Browsing: Football

After seven games without a true test on the gridiron, the Baylor Bears were supposed to be challenged by the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners, the first ranked opponent for Baylor this season. The No. 6 Bears answered the call and more by thumping Oklahoma 41-12 in front of 50,537 fans decked out in black at Floyd Casey Stadium on Thursday night.

“[The blackout crowd] was something I hadn’t seen before,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said. “It was very emotional and very humbling at the same time. When you’ve got support, you can get things going a little bit. It certainly made a difference in the football game.”

TCU (3-6, 1-5) at Iowa State (1-7, 0-5)

Texas Christian has struggled mightily after coming into the season ranked in the top 20. The Horned Frogs are on a three-game losing streak, and have lost four of their last five and six of their last eight. TCU is coming off a tough overtime loss against West Virginia in Fort Worth, where their offense managed only 60 yards of rushing. Senior quarterback Casey Pachall has entered back into the offense, but the Horned Frogs still have one of the worst offenses in football. The defense has been solid, but a defense can only do so much when an offense averages only 23.4 points per game.

By Daniel Hill Sports Editor The No. 6 Baylor Bears led the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners 24-5 at the…

If there is a word that has been thrown around with Baylor football, it’s history. The Bears are ranked top five in the Associated Press poll for the second time in history and the first time since 1953. The Bears are ranked No. 6 in the BCS standings, the highest the program has been in the 16-year history of the BCS. Baylor is the highest ranked team in the Big 12. The Bears are 4-0 in conference play for the first time in Big 12 history.

With the wind of that success behind its back, Baylor (7-0, 4-0) looks forward to challenging traditional Big 12 power No. 10 Oklahoma (7-1, 3-1) today at Floyd Casey Stadium.

By Parmida Schahhosseini Sports Writer With the sweet smell of barbecue filling the air and tailgaters partaking in the…

On Nov. 19, 2011, Baylor University changed forever. The Baylor Bears football team were ranked No. 22 in the country by the BCS after making only its third appearance in the Associated Press poll in the past 16 seasons.

Baylor faced an all-too-familiar foe in Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma. The No. 5 Sooners came to Waco undefeated all-time against the lowly Baylor Bears. With a plethora of upsets throughout the day, Oklahoma looked to push itself back into the national title picture with a convincing win against a ranked opponent.

Kansas (2-5, 0-4) at Texas (5-2, 4-0)

Kansas comes into this game fresh off a crushing loss to the Baylor Bears last Saturday. The Bears destroyed Kansas in every aspect of the game, winning 59-14 in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks rank 101 in total defense with 450.7 yards of total offense allowed. Kansas is also 99 in rushing defense, allowing 203 yards rushing per game. The offense has been even worse. There is a big question mark at the quarterback position, as Jake Heaps has compiled less than 1,000 total yards through seven games. Kansas ranks 117 in the country with 290.6 yards of total offense per game. The Jayhawks are also 116 with only 17.7 points per game.

Unlike Baylor’s narrow 35-25 victory against the Kansas State Wildcats on Oct. 12, on Saturday’s visit to the Sunflower State, the No. 6 Baylor Bears left no doubt with a convincing 59-14 win against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Bears answered any concerns about their ability to perform on the road by delivering a display of overpowering offense and an authoritative defensive effort.

After surviving a 35-25 road win over Kansas State earlier in the season, the Baylor Bears set out to win with authority as the away team against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday in Lawrence, Kan.

The Bears left no doubt in this road matchup by throttling the Jayhawks 59-14 in a strong showing by the Bears on the road.

No. 19 Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-1) at Iowa State (1-5, 0-3)

Oklahoma State comes into this game with more questions than answers after a 24-10 win over TCU last Saturday. Senior quarterback Clint Chelf was named the starter over sophomore J.W Walsh for the last game, but Walsh still received 18 pass attempts compared to Chelf’s 25. The two quarterbacks combined for 293 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions on a 44.2 percent completion percentage. The running game has been virtually nonexistent and ranks 95 in the country. Walsh is the leading rusher on the team. This is not the efficient Oklahoma State offense expected from a Mike Gundy coached team. The saving grace has been the defense, which ranks top 30 in total defense and top 15 in scoring defense.

Fresh off of a 71-7 homecoming dismantling of Iowa State, No. 8 Baylor (6-0, 3-0) looks to get its seventh straight win against the Kansas Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3) in Lawrence on Saturday.

It was only a year ago when fans called for the firing of Baylor’s defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, as he faced constant scrutiny. The defense left a lot to be desired after giving up more than 519 yards per game through the first nine games of 2012.

Nov. 17, 2012, everything changed.

With all of the firepower of Baylor football, it’s no surprise a valuable weapon has slipped through the cracks. Junior wide receiver Clay Fuller may be sensationalized. There’s no doubt in his teammates minds, Fuller is one of the leaders of this team.

Flashback to Sept. 29, 2012: Baylor had just put up 581 passing yards, 700 yards of total offense and 63 points against No. 9 West Virginia… and lost.

In that game, the Baylor defense allowed West Virginia to pass for an astounding 656 yards and finish with 807 yards of total offense.

