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| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa St. Cyclones | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Baylor Bears | 17 | 20 | 14 | 20 | 71 |
My widgets aren't working for whatever reason, so I can't give you a box score. If I could, it would show utter domination by the best Baylor team in recent memory, perhaps the best in history. On the same day that so many teams ahead of us fell, clearing a path into the Top 10 for the first time in over twenty years, and with the first BCS ranking of 2013 coming out in less than a day, the Bears did nothing less than serve notice to the rest of the country that they are for real and will not go away.
You pick something, and the Bears did it tonight at a level few Baylor teams have ever reached before in our history. The defense, source of so much heartache over the past few years, pitched a shutout for over 59 minutes, finally giving up points with only :47 left on the clock to an Iowa State team desperate to rip down the goose egg. On the whole, Iowa State's offense put up on 173 yards on the day, over 500 yards fewer than that of the Bears. Once again, the starters came out with basically a full quarter left to play, watching the rest of the game from the sideline as the backups kept the rout going. Our special teams, perhaps an even bigger goat in recent history than the defense, added two touchdowns of their own. Everything that could go our way, did.
In six games this season, Baylor managed to achieve once again that which eluded us for nearly two decades: bowl eligibility. I believe it is the first time in history that we will have gone to a bowl game four years in a row, but that's not the big news. Simply getting to a bowl is no longer an admirable goal. Instead, Baylor fans have their eyes on the rankings. With so many teams ahead of us falling and such an impressive performance, I don't see any way Baylor isn't a Top 10 team when the BCS debuts tomorrow. It will be our highest such ranking ever. In fact, I could see the Bears as high as #7 overall, depending on how the Ole Miss-LSU game turns out in the next few minutes. What an incredible day for Baylor Football!
Players of the Game:
OFFENSE -- Bryce Petty: 27/36 for 378 yards and 2 TDs, 1 rush for 6 yards and a TD in 3 quarters
DEFENSE -- Shawn Oakman: Awaiting official stats from Baylor. 1 game dominated, for sure.
SPECIAL TEAMS -- Levi Norwood -- When was the last time we returned a punt for a TD?
Teams Ranked Ahead of Baylor Who Lost or are Losing
#3 Clemson Tigers -- LOSING to #5 FSU (34-7 in 3Q)
#6 LSU Tigers -- LOST TO unranked Mississippi Rebels
#7 Texas A&M Aggies -- LOST to #24 Auburn Tigers
#8 Louisville Cardinals -- LOST to unranked UCF Knights
#9 UCLA Bruins-- LOST to #13 Stanford Cardinal
#11 South Carolina Gamecocks-- LOST to unranked Tennessee Volunteers
Ranking Prediction for Baylor
I'm going to go on a limb and say #7. I could make an argument for #5. The top 10 will be Alabama, Oregon, FSU, Ohio State, Baylor, Stanford, Miami, Clemson, probably Missouri, and .... Texas Tech? Who will be #10 with all these losses?