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Baylor vs Texas Matchup Ratings
While many fans weren’t impressed by the shutout victory last week against Kansas, the Longhorns accomplished the goal of heading into week 2 of conference play with an undefeated (Big 12) record. The Longhorns have been steadily improving every week since the BYU disaster, but with Baylor coming to town, Texas will have to be at it’s best to have a chance at pulling an upset.
OFFENSE:
Heisman candidate Bryce Petty returned for his senior year to lead Art Briles’, no-huddle, quick-strike offense. The Bears’ offense runs out of the shotgun with a variety of one and two back looks, with the occasional 5-WR formation thrown in.
(one back look)
(WRs stacked)
(two back look)
The offense plays a hurry-up style with the offense rushing to the line of scrimmage immediately following the previous play. Coaches signal in plays from the sidelines as the offense lines up, but plays are often audibled at the line by Petty.
Baylor has done well moving the ball down the field through the air, and frequently gets explosive plays. While it seems that the Bears are a vertical passing team, the offense is very good at turning short passes into long gains. Baylor will throw the ball quickly to receivers crossing within 5-10 yards of the LOS as well as out routes and quick stops to WRs near the sidelines. If the middle of the field is cleared, Petty has been efficient in hitting deep slants that go for long gains.
(Baylor utilizes quick passes within seconds of the snap)
The offense uses various three and four-wide formations, but spreads the WRs wide to clear certain areas of the field, enabling simple, quick passes in one-on-one situations. This also spreads the LB’s out, opening rush lanes for the Bears zone-read rushing attack.
Baylor’s offensive line has not given up any sacks this year. There are two primary reason for the Baylor OL’s success: (A) The line is very talented and does a good job of keeping the pocket from collapsing and (Petty does a great job of making early reads and finding open receivers within the first few seconds of the ball being snapped.
Other Offensive Notes:
- The effective running game of Baylor opens up play-action off zone-read where the QB and the line will give the look of the rushing play. Instead of the run, Petty pulls the ball and throws a quick strike to a WR.
- Baylor’s offensive line pushes the “Illegal Man Downfield†rule in which blockers are not allowed to block 3 yards past the LOS before the ball is thrown.
(Baylor’s Lineman 5 yards past the LOS before the ball is out of the QB’s hand)
- Petty will tale a snap from under center and run the ball up the middle if Baylor has 4th down and 1 or less.
- Baylor has a tendency to run a spread formation within 5 yards of the goal line.
- While Petty sustained vertebrae injuries early this season, they do not appear to be affecting his play running or passing).
DEFENSE:
Baylor’s high powered offense gets most of the coverage, and rightfully so, but the Bears’ defense is actually ranked 6th in the country, giving up only 250 yards per game. The Bear’s utilize a 4-2-5 alignment with four down linemen, two LB’s, and five DB’s.
(Baylor’s 4-2-5 Defense; Secondary lining up within 2 and 3 yards of the LOS prior to the snap of the ball)
Baylor’s secondary lines up within 3 yards of the LOS prior to the snap of the ball, giving little-to-no cushion to WR’s. This close coverage makes short underneath routes difficult, but often leaves the DB on an island, putting opposing receivers in one-on-one opportunities.
(Three of four ISU WR’s left in one-on-one coverage as the QB moves to the right)
The Baylor defensive line is strong and fast, lead by 6’9†280lb DE Shawn Oakman. The line often takes advantage of the blanket coverage by the secondary and will push to close the pocket if the QB does not make quick decisions.
Baylor’s linebackers are led by experienced SR MLB Bryce Hager. While the defense does not often blitz the LB’s, they are very quick to react to a rush or short passes.
Baylor’s defense overall is very fast and pursues quickly, but they do have a tendency to overpursue leaving play-action passes and misdirection plays as prime opportunities to move the ball.
Other Defensive Notes:
- While Baylor doesn’t often blitz, they do line up close to the LOS which can seem like a blitz or delayed blitz, leaving areas of the field open.
