One way of looking at it is that undefeated Baylor handed the reins to a freshman QB and didn’t miss a beat.
That’s certainly how they’re choosing to see things in Waco, Texas, after Baylor freshman Jarrett Stidham passed for more than 400 yards and threw three aesthetically pleasing touchdown passes in a victory at Kansas State.
True, Baylor won by just seven against the struggling Wildcats, but that’s not the point according to Baylor coach Art Briles.
“We went in unscathed and remain unscathed (at Kansas State),” Briles said. “If you’re looking for somebody that’s fearful as a coach or as a team, you’re not going to find it on University Parks Drive (a street in Waco where Baylor’s facilities are located). That’s not happening.”
Another way to look it is that kind of bravado could be masking some serious concerns.
For the first time this season, Baylor didn’t dominate the line of scrimmage against Kansas State. The Bears rushed for just a little more than 100 yards, well below their average, and they gave up more than 250 to the Wildcats.
Baylor made up for the deficit by throwing the ball over the heads of the Kansas State defenders.
Will the Bears (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) be able to survive such shortcomings against Oklahoma (8-1, 5-1)? The Sooners are equipped to give Baylor’s defense fits with QB Baker Mayfield and RBs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. And none of Baylor’s opponents so far this season have had the defensive personnel to limit Bears’ go-to receiver Corey Coleman like Oklahoma can.
Briles said his team simply has to take the fight to the Sooners.
“We have to make them uneasy,” Briles said. “We have to do what we do and do it better than what they do. They have good people, they have good schemes, they have good coaches, and they have good tradition. But so do we. So what you have are two really good football teams playing each other.”
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Jarrett Stidham had a sparkling debut as Baylor’s starter. He made the Fox Sports 1 commentators gush over his ability to throw a tight spiral to just the right spot. Stidham completed 23-of-33 passes for 419 yards and three TDs.
–WR Corey Coleman is starting to get the attention he deserves as possibly the most valuable player in college football. He caught 11 passes for 216 yards and two TDs against Kansas State, definitely making the difference between the Bears winning or losing in Manhattan.
–WR KD Cannon caught just four passes, but averaged more than 25 yards per catch as he went for 108 and a TD. Opponents can’t afford to pay too much attention to Coleman, because Cannon can burn them just as quickly. Baylor will need both to be on point against Oklahoma to stay unblemished.
SERIES HISTORY: Oklahoma leads Baylor, 21-3. However, the Bears have won three of the last four.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We didn’t tee it off to get second, and we’re not going to wait for the other team to make a mistake. We’re going to set the tone, we’re going to play hard, we’re going to play fast, and we’re going to play fearless.” — Baylor coach Art Briles.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
GAME BREAKDOWN
Scouting the running game: Baylor had its worst rushing game of the season at Kansas State as it gained just 103 yards. QB Seth Russell had been a key running threat for the Bears before he suffered a season-ending neck injury. Now it is unlikely QB Jarrett Stidham, though capable, will risk running too much. Versus the Wildcats, Baylor RB Shock Linwood didn’t pick up the slack. He gained 72 yards on 13 carries, but had a long run of 11 yards and didn’t score.
Scouting the passing game: If Stidham can throw the ball at the clip he did against Kansas State, it might not matter if the Bears are able to reignite their running game or not. Stidham completed 23-of-33 passes for 419 yards and three TDs. He threw so many perfect passes against the Wildcats, no one seemed to notice or mind that the Bears just skated past Kansas State by a touchdown.
Scouting the run defense: It’s a bad sign for Baylor that Kansas State rushed for 258 yards and 5.4 yards per carry, keeping the game close for the duration. Wildcats QB Joe Hubener ran for 153 and two TDs. Oklahoma will be able to spot what Kansas State did right and the Sooners have the players to exploit Baylor’s weaknesses.
Scouting the pass defense: Perhaps Baylor’s saving grace against Kansas State were the Bears’ two interceptions, by Terrell Burt and Ryan Reid. LB Grant Campbell posted a sack for 15 yards, but it was the only time the Bears got to the KSU QB.
Scouting the special teams: The Bears were somewhere between not great and bad against Kansas State. They were also lucky, because the Wildcats are one of those teams that can make an opponent pay for lackluster special teams play. Baylor K Chris Callahan missed a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that would have iced the game. Instead, Kansas State got the ball back with a chance to tie the game with a TD. The Wildcats couldn’t cash in, but it still points to a problem from Baylor
DRAFT PROSPECTS (includes 2016 NFLDraftScout.com rating as applicable):
–DE Shawn Oakman (No. 4 DE, 22nd overall prospect) — After coming up with some big plays the previous week against Iowa State, Oakman returned to usual invisibility act against Kansas State. The massive, intimidating defensive end had three solo tackles and no superlatives.
–OT Spencer Drango (No. 5 OG, 68th overall prospect) — For the first time this season, Baylor’s victory against Kansas State was hard to attribute to brilliant offensive line play. And Drango had a rare holding penalty, so not his best night.
–DT Andrew Billings (No. 5 DT, 44th overall prospect) — Still nursing a left ankle sprain, Billings played but didn’t record any stats against Kansas State.
–RB Shock Linwood — Linwood failed to shine when the spotlight turned to him. After QB Seth Russell went down with a season-ending injury, it was up to Linwood to drive the running game against Kansas State. He rushed for 5.5 yards per carry against the Wildcats, but his long run was just 11 yards and he totaled 72.
–SS Orion Stewart — Stewart got plenty of work cleaning up play against Kansas State. Although he didn’t come up with any superlatives, he made eight solo and nine total tackles.