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Baylor vs. Oklahoma State -- The Morning After -- Highlights, Links, Notes, Tweets

Led by our third-string QB, Baylor finally ended a streak 76 years in the making last night in Stillwater.

By Mark C. Moore

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Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH F
BAYLOR (9-1, 6-1) 14 10 14 7 45
OKLAHOMA STATE (10-1, 7-1) 14 0 7 14 35

Box Score |  Notes |  Photo Gallery |  USATSI Gallery

Stillwater, Okla. - Attendance: 58,669

Post-Game Coverage from ODB:

Post-Game: Baylor Breaks the Stillwater Curse
Tweets of the Night: Baylor Exorcises its Stillwater Demons

The Big News:

We won!  In Stillwater!  All it took was our best defensive performance of the season by far and for our third-string QB to come in at the half and absolutely light up the Cowboys with 2 TDs through the air and 1 on the ground.

A few minutes ago on ESPNNews, Briles said that Jarrett Stidham will have an MRI today on his ankle and then be reevaluated tomorrow.  That means, at this point, that Chris Johnson will get the first start of his career on Friday night against TCU unless something changes over the next few days.

I've seen people on various Baylor sites suggest that it's virtually certain that given a few days to prepare with the first team as he's never done before, Johnson would be even better against TCU than he was last night.  I'd caution against that considering TCU now has some tape on Johnson, if only a little, whereas Oklahoma State had none, and starting a game presents a whole new set of challenges from coming off the bench.  That's not to say Johnson can't be great, if he has to be with Stidham out; it's just not a sure thing.  Plus, as much as we dislike Patterson around these parts, he's at least pretty good at making things difficult for opposing QBs.

CFB Playoff:

All things considered, yesterday was a fairly transformational day in terms of the CFB Playoff.  Ohio State played their way out losing to Michigan State, we beat Oklahoma State to (probably) end their chances, and OU showed some weakness without Baker Mayfield against TCU.  That said, here's how things stand:

  1. Clemson -- Will definitely get UNC in the ACC Championship game with a trip to the CFB Playoff on the line.  If they win out, they're in.
  2. Alabama -- Same as the above, except substitute Florida for UNC and "SEC Championship game" for the ACC one.
  3. Iowa -- With tOSU losing yesterday, Iowa now stands as the only undefeated team in the B1G.  They've clinched the B1G West and will face Michigan State, Michigan, or Ohio State.  Of those three, only Michigan State probably has a legitimate chance to make the CFB Playoff.
  4. Notre Dame -- As much as I hate this (because who have they beaten?), ND will be in the third or fourth spot this week barring something crazy.  OU should be. 

For Baylor to have a real shot to make the CFB Playoff at this point, we need some combination of the following to happen:

  1. OSU to beat Oklahoma in Bedlam.
  2. Stanford to beat Notre Dame (which would then create another, slightly smaller problem)
  3. Someone to beat Iowa in the B1G Championship.

It would also help if Alabama would lose to Florida in the SEC Championship (not happening) or for Stanford to lose to USC/UCLA in the Pac 12 Championship (probably not happening).

Am I missing something here?

Mark Seymour's Top 10:

Finishing out the Top 10 in some order:

There's a lot of questions there because it's almost impossible to divide between #3 and about #8.

Players of the Game:

QB Chris Johnson -- 5/10 passing for 138 yards and 2 TDs, 1 INT. 6 carries for 42 yards and 1 TD.
WR K.D. Cannon -- 5 catches for 210 yards and 2 TDs.
RB Shock Linwood -- 20 carries for 93 yards and 2 TDs.

