I want to go back to new wave of the early 1980s when the hair got shaved, colored, spiked or moved in any direction. As much as the look might have detested some parents, the silver lining is that it helped all of us break free from the dark times: Disco.
In this era, there were plenty of choices. But I wanted to go for the wow factor. So I give you A Flock of Seagulls.
*****
I’m playing captain obvious here: Saturday at Oklahoma State is the season. This isn’t about the college football playoff rankings. I think the Bears are going to get dropped into the teens to where the committee won’t allow them to climb back into the final four.
Having said that, if the Bears pull off this upset – currently it’s a pick with some Las Vegas sports books but some lines aren’t posted because of each team’s injury situation – then I think it’s going to force the committee’s hand to something.
More importantly, it keeps the Bears in the Big 12 race. If I’m the coaching staff, all that matters is focusing on Oklahoma State and finding a way to win there.
The season isn’t over.
*****
Baylor’s football team probably woke up Sunday morning and then again on Monday feeling pretty sore. Every member on that team poured everything he had into Saturday night’s game against Oklahoma.
I would submit to you that the effort that we saw from the Bears ranked in the Top 5 for an Art Briles-coached team. This team made sure that nothing was left on the sidelines or in each personal tank.
It just wasn’t good enough.
That’s sports. That’s what happens. You play hard. You compete at the highest level possible. You give yourself the opportunity to win. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out. The other guy is a little better.
I’ve had 36 hours to reflect more about Oklahoma 44, Baylor 34 and can honestly say that this is a unified group. Yes, there’s going to be some outliers in the locker room who can have their own agendas working. That’s unavoidable. That’s just the way locker rooms are. But the needs of the group have overshadowed and compartmentalized it to where it’s not a problem.
However, nothing has changed from what I wrote following this game. The offensive line has to find a way to get better. I don’t think it’s been playing very well since really the West Virginia game.
Obviously, Iowa State got out of hand early at 35-0. At the time, I didn’t much of it. But when it continued against Kansas State, my personal red alarm went off. They’re getting pushed around and the opposing defensive line is dictating more to what Baylor’s offense wants to do and can do.
Now, a freshman quarterback pulling the trigger plays a role in this. However, it really doesn’t matter if you’re a true freshman or a seasoned veteran. If you’re offensive line is losing the advantage, then everything can break down.
Saturday in Stillwater is going to be watershed moment for this quintet. If you think that Oklahoma’s defensive front was pretty solid, playing against this Oklahoma State front at cozy Boone Pickens Stadium with a sea of orange on top of you is going to be the toughest challenge of the year.
This group has got to figure out a way to limit Emmanuel Ogbah. Ogbah leads the Big 12 with 11 sacks. He leads the conference with 15.5 tackles for loss. He’s among the conference leaders in total tackles with 50. Technically, he’s ranked 42nd. When scanning the Big 12’s tackle leaders, Ogbah is the only defensive lineman in the Top 50. That tells you what kind of season he’s having. Then you’ve got true freshman Darrion Daniels, who is making his own impression, followed by Vincent Taylor.
Yep, I understand that Oklahoma State struggled in Ames and had to rally in the second half to pull out a 35-31. Like I’ve said on many occasions, when you win on the road in your conference, it’s a good win. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Lawrence or in Norman. Look at the second half of that game, Oklahoma State’s defense found another gear and shut down the Cyclones.
That’s what good defense’s do.
Baylor’s offensive line has to make this week personal. Spencer Drango, Blake Muir, Kyle Fuller, Jarell Broxton and Pat Colbert must be the fist that binds and restores order. It has to play at a more a physical level than it has all season.
Anything close to or less than what happened against the Sooners means the Bears are walking out of Stillwater Saturday night with a loss.
****
Now let’s get to the elephant in the room. Stidham is a pretty confident young man. Saturday’s on-the-job training performance provided a lot of learning tools. He learned the hard way against Charles Tapper and the rest of that unit.
But when Art Briles is saying that Stidham tweaked his back during the first series of the game and had to play through it, It became a pretty sobering statement because it reminded everybody how close this team is watching everything slip away.
Baylor is playing right on the edge. Every time, Stidham takes a snap Baylor is playing on the edge.
I can remember saying pretty much the same thing in 2013 when Bryce Petty became the starter and the options behind him were unknowns. Fortunately, the Bears didn’t have to find that out. And the Bears picked the right time to have Petty miss a game in 2014 with his back injury.
When you watched Stidham walk off the field or talk to the coaches and trainers on the sidelines, he was doing everything he could to hold a brave face. That’s understandable. Briles said Stidham will be fine for Oklahoma State so you just have to go with that.
Ailing/Sore or not, Stidham has to take the snaps at practice this week to prepare. The staff can’t rest him. Now, it can make sure that Stidham goes through the week smartly. All quarterbacks wear a red jersey anyway. But they could make sure he's a little more protected if they believe that's necessary.
