The Football Brainiacs

Image via todaysu.com

If you’ve spent any amount of time reading TFB, you know this isn’t something you’d typically find here. But considering the importance of this game for both teams involved, we thought maybe shaking things up a bit wouldn’t be a bad idea.

With that in mind, we reached out to Kevin Barrera of Scout’s Bears Illustrated to get a sense of things from the Baylor perspective. Hope you enjoy.

TFB: In your opinion, has Baylor played the Jeff Lebby situation up behind closed doors as added motivation against the Sooners?

BI: I don’t think so. Frankly, I think they quashed that a long time ago. He made a mistake, they disciplined him, and have moved on. The sooners have the type of tradition that Baylor is wanting to build. Other than the game, there isn’t much outside that Briles has to say or do to get the team up for playing OU.

TFB: Do Baylor fans feel as strongly as some OU fans that Art Briles seems to have Bob Stoops’ number, or do you think that’s simply more product of a recency bias from those in Norman?

BI: I don’t believe that realistic Baylor fans feel Briles has Bob Stoops’ number, yet. The issue isn’t just that Baylor has or doesn’t have OU’s number. It just comes down to the fact that this offense is so dang hard to defend for any team. The issue for OU has been the offense. You have to be able to score with Baylor and take advantage of those situations where Baylor turns the ball over on downs. I think it’s more recency bias from those in Norman. As Spencer Drango said earlier this week, Baylor owes OU a lot more than OU owes Baylor.

TFB: If you’re an opposing defensive coordinator, how would you approach defending this Baylor offense? Go with a strategy we’ve seen fail miserably for OU the last two years of playing off, trying to keep everything in front of you? Or a more aggressive, blitzing scheme knowing there is a good chance you’ll get burned at least a couple times, but knowing that the potential rewards, in theory, outweigh the risks and that pressure on the QB is realistically your only chance of success?

BI: I’m sure most DC’s stay up all night trying to figure this out. Obviously, what OU did last year, and what most teams try to do, just doesn’t work. Baylor does an excellent job in protection of their QBs and just don’t give the defense time to put pressure on the QB, with how fast they get the ball out of the QB’s hand. If you come with pressure, they will slant you, or complete WR screens up and down the field. So really you just have to pick one and hope you can get Baylor in some 3rd and long situations. The most successful thing I’ve seen is pressing the WRs at the LOS to break up timing, and maybe send an extra LB on a blitz or some type of corner or safety blitz. It just comes down to making Baylor beat itself.

TFB: Removing the obvious of stopping/slowing down the run game, from a Baylor defensive standpoint what do you view as the most critical aspect to a victory against this OU offense?

BI: Sounds crazy to say this, but you have to make Baker Mayfield beat you with his arm. When Mayfield gets out of the pocket, he is dangerous. You have to keep him in the backfield, put pressure on him, and cover the WRs in space. Again, all easier said than done, but Mayfield is the X-factor here. Limit his play making ability outside of the pocket, and force him to beat you with his arm. Trevor Knight and Baker Mayfield aren’t insanely different (I think Mayfield is more athletic), but you saw Baylor do this last year in Norman and it worked perfectly.

TFB: Help the fans in crimson understand why this Baylor crowd would potentially intimidate and/or play a significant factor in the game for an OU team accustomed to playing in front of large, hostile crowds, most recently 100k+ in Knoxville.

BI: Honestly it’s really hard to explain. The stadium seats 55,000, and I believe that place is going to be PACKED on Saturday. It’s more of a rowdiness of the crowd. So it’s not about how loud they get, they just get hostile, fast. The fans are right on top of you, and they feed the defense. If Sooner fans want an idea of how the crowd and team play off of each other, just watch the last 10 minutes of the TCU/Baylor game last year. Momentum changes very fast, and the team just takes it to a whole different level.

TFB: Pick the winner. How do you see this game playing out?

BI: This is a tough one. I do believe that Baylor is just a different team at home. Baylor hasn’t lost a home game in about four years. This is the toughest game that Baylor has had up to this point, and the same could be said for OU. This is OU’s toughest defense they’ve had in a while, but this is also one of the most potent and efficient offenses over the past 3-4 years. Does OU have the ability to cover Coleman, Cannon, Jay Lee, while trying to slow down Shock Linwood and Devin Chafin, behind one of the top OLs in the country?

Many believe that Stidham will struggle because of his inexperience, but Briles has never spoken higher of a QB and honestly, Briles is right when he says that all Stidham has to do is sit in the back seat of the car and read a book. Baylor does an excellent job of get the ball in the hands of the playmakers quickly. Stidham just has to manage the game, and make the easy throws. This game will come down to whether or not OU can keep up with Baylor. I think they can for the most part. I see this game as a 3 point game going in to the 4th quarter, with Baylor scoring a TD late to ice the game.

I’ll say Baylor 45 Oklahoma 35. I think it will be a GREAT game though.