Kansas Jayhawks (2-5 overall, 0-4 Big 12) at No. 12 Baylor Bears (6-1, 3-1)
3 p.m. McLane Stadium – Game-time forecast: 60 degrees, sunny, winds 8 mph from southeast – TV: FOX Sports 1
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Keys for Kansas
1. Make Bryce Petty uncomfortable
The more you watch film of the Baylor quarterback, the more obvious it becomes that he likes to get rid of the ball quickly because he’s not as comfortable or effective when surrounded by chaos. That’s not to say Petty can’t make plays with a pass rush in his face, but he’s certainly not as dangerous when defenses get near him and force him to rush throws. That makes defensive end Michael Reynolds — 12 tackles, 3 sacks and 6 tackles for loss in the last three games — pretty important in this one, but KU’s linebackers and safeties also could play a huge role in giving Petty looks he’s not expecting and forcing him to throw off balance or into coverage because of it.
2. Limit Baylor’s plays
During five of their six victories this season, the Bears averaged 92 offensive plays, including a season-best 109 snaps in a wild comeback victory over TCU. In games vs. Texas and West Virginia, in which BU scored 28 and 27 points, respectively, the Bears ran just 81 plays. That’s potentially two fewer drives for the Baylor offense, which could mean 14 fewer points. There’s obviously a lot that goes into limiting an offense’s plays, and the onus will fall equally on the KU defense to get off the field on third down and the KU offense to sustain drives and keep the clock moving. That’s important every week, and everybody knows that. But it’s even more important this week against the juggernaut that is Baylor.
3. Take some chances
In addition to having speed, talent and incredible efficiency, Baylor’s offense is so dangerous because it often puts one defender in conflict and then attacks that player or area of the field. More often than not, that player is a nickelback, but it also could be a linebacker or defensive end. That will force the KU defense to get creative in both ways it tries to disguise what it’s doing and in how it attacks the line of scrimmage. What worked for Texas and West Virginia was to go for broke and try things that others might call crazy. KU should do the same without completely abandoning its defensive philosophies. The same goes for offense. If it hopes to keep up, KU has to play loose and take some risks. Baylor is 26-4 under defensive coordinator Phil Bennett when getting two or more takeaways, so protecting the ball will be important, but there’s no way KU’s basic offense can keep Kansas in this game.
Richard GwinMega Matchup: KU secondary vs. Baylor wide receivers
The Bears’ offense features four receivers with 21 or more receptions and at least 350 yards through the first seven games. KD Cannon, Antwan Goodley, Corey Coleman and Jay Lee also each have scored at least four touchdowns apiece during that same stretch. While a good pass rush on Petty would provide support for KU’s secondary, it’s still going to come down to whether KU’s cornerbacks and safeties can match up with these guys. They struggled mightily with underneath and crossing routes in the loss to Texas Tech and will have to be wary of those along with the Baylor receivers’ ability to blow the doors off of their routes and run wild down the field. Dexter McDonald and JaCorey Shepherd have proven they can hang with just about anybody the Big 12 has to offer. The question is, will a third cornerback step up for the Jayhawks this week, be it Matthew Boateng, Greg Allen or Tevin Shaw?
5 Questions with Senior Cornerback JaCorey Shepherd
1 . This is your last chance to get a victory in your home state. What would that mean to you?
“It’d mean the world, especially with it being the team that we’re playing this week, who’s ranked in the top 15. It would mean a lot to me — to all of us.”
2 . Do you think you’re having a better season than you did last year, and, if so, why?
“I feel like I am somewhat, but I feel like I’ve still got room for improvement. I feel like I can still keep building and getting better. I’m a lot more comfortable this year, and I’m just continuing to build as the weeks go on. That’s just the type of person I am. I just like to keep working on the technique things and the smaller things to polish up my game.”
3 . What would you like to get more in the next five games — a pick-six or a kickoff return for a touchdown?
“I’d say a kickoff return. Just because I’ve never had it and I didn’t start doing kick return until I got to college. Plus, a kickoff return for a touchdown is something Kansas hasn’t had in a few years, and I wouldn’t mind being able to break that streak.”
4 . How come you finally settled on wearing No. 24 after you flipped over to defense?
“It wasn’t really a big deal. Bradley (McDougald) had 24 when I first switched over so I went with 25, but I’m kind of an even-numbered guy. I like even numbers. So when I had an opportunity to get 24, I definitely took it. I figured Bradley represented it well so why not try to carry it on?”
5 . What aspect of your KU career are you the most proud of?
“For me, personally, I feel like the things I’ve done outside the program, just giving back and making everybody feel good around me. Just my reputation and my image. That’s the thing I’m most proud of, no matter how the season ends or what happens to me in the future.”
Jayhawk Pulse
The Jayhawks enter today’s contest on the heels of some much-needed rest during last week’s bye. Not only did the off week give several Kansas players time to heal up physically but it also gave them time to recharge mentally. That’s especially important given the wild nature of the past few weeks in which the team changed head coaches and quarterbacks and has been adjusting on the fly ever since. Kansas has shown improvement under interim head coach Clint Bowen, but the final five games of the schedule feature some incredibly difficult challenges, including today’s game at No. 12 Baylor, along with road games at Oklahoma and Kansas State and a home meeting against red-hot TCU. Putting up another strong performance today in Waco could go a long way toward giving this team confidence for the home stretch, but things have not gone well during KU’s last two trips to Baylor, where the Jayhawks have been outscored 96-21.
Tale of the Tape
KU run game vs. BU run D – advantage: Baylor
KU pass game vs. BU pass D – advantage: Baylor
BU run game vs. KU run D – advantage: Baylor
BU pass game vs. KU pass D – advantage: Baylor
Special teams – advantage: Baylor
