Gameday Thread: Baylor (3-2) set to face Kansas State (2-3)

BAYLOR (3-2) vs. Kansas State (2-3)

McLane Stadium | 2:30 p.m CT | FS1

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Storylines of the Week

Who will be more physical?

Two teams with lots of distractions this week, two teams that are in close to must win situations to make a bowl, and two teams that are ready to make a statement. What should that lead to? How about one of the most physical games of the season for both teams. Kansas State played very physically in the 2nd half of the Texas game and it was probably the first time this team has played up to the physicality standard established by Bill Snyder many years ago. They are known for being one of, if not the most physical team in the Big 12. The Wildcats will come out and play with that mean streak that has been signature to this program. Coach Matt Rhule is building his program based on physicality but it has not translated consistently yet. It has been up and down each week it seems but it will be mandatory to get a win this weekend. The Bears have to bring it from the opening whistle at McLane Stadium but will they?

Can Baylor prove the stats right?

The Bears are the better team on paper. There are a bunch of key stats that prove that but unfortunately stats don't win games, players do. On Saturday the edge is in Baylor's favor if both teams play like they have all year long. These are some of the key stats I am talking about and Baylor has the edge in most of them. The Bears need to prove the stats right.

Baylor Stats

Offense

30th 3rd down conversion (46%)

22nd total offense (488 yards/game)

41st scoring offense (35.6 ppg)

Defense

88th 3rd down conversion defense (41%)

88th total defense (400 yards/game)

97 scoring defense (32 ppg)

Other Key Stats

106th turnover margin (-3)

109th penalties (39)

Kansas State Stats

Offense

90th 3rd down conversions

117th total yards (321 yards/game)

119th scoring offense (19.6 ppg)

Defense

123rd 3rd down conversion defense (49%)

84th total defense (395 yards/game)

65th scoring defense (25.2 ppg)

Other Key Stats

96th turnover margin (-2)

44th penalties (27)

Quote of the Week

"I got my first penalty that I’ve ever gotten. And as you guys know, my father is on the sideline with me and my son is on the sideline with me. And my son asked me afterward, he said, ‘Dad, how come you got a penalty?’ He’s never seen that from me before. And I explained it to him. It’s called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. And I’ll just say this, I’m not unsportsmanlike. I got that penalty because I thought it was time to stand up for our players. As I told you after the game, Charlie walked off the field, and he said, ‘Coach, thank you, that means a lot.’ And you know, he shouldn’t have to feel that way. But sometimes in life, enough is enough, and you have to stand up for your players. That’s the biggest thing for me. We’re sitting here 3-2 and we’re getting ready to play a Kansas State team to try to get to 4-2, and I think about our seniors and I think about everything that they’ve been through, all the stuff. And Greg Roberts played his best football game on Saturday. And a lot of guys played their best football on Saturday, at times, not all of them. But those seniors, what’s their experience been like? I don’t complain about officiating. We played Duke, and not a penalty was thrown on the other team. I didn’t say a word about that. I respect the officials so much, because we’re allowed to play this game – those guys, they have other jobs and other lives, and they allow us to play this game. They’re good men. But, I have to defend our players, especially when it comes to like physically. We’re not an undisciplined team, we’re not. We had 13 penalties last week. We’ve got a bunch of young kids out there, some of them are playing maybe a little bit before they’re ready, and some of them are getting some holding calls and they’re playing really hard. But, we’re not an undisciplined team. We’re holding about as much as the rest of college football. We’re playing the same as the other team across from us is. I just feel for our players, sometimes. As I said after the game, I hated getting 15 yards. I hated my son seeing that. My father was kind of walking up and down. But, someone has to stand up for our players. At some point, it needs to be about the seniors and the juniors and the kids on our team in terms of everything. Outside noise, everyone has a different agenda. My agenda is the Baylor football players and the 120 guys that are in there, and making sure that they have the best experience possible. "

Statistic of the Week

Baylor senior wide receiver Jalen Hurd scored two touchdowns last week against Oklahoma to give him four total touchdowns on the season including his first rushing score for the season and his first rushing touchdown since Oct. 29, 2016 as a running back for Tennessee against South Carolina. 

With four touchdowns this season, Hurd has scored a total of 30 career touchdowns in 38 career games played. Hurd has scored 21 times on the ground and nine times by way of reception.

Hurd's four total touchdowns is second on Baylor's team for the 2018 season behind junior running back JaMycal Hasty. Hasty has rushed for three scores, caught one pass for a score, and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against Duke. 

Hurd's 31 receptions and 415 receiving yards both lead the Bears. He ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 in receptions and No. 5 in the conference in receiving yards in his first year playing the receiver position.

Players to Watch

Jim Black Jalen Hurd Kansas State is known for their soft coverage in the secondary hoping to keep everything in front of them which means Baylor's receivers have an opportunity for a big day. Hurd's size and ability to run tough after the catch should set him up for a big game against the Wildcats.

Jim Black Terrel Bernard The front seven of Baylor's defense is going to be able to play disciplined football and keep off blocks against KSU's patient run game. Leading tackler Terrel Bernard should be able to rack up a few more tackles this week and he will need to have as many as possible at the line of scrimmage.

Jim Black Jake Fruhmorgen Nearly 70 drops backs against Oklahoma meant the Baylor OL was under tremendous stress a week ago. Six sacks is too many, but not unexpected with that many opportunities. Fruhmorgen will need to be a primary leader in keeping Charlie Brewer clean from KSU's DL.