No. 11 Kansas (5-0, 1-0) has a game they are supposed to win this weekend at home against Baylor (3-3, 0-2). The Jayhawks have come out of nowhere this season and become one of the many surprise teams this year in college football. Kansas defeated Kansas State 30-24, one week after the Wildcats knocked off perennial power Texas . The Jayhawks is now one of the teams to beat in the Big-12 North division this season. In a season where upsets are coming fast and furious, Kansas will have to make sure to not over look Baylor and continue to play a high level of football in order to come away with a victory.
Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing has been a major factor behind Kansas 's hot start this season. Reesing is 95 for 160 with 1466 yards and most importantly 14 touchdowns to only four interceptions. The low interception total has helped play ball control for the Jayhawks. Kansas is ranked third in the conference in turnover margin with four more takeaways then giveaways. Defensively, Kansas is averaging just under 10 tackles for a loss every game, despite only averaging two sacks per game. The Jayhawks are clearly doing a good job of stopping the run behind the line of scrimmage and thus are ranked 14 th in the nation in rush defense. Also, despite the low sack total, Kansas ranks first in the Big-12 in pass defense. The Jawhawks are only allowing 248 yards per game this season, thus limiting big plays and putting a lot of stress on the opposing team's defense to match the Jayhawks play for play.
On the other sideline, Baylor is in the bottom half of the Big-12 in scoring offense, scoring defense, turnover margin, net punting, and passing efficiency. The Bears have not shown that they are able to complete with good competition this season. Baylor's three wins came against Rice, Texas State , and Buffalo . Texas St. is a 1-AA team and Buffalo and Rice have combined for three wins on the season. Baylor was shut out by TCU, and lost by 20 points or more to Texas A&M and Colorado . However, Stanford and Notre Dame picked up huge upsets against USC and UCLA respectively last week. If Kansas takes this game lightly, Baylor is a Division one team and can win a football game if given a chance. However, Kansas plays strong defense, which can balance out a struggling offense on a given day.
The game will take place at 12:30 as Kansas continues to try and shoot up the rankings. The Jayhawks were ranked 42 after the first regular season ranking and has continued to impress week after week. Perhaps a solid win over Baylor and a team losing in front of them will put Kansas in the top ten for the first time all season. M.
Denis Brown can be contacted at de.brown59@yahoo.com
