Oklahoma 44, Baylor 34: What We Learned

fc99e6590b42bf107da959362df7fe5bBaylor’s hopes and dreams of a Big 12 Championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff might be over after a 44-34 loss at home to Oklahoma. The home loss snapped the 20-game winning streak the Bears held in Waco, which dated back to a loss at the hands of TCU in October of 2012. Three turnovers and a lack of explosive plays eventually undid Baylor’s chances against the Sooners. Seth Russell was under-appreciated. It wasn’t that true freshman Jarrett Stidham was horrible, but it was hard to watch that game and not imagine the Bears leading by two scores if quarterback Seth Russell never goes down to a neck injury against Iowa State. Stidham finished the game 16-of-27 for 257 yards. He threw two touchdowns, including one to cut Oklahoma’s fourth-quarter lead to three points, but he also had two interceptions in the second half. Stidham wasn’t able to find his receivers down the field, a staple in an Art Briles offense. Something else Stidham is lacking that Russell brought to the table is mobility. Russell wasn’t a prototypical dual-threat quarterback, but he was a threat to run the ball. Stidham has shown little with his feet since taking over the spot and it is limiting the rushing and passing game. The defense couldn’t carry the weight. Baylor’s offense is known for putting up points, but it will be hard for the Bears to ever go through a season without encountering a game where the defense needs to go out and win. This was one of those games for Baylor and the defense couldn’t get the job done over 60 minutes. Down a starting quarterback and facing inclement weather, Baylor needed its defense to force turnovers, create field position and force field goals instead of allowing touchdowns. Baylor’s defense allowed 42 points and gave up 166 yards to Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine. Perine, from Pflugerville Hendrickson, and quarterback Baker Mayfield, a Lake Travis native, gave Baylor fits all game. Baylor couldn’t take away the run and that allowed Mayfield and the Sooners offense to be two-dimensional. Most title contenders feel scoring 34 points at home in the rain is enough to win. The chances are slim. It is a tough road ahead for Baylor, even if the Bears win the remaining games. Oklahoma now holds the tie-breaker and a potential win against TCU will mean less than we all originally thought. Even wins over teams like Oklahoma State and TCU likely won’t raise Baylor back into College Football Playoff talk without a multitude of breaks falling its way.