Oklahoma and Iowa State opened the Big 12 Championship with chaos right out of the gate. On just the second play, Iowa State’s number one defensive player got ejected for targeting after hitting Oklahoma’s receiver high. Officials reviewed it and confirmed the call, which infuriated Iowa State’s head coach. He lost his mind on the sideline, throwing a towel over his face in frustration. That same drive ended with Oklahoma scoring a touchdown, adding insult to injury.
Later in the second quarter, Iowa State tried to draw Oklahoma offsides on a fourth-and-two. It worked twice — the Sooners’ defense clearly jumped both times — but the snap never came, and no contact was made. That meant no penalty, by rule. The Iowa State coach missed the second jump while trying to call timeout. Once he saw the replay on the big screen, he exploded again. There was yelling, arm flailing, and dramatic crouching. His own players tried calming him down, but he kept pointing and pacing.
Despite all that, Iowa State picked up the fourth down on a gutsy quarterback run. The head coach, still heated, kept his cool just long enough to offer a few claps after an interception throw into the end zone ended the drive. Oklahoma kept control of the game at 17–0. Iowa State’s coach went from unhinged rage to subdued frustration, but his sideline meltdown was the lasting image of the first half.