The Top 10 Most Spectacular Plays From The Big 12 Conference This Year

It's been a wild year for the Big 12. Sam Bradford is injured, and nobody knows if Texas is a viable national contender.

Plus you've got Blaine Gabbert limping around, Robert Griffin is gone, Nebraska can't win back-to-back games to save its life, Colorado beat Kansas, and Kansas State leads the Big 12 North!

It's time to take a look at the 10 spectacular plays (with video!) from the Big 12 that got us in this mess in the first place.

Continuing past Big Ten Boulevard and SEC Avenue, please continue to enjoy your trip down recent-memory lane.

No. 10: The Huskers Can't Hang On To A Hokies' Upset

The Nebraska defense had done an outstanding job bottling up the Virginia Tech rushing attack, and Tyrod Taylor looked like he'd have an easier time escaping Alcatraz than the Cornhuskers pass rush.

That is, until Taylor found Danny Coale streaking down the sideline and bombed it 63 yards downfield to set up the winning score and keep the Cornhuskers from scoring what would have been a huge road upset.

No. 9: Grant Gregory Goes Deep Against The Cyclones

Late in a 17-17 tie with the Cyclones, Kansas State QB Grant Gregory scrambled and found Brandon Banks streaking deep. A broken tackle later, Banks was gone to put the 'Cats ahead, 24-17.

It took a blocked extra point, but the Cats were able to hold on and give "new" head coach Bill Snyder, who returned after retiring in 2005, his first win in the KSU Big 12 opener.

No. 8: Case Keenum's Pass Is Tipped And Caught To Upset The Cowboys

In retrospect, this loss is barely an upset. The Houston Cougars are a good football team, regardless of their shootout loss to UTEP.

But at the time, Case Keenum's 366 yard, four touchdown performance (plus one rushing) made it look as though the Oklahoma State Cowboys, no offensive slouches themselves, were standing still.

The upset was sealed on two tips: one tipped Keenum pass that landed in the hands of Bryce Beall, and the other a tipped Zac Robinson pass that turned into a 26 yard interception return to put the 45-35 game out of the Cowboys' reach.

No. 7: Jordan Shipley Takes A Punt To The House To Put The Longhorns Ahead

In a tight Texas-Texas Tech revenge game that wouldn't be sealed until late, Shipley's 46-yard punt return for a touchdown provided one of only a few offensive sparks in the first half.

If Shipley doesn't break free, who knows what the detestable Mr. Leach could have wrought in the way of an upset?

No. 6: The Buffaloes Break Up Reesing's Last Pass

The Buffaloes have had a bad, bad year. So it was alright to feel happy for them once they borke up Todd Reesing's last-gasp attempt at the end zone and won 34-30 for their first Big 12 victory of the season.

No home crowd is so prideful that they won't storm the field for their 2-4 team with losses to Toledo and Colorado State. Good for them, I say.

No. 5: Bradford's BYU Blues

Were the Sooners that good to begin with? Could they have competed for another Big 12 title? Could Bradford have won the Heisman?

We'll never know, courtesy of BYU's tenacious pass rush. Coleby Clawson followed through on a QB hurry, knocking Sam Bradford out of the first quarter, the next four games, and quite probably, out of NCAA football for the foreseeable future on this, the tackle heard round the blogosphere in week one.

No. 4: Blaine Gabbert And Ndamukong Suh Do The Jitterbug

Crucial turnovers by Suh swung the momentum to the Cornhuskers side for good in the 27-12 road win that put Nebraska in the driver's seat for the Big 12 North (at least, for a little while).

The tipped interception was big, but the most spectacular play was Suh chasing down Gabbert through the driving rain, injuring the five-star QB's ankle (an injury that is still not entirely healed) and forcing a fumble early.

Though the Huskers didn't score, the play was a message to all QB's of the future: if the guy chasing you is Ndamukong Suh—probable Big 12 defenseman of the year, agile mountain, destroyer of interior lineman, and best of all, soft-handed interceptor and fumbleforcer—it's best to tuck the ball tightly and just take a knee.

No. 3: Potts Falls From Kindle's Sack

Eight out of 10 dentists recommend you do not allow Sergio Kindle to do things like this to your lower jaw.

Apparently Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach misplaced that memo, as the fearsome Texas pass rush finally hit home, ringing Potts' bell and halting the Red Raiders on their a late comeback try to seal the revenge at Darrell Royal Stadium.

No. 2: Dez Bryant Holds On Against Georgia

Few players were more spectacular than Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant against Georgia.

The Bulldogs defense was gunning for the Biletnikoff runner up all day, going for the helmet kill shot. And though they rocked Bryant a few times, they couldn't keep him out of the end zone for long as the lanky receiver caught three balls for 77 yards and two touchdowns that provided the Cowboys with their margin of victory, 24-10.

Though Bryant is still embroiled in suspension, his play in the game was nothing short of, well, professional grade.

No. 1: Earl Thomas Picks Off Landry Jones To Put The Red River Game To Bed

The Sooners had intercepted Colt McCoy and come within a missed tackle of taking it 90-plus yards for six.

Down 16-13 and driving at midfield, they looked poised to overcome the three-point deficit that stood between them and a monumental Red River upset over the No. 2 Longhorns.

That's when Earl Thomas stepped in between Landry Jones and his intended receiver and intercepted to sock the Sooners off their upswing.

Colt McCoy dove on 3rd-and-1 to get the first down, and the Longhorns survived on the strength of terrific defense to keep the unbeaten season alive.

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