Baylor Bears: By the Numbers
This weekend’s matchup between Oklahoma and Baylor will look different compared to preseason expectations.
Both programs were voted in the top two of the Big 12 preseason poll, but the Sooners (5-3 overall, 2-3 Big 12) and the Bears (5-3, 3-2) both will take the field with three losses on Saturday.
Dave Aranda’s Bears have dropped games to BYU, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, casting serious doubt over Baylor’s ability to repeat as Big 12 Champions.
Brent Venables’ disastrous start to conference play saw the Sooners drop three straight games for the first time since 1998, but Oklahoma has rebounded with back-to-back wins over Kansas and Iowa State.
Though the stakes of the game are low, as evidence by the contest kicking off on 2 p.m. on ESPN+, this year’s meeting between the Bears and the Sooners projects to still be one of the hardest-hitting battles on OU’s schedule in 2022.
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Baylor defensive lineman Siaki Ika has been dominant on the interior of the line this season for the Bears
Jerome Miron / USA TODAY Sports
Baylor’s defense hasn’t been the elite unit Aranda leaned on last year, but the Bears still boast a fundamentally sound defense.
Led by 358-pound interior defensive lineman Siaki Ika, the Bears have held five of their eight opponents under 100 yards rushing this year.
Overall, the Baylor run defense ranks No. 22-overall in the country, allowing just 113.2 rushing yards per game.
As good as the Bears have been on the ground, the Sooners are still the best rushing attack Baylor will have faced to date this year.
The Sooners have rushed for 217.5 yards per game, including a 182-yard performance on the ground last week against Iowa State, who led the conference in rushing defense at the time.
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Baylor head coach Dave Aranda has been one of the most aggressive coaches in the country on fourth downs
Michael C. Johnson / USA TODAY Sports
Aranda’s faith in his defense has allowed him to be one of the most aggressive head coaches on fourth down.
The Bears have left their offense on the field and attempted 27 fourth down conversions this season.
Eighteen times this year the gamble has paid off, which is the second highest number in the country behind Texas Tech’s 22 successful fourth down conversions.
Baylor has been able to keep drives moving by converting 66.7 percent of its fourth down attempts, allowing a steady run game to carry the Bears on long drives and wear down opposing defenses.
So long as the offense doesn’t get behind the chains, Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes has every call in the playbook at his disposal on crucial third downs knowing that Aranda will afford his offense two downs to move the sticks if the Bears can get into third and short.
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Freshman running back Richard Reese has rushed for 791 yards this season for Baylor
Chris Jones / USA TODAY Sports
Abram Smith is no longer toting the rock in Waco, but Baylor’s rushing offense hasn’t faltered.
Freshman running back Richard Reese has taken over for Grimes, and is spearheading a ground attack that is averaging 201.5 yards per game.
Reese enters the weekend ranked No. 21-overall in rushing yards having gained 791 yards this year, just five yards behind OU star Eric Gray.
The talented freshman isn’t the only reason for Baylor success on the ground.
Baylor returned an experienced offensive line, led by 2021 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year Connor Galvin. In total, the Bears returned the second most starts in the country ahead of the season along the offensive line.
The strong presence on the ground has taken some pressure off of quarterback Blake Shapen, who is navigating his first full season as Baylor’s starter.
So far this season, Shapen has completed 67.4 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,284 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.
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