Baylor Makes Quick Work of Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The chance to make an impact was restrictive Saturday for the Baylor regulars.
The Bears coaching staff made certain to emphasize that detail before the No. 3 Bears routed Kansas, 66-7, in Memorial Stadium.
“They told us, ‘You’re not going to play much,” junior wide receiver Corey Coleman said. “You need to get your touches early.'”
So the Bears went to work.
Coleman caught touchdown receptions on each of Baylor’s first two possessions after entering the game as the nation’s leader in receiving touchdowns with 11.
Junior quarterback Seth Russell, passed for 246 yards and three touchdowns, while junior running back Shock Linwood added 135 yards rushing.
All of those marks were recorded in the first half. In fact, several Baylor regulars who returned to the sideline for the second half without wearing pads.
“We’ve got one of the freshest football teams in America, which is a benefit for our program,” Briles said. “They’re going to like playing games with fresh legs here in the future.”
The Bears (5-0, 2-0 in the Big 12) needed slightly more than two minutes to
drive 75 yards for their first touchdown and went on to score on each of their first eight possessions.
Baylor totaled a season-low 644 yards after netting 425 in the first half, establishing a 52-7 margin at the break.
By that point, the 37.8-point victory margin Baylor was averaging, tops in the Bowl Subdivision, was exceeded.
Still, there was no effort made to try for something radical. Like, say, a 100-point performance.
“I understand why you wouldn’t do that,” Coleman said. “It’s just out of respect.”
For Linwood, the Big 12 rushing leader, the 100-yard game was his fourth straight, and required only 13 carries. Baylor gained 281 yards on the ground.
Substitutes also were productive for the Bears.
Freshman quarterback Jarrett Stidham started the second half and completed his first seven passes. That string included scoring strikes of 37 yards to freshman wide receiver Ishmael Zamora and 30 yards to sophomore wide receiver Davion Hall.
Stidham added 117 yards passing, completing 9-of-10 throws. Baylor distributed the ball to 11 receivers.
Kansas drove 74 yards on its first possession and scored on a 36-yard pass from freshman quarterback Ryan Willis to junior wide receiver Steven Sims.
“Kansas came out and scored seven points on that first drive and we knew we had to keep scoring,” Russell said.
That, and keeping the Jayhawks (0-5, 0-2) in check.
Kansas never threatened again and settled for 227 yards. Willis, making his first start after injuries to three other Kansas quarterbacks, completed 20-of-36 passes for 158 yards, with one interception.
“I loved his approach,” first-year Kansas coach David Beaty said. “I loved the way he attacked each series. He was never discouraged at all. The guy was excited about going out there and playing.”
Kansas committed three turnovers, including a fumble that junior cornerback Xavien Howard returned 30 yards for a Baylor touchdown.
The Jayhawks have been outscored, 227-95, this season.
Baylor has scored 60 points in all but one game, a 56-21 victory in the season opener against SMU.
Despite the easy win, there was one novelty for the Bears.
