By KEVIN LONNQUIST
Publisher
No. 6 Baylor fought off a late charge from Kansas State and remained undefeated with a 31-24 victory over the Wildcats Thursday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. So what did the publisher think about what transpired as the Bears improved to 8-0 and 5-0 in the Big 12?
>I’m an advocate of the thinking that when it comes to winning on the road in your conference, it’s a big win. For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s Kansas or Oklahoma or West Virginia. When you win in the other guy’s building, you’ve done something. Remember, about 97 percent of the crowd doesn’t like you and when the breaks are favoring the hometown team, it makes the climb tougher. The other guy wants to win the game as much as you do.
>This is the way the recent meetings with Kansas State have gone. Baylor has played well enough to win. But the Wildcats have been stubborn to where they don’t go away. Remember Baylor needed a big fourth quarter to win in Manhattan in 2013, 35-25. In 2014, the Bears never ran away in a 38-27 victory. On Thursday, they jumped to a big lead but had to make a play inside the final minute to preserve the win.
>Well, where do you start with Jarrett Stidham (23-33-0 419 3 TD)? I know of two drops by Coleman and Chris Platt in the second quarter and that’s it. But when you’re debut is the 10th-best overall performance in Baylor history, it’s not a fluke. He’s got the skill set to emerge as potentially the best QB to ever come through Baylor. Yes, even better than RGIII. Stidham has a potent arm. The ball just jumps out of his hand. Even on his misses, the spirals are tight. He knows how to put the ball through a window. And the mid-range ball between the hash marks in this offense is back in a big way. That 55-yard TD strike to K.D. Cannon was perfect. Stidham can make that throw consistently. Seth Russell couldn’t. There were some possessions where he was given some safe throws. He had a couple of batted balls. There were a couple of bad throws. I though he did the right thing on the sacks he took. It’s just starting. Watch it unfold.
>Now, I understand that it gets dicey with Oklahoma, at Oklahoma State and at TCU approaching. Stidham will be tested more. Plus, those teams now have a full four quarters of film to evaluate. So it will be up to him to make adjustments. We’ll talk about that soon enough.
>Let’s put the fourth quarter into perspective. When Chris Callahan drilled a 39-yard field goal with 11:24 to play in the game to make it 31-10, there was a debate as to whether the Bears took their foot off the accelerator or not. First of all, I don’t believe that was the case. I do believe that Baylor had intentions to score but wanted to grind out the clock along the way. The trouble was the Bears had trouble establishing their running game – give Kansas State’s defense some credit – all night. When they went to it, they couldn’t convert, especially on several 3rd and manageables. So because the Bears couldn’t get first downs it gave the Wildcats hope. Plus, there were some really dumb penalties including the LaQuan McGowan hold that could have finished this thing off.
>Up until the fourth quarter, I thought the defensive performance was pretty good. And keep in mind it was on the field for a long time because KSU had 37:32 in TOP. I know KSU QB Joe Hubener broke off a couple of solid runs in the first three quarters. But he wasn’t hurting this team. That was until the fourth quarter when he called his number a little more and found some flow with the zone read. Kansas State rushed for 258 yards. Between Hubener and Chris Jones, they combined for 229. Hubener had 153. It was clear that Andrew Billings was not at his best. The defensive staff had to pick its spots to get him out of there to take some of the wear off that ankle. Who knows if the ankle sprain will ever be any better? This may be the way it is. K.J. Smith did nice work and looks like he’s more comfortable. But he’s a player. Billings is a presence. Personally, I think the staff had to get Billings in there and could live with whatever limitations there were. Phil Bennett and Chris Achuff probably didn’t want to go into Oklahoma next week with a cold Billings getting ready for Semaje Perine and Joe Mixon. But the linebackers better pick it up. I didn’t think too much of them.
>I’ll be realistic here: there are times when this veteran Baylor offensive line can get whipped. This game plan kind of reminded me of the Cotton Bowl against Michigan St. There were runs here and there but nothing to where there was a rhythm to it. Baylor averaged only three yards per rush and had 103 for the game. The undertone for me was that the KSU defensive line had the better of it because it was prepared to stop the run. That’s why the Bears just couldn’t get the staple of the offense on track. Then mix in the bad penalties and the Chris Callahan missed 41-yard FG and you’re thinking, didn’t I just see this Jan. 1? But it worked out in the end.
