Through the first three weeks of the season, no one was sure what to make of Baylor’s prolific offensive statistics. After all, they had been racked up against the likes of Wofford, Louisiana Monroe, and Buffalo. Well, we know now.
How to watch Baylor vs. Kansas State: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
The Baylor offense takes its show to Manhattan. Can the Wildcats keep up?
Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE
Last weekend’s 73-42 beatdown of West Virginia should put the college football world on notice -- the Bears are no gimmick. In fact, they are very, very dangerous -- enough to even put Oregon to shame, by outpacing them by 11.3 points in scoring average. That is the same gap that separates Oregon from Fresno State, who is 6th in the country in scoring.
It doesn’t even matter to them how they do it. Baylor is first in the country in passing, and second in rushing.
In short, KSU defensive coordinator Tom Hayes will have his hands full, and will be trying to stop -- or at least slow -- the Bears with a unit that is 46th in the country in total defense.
Dramatically improved play from Jake Waters and Daniel Sams would help. Kansas State's two quarterbacks have a combined 6:8 TD:INT ratio on the year, with neither looking much better than the other.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Kansas State leads Baylor 7-3 in the all-time series, although No. 15 Baylor won last year’s edition.
Vegas: Baylor are 17.5 point favorites. The over/under is 72 points.
Three names to know
Tyler Lockett (Kansas State wide receiver) - As the only real receiving threat on this roster, Lockett has carried an extremely heavy load this season -- his 31 total catches equal those of KSU's second and third leading receivers put together. Oddly enough, despite the fantastic yardage he's tallied, Lockett has only seen the end zone once in 2013. It goes without saying the Wildcats need that number to go up dramatically if they hope to win.
Antwan Goodley (Baylor wide receiver) - Goodley is the only player in the Big XII having a better receiving season than Lockett. The junior is averaging an absurd 25.7 yards per catch, leading the conference with 540 yards on the season. Unlike Lockett, Goodley has quite a bit more help from a player roughly as dangerous. Tevin Reese is barely behind in both categories (23.6 yards per catch, 425 yards).
Eddie Lackey (Baylor linebacker) - Don't think these Bears don't play defense, though. Despite a relatively weak slate of competition thus far, Lackey has been a terror -- and perhaps unsurprisingly, since they couldn't score as often as they do without a defense to get them the ball back. He's the team's second leading tackler with 27 (5.0 for loss), and has thrown in two sacks and three quarterback hits as well.
Two things at stake
Kansas State came fairly close to knocking off Texas and Oklahoma State the last two weekends, and they’d love nothing more to get a win over their highest ranked opponent to date this season. The Wildcats are 0-2 in the Big XII and are still looking for a signature victory to erase the sting of their season opening loss to North Dakota State.
Baylor looks to be the class of the Big XII this season, but they’ll have to win to continue leading the conversation. Next month’s game against Oklahoma could go a long way toward determining the conference champion.
How to witness
TV: 3:30 PM ET (12:30PM PT) FOX
Further reading
For more on Baylor, hit up Our Daily Bears. Bring On The Cats has your Kansas State needs covered.
How the hell do you stop Baylor? a series by Football Study Hall. Part two found here.
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