- Baylor will overload a specific side of the field if they think a play is rolling that direction.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
If there is one area that could be perceived as a weakness of Baylor, it would be in the area of field goal kicking. Baylor’s field goal unit has attempted six field goals on the year, but has only made one (a 23 yard attempt), while missing from 35 (twice), 37, 42, and 52 (one of which was blocked).
Each of their other special teams units are average as their kickoffs tend to be short, their punts average 39 yards (but are high and don’t allow for many returns), and both kickoff return and punt returns have netted little to nothing in regards to yardage.
MATCHUPS:
Texas QB/WR/TE’s v. Baylor DB’s:
Swoopes and the Texas passing game have success on underneath routes which are available when a cushion is given by the secondary. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, Baylor plays an aggressive press defense, which limits quick passes within 5 yards of the LOS.
For Texas to be successful against the Bears, they will have to rely on Swoopes identifying one-on-one coverage and making good passes downfield – something he hasn’t done much in the team’s first four games.
Advantage:
Texas RB’s v. Baylor LB’s:
Even though Baylor’s non-conference schedule is full of weak teams, the Bears managed to hold rushers to 80 yards per game on 2.3 yards per carry. Texas and their two backs have had difficulty getting the ground game going, averaging 120.5 yards per game on 3.42 ypc.
Baylor has done a very good job of limiting the opposition’s rushing attack. Texas hasn’t proven that they are good enough to overpower average teams, much less one of the top defenses in the nation. If the Longhorns want move the ball on the ground, they will need to use misdirection and take advantage of over-pursuit by Baylor’s defense.
Advantage:
Texas OL v. Baylor DL:
Baylor’s defense has the ability to move around the pocket and put pressure on QB’s. Led by DE Oakman, Baylor’s defense is second in the nation in sacks per game (18 total for 4.75 avg) and is 6th in rush defense (80 ypg).
With the inexperience of the offensive line and the inability to move the ball on the ground, Texas will have its hands full against a very tough Baylor D-Line.
Advantage:
Texas DB’s v. Baylor QB/WR/TE:
The Baylor offense utilizes a quick, efficient passing attack that has, so far, controlled each game that they have played. Bryce Petty has been very good and the Bear offense is surrounded by great receiver talent that fits into Briles’ system.
Texas will have their hands full, but the area that Texas has had the most success on in regards to defense has been against the pass. The Longhorns give up only 140 yards per game (8th nationally) through the air and have only surrendered 2 passing TD’s.
Texas won’t be able to completely limit Baylor’s offense, but they have proven that they can slow down opponents’ passing games.
Advantage:
Texas LB’s v. Baylor RB’s:
The biggest issue for Texas so far on defense has been their ability to stop well-executed rushing attacks. The zone-read has been problematic for the Horns, specifically when the QB keeps the ball.
The bad news for Texas is that the Bears have done a good job rushing the football, averaging 240 yards per game. The good news is that Petty (playing injured) hasn’t been a running threat so far this year (80 yards on 13 carries).
Baylor hasn’t used Petty much yet, but don’t be surprised to see the Bear QB test the Texas LB’s on the zone-read.
Advantage:
Texas DL v. Baylor OL:
Bryce Petty has not been sacked through 4 games this year. Even though the Baylor offense is an extremely quick strike attack, that statistic shows just how effective the Bear offensive line is.
The Longhorns D-Line is the strength of the Texas defense. Texas DT’s and Cedric Reed have seemingly had their way pushing through offensive lines. While the ground game gives the Texas defense problems, they have proven to be able to quickly close the pocket and create quick passes or turnovers.
Advantage: Even
Special Teams:
The one area of advantage for Texas is on special teams. Baylor has been average in most areas, but Baylor being 1/6 on FG tries sticks out like a sore thumb. Will Russ and the Texas punt unit have done a tremendous job of pushing the field position advantage in Texas’ favor along with the recent great play of Jaxon Shipley and the punt return unit.
The Longhorns will need to big contributions in special teams if they want to pull off a win against the Bears on Saturday.
