Bears out to avoid letdown
Winless Kansas, a 42-point underdog, not likely a threat.
— Last Saturday, Baylor wore special gunmetal gray uniforms and metallic silver helmets to play in a spiff y pro stadium against a longtime rival. It was like a midseason bowl game.
The Bears’ game against Texas Tech was shown to a national audience, and Baylor’s decisive 63-35 win over the Red Raiders pushed them to No. 3 in the national polls.
Given last week’s hoopla, how do the Bears legitimately prep for this week’s opponent? Baylor travels to lowly Kansas to play its
fifirst Big 12 road contest of the season. There will be a signifificant drop in energy. It would go against human nature for there not to be.
The Jayhawks, under new coach David Beaty, have yet to win this season against a schedule that began with South Dakota State, Memphis, Rutgers and Iowa State. The Jayhawks’ latest loss was on the road against Iowa State.
Kansas has scored 27 total points in its past two games. Conversely, the Bears, with an enviable amount of riches on offense, notched more than that in the fifirst quarter against Tech.
The Bears are aware they can’t drop back in effort. When you’re averaging nearly 64 points and 740 yards a game, there has to be a pretty stat sheet each Saturday. TCU, which is ranked No. 2 in the polls this week, is the nearest team to Baylor statistically in national offensive categories.
“That’s what we’ve got to do this week: keep improving,” Bears coach Art Briles said. “The guys are playing up at a pretty good level. Those guys have to stay at that level and increase it.
“Once you hit one home run, they want you to hit two,” Briles said. “Once you hit two, you have to hit three. You can’t ever take a step backwards. You have to keep moving forward. I like our football team. I like their passion and their energy. I like their intensity, and I like their toughness.”
Briles probably will mention to his team that Kansas very nearly derailed TCU last November in Lawrence.
And he can talk about how in 2011, when quarterback Robert Griffin III was in the midst of his Heisman campaign, Baylor needed a 21-point, fourth-quarter comeback and then overtime to beat the two-win Jayhawks.
“If we can get out (of Kansas) with a 7-6 (win), well, boy, I’ll get on that plane happy as can be,” Briles said. “This is similar to the way it’s set up. You win, you advance; you win, you advance. If you don’t win, then you’re really fighting an uphill battle. All we’re trying to do is win.”
Oddsmakers have established Baylor as a 42- point favorite.
Fewer runs for Russell?: Baylor quarterback Seth Russell carried the ball a career-high 12 times against Tech. Briles admitted so many carries made him “uncomfortable,” but the coach said Russell’s running ability will be reflected in certain game plans.
Top recruit leaves Bears: J.W. Ketchum, one of the top prospects out of Houston last recruiting season, has left the Baylor program. Ketchum posted the news on his Twitter account Monday. A week ago, Briles announced that Ketchum had been suspended.
When told of Ketchum’s tweet Monday, Briles said there still was a chance Ketchum could return to Baylor next season. Ketchum, who was a defensive back at Baylor, was saying otherwise, though, telling a Waco radio station that he was ready to “ball somewhere.”