Air Bears: Baylor offense ready for Texas A&M
Air Bears: Baylor offense ready for Texas A&M
Only two teams have scored more than 30 points against the Texas Longhorns in the last year and a half. Can you name those squads?
One answer is easy. The USC Trojans scored 38 points on Texas’ defense in a 41-38 loss to the Longhorns in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
The other answer is also easy, but probably only because you read the title. The Baylor Bears scored 31 points on Texas in their 63-31 loss as a 27 ½-point road underdog in Week 7. These weren’t garbage time points either (OK, the last seven were); the Bears actually led 10-7 midway through the second quarter and scored 14 points in the third.
A 36-point outburst in a 36-35 win over Kansas as a 3 ½-point home favorite last week made it three straight games of at least 30 points for Baylor, with all three coming against conference opponents. The Bears will try to make it four in a row today against the Texas A&M Aggies as 4 ½-point home underdogs.
They entered the year with questions about how quickly their offense would adapt to the potentially explosive “Air Raid” offense, a system made famous by Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, who then taught it to the man Baylor would later hire as its offensive coordinator, Lee Hays.
Led by senior quarterback Shawn Bell, Baylor has rocketed to sixth in the nation in passing offense after ranking 77th last season. Bell has thrown for at least 240 yards in every game this year, including his first two 300-yard games of the season against Texas (303) and Kansas (394).
“Even though Baylor hasn’t covered the last two games, I’ve been really impressed with its offense,” says Covers Expert Steve Merrill. “I was careful with them early in the year because of the fact that they were working with a new system. But as is often the case, that can provide value down the road.”
Now the Bears are up against an A&M team that has allowed an average of 250 yards passing, nine touchdown passes and one interception in conference play. That includes allowing 392 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-27 loss to Texas Tech in Week 5, the Aggies’ only loss this season.
“The Texas Tech game is the best comparison,” says Merrill. “The Aggies have always struggled to find a way to stop that offense.”
Only two teams have scored more than 30 points against the Texas Longhorns in the last year and a half. Can you name those squads?
One answer is easy. The USC Trojans scored 38 points on Texas’ defense in a 41-38 loss to the Longhorns in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
The other answer is also easy, but probably only because you read the title. The Baylor Bears scored 31 points on Texas in their 63-31 loss as a 27 ½-point road underdog in Week 7. These weren’t garbage time points either (OK, the last seven were); the Bears actually led 10-7 midway through the second quarter and scored 14 points in the third.
A 36-point outburst in a 36-35 win over Kansas as a 3 ½-point home favorite last week made it three straight games of at least 30 points for Baylor, with all three coming against conference opponents. The Bears will try to make it four in a row today against the Texas A&M Aggies as 4 ½-point home underdogs.
They entered the year with questions about how quickly their offense would adapt to the potentially explosive “Air Raid” offense, a system made famous by Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, who then taught it to the man Baylor would later hire as its offensive coordinator, Lee Hays.
Led by senior quarterback Shawn Bell, Baylor has rocketed to sixth in the nation in passing offense after ranking 77th last season. Bell has thrown for at least 240 yards in every game this year, including his first two 300-yard games of the season against Texas (303) and Kansas (394).
“Even though Baylor hasn’t covered the last two games, I’ve been really impressed with its offense,” says Covers Expert Steve Merrill. “I was careful with them early in the year because of the fact that they were working with a new system. But as is often the case, that can provide value down the road.”
Now the Bears are up against an A&M team that has allowed an average of 250 yards passing, nine touchdown passes and one interception in conference play. That includes allowing 392 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-27 loss to Texas Tech in Week 5, the Aggies’ only loss this season.
“The Texas Tech game is the best comparison,” says Merrill. “The Aggies have always struggled to find a way to stop that offense.”
posted by Kevin at
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