“We’re going bowling,” senior wide receive Tevin Reese yelled repeatedly while running up and down the sideline, celebrating the Bears clinching bowl eligibility for the fourth season in a row. In previous years, this would have been a big deal. Not this year.

Only after a tough overtime win against Texas Tech in the 11th game of the season did Baylor clinch a bowl berth last season.

The Baylor Bears are 6-0 for the first time since 1980 and are also bowl eligible for a fourth straight season thanks to a dominating 71-7 victory over Iowa State on Saturday night at Floyd Casey Stadium.

By Daniel Hill Sports Editor The Baylor Bears lead the Iowa State Cyclones 37-0 at halftime. Baylor’s offense has racked…

With Oklahoma losing last week in the Red River Rivalry, Baylor moved up to 12th in the country in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls, which is the highest the Bears have been since 1991. For the first time in the 16-year history of the Big 12, Baylor is the highest ranked team in the conference.

The Baylor Bears will look to prove they belong at the front of the pack as they play Iowa State in the final homecoming game at Floyd Casey Stadium.

No. 21 Oklahoma State vs. TCU

Despite the perception of Oklahoma State as an offensive oriented team, the defense has stepped up and has been integral to the Cowboys’ success. OSU is currently 38th in the country and fifth in the Big 12 in total defense, holding teams to 361.2 yards per game.

In a relatively short period of time, Baylor football has become nationally renowned for its explosive offense. Through the first four games, the Bears were averaging 781.5 yards per game, 70.5 points per game and beating teams by an average of 54.3 points per game. All of these marks led the country.

Baylor faced an unexpected challenge in its first road game on Saturday against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan. The Bears managed to escape “The Little Apple” with a 35-25 victory, but one that looked different from the display of offensive fireworks in previous weeks.

Baylor football has established a tradition of elite offense. In the last two seasons, the Bears have finished second nationally in total offense.

With that history, Baylor came into this season with a world of expectations on the offensive. So far this season, the Bears have shattered previous offensive records with junior quarterback Bryce Petty at the helm.

With Baylor’s flashy offense and improved defense, the third phase of the football team is often overlooked. Baylor’s special teams have been a model of consistency and have helped boost Baylor to some key victories. When the game is on the line, all eyes are on special teams because of the impact they can have on the outcome of a game.

After blowing teams out by an average of over 54 points through the first four games, Baylor football faced a battle in its first road test of the season against Kansas State.

The Bears faced their first true adversity and experienced their first deficit of the year, but managed to fight back for a 35-25 victory, for their first-ever win in Manhattan, Kan.

The No. 15 Baylor Bears survived a scare from the Kansas State Wildcats to win 35-25 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan. on Saturday.

The win marks the first time the Bears have ever won a game at Kansas State.

Playing its first road game of the year, Baylor started out the game with 12-play, 59-yard scoring drive where the Bears held the ball for the first 4:27 seconds of the game. Junior quarterback Bryce Petty finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

After thrashing West Virginia in the first Big 12 conference game, No. 15 Baylor football looks to continue its incredible offensive start in the first road game of the season at Kansas State. The Bears have never won in Manhattan, but Baylor looks to turn that streak around.

Baylor is coming off a dominant win against West Virginia, where the Bears set an all-time Big 12 record with 864 total yards, and dropped 70 points or more for the third straight game, the first time an offense has scored 70 or more points three straight times since 1930.

Baylor was dominant in its Big 12 opener, setting a conference record for total offense with 864 yards. The number was the most by an FBS team in the last decade. The Bears scored the most points against West Virginia since 1904. Baylor became the first team since 1930 to score 70 or more points in three straight games. This was all against a team that beat No. 11 Oklahoma State convincingly the week before.

Despite the convincing win, Baylor moved up only two spots in the AP rankings, from No. 17 to No. 15.

For the past four games Baylor football has dominated it’s opponents at Floyd Casey Stadium ranking them at number four in the Big 12 conference. This weekend the team travels for the first time this season. Saturday at 2:30 p.m. the Bears will take on Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan.

“First time for us traveling and everybody’s jacked up and ready to zero in and come out with a W,” senior cornerback K.J. Morton said.

No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. Texas (3-2)

Since junior quarterback Blake Bell took over as starter, he has thrown for 797 yards, 70.4 percent accuracy and six touchdowns over three games. The Sooners are 3-0 in that span, including an impressive victory over No. 22 Notre Dame in South Bend. OU is sixth in the country in scoring defense and ninth in total yardage defense.

With many people focusing on how to stop Baylor, or wondering how Baylor will adjust on the road, the coaching duel that will take place in Manhattan, Kan., seems to be overlooked. Both Baylor head coach Art Briles and Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder have rejuvenated programs that were at one point bottom feeders of the Big 12.

Snyder’s first tenure at K-State was from 1989 to 2005, in which he led the Wildcats to three Big 12 titles, six 11-win seasons, and helped turn Kansas State into a contending, winning program on an annual basis.

While high-powered offenses earn national attention, defense wins championships. Last year’s porous Baylor defense has been replaced with a stout defense that finds itself ranking among the elite squads in the NCAA.

Through the first four games of the Baylor season, the defense has allowed 321.3 yards per game– good enough to land Baylor inside the top 20. Baylor’s defense last year consistently ranked outside of the top 100 teams in FBS schools, which forced the offense to carry the load.