The only way we’re going to know how effective Stidham will be is when he starts going through everything.
This game plan is going to be really interesting. I have this sneaking suspicion that the plan could be the most conservative that Baylor will ever implement.
I don’t care that Baylor hasn’t won in Stillwater since the early weeks of World War II in 1939. It’s a nice subplot but that doesn’t really mean anything this weekend.
Personally, I think there needs to be more check downs, quick outs, and intermediate stuff. There have to be more high percentage plays in this game plan. The deep verticals will not go away. But if you’re going to give those plays the best chance to work, you’ve got to get the Cowboys to commit more to the line of scrimmage.
The coaching staff can talk about how nothing will change with Stidham running the offense. However, I think things have to change to a certain extent. Baylor doesn’t have to abandon its personality. But if Baylor is going to win this, it cannot have six empty possessions.
****
Other thoughts…
>Shock Linwood needs 383 yards to surpass Walter Abercrombie as Baylor’s all-time leading rusher. It should happen by the Texas game. Now, if he has tough performance against Oklahoma State, then you may have to wait for the bowl game.
>Sophomore nickel back Travon Blanchard will make the Big 12’s all-conference team. Well, at least he should. That’s not a slight against nose tackle Andrew Billings, who remains my favorite player on this roster. But Blanchard really embraces this role and just has a knack on how to find the ball. The interception against Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was a case of someone who really understood the film he was breaking down. I’m sure that horse collar tackle stings at him. He’ll be fine.
>Good start by Scott Drew’s team against a solid opponent in Stephen F. Austin. But we’ll get a better feel for this crew tonight at 10:30 p.m. at Oregon. This is ESPNs College Basketball tipoff marathon.
****
While I’m thinking about it…
>How many kick in the gut losses can the 2-7 Cowboys have? I guess Tony Romo returns from his broken collar bone this weekend in Miami. But this season is toast. The 7-game losing streak is the worst since the 1989 season when that group went 1-15.
>My personal choice is for American League Rookie of the Year is Astros shortstop Carlos Correa. Pretty close to a five-tool guy.
>Still keeping thoughts and prayers for France over the cowardly terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. When it was breaking, it gave me a little of that sense of Sept. 11, 2001 here in the United States. It didn’t take long for France to respond. The War on Terror is continuous. Friday reminded us that terrorists aren’t taking days off. Neither should we.
>Rhonda Rousey lost her MMA match on Saturday night. I don’t care. I’ve never had much interest in that sport and probably never will.
>Skol Minnesota Vikings. Your NFC North Leaders at 7-2. All day with 203. The evil empire Green Bay Packers come to Minneapolis on Sunday. I so want to kick the Packers ....
****
On to other Baylor sports…
>The fifth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears will host the Southern Miss Lady Eagles in the Preseason WNIT quarterfinals, Monday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 p.m.
Head coach Kim Mulkey began her 16th season at Baylor a 62-20 victory over UT Arlington on Friday, Nov. 13.
The 20 points allowed were the fewest-ever in a season opener and third-fewest all-time; 18 by Texas State (99-18, Jan. 2, 2010) and 17 by Rice (85-17, in 1974-75).
Notables…
• Nina Davis was named Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and Associated Press Preseason All-American.
• With her 19 points vs. UT Arlington, Davis moved to No. 16 on BU’s all-time scoring list with 1, 353 points (see page 7 for list).
• Baylor has won 153 straight home games vs. non-ranked opponents, dating back to an April 4, 2003, homecourt loss to Auburn in the WNIT finals.
• Niya Johnson ranks No. 1 on BU’s career assist chart with 675.
• In her 16 seasons at the program's helm, Kim Mulkey has posted an impressive 438-90 (.830) record which ranks her No. 2 nationally in winning percentage among active coaches behind UConn’s Geno Auriemma (.873).
>Baylor women's cross country junior Maggie Montoya earned All-Region honors and a spot in the NCAA Championship field with a second-place finish in the NCAA South Central Regional Championships Friday at Watts Cross Country Course.
Meanwhile as a team, the Baylor women were fourth, while the BU men were sixth.
Montoya, who was 12th at the meet a season ago, moved up to second in 2015 by running the 6,000-meter course in a career-best time of 19:50.5. The runner-up finish earned Montoya a second-straight All-Region honor. She will compete as an individual at the 2015 NCAA Championship, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, in Louisville, Ky.
>Despite career nights for seniors Andie Malloy and Amy Rosenbaum on Senior Day, Baylor volleyball (16-11, 4-9 Big 12) dropped a three-set match, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23, to the Oklahoma Sooners (8-16, 2-10 Big 12) on Sunday in the Ferrell Center. Baylor faces Texas on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas.
