11 Bullets: An Offensive Result Driven By Non-Offensive Scores

SicEm365 Football Analyst Sam Bradshaw details his 11 biggest takeaways from Baylor loss to Kansas State.

1- Disappointing game drops a disappointing season below bowl eligibility despite the predicted struggles coming to pass. Baylor didn’t give themselves a chance with 2 non-offensive scores and a blown punt giving KSU the ball for a 1 yard “drive” on Baylor’s doorstep. Baylor was outgunned on defense and needed the offense to produce efficiently and instead it along with the kicking game sets up roughly as many points as they scored. KSU is a really good team but if Baylor plays clean this could have been competitive. Disappointing and ugly for yet another week should create serious discussions of where the program is headed. Last fall against these guys BU didn’t show up with a chance to win the Big 12 ahead of them. This year they get blown out with a chance for a bowl ahead of them. Massive fall from grace.

2- I felt like most of the offensive playcalls other than the blown up QB screen were solid today given the opponent. KSU is a good defense and Baylor had three scoring drives and two others that went for 45 and 30 yards with the 30 yarder dying due to the busted trick play setting up 3^rd and long from 2^nd and 4. Player miscues on decent calls killed three other drives before KSU pulled starters.  The opening script was solid and the screen touchdown to Pendergrass on the RB turnaround concept Reggie Bush used a lot at USC was great. I predicted 16 offensive points for them and to get four TD’s is much better than I expected against a solid KSU defense.

3- Surprisingly I felt like Baylor’s running game was better blocked than I thought they’d manage going in. Dominic Richardson having 5.2 per carry was decent evidence of it and having the trio go for over 110 yards was more than I expected going in.

4- Baylor’s drives tended to struggle when they went away from the run though. This is the first game where I felt like BU blocked well enough to even think that leaning into the passing game became a mistake.

5- Defensively they played hard but some mental miscues on a couple huge plays and facing a really good offense simply was too much. I predicted 38 offensive points for KSU and when they pulled starters it was 31 plus 21 from defense and special teams. The defense is what I thought they’d be.  KSU’s offensive staff set their guys up for success and used formations & personnel to isolate the matchups they wanted in the passing game and could run whenenver they needed to. Great gameplan by one of the most respected staff’s in the country and a veteran offense.

6- I liked that they brought more pressures and line stunts where guys could attack and shoot gaps.  I do think they needed more of it. The touchdown to go up 45-19 saw the Franklin and Lanz trying to two gap when each faced double teams from the LT & TE or the LG & C and the two 270 pounders predictably got washed down. Move them! Let them try to do things they can do to be successful even if it incurs risk on the back end.

7- Shapen was a mixed bag. Each of the following is true in my opinion.

• His decisions to hand off or throw on RPO plays were bad today. Multiple times he threw incomplete passes on not completely open throws when the run could have gotten 3-7 yards.  Included on this was the pick six where he needed to hand off and while it appeared open pre-snap it was a great job by the CB jumping the route. He struggled but then again if you don’t spend a ton of time with it and then try to make offensive changes to it midseason there will be growing pains on the reads.
• Generally his dropbacks were solid reads to avoid putting passes in harm’s way and there were some key drops by his targets.
• He was an absolute warrior laying his body on the line trying to will his team back in it. He was far from great today but nobody can question whether the desire to compete is there.
• The fumble scoop and score was a play where he HAS to have urgency. Only 5 man protection and KSU is blitzing 5. The offensive line won’t always communicate that quickly and accurately to get them all accounted for... get rid of it or get down.

8- The trick play for a TD was VERY well designed as was the fake field goal call BU narrowly missed. 

It looked exactly like the counter toss BU shredded Tech with last year then exactly like a QB screen off of it. Great call.

9- The punt return by Cameron was great. It was the only bright spot for a special teams unit that snapped into the dirt for a turnover on our goal line and gave up multiple long returns. I miss the automatic touchbacks Rauschenberg provided.

10- I hated the injuries to Boykins and Miller. That’s rough for two guys finally getting a shot during this time in the year. Ebesole getting thrown out was a stupid mistake by a young player. That has to be cleaned up and isn’t excusable to start swinging and hurt your team.

11- Time to regroup and fight for pride in Fort Worth next week. If there is ANYONE on the schedule that wants to humble you it’s the OC on the TCU staff. Bears have to get to work and get ready for another fight.