>Corey Coleman’s Heisman Trophy campaign is only gaining momentum (11-216, 2 TD). He’s such a pro. He understands how to work so well with whatever space he’s given. The first reception out in the flat was nice because he used his block to spring free down the sideline for 36 yards. Then there was the 81-yard TD reception following the Ryan Reid interception. All he had to do was run under the perfectly placed ball. Finally, his best snare was going over the top of the KSU DB for the 3-yard score. He just understands all of the nuances. Coleman cracked the 1,000-yard mark. He now has seven consecutive two TD games. If he continues and most importantly outdoes TCU’s Josh Doctson Nov. 27 in Fort Worth, then he could head to New York. In watching his postgame interview with FOX Sports 1, he’s come a long way in that department. He’s still not totally comfortable doing interviews but he’s far better than where he was at Big 12 media days.
>Best performance of the year by KD Cannon (4-108, 1 TD). Thought he really played an overall solid game. I thought the tough catch he made in the fourth quarter in the drive where we thought Baylor was going to put this away told you a little more about his toughness. I’m of the belief that there was a personality conflict or trust issue between Russell and Cannon. I didn’t see that between him and Stidham.
>We’ll obviously hope that Chance Waz can improve and be well enough to play against Oklahoma. The helmet-to-helmet collision with Orion Stewart was pretty rough. But what was refreshing was that the man he beat for the job in Terrell Burt came up with the game-ending play. Redemption for Burt. Also, I know Ryan Reid has been picked on a lot this year (again, when you’re playing a lot of man coverage, you’re going to get beat) but that interception changed the course of the game and led to a Baylor touchdown.
>Before he leaves the Baylor campus, Travon Blanchard is going to be remembered as one of the better defensive playmakers in Baylor history. He’s just got that instinct to create turnovers, make a huge hit or bat a pass away. Plus, he’s a pretty good tackler. He doesn’t go for the shoulder knockdown like so many do.
>Until his miss, Chris Callahan has been in a good spot converting on 22 of 26. The timing for this miss didn’t help. He needs a short memory.
>Finally, Shock Linwood’s 72 yards gives him 1,046 for the season. As for chasing Walter Abercrombie’s school record 3,665 yards, Linwood is now at 3,179. He now needs 487 yards and must average 97.4 yards in the final five games (bowl game because we can’t assume playoffs yet) to break it. It will get tougher from here on out.
Enjoy your weekend taking in TCU-Oklahoma State, Oklahoma-Iowa State, Kansas-Texas and Texas Tech-West Virginia. It’s going to be defining weeks for the Horned Frogs, Cowboys and perhaps the Longhorns.
Publisher
No. 6 Baylor fought off a late charge from Kansas State and remained undefeated with a 31-24 victory over the Wildcats Thursday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. So what did the publisher think about what transpired as the Bears improved to 8-0 and 5-0 in the Big 12?
>I’m an advocate of the thinking that when it comes to winning on the road in your conference, it’s a big win. For me, it doesn’t matter if it’s Kansas or Oklahoma or West Virginia. When you win in the other guy’s building, you’ve done something. Remember, about 97 percent of the crowd doesn’t like you and when the breaks are favoring the hometown team, it makes the climb tougher. The other guy wants to win the game as much as you do.
>This is the way the recent meetings with Kansas State have gone. Baylor has played well enough to win. But the Wildcats have been stubborn to where they don’t go away. Remember Baylor needed a big fourth quarter to win in Manhattan in 2013, 35-25. In 2014, the Bears never ran away in a 38-27 victory. On Thursday, they jumped to a big lead but had to make a play inside the final minute to preserve the win.
>Well, where do you start with Jarrett Stidham (23-33-0 419 3 TD)? I know of two drops by Coleman and Chris Platt in the second quarter and that’s it. But when you’re debut is the 10th-best overall performance in Baylor history, it’s not a fluke. He’s got the skill set to emerge as potentially the best QB to ever come through Baylor. Yes, even better than RGIII. Stidham has a potent arm. The ball just jumps out of his hand. Even on his misses, the spirals are tight. He knows how to put the ball through a window. And the mid-range ball between the hash marks in this offense is back in a big way. That 55-yard TD strike to K.D. Cannon was perfect. Stidham can make that throw consistently. Seth Russell couldn’t. There were some possessions where he was given some safe throws. He had a couple of batted balls. There were a couple of bad throws. I though he did the right thing on the sacks he took. It’s just starting. Watch it unfold.
>Now, I understand that it gets dicey with Oklahoma, at Oklahoma State and at TCU approaching. Stidham will be tested more. Plus, those teams now have a full four quarters of film to evaluate. So it will be up to him to make adjustments. We’ll talk about that soon enough.