Advantage:
While many fans weren’t impressed by the shutout victory last week against Kansas, the Longhorns accomplished the goal of heading into week 2 of conference play with an undefeated (Big 12) record. The Longhorns have been steadily improving every week since the BYU disaster, but with Baylor coming to town, Texas will have to be at it’s best to have a chance at pulling an upset.
OFFENSE:
Heisman candidate Bryce Petty returned for his senior year to lead Art Briles’, no-huddle, quick-strike offense. The Bears’ offense runs out of the shotgun with a variety of one and two back looks, with the occasional 5-WR formation thrown in.
(one back look)
(WRs stacked)
(two back look)
The offense plays a hurry-up style with the offense rushing to the line of scrimmage immediately following the previous play. Coaches signal in plays from the sidelines as the offense lines up, but plays are often audibled at the line by Petty.
Baylor has done well moving the ball down the field through the air, and frequently gets explosive plays. While it seems that the Bears are a vertical passing team, the offense is very good at turning short passes into long gains. Baylor will throw the ball quickly to receivers crossing within 5-10 yards of the LOS as well as out routes and quick stops to WRs near the sidelines. If the middle of the field is cleared, Petty has been efficient in hitting deep slants that go for long gains.
(Baylor utilizes quick passes within seconds of the snap)
The offense uses various three and four-wide formations, but spreads the WRs wide to clear certain areas of the field, enabling simple, quick passes in one-on-one situations. This also spreads the LB’s out, opening rush lanes for the Bears zone-read rushing attack.
Baylor’s offensive line has not given up any sacks this year. There are two primary reason for the Baylor OL’s success: (A) The line is very talented and does a good job of keeping the pocket from collapsing and (Petty does a great job of making early reads and finding open receivers within the first few seconds of the ball being snapped.
Other Offensive Notes:
- The effective running game of Baylor opens up play-action off zone-read where the QB and the line will give the look of the rushing play. Instead of the run, Petty pulls the ball and throws a quick strike to a WR.
- Baylor’s offensive line pushes the “Illegal Man Downfield†rule in which blockers are not allowed to block 3 yards past the LOS before the ball is thrown.
(Baylor’s Lineman 5 yards past the LOS before the ball is out of the QB’s hand)
- Petty will tale a snap from under center and run the ball up the middle if Baylor has 4th down and 1 or less.
- Baylor has a tendency to run a spread formation within 5 yards of the goal line.
- While Petty sustained vertebrae injuries early this season, they do not appear to be affecting his play running or passing).
DEFENSE:
Baylor’s high powered offense gets most of the coverage, and rightfully so, but the Bears’ defense is actually ranked 6th in the country, giving up only 250 yards per game. The Bear’s utilize a 4-2-5 alignment with four down linemen, two LB’s, and five DB’s.
(Baylor’s 4-2-5 Defense; Secondary lining up within 2 and 3 yards of the LOS prior to the snap of the ball)
Baylor’s secondary lines up within 3 yards of the LOS prior to the snap of the ball, giving little-to-no cushion to WR’s. This close coverage makes short underneath routes difficult, but often leaves the DB on an island, putting opposing receivers in one-on-one opportunities.
(Three of four ISU WR’s left in one-on-one coverage as the QB moves to the right)
The Baylor defensive line is strong and fast, lead by 6’9†280lb DE Shawn Oakman. The line often takes advantage of the blanket coverage by the secondary and will push to close the pocket if the QB does not make quick decisions.
Baylor’s linebackers are led by experienced SR MLB Bryce Hager. While the defense does not often blitz the LB’s, they are very quick to react to a rush or short passes.
Baylor’s defense overall is very fast and pursues quickly, but they do have a tendency to overpursue leaving play-action passes and misdirection plays as prime opportunities to move the ball.
Other Defensive Notes:
- While Baylor doesn’t often blitz, they do line up close to the LOS which can seem like a blitz or delayed blitz, leaving areas of the field open.
