Saturday afternoon, Matt Rhule and the Baylor Bears went to Norman with hopes of an upset. They came out with a loss, some questions, and a whole slate of issues.
Falling to the Sooners 66-33, the Bears were exposed in a number of areas. In many respects the loss merely confirmed exactly what we already knew about the Bears. The offense looked spry at points, and shaky at other times. The defense looked… well, shaky the whole time.
There’s a lot to digest in this game, so let’s take a look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Saturday’s shootout with the Sooners.
The Good
Charlie Brewer and Co.
Charlie Brewer continues to strengthen his case as an elite QB after torching the Sooners for 400 yards and two touchdowns. He showed precision and endurance, completing 38 of his 60 passing attempts on the day. After Saturday’s contest, he sits at 8 touchdowns and only 1 interception on the season.
Brewer was also able to grow his rapport with his star receivers on the outside, as Denzel Mims and Jalen Hurd both toppled the hundred-yard mark while snagging a touchdown catch each.
NFL Scouts continue to salivate over the duo’s speed on the outside and big play ability.
The Bad
Running Game
Baylor’s ground attack was virtually nonexistent, finishing with a measly 77 yards on 2 yards per attempt. Despite running the ball seven fewer times, Oklahoma finished with nearly 100 more yards on the ground than the Bears. This is not the recipe for a well-balanced offensive attack.
It all starts with the front five. If the offensive line can become more consistent as a unit, the Bears’ entire offensive game plan will open up. Until the O-Linemen reach that level of consistency (if ever), Rhule’s team will remain limited when running the ball.
The Ugly
Defense
This was a recipe for disaster from the start.
The Sooners place 8th in the nation in points scored. They came into the game ranked as the no. 6 team in the nation, according to the AP Poll. Junior QB Kyler Murray is looking a lot like his predecessor Baker Mayfield – Yes, Heisman winner, number one overall draft pick Baker Mayfield.
The Bears sit at 98th in the nation in total defense, ceding 160 points through five games.
Coming off of an uninspiring performance vs Army the week prior, Kyler Murray responded on Saturday by scorching the Bears for 432 yards and 6 touchdowns. Even more impressive, he only threw 21 passes. For every play that Kyler Murray dropped back for a pass, the Sooners averaged over 20 yards.
Many Baylor fans tried to talk themselves out of it, but this result was always the expectation coming into this game. A below average defense matching up against one of the nation’s best offenses usually ends this way.
The only thing that the Bears can do now is look ahead to Kansas State next week, who have only scored 20 points total throughout their first two Big 12 games. It proves to be a more favorable matchup, as Matt Rhule will attempt to double Baylor’s conference win total from last year.
