Bear Down: “Come loud and stay loud”

There’s no easy way to say this… but Kansas plays Baylor on Saturday. Baylor currently ranked 8th in the BCS, 6th in the AP, and 5th in the Coaches poll is headed to Lawrence to face a struggling Jayhawk squad. The last time KU played a top ten ranked opponent was last season, against K-State (No. 7) and the Wildcats slaughtered the Jayhawks, 56-16.

Back to Baylor. Kansas hasn’t played a team as solid as Baylor so far this season. Baylor is ranked in the top three in a numerous amount of statistics:

• First nationally in Points Averaged (64.7)
• First nationally with Average Yards Per Play (9.06)
• First nationally with Average Yards Per Completion (19.41)
• First nationally with Team Passing Efficiency (213.22)
• First nationally in Average Forced 3-and-outs (7)
• First nationally in Least Amount of 3-and-outs (5)
• First nationally in Percentage of TD Drives (.583)
• Second nationally in Average Tackles For loss (9.2)
• Second nationally in Red Zone Defense
• Third nationally in Passing Offense (414 yards/game
• Third nationally with 3rd Down Conversions (56%)

Baylor has broken several records this season.

• 872 total yards against West Virginia (Baylor and Big 12 record)
• Top five scoring games (school history) 69 points vs. Wofford, 70 vs. Buffalo, 70 vs. ULM, 73 vs. West Virginia, and 71 vs. ISU.
• First team to score 69 or more points in four consecutive games ever.
• Won six straight Big 12 games (school record).

Their quarterback, Bryce Petty, leads the nation in Pass Efficiency (221.8) and yards per completion (19.83). He also leads the Big 12 in passing yards (337.2) and completion percentage (70.8%). Lache Seastrunk, Baylor’s running back, leads the Big 12 in average rushing yards per game (126.7) and most touchdowns (10). Seastrunk, a Heisman candidate, has nine 100-yard rushing games in the past 10 games. Wide receiver Antwan Goodley leads the conference and is third nationally in average receiving yards per game (141.8).

Okay, okay, enough about how Baylor is amazing at everything. Baylor’s statistics are inflated. They haven’t played a ranked team yet this season. They’ve played Wofford, Buffalo, LA-Monroe, West Virginia, Kansas State and Iowa State. The best defense the Bears have played is the Buffalo Bulls (42nd ranked defense nationally). The three conference games that Baylor has played were against three of the worst four teams in the conference this season. Their worst game of the season, K-State, had the highest attendance of the season with 52,803.

In the weekly press conference, Charlie Weis emphasized the major importance of a loud crowd. The louder the crowd, the harder it is for Baylor to execute their plays, because they call their all their plays at the line of scrimmage. Weis wants the crowd to yell when they get to the stadium and shout each and every time the Kansas defense is on the field.

“They can yell bad things at me, just make it very loud,” Weis joked.

It’s not going to be easy for the Kansas defense to try and stop the Bears’ offensive attack with Ben Heeney still listed as day-to-day. Weis commented that he knows if Heeney will play, but he’s listed–for media purposes–as day to day.

With all of the statistics going against Kansas, most everyone is counting them out. If, by some magical fate that Kansas wins on Saturday, what an upset that would be.