>Let’s put the fourth quarter into perspective. When Chris Callahan drilled a 39-yard field goal with 11:24 to play in the game to make it 31-10, there was a debate as to whether the Bears took their foot off the accelerator or not. First of all, I don’t believe that was the case. I do believe that Baylor had intentions to score but wanted to grind out the clock along the way. The trouble was the Bears had trouble establishing their running game – give Kansas State’s defense some credit – all night. When they went to it, they couldn’t convert, especially on several 3rd and manageables. So because the Bears couldn’t get first downs it gave the Wildcats hope. Plus, there were some really dumb penalties including the LaQuan McGowan hold that could have finished this thing off.
>Up until the fourth quarter, I thought the defensive performance was pretty good. And keep in mind it was on the field for a long time because KSU had 37:32 in TOP. I know KSU QB Joe Hubener broke off a couple of solid runs in the first three quarters. But he wasn’t hurting this team. That was until the fourth quarter when he called his number a little more and found some flow with the zone read. Kansas State rushed for 258 yards. Between Hubener and Chris Jones, they combined for 229. Hubener had 153. It was clear that Andrew Billings was not at his best. The defensive staff had to pick its spots to get him out of there to take some of the wear off that ankle. Who knows if the ankle sprain will ever be any better? This may be the way it is. K.J. Smith did nice work and looks like he’s more comfortable. But he’s a player. Billings is a presence. Personally, I think the staff had to get Billings in there and could live with whatever limitations there were. Phil Bennett and Chris Achuff probably didn’t want to go into Oklahoma next week with a cold Billings getting ready for Semaje Perine and Joe Mixon. But the linebackers better pick it up. I didn’t think too much of them.
>I’ll be realistic here: there are times when this veteran Baylor offensive line can get whipped. This game plan kind of reminded me of the Cotton Bowl against Michigan St. There were runs here and there but nothing to where there was a rhythm to it. Baylor averaged only three yards per rush and had 103 for the game. The undertone for me was that the KSU defensive line had the better of it because it was prepared to stop the run. That’s why the Bears just couldn’t get the staple of the offense on track. Then mix in the bad penalties and the Chris Callahan missed 41-yard FG and you’re thinking, didn’t I just see this Jan. 1? But it worked out in the end.
>Corey Coleman’s Heisman Trophy campaign is only gaining momentum (11-216, 2 TD). He’s such a pro. He understands how to work so well with whatever space he’s given. The first reception out in the flat was nice because he used his block to spring free down the sideline for 36 yards. Then there was the 81-yard TD reception following the Ryan Reid interception. All he had to do was run under the perfectly placed ball. Finally, his best snare was going over the top of the KSU DB for the 3-yard score. He just understands all of the nuances. Coleman cracked the 1,000-yard mark. He now has seven consecutive two TD games. If he continues and most importantly outdoes TCU’s Josh Doctson Nov. 27 in Fort Worth, then he could head to New York. In watching his postgame interview with FOX Sports 1, he’s come a long way in that department. He’s still not totally comfortable doing interviews but he’s far better than where he was at Big 12 media days.
>Best performance of the year by KD Cannon (4-108, 1 TD). Thought he really played an overall solid game. I thought the tough catch he made in the fourth quarter in the drive where we thought Baylor was going to put this away told you a little more about his toughness. I’m of the belief that there was a personality conflict or trust issue between Russell and Cannon. I didn’t see that between him and Stidham.
>We’ll obviously hope that Chance Waz can improve and be well enough to play against Oklahoma. The helmet-to-helmet collision with Orion Stewart was pretty rough. But what was refreshing was that the man he beat for the job in Terrell Burt came up with the game-ending play. Redemption for Burt. Also, I know Ryan Reid has been picked on a lot this year (again, when you’re playing a lot of man coverage, you’re going to get beat) but that interception changed the course of the game and led to a Baylor touchdown.
>Before he leaves the Baylor campus, Travon Blanchard is going to be remembered as one of the better defensive playmakers in Baylor history. He’s just got that instinct to create turnovers, make a huge hit or bat a pass away. Plus, he’s a pretty good tackler. He doesn’t go for the shoulder knockdown like so many do.
>Until his miss, Chris Callahan has been in a good spot converting on 22 of 26. The timing for this miss didn’t help. He needs a short memory.
>Finally, Shock Linwood’s 72 yards gives him 1,046 for the season. As for chasing Walter Abercrombie’s school record 3,665 yards, Linwood is now at 3,179. He now needs 487 yards and must average 97.4 yards in the final five games (bowl game because we can’t assume playoffs yet) to break it. It will get tougher from here on out.
Enjoy your weekend taking in TCU-Oklahoma State, Oklahoma-Iowa State, Kansas-Texas and Texas Tech-West Virginia. It’s going to be defining weeks for the Horned Frogs, Cowboys and perhaps the Longhorns.
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