 "Photo: AP")
It’s hard to believe, but Baylor’s 41-21 trouncing of Texas A&M on Saturday gave the Bears two Big 12 wins for the third time in school history.
Even more startling: the Bears are in position to avoid a last-place finish in the Big 12 South for just the second time ever.
And who would take that dubious honor away from Baylor? None other than the hapless Aggies.
Both teams have gone 2-5 in Big 12 play and both are expected to drop their last games; Baylor takes on Texas Tech in its finale and Texas A&M faces Texas. Unless the Aggies shock the Longhorns on Thanksgiving, they will finish behind Baylor in the Big 12 for the first time ever.
Not exactly the start A&M head coach Mike Sherman was looking for in his first year.
“Before the Oklahoma game, I thought we were making progress,” Sherman told The Bryan-College Station Eagle. “I feel like we’ve had two setbacks here in the last two weeks. So the combination of last week and this week is very disappointing.”
But in Waco, first-year coach Art Briles can take away something positive from the same situation.
“Until you cross that bridge, you’re not really sure you can,” Briles told the Waco Tribune-Herald. “We crossed a big one Saturday for a variety of reasons. We won a Big 12 South game over a tough opponent. It’s a game that will help us build momentum and belief. I’m glad we could enjoy the win with our fans and our student body. We fight together as the Baylor family, and we need to celebrate together.”
Sharing the spotlight
While Texas Tech and Oklahoma spent last weekend resting for their showdown this week, some of the Big 12’s lesser-known players used the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz was named Big 12 offensive player of the week after passing for 270 yards, rushing for 95 more and accounting for four total touchdowns in the Cornhuskers’ 56-28 win over Kansas State. The senior set school-season records for completions and total offense and has throws for 3,103 yards and 21 touchdowns on the year.
Baylor linebacker Joe Pawelek had seven tackles and two interceptions in the Bears’ rout of Texas A&M and was named the Big 12 defensive player of the week. The senior leads all Division I linebackers with six interceptions.
“He’s just smart. He understands, he anticipates and he pays attention. Those are all pretty good qualities to have as a middle linebacker,” Briles told The Associated Press. “He studies the game.”
Kansas State ’s 5-foot-7-inch, 147-pound receiver/kick returner earned Big 12 special teams player of the week honors for his 98-yard kick return for a touchdown against Nebraska.
Clash of philosophies
No matter which Big 12 team makes it out of the regular season on top, it’s sure to find an SEC team waiting for them in the national title game.
And when the two square off Jan. 8 in Miami, they will bring two distinct styles of football that typify their conferences.
The Big 12 has taken the spread offense and run with it, boasting six quarterbacks with more than 3,000 passing yards, three of which are quarterback national title contenders: Texas Tech (Graham Harrell), Texas (Colt McCoy) and Oklahoma (Sam Bradford). The conference also has four receivers with more than 1,000 receiving yards but just one running back with more than 1,000 rushing yards (Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter).
While the Big 12 is busy ushering in the new order of college football, SEC teams have played more traditionally. The conference has no 3,000-yard passers or 1,000-yard receivers. The SEC’s leading passer, Georgia’s Matthew Stafford, has 2,802 passing yards, which would put him at seventh in the Big 12.
Alabama’s John Parker Wilson and Florida’s Tim Tebow both have less than 2,000 passing yards each.
All that extra yardage is made up for in the running game. The SEC has four running backs with more than 1,000 yards. Alabama’s Glen Coffee has 1,091, and Florida has three running backs with more than 400 yards, not counting Tebow’s 393 yards and 11 touchdowns.
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