Kansas Jayhawks Showed Great Fight, but Also Vulnerability Against KSU that Baylor Can Exploit
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Week 8 will see Baylor heading to Lawrence, Kansas, on October 24th to take on the Jayhawks. A hard-fought Sunflower Showdown with KSU saw Kansas on the losing end against the Wildcats 35-24. In a game that the Kansas special teams kept closer than it may have been otherwise saw KSU picking up their 18th consecutive victory against Kansas. All of this to say, however, that just like KSU, Baylor should be able to have similar or greater success against the Jayhawks.
Vulnerability to the Run Game
Giving up over 350 yards on the ground to KSU, the Jayhawks D-line was getting bullied throughout most of the game. Baylor, in a similar fashion, should be able to use their rotation of tailbacks to punish the Kansas defense all game long.
Baylor may only have been able to rack up 54 rushing yards against TCU, but the Horned Frogs were also a defense that came into week 7 only allowing 99.6 yards per game on the ground and the Bears will be looking to come out fast against Kansas.
Baylor's D-Line vs. Kansas' O-Line
KSU was able to consistently get pressure on Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall with only their front four throughout most of their game, and that was just with a straightforward push. Coach Klanderman and his defensive schemes that routinely runs twists and stunts (and a willingness to blitz) should be able to cause havoc for Kansas' offense all game long. It should be noted though that Marshall isn't afraid to tuck the ball and run it himself, so Baylor will likely have a spy keeping an eye on Marshall all game.
KSU Closed Out the Game With Their Running game.
With time running off the clock, Kansas knew that KSU was going to run the ball, KSU ran the ball and the Jayhawks had no answer. If a dedicated effort to stop the running game to get the ball back with a chance to tie the game (as Kansas had in the fourth quarter), KSU's QB Avery Johnson and RB Joe Jackson (among others) took turns bleeding out as much of the remaining game clock as they could. A 34 yard field goal with two minutes left in the game may not have been the game winner for KSU, but it was certainly the clincher as it raised their lead to 11.
Kansas had a Chance with Two Minutes Less
The biggest takeaway from Kansas' attempt at a comeback at the end of the game is that Marshall is calm and cool under pressure, able to scamper and gain yards or even extra time in the pocket with his feet and he's got accuracy on his passes. However, just a matter of "too little, too late" Kansas' final offensive play of the game saw KSU chasing Marshall out of bounds short of the line to gain for a turnover on downs. A few plays in victory formation later would see KSU winning 35-24.
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Brad is a writer and contributes to the Baylor Bears on SI, with aspirations to share his own unique thoughts and perspectives with fans. Whether through the facts and figures of the past or the untold potential and triumphs of the future, sports have always been a large influence on Brad's storytelling and life overall. His inspiration to write began while watching sports when he first noticed the highs and lows of each game, each quarter, each play; there's a story in each of them worth telling, and he wanted to tell them.
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