OSU Football: Baylor Preview

National Player of the Week James Washington and the Cowboys find themselves underdogs for the first time in 2016 when they face No. 16 Baylor on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT in Waco, Texas.

Hold your breath Cowboy fans, the forecast calls for an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Oklahoma State (2-1) is coming off its best offensive performance of the year against Pittsburgh, despite the two-hour weather delay. Quarterback Mason Rudolph set an OSU record with 540 passing yards and receiver James Washington was responsible for 296 receiving yards on nine catches. Sophomore defensive end Cole Walterscheid had a breakout game with four tackles for loss and two sacks against the Panthers and junior cornerback Ramon Richards came up with another big interception.

The Bears (3-0) are 2-0 at home thus far but have lost two-straight Big 12 contests as home favorites going back to last year. Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles has a very balanced offensive attack – 275 passing, 282 rushing on average – but Baylor makes opponents pick their poison. Defensively, the Bears have given up just 10 points per game to a weak non-conference slate.

Because they’ve faced FCS-level Northwestern State, SMU and Rice, it’s difficult to get a feel for what the Bears are capable of doing against their Big 12 peers. Last year the Cowboys knocked starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham out of the game and former receiver Chris Johnson took the reins and led the Bears to a 45-35 victory. Out of 104 plays, Baylor rushed 73 times and racked up 304 yards on the ground.

“They look very similar, scheme-wise they’re the exact same,” Mike Gundy said about Baylor, which is under direction of interim-coach Jim Grobe. “Why they've started slow in a couple of games, I'm not sure. Their quarterback is the same player they've had. They have some new linemen, and their backs are not the same guys. They still have a couple of the same wideouts, but the scheme is the same.”

One of those wideouts, Ishmael Zamora, returns from a three-game suspension for animal cruelty after a video was posted on Snapchat of Zamora whipping and kicking his dog. Zamora was fined and had to give the dog to an animal-friendly home.

The Cowboy defense will have to watch out for Zamora and standout junior receiver KD Cannon, who is second only to Washington in Big 12 receiving yards. On the ground, Shock Linwood, Terence Williams and JaMycal Hasty are each averaging at least 71 yards per game. Williams and Linwood get the majority of the carries but Hasty has been a very effective third back.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State gets yet another run-game test against one of the best defenses in the Big 12. Senior Rennie Childs rang up 101 yards and four touchdowns on 10 carries last week while freshman Justice Hill had 28 yards on 12 totes. Last year the Cowboys ran for 8 yards on 23 attempts against Baylor.

Receivers Jhajuan Seales and Jalen McCleskey could be the x-factors against Baylor because of the attention Washington will draw.

OSU Player To Watch – James Washington caught a pair of touchdowns against Baylor last year and is coming off a career-best outing. Baylor’s corners will be a better matchup for Washington and won’t give up as much over the top, but Oklahoma State has to get him the ball to have a chance.

Baylor Player To Watch – Seth Russell is a great quarterback and the Bears rely heavily on him for their tempo offense. OSU’s secondary is vulnerable and Russell has the weapons to run up the points quickly.

Prediction – Baylor wins a close one 49-44