Let's make it a great week!
In this era, there were plenty of choices. But I wanted to go for the wow factor. So I give you A Flock of Seagulls.
*****
I’m playing captain obvious here: Saturday at Oklahoma State is the season. This isn’t about the college football playoff rankings. I think the Bears are going to get dropped into the teens to where the committee won’t allow them to climb back into the final four.
Having said that, if the Bears pull off this upset – currently it’s a pick with some Las Vegas sports books but some lines aren’t posted because of each team’s injury situation – then I think it’s going to force the committee’s hand to something.
More importantly, it keeps the Bears in the Big 12 race. If I’m the coaching staff, all that matters is focusing on Oklahoma State and finding a way to win there.
The season isn’t over.
*****
Baylor’s football team probably woke up Sunday morning and then again on Monday feeling pretty sore. Every member on that team poured everything he had into Saturday night’s game against Oklahoma.
I would submit to you that the effort that we saw from the Bears ranked in the Top 5 for an Art Briles-coached team. This team made sure that nothing was left on the sidelines or in each personal tank.
It just wasn’t good enough.
That’s sports. That’s what happens. You play hard. You compete at the highest level possible. You give yourself the opportunity to win. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out. The other guy is a little better.
I’ve had 36 hours to reflect more about Oklahoma 44, Baylor 34 and can honestly say that this is a unified group. Yes, there’s going to be some outliers in the locker room who can have their own agendas working. That’s unavoidable. That’s just the way locker rooms are. But the needs of the group have overshadowed and compartmentalized it to where it’s not a problem.
However, nothing has changed from what I wrote following this game. The offensive line has to find a way to get better. I don’t think it’s been playing very well since really the West Virginia game.
Obviously, Iowa State got out of hand early at 35-0. At the time, I didn’t much of it. But when it continued against Kansas State, my personal red alarm went off. They’re getting pushed around and the opposing defensive line is dictating more to what Baylor’s offense wants to do and can do.
Now, a freshman quarterback pulling the trigger plays a role in this. However, it really doesn’t matter if you’re a true freshman or a seasoned veteran. If you’re offensive line is losing the advantage, then everything can break down.
Saturday in Stillwater is going to be watershed moment for this quintet. If you think that Oklahoma’s defensive front was pretty solid, playing against this Oklahoma State front at cozy Boone Pickens Stadium with a sea of orange on top of you is going to be the toughest challenge of the year.
This group has got to figure out a way to limit Emmanuel Ogbah. Ogbah leads the Big 12 with 11 sacks. He leads the conference with 15.5 tackles for loss. He’s among the conference leaders in total tackles with 50. Technically, he’s ranked 42nd. When scanning the Big 12’s tackle leaders, Ogbah is the only defensive lineman in the Top 50. That tells you what kind of season he’s having. Then you’ve got true freshman Darrion Daniels, who is making his own impression, followed by Vincent Taylor.
Yep, I understand that Oklahoma State struggled in Ames and had to rally in the second half to pull out a 35-31. Like I’ve said on many occasions, when you win on the road in your conference, it’s a good win. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Lawrence or in Norman. Look at the second half of that game, Oklahoma State’s defense found another gear and shut down the Cyclones.
That’s what good defense’s do.
Baylor’s offensive line has to make this week personal. Spencer Drango, Blake Muir, Kyle Fuller, Jarell Broxton and Pat Colbert must be the fist that binds and restores order. It has to play at a more a physical level than it has all season.
Anything close to or less than what happened against the Sooners means the Bears are walking out of Stillwater Saturday night with a loss.
****
Now let’s get to the elephant in the room. Stidham is a pretty confident young man. Saturday’s on-the-job training performance provided a lot of learning tools. He learned the hard way against Charles Tapper and the rest of that unit.
But when Art Briles is saying that Stidham tweaked his back during the first series of the game and had to play through it, It became a pretty sobering statement because it reminded everybody how close this team is watching everything slip away.
Baylor is playing right on the edge. Every time, Stidham takes a snap Baylor is playing on the edge.
I can remember saying pretty much the same thing in 2013 when Bryce Petty became the starter and the options behind him were unknowns. Fortunately, the Bears didn’t have to find that out. And the Bears picked the right time to have Petty miss a game in 2014 with his back injury.
When you watched Stidham walk off the field or talk to the coaches and trainers on the sidelines, he was doing everything he could to hold a brave face. That’s understandable. Briles said Stidham will be fine for Oklahoma State so you just have to go with that.
Ailing/Sore or not, Stidham has to take the snaps at practice this week to prepare. The staff can’t rest him. Now, it can make sure that Stidham goes through the week smartly. All quarterbacks wear a red jersey anyway. But they could make sure he's a little more protected if they believe that's necessary.
