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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FOOTBALL
Jayhawks prepare for top-ranked Bears offense
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
Junior flanker Connor Embree runs the ball during the Oct. 19 game against Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium. The Jayhawks lost 34-19.
MAX GOODWIN
mgoodwin@kansan.com
I MAX GOODWIN
The Baylor Bears come to Lawrence on Saturday with an undefeated 6-0 record and a Top 10 ranking that at times can be a bit overwhelming for Kansas players to prepare for.
But there is one thing that gives the Jayhawks some confidence against the top team in the Big 12: a home-field advantage
"They're coming into Lawrence, so that's something we're excited about." linebacker Jake Long said.
The only road game that Baylor has played this season was a 35-25 victory in Manhattan against the 2-4 Wildcats, Kansas State had a lead going into the fourth quarter of the game before two touchdowns sealed a Baylor win.
On Tuesday, Charlie Weis said that Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty calls the plays at the line of scrimmage, and if the crowd is loud enough it would make that more difficult.
But it takes a lot more than noise to stop the Baylor offense.
The Bears have the most successful offense in college football up to this point, with an average of just under 65 points per game this season.
Petty is the latest in a long line of talented quarterbacks to play for Baylor coach Art Briles. Two seasons ago, Robert Griffin III won the Heisman trophy as Baylor's quarterback, and last season's starter Nick Florence broke eight school records.
Briles knows what reasonable expectations should be for a talented quarterback, and at Big 12 media day before the season began Briles
had some incredibly high expectations for Petty.
"The first thing that popped into my mind is break every Baylor record there is offensive, which is what we expect him to do and what he plans to do," Briles said of Petty. "His expectations are to win every game and be the best quarterback in the United States of America."
Petty has followed those expectations by completing over 70 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,023 yards in six games with 15 touchdowns and his passer efficiency rating is the best in the nation. And, of course, the Bears have won every game.
Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk predicted he would win the Heisman this season, but he also had high praise for Petty.
"I've seen good, but Bryce Petty is great," Seastrun said at Big 12 media day. "You don't understand — this guy can throw the ball 80 yards downfield with no hesitation."
But when Jake Love was asked which aspect of the Baylor offense was more dangerous, he said all of their skill position players are dangerous.
Baylor is third in the nation in passing yards and seventh in rushing yards, and they spread the field horizontally from sideline to sideline, forcing the defense to do the same.
Weis said Baylor's offensive balance is its strength.
"If you load up the box, they'll throw it on every down. If you don't cover the box, they'll run it on every down," Weis said. "They can do both. Whatever you want to do, they'll gladly do the opposite."
- Edited by Sarah Kramer
SOCCER
Kansas to face Texas Tech, Oklahoma State this weekend
EMILY WITTLER/KANSAN
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud blocks a goal during the Oct. 20 home game against Baylor. The Jayhawks defeated Baylor 2-0 in their first conference victory of the season. Kansas will play two more conference games this weekend.
With introduction by KU great Bud Stallworth Sunday, November 3rd, 7:00 p.m. Ballroom, Kansas Union level 5,1301 Jayhawk Blvd.
"It has put us in a situation with three games left where we still have lots to play for," coach Mark Francis said. "I think the league right now is really close, so if we can take care of business in some of these games coming up, we can put ourselves in position to move up the league."
The much-needed victory on Sunday means the Kansas soccer team (6-8-2, 1-3-1) is in better shape going into the final two weeks of the regular season. Now nestsled in the middle of the Big 12 standings after earning its first conference victory, the team looks to continue the success against Texas Tech and Oklahoma State this weekend.
Francis said the Jayhawks match up well with both opponents and both are good teams. He said it will come down to executing like they did on Sunday against Baylor. He also said the key on Sunday was being more efficient all-around, including crosses and scoring scor
The Jayhawks are now in sixth place out of nine teams in the Big 12 after ending a six-game losing streak and a scoreless streak lasting over 400 minutes of play.
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls (6-3-6, 1-1-3) have a knack for tying their opponents and playing long games. In their current five-game winning streak, they have gone into overtime in four instances and played to three draws.
Senior forward Caroline Kastor broke the team scoring drought by scoring both goals in the 2-0 victory on Sunday.
They start by facing a tough Texas-Tech team in Lubbock,Texas, on Friday. The Red Raiders are in third place in the league and have won or tied their last 12 games
"It was big not only timing wise but also just because we had a scoring drought, so obviously winning was nice," Kastor said. "There was a lot of enthusiasm after that."
The tight race in the Big 12 has postseason implications for the Jayhawks. The last five teams in the standings, including Kansas, have one win each. The top eight teams can compete at the Big 12 Championship, which is in Kansas City, Kan., for the first time after being held in San Antonio the last 16 years.
The Red Raiders have the ability to score lots of goals. They have 38 on the season, with 14 different players scoring at least once. On Oct. 6 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Texas Tech offense scored eight goals in the match.
They are 3-0-2 in the Big 12 and 13-1-2 overall.
The jayhawks' second opponent this weekend has a smaller offensive prowess. The scoring burden for Oklahoma State falls mainly on one player: freshman forward Courtney Dike, who has 11 of the team's 23 goals.
"At this point, our last three games all need to be wins." Kastor said. "I think that now's the time to do that, and I'm confident about where the team is at and how we're playing."
ing opportunities.
Kansas will face both opponents on the road. The Jayhawks will play Texas Tech at 7 p.m. Friday and Oklahoma State at 12 p.m. Sunday.
Edited by Jessica Mitchell
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