No. 7 Oklahoma rediscovering its run game ahead of run-in with No. 10 Baylor.
WACO — As Corey Coleman wanders the Baylor campus this week, it would be understandable if he still saw white jerseys following him.
Coleman, the nation’s leader in receiving yards per game and touchdown receptions, was targeted from the opening kickoff by an Oklahoma defense determined to keep him in check. It worked.
Often f acing triplecoverage, Coleman produced a season-low three receptions for 51 yards against OU. Only one catch came in the second half, as the Sooners’ masterful defensive job on Coleman was one of the biggest f actors in their 44-34 victory.
“They played me a little differently than what we saw in the game plan,” Coleman said. “Stuff just didn’t go the way we wanted to. It didn’t turn out the way we wanted, either.”
The Sooners matched Coleman with cornerback Jordan Thomas on virtually every snap, with underneath help from linebackers Eric Striker and Devante Bond. When Coleman broke into the secondary after that gauntlet, deep bracket coverage from free safety Ahmad Thomas was waiting for him.
“They did a great job in game planning for me,” Coleman said. “It was hard and there was so much frustration.”
After those struggles, Coleman and the Bears will be challenged to jump back into the Big 12 race Saturday night as they f ace undefeated No. 6 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.
As one of the team’s leaders, Coleman has been conscious about reminding his teammates that the Bears still have many goals in front of them. The junior from Richardson Pearce hasn’t given up on the Bears’ shot for a three-peat of Big 12 titles, even if the odds are much longer after the OU loss.
“We’ve talked about the season not being over,” Coleman said. “Our main goal right now is beating Oklahoma State. That’s what we’re worried about right now. You can’t worry about the polls and rankings. You got to beat Oklahoma State and everything else will play out.”
It won’t be easy. The Bears will be looking for their first victory in Stillwater since 1939.
“They’re a great program,” Coleman said. “We just have to make sure that we don’t lose our focus and we have to come together this time. We’ve already lost to Oklahoma. We’ve got to make sure everyone is confident and it’s still just business when we go up there.”
Another f actor in Coleman’s uncharacteristically struggling game was his placement on the field. Whether it was done for freshman quarterback Jarrett Stidham’s benefit, Coleman was aligned on the left side of Baylor’s offense for virtually every snap.
In other games this season, Baylor offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has shifted Coleman around like a chess piece as he tried to get him into f avorable matchups across the field.
Stidham was limited from early in the game after he sustained a deep back bruise. He remained in the game, but it is unclear how much the injury affected him or caused Baylor to alter its normally free-wheeling offensive strategy.
“They did an excellent job of changing up some coverages and stuff,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “I think we probably could’ve been a little more forceful with the ball. There were some f actors involved that took away aggression as opposed to intelligence.
“When you’re in a game of that nature where we were behind the 8-ball most of the game and we’re fighting uphill, you’ve got to be really conscious of getting productive plays when you have them. When you’ve got the ball, you’ve got to play the percentages a little bit more.”
Coleman remains a heavy f avorite to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver. But talks of his Heisman candidacy, simmering after he produced 21 touchdowns in his first eight games, have cooled a bit since his struggles against the Sooners.
But he still has a strong chance to break Troy Edwards’ single-season FBS record of 27 touchdown receptions set for Louisiana Tech in 1998. Coleman is five TD catches behind West Virginia’s Stedman Bailey’s Big 12 record of 25, set in 2012. Both appear in reach considering Baylor has three games remaining and a bowl game.
Despite Coleman’s rare off game against OU, Briles is convinced he’ll rebound against the Cowboys
“I’m not worried about his confidence at all. He’s a confident guy and he’ll continue to make plays. He’ll be fine,” Briles said. “And I think as an offensive unit, we’ll be able to adjust.”