The only way we’re going to know how effective Stidham will be is when he starts going through everything.
This game plan is going to be really interesting. I have this sneaking suspicion that the plan could be the most conservative that Baylor will ever implement.
I don’t care that Baylor hasn’t won in Stillwater since the early weeks of World War II in 1939. It’s a nice subplot but that doesn’t really mean anything this weekend.
Personally, I think there needs to be more check downs, quick outs, and intermediate stuff. There have to be more high percentage plays in this game plan. The deep verticals will not go away. But if you’re going to give those plays the best chance to work, you’ve got to get the Cowboys to commit more to the line of scrimmage.
The coaching staff can talk about how nothing will change with Stidham running the offense. However, I think things have to change to a certain extent. Baylor doesn’t have to abandon its personality. But if Baylor is going to win this, it cannot have six empty possessions.
****
Other thoughts…
>Shock Linwood needs 383 yards to surpass Walter Abercrombie as Baylor’s all-time leading rusher. It should happen by the Texas game. Now, if he has tough performance against Oklahoma State, then you may have to wait for the bowl game.
>Sophomore nickel back Travon Blanchard will make the Big 12’s all-conference team. Well, at least he should. That’s not a slight against nose tackle Andrew Billings, who remains my favorite player on this roster. But Blanchard really embraces this role and just has a knack on how to find the ball. The interception against Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was a case of someone who really understood the film he was breaking down. I’m sure that horse collar tackle stings at him. He’ll be fine.
>Good start by Scott Drew’s team against a solid opponent in Stephen F. Austin. But we’ll get a better feel for this crew tonight at 10:30 p.m. at Oregon. This is ESPNs College Basketball tipoff marathon.
****
While I’m thinking about it…
>How many kick in the gut losses can the 2-7 Cowboys have? I guess Tony Romo returns from his broken collar bone this weekend in Miami. But this season is toast. The 7-game losing streak is the worst since the 1989 season when that group went 1-15.
>My personal choice is for American League Rookie of the Year is Astros shortstop Carlos Correa. Pretty close to a five-tool guy.
>Still keeping thoughts and prayers for France over the cowardly terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. When it was breaking, it gave me a little of that sense of Sept. 11, 2001 here in the United States. It didn’t take long for France to respond. The War on Terror is continuous. Friday reminded us that terrorists aren’t taking days off. Neither should we.
>Rhonda Rousey lost her MMA match on Saturday night. I don’t care. I’ve never had much interest in that sport and probably never will.
>Skol Minnesota Vikings. Your NFC North Leaders at 7-2. All day with 203. The evil empire Green Bay Packers come to Minneapolis on Sunday. I so want to kick the Packers ....
****
On to other Baylor sports…
>The fifth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears will host the Southern Miss Lady Eagles in the Preseason WNIT quarterfinals, Monday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 p.m.
Head coach Kim Mulkey began her 16th season at Baylor a 62-20 victory over UT Arlington on Friday, Nov. 13.
The 20 points allowed were the fewest-ever in a season opener and third-fewest all-time; 18 by Texas State (99-18, Jan. 2, 2010) and 17 by Rice (85-17, in 1974-75).
Notables…
• Nina Davis was named Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and Associated Press Preseason All-American.
• With her 19 points vs. UT Arlington, Davis moved to No. 16 on BU’s all-time scoring list with 1, 353 points (see page 7 for list).
• Baylor has won 153 straight home games vs. non-ranked opponents, dating back to an April 4, 2003, homecourt loss to Auburn in the WNIT finals.
• Niya Johnson ranks No. 1 on BU’s career assist chart with 675.
• In her 16 seasons at the program's helm, Kim Mulkey has posted an impressive 438-90 (.830) record which ranks her No. 2 nationally in winning percentage among active coaches behind UConn’s Geno Auriemma (.873).
>Baylor women's cross country junior Maggie Montoya earned All-Region honors and a spot in the NCAA Championship field with a second-place finish in the NCAA South Central Regional Championships Friday at Watts Cross Country Course.
Meanwhile as a team, the Baylor women were fourth, while the BU men were sixth.
Montoya, who was 12th at the meet a season ago, moved up to second in 2015 by running the 6,000-meter course in a career-best time of 19:50.5. The runner-up finish earned Montoya a second-straight All-Region honor. She will compete as an individual at the 2015 NCAA Championship, which will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, in Louisville, Ky.
>Despite career nights for seniors Andie Malloy and Amy Rosenbaum on Senior Day, Baylor volleyball (16-11, 4-9 Big 12) dropped a three-set match, 25-19, 25-20, 25-23, to the Oklahoma Sooners (8-16, 2-10 Big 12) on Sunday in the Ferrell Center. Baylor faces Texas on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. in the Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas.
Let's make it a great week!
Last edited:
