, it certainly felt a little strange," Snyder said. "It was a fantastic crowd. It took a little while to get acclimated during the pregame. Once we got into the ballgame, I did a better job keeping track of the game than I thought I would. I didn't accomplish everything that I wanted to, but it was different."

Nebraska's competition in the North proved that winning the division will be a battle. Missouri and Kansas both claimed easy victories.

Missouri lost several of its key offensive players from 2008 but still dominated Illinois 37-9. The Tigers felt slighted by their low position in some preseason polls.

"I think our players thought we had something to prove, but that's OK," Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said. "I told them ‘it's our opportunity, and we have a pretty decent football team,' and I'm proud of the way they played."

Kansas had little trouble disposing of Northern Colorado, winning 49-3. KU head coach Mangino was impressed with the team's performance Saturday night.

"We got a very solid performance on both sides of the ball," Mangino said. "Northern Colorado gave us a lot of opportunities to run the ball, and we did. Overall, it was a good night for us on the first night out."

danhoppen@dailynebraskan.com