Everyone has the answer; no one has the result.
Change what you do as a surprise. Copy what Kansas State did and hold onto the ball. Don’t be so aggressive; have patience.
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“I don’t see us abandoning what we do,” says Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops.
Doing what they do the last two years resulted in two losses to Baylor by an average of 32 points. This time around, unbeaten Baylor has a freshman quarterback making his second start and the Sooners’ defense is playing better than it has in years.
Then there’s this blunt, colorful truth from OU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, a reality that hangs over the key Big 12 game with College Football Playoff implications:
“I think (Baylor) has 55 plays over 25 yards,” Stoops said. “It’s almost stupid.”
Welcome to playing defense in the Big 12, where it’s all kinds of stupid, all the time. Even with a freshman quarterback making his first start on the road against a desperate, motivated team.
All Jarrett Stidham did last week in that moment was throw for 419 yards and account for all four Baylor touchdowns in a 31-24 win. That game was important on two fronts for OU: it showed, without doubt, Baylor isn’t the same offense with Stidham as it was with injured starter Seth Russell.
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It also showed something even more vulnerable: the Bears have problems stopping the run. In other words, in a land of coaching copycats, why wouldn’t Oklahoma run more with talented tailbacks Semaje Perine and Joe Mixon to keep its defense off the field — and reduce Baylor’s opportunity to score?
“You’ve got to be able to challenge and compete with them,” Bob Stoops says. “The way we’ve been playing, you have to feel confident.”
On numbers alone, OU is surging. The Sooners are first in the Big 12 in rush defense (149.2 ypg), pass defense (161.2), total defense (310.4) and points allowed per game (16.3).
Now, the hitch: OU has played no one that can press its defense quite like Baylor can. Since the loss to offensively challenged Texas, OU has wins over Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State.
The Sooners can take confidence from the worst four teams in the Big 12, but the underlying uncertainty is they haven't played well defensively against Baylor and its pass-happy system in years. No matter who is playing quarterback.
In 2011 with Robert Griffin III, Baylor scored 45 points in its first-ever win over the Sooners. In 2012, the Bears scored 34 with Nick Florence and lost (42-34) for the only time in the last four meetings between the teams.
The last two years with Bryce Petty, Baylor has scored 41 and 48 points in two blowout wins. That OU is confident on defense this time around might be the biggest story of all.
Even bigger than Stidham.
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“You have to understand that you’re going to lose some battles with them,” Mike Stoops said. “If you lose them all, you get buried. They’re going to win some. We have to make sure we win more than they do.”
And that, everyone, is the definition of playing defense in the Big 12. Play aggressive, challenge the guy across from you and understand that you’re going to get beat. Maybe even often.
But as long as you’re not the last one giving up the last big play, there is still hope.
“We have to make them uneasy,” said Baylor coach Art Briles. “We have to do what we do and do it better than what they do.”
There’s your answer, OU.
Time to go get the result.