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3/4/4 BAYLOR (9-0, 6-0) vs. 11/9/10 OKLAHOMA STATE (9-1, 6-1) Nov. 23, 2013 | 7:00 p.m. CT Stillwater, Okla. | Boone Pickens Stadium (60,218) TV: ABC |
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OPPONENT: Oklahoma St. Cowboys
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: OKState.com/sports | Preview/Game Notes
2013 ROSTER, DEPTH CHART (opens as .pdf, page 3)
LAST MEETING: 41-34 Baylor win | ODB Game Hub
LAST GAME (for OSU): 38-13 win over Texas
SB NATION BLOG: Cowboys Ride For Free
SPREAD: Baylor -9.5 (opened at Baylor -11)
TV COVERAGE: ABC, ESPN's College GameDay will be in attendance.
WEATHER FORECAST: High of 45, low of 23 on Saturday.
SB NATION OKLAHOMA STATE PREVIEW: The Plug and Play Pokes
BAYLORBEARS.COM PREVIEW: Excellent, as always.
There's also this:
Baylor at #Okstate game is officially sold out (60,218). http://t.co/3dS5FS7CMy will have details shortly. @OSUAthletics @coachgundy
— Kevin Klintworth (@KKlintworth) November 19, 2013
Somewhat unusually, OK State's official website has a video preview/interview with Mike Gundy available on Youtube. Here it is. Click here for a full transcript.
Let's Get Something Out of the Way
Oklahoma State fans have a real, visceral hatred for Robert Griffin III. They are also not huge fans of us, as Baylor fans. Those things could be related. Apparently, they feel like RGIII was something of a diva that oversold plays to get penalties, wasn't as good as he was believed to be, and didn't deserve the Heisman. They also think that we are overconfident/overrated this season. If they're following the VTM model, they're probably not crazy about me, personally.
I don't want to argue about any of these things. They are not germane to this game. We're not going to get caught in an internet shouting match about how much the other team sucks, nor are we going to rehash Brandon Weeden vs. Robert Griffin for the thousandth time. Minds aren't going to change, so what's the point? Please do not go over to CRFF to troll their fans or start something.
And we're definitely not doing this (ok, the tweet has now been deleted). Whatever.
Anyway...
I know what you're thinking -- that loss to West Virginia just doesn't make sense. It's one of those "any given Saturday" deals that happens almost every season and looks totally insane when the season ends. The explanation, so much as there is one, is that though the Cowboys are the far superior team now, they have not always been. The Cowboys have improved tremendously on offense as the season has gone on with Clint Chelf at the helm. Thankfully (or not, I could argue), that loss has probably helped our own rankings, since they might be ahead of us in the BCS without it. Of course, the counter-argument is that this game on Saturday would be even bigger if it was a matchup of undefeated teams. All this to say that they are a one-loss team that probably shouldn't be viewed that way. They are a really good team.
These are their rankings in the most popular absolute statistical categories. They are extremely good on third downs relative to the rest of the conference and country and lead the nation in passes intercepted. A big part of that is superstar CB Justin Gilbert, who will play this week after a slight injury a week ago. They can put up and prevent points among the best in the country, though their offensive ranks are mostly middling. My guess is, although I can't prove it at the moment, that their ranks after the switch to Chelf as the full-time starter would be immensely improved. They have reinvented themselves as a team focused on the running game and a stout defense. That may be our foil.
I'm not going to get too far into the advanced stats until tomorrow, but I will say that F/+ bills this as the #3 team (Baylor) against #20 (Oklahoma State). We have the #1 offense by F/+ and the #9 defense; they have the #39 offense and the #13 defense. I haven't looked at it enough to know yet, but my guess is, once again, that their rankings are trending upward the last few weeks on offense. It is interesting to note that despite the propensity to get interceptions, their defense is only above average (44th) against the pass. They are better (22nd) against the run.
QUESTION TIME:
First--
What a great win Saturday! #9afta9 let's hear what Baylor Nation thinks the Bears will wear this wknd #SicOSU
— Jeff Barlow (@JeffEquipBU) November 18, 2013
Second-- How afraid are you of Chelf's ability to run the football a la Daniel Sams? OSU isn't really built to possess the ball like Kansas State did (119th in the country in Time of Possession), but with Bryce Hager out of the middle, is that Baylor's biggest defensive concern?
Third-- OSU averages 2.10 sacks per game. With the news that Spencer Drango will be out, does that number go up or down?
Fourth-- Assume Justin Gilbert defends Antwan Goodley (which only makes sense). Are we going to see another Levi Norwood show?