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As expected, the Baylor Bears have one of the best offenses in the nation and one of the scariest teams in the Big 12. The Bears are looking to notch their second conference title in as many seasons under head coach Art Briles and three 40-plus point wins to begin the season is a solid start for that quest.
The Iowa State Cyclones have not been nearly as impressive this season as their only win came against in-state rival Iowa and they lost to FCS opponent North Dakota State by 20 points in week one. Iowa State is looking at another mediocre season if they can’t at least put up a decent fight at home against Baylor in week five.
Baylor has one of the most explosive offenses in the entire nation, led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Bryce Petty. The Bears rank third in the country in passing yards per game, 29th in rushing yards per game and first in points scored per game with an unprecedented 59.3 per contest. Petty hasn’t been able to play much thus far because of a nagging injury, but has come on strong as of late, passing for 577 yards and six touchdowns while his early-season replacement, Seth Russell, has 626 yards and seven scores. Two receivers have stood out above the rest for Baylor. Freshman KD Cannon has burst onto the scene and leads the team with 471 yards and five touchdowns on 14 catches while junior Jay Lee has 19 catches for 294 yards and four scores. Davion Hall and Lynx Hawthorne both have over 10 catches and over 150 yards each as well. Shock Linwood and Johnny Jefferson lead the strong run game, combining for 435 yards and six touchdowns on 90 carries.
Iowa State doesn’t have nearly the type of excitement on offense that the Bears do — and it shows in the national rankings. The Cyclones rank just 92nd nationally in passing yards per game, 116th in rushing yards per game and 107th in points per game. This isn’t exactly the kind of offense that wins ball games in the Big 12. Second-year starting quarterback Sam B. Richardson has improved his accuracy about 13 percent from last season to a solid 68 percent this year, but his other numbers aren’t quite as impressive. The junior quarterback has passed for just 591 yards and three touchdowns to go along with three interceptions this year while rushing for another 119 yards. The quarterback has two main targets in Allen Lazard and Jarvis West who have combined for 280 yards and two touchdowns on 24 catches. Richardson leads all rushers with his 119 yards while Aaron Wimberly has 108 yards and two touchdowns on a mere 3.2 yards per carry.
Defensively, the Cyclones have been anything but impressive so far this season. Iowa State ranks 88th in points allowed per game, giving up nearly 30 per contest and is close to the bottom of the conference and the nation, allowing an elevated 417.3 total yards per game. Baylor, on the other hand, ranks second in the country, allowing just nine points a game. The Bears also excel in total defense, allowing just 221 yards per contest — good for third in the nation. Iowa State’s Jack Trice Stadium will need to be rocking in order to give the Cyclones a fighting chance in this one.
Baylor will travel to Iowa State to take on the Cyclones at 8 p.m. EST on Saturday, Sept. 27. The game will be broadcasted on FOX.
PREDICTION: Baylor 45, Iowa State 13
Looking to see the Cyclones take on the Bears? Check out ScoreBig for tickets.
Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].
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