Big 12 Football: Week 1 Power Rankings
By Hayden Hyde
Sep 4, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles on the sidelines against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears were expected to walk all over SMU, but the Mustangs rolled early.
Seth Russell looked sharp in his starting debut for Baylor. He efficiently managed the game and didn’t put his team in jeopardy. The Bears were able to slice through the SMU defense on their opening drive and score a touchdown in just four plays. The Bears were pretty much able to have their way with SMU on offense for the whole game, with the exception of the 2nd quarter when they were held scoreless.
However, Baylor wasn’t the only team having success scoring early. On SMU’s first offensive play, Matt Davis launched a pass for a 46-yard touchdown. The Mustangs were very impressive offensively during the first half. They hung 21 points on Baylor’s defense, and made it 28-21 at halftime. The Texas heat wasn’t the only thing making Art Briles sweat…
After the half, the Bears returned to form and outscored SMU 28-0 en route to their 56-21 victory.
Like I said earlier, Seth Russell played well. He completed 50% of his passes for 376 yards and 5 touchdowns. Russell also proved he can make plays with his feet, he added 59 yards rushing.
The running backs Shock Linwood, Devin Chafin, and Terence Williams all split duties and recorded 219 yards combined. Chafin was the only back to find the endzone, though.
Overall, Baylor played well on both sides of the ball. I think SMU’s offensive success should be accredited to Chad Morris’ coaching rather than Baylor’s lack of defensive prowess.
With TCU still on top, the Bears are a clear 2nd in the Big 12.
Next: TCU