DT Andrew Billings -- 3 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks. Countless plays changed because of his presence.
NB Travon Blanchard -- 7 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

Thoughts on the Game:

  • I honestly wasn't sure that we'd win the game until Chris Johnson hit Jay Lee for that laser TD to go up 31-14.  From that point, with the way the defense was playing, I felt pretty good about things.  But before that TD, Johnson's potential running the offense was entirely unknown, and the game was close enough that a couple of big plays could have tilted it in OSU's favor.
  • Before the game, I said Baylor needed to do four things to win: 1) Limit Big Plays, 2) Protect Jarrett Stidham, 3) Contain J.W. Walsh, and 4) Don't Let OU Beat You Twice.  Even though Stidham got hurt on a weird designed run, Baylor actually managed to do all four things really well.  Sure, James Washington had one long TD and Marcel Ateman caught a long pass to set up another, but Baylor largely managed to hold those guys in check down the field.  At the same time, the defensive line absolutely obliterated OSU's running game, holding the Cowboys to just 8 yards rushing on 23 carries in a masterful performance.  Andrew Billings was my defensive player of the game not just because of his stats, but because of the way he dominated the inside of the game.
  • Really, the outcome of this game boiled down to the way Baylor approached things on both sides.  Where last week we were somewhat tentative on defense and conservative on offense, this week we were significantly more aggressive. Where last week we ran far too much on first down against a front geared up to stop us, this week we attacked OSU down the field basically from the get-go, building a 14-point lead within minutes of the game starting.  Last night was the explosive Baylor Football we've come to expect, and the difference was that Baylor acted like it was there to kick ass and eat lollipops, but we were all out of lollipops.
  • Speaking of kicking ass, the defense managed to rack up 6 sacks yesterday against Mason Rudolph.  That's a full quarter of our season sack total to date, and it was a big part of Baylor forcing 7 consecutive OSU punts in one stretch of the game while we built our lead.
  • It probably sounds weird, but I feel like having our band there last night made a difference.  It probably didn't, but I feel like it did. 

LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS:

No. 10 Football Takes Down No. 4 Oklahoma State, 45-35 - Baylor Official Athletic Site
Backup quarterback Chris Johnson threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and No. 10 Baylor beat previously unbeaten Oklahoma State 45-35.

Ohio State Buckeyes fall apart after losing to Michigan State Spartans and put College Football Playoff hopes in jeopardy
What was supposed to be Urban Meyer's next dynasty fell apart against a formidable Michigan State team. But it was the immediate aftermath of the loss that exposed the Buckeyes' shortcomings.

Baylor beats Oklahoma State behind 3rd-string QB Chris Johnson - College Football - SI.com
Third-string quarterback Chris Johnson helped Baylor take down unbeaten Oklahoma State and boosted the Bears back into the mix for a College Football Playoff berth

Five thoughts from No. 10 Baylor's 45-35 win over No. 6 Oklahoma State: Bears back in the playoff picture | Dallas Morning News
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Here are five quick thoughts from No. 10 Baylor's 45-35 win over No. 6 Oklahoma State at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday.

Baylor Bears beat Oklahoma State Cowboys to stay in discussion for College Football Playoff
Baylor kept itself in the playoff discussion by beating No. 6 Oklahoma State despite having to turn to a quarterback who hadn't thrown a pass all season before Saturday.

Baylor has two-way scheme and three-deep QB system to beat anyone
The Bears are back in the Playoff picture one week after losing for the first time.

College football: Baylor, backup QB topple OK State - South Bend Tribune: Football
Backup quarterback Chris Johnson threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and No. 10 Baylor beat previously unbeaten Oklahoma State 45-35 on Saturday night to climb back into the College Football Playoff picture.

No. 10 Baylor hands No. 4 Oklahoma State its first loss
Breaking down No. 10 Baylor's game Saturday at No. 4 Oklahoma State.

Baylor beats Oklahoma State: Bears beat Cowboys 45-35 - College Football - SI.com
Three thoughts on the Baylor Bears' 45-35 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.OSU Sports Extra - Baylor rolls for 700 yards, ends OSU winning streak

Banged-up Baylor calls on 3rd-string QB to win in Stillwater, 45-35 - WacoTrib.com: Baylor Bears Football
STILLWATER, Okla. — Maybe Art Briles really is the quarterback whisperer.

TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS:

Have a good Sunday, everyone!

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