- Baylor will overload a specific side of the field if they think a play is rolling that direction.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
If there is one area that could be perceived as a weakness of Baylor, it would be in the area of field goal kicking. Baylor’s field goal unit has attempted six field goals on the year, but has only made one (a 23 yard attempt), while missing from 35 (twice), 37, 42, and 52 (one of which was blocked).
Each of their other special teams units are average as their kickoffs tend to be short, their punts average 39 yards (but are high and don’t allow for many returns), and both kickoff return and punt returns have netted little to nothing in regards to yardage.
MATCHUPS:
Texas QB/WR/TE’s v. Baylor DB’s:
Swoopes and the Texas passing game have success on underneath routes which are available when a cushion is given by the secondary. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, Baylor plays an aggressive press defense, which limits quick passes within 5 yards of the LOS.
For Texas to be successful against the Bears, they will have to rely on Swoopes identifying one-on-one coverage and making good passes downfield – something he hasn’t done much in the team’s first four games.
Advantage:
Texas RB’s v. Baylor LB’s:
Even though Baylor’s non-conference schedule is full of weak teams, the Bears managed to hold rushers to 80 yards per game on 2.3 yards per carry. Texas and their two backs have had difficulty getting the ground game going, averaging 120.5 yards per game on 3.42 ypc.
Baylor has done a very good job of limiting the opposition’s rushing attack. Texas hasn’t proven that they are good enough to overpower average teams, much less one of the top defenses in the nation. If the Longhorns want move the ball on the ground, they will need to use misdirection and take advantage of over-pursuit by Baylor’s defense.
Advantage:
Texas OL v. Baylor DL:
Baylor’s defense has the ability to move around the pocket and put pressure on QB’s. Led by DE Oakman, Baylor’s defense is second in the nation in sacks per game (18 total for 4.75 avg) and is 6th in rush defense (80 ypg).
With the inexperience of the offensive line and the inability to move the ball on the ground, Texas will have its hands full against a very tough Baylor D-Line.
Advantage:
Texas DB’s v. Baylor QB/WR/TE:
The Baylor offense utilizes a quick, efficient passing attack that has, so far, controlled each game that they have played. Bryce Petty has been very good and the Bear offense is surrounded by great receiver talent that fits into Briles’ system.
Texas will have their hands full, but the area that Texas has had the most success on in regards to defense has been against the pass. The Longhorns give up only 140 yards per game (8th nationally) through the air and have only surrendered 2 passing TD’s.
Texas won’t be able to completely limit Baylor’s offense, but they have proven that they can slow down opponents’ passing games.
Advantage:
Texas LB’s v. Baylor RB’s:
The biggest issue for Texas so far on defense has been their ability to stop well-executed rushing attacks. The zone-read has been problematic for the Horns, specifically when the QB keeps the ball.
The bad news for Texas is that the Bears have done a good job rushing the football, averaging 240 yards per game. The good news is that Petty (playing injured) hasn’t been a running threat so far this year (80 yards on 13 carries).
Baylor hasn’t used Petty much yet, but don’t be surprised to see the Bear QB test the Texas LB’s on the zone-read.
Advantage:
Texas DL v. Baylor OL:
Bryce Petty has not been sacked through 4 games this year. Even though the Baylor offense is an extremely quick strike attack, that statistic shows just how effective the Bear offensive line is.
The Longhorns D-Line is the strength of the Texas defense. Texas DT’s and Cedric Reed have seemingly had their way pushing through offensive lines. While the ground game gives the Texas defense problems, they have proven to be able to quickly close the pocket and create quick passes or turnovers.
Advantage: Even
Special Teams:
The one area of advantage for Texas is on special teams. Baylor has been average in most areas, but Baylor being 1/6 on FG tries sticks out like a sore thumb. Will Russ and the Texas punt unit have done a tremendous job of pushing the field position advantage in Texas’ favor along with the recent great play of Jaxon Shipley and the punt return unit.
The Longhorns will need to big contributions in special teams if they want to pull off a win against the Bears on Saturday.
Advantage:
) given (for example) they racked up the majority (80%) of their sacks vs some real tomato cans. . .though our OL is hardly a strength .. . . 
