Baylor potentially starting 410 pound Tight End next season

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Seth Russell needs necks surgery, out for year....Baylor's title hopes land on true freshman Jarrett Stidham's shoulders



With the news on Monday that Baylor starting quarterback and Heisman candidate Seth Russell is out for the season, the No. 2 national ranking as well as playoff and national championship hopes fall on the shoulders of true freshman Jarrett Stidham. No true freshman is more equipped to handle that burden.

According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Josh Rosen was the No. 1 quarterback in the country in the class of 2015. But according to 247Sports, Rosen was No. 2. The top arm, we felt, belonged to Stidham.

As capable and competent as Russell was running the Baylor offense as a junior, Stidham has been effortless in relief. The Stephenville native arrived at Baylor prepared to be an immediate starter. He ran a similar offense in high school, he's made rapid strides every year under center after playing receiver as a sophomore and has showcased athleticism playing multiple sports during his high school career.

Whether it be in game settings, camp competition or 7on7s, Stidham has consistently showcased a no-flinch type of mentality. He's an even-keel competitor that never gets too high and never gets too low emotionally. The first pass of Stidham's career was a 42-yard touchdown throw.

This fall, Stidham has completed 24 of 28 pass attempts for 331 yards and 6 touchdowns with no interceptions. For comparison's sake, Russell completed 56 percent of his passes in relief a year ago to Stidham's 85 percent and threw 8 touchdowns (on 85 attempts) to Stidham's 6.

By gently folding Stidham into live action this fall (Stidham has played in every game this fall with two incompletions during a 7 of 9 performance against Rice being his most inaccurate), Art Briles has the freshman reasonably prepared for the moment that awaits him.

The scary part of this for Baylor is that no amount of mop-up snaps against Kansas, Rice or SMU can prepare Stidham for the back-heavy schedule that he's about to face. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and TCU all await, along with a steadily improving Texas squad and an always tricky Kansas State team.

But the good news is this: If you told me this time last year, that Baylor needs one quarterback in the 2015 class to lead them to a national title running Art Briles' offense, I would have said without hesitation that Stidham is the guy. Not Josh Rosen, not Blake Barnett, not Kyler Murray. Give me Jarrett Stidham.

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Would still much rather see Seth Russell back there at QB with that 4.4 speed but for a 19 year old this kid as a hellacious arm.

True Freshman passes for 419 yards in 1st start, keeps No. 6 Baylor perfect

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Jarrett Stidham knew his lack of experience was probably a big reason Baylor was only ranked sixth in the initial College Football Playoff poll this week.

In his first start, the freshman showed he can keep the high-powered Bears humming. Stidham threw for 419 yards and three scores in place of the injured Seth Russell, Corey Coleman caught two touchdown passes and Baylor held on for a 31-24 victory over pesky Kansas State on Thursday night to prove it isn't going anywhere.

"That motivated the whole team, but especially Jarrett," Baylor running back Devin Chafin said about the rankings. "We definitely came out here with a chip on our shoulder."

"We feel like our team is a team of survivors," Baylor coach Art Briles said. "We've got a lot of guys who have been through a lot. A lot of coaches who have been through a lot."

Coleman finished with 11 catches for 216 yards, and has a nation-leading 20 TD catches this season, making life a little easier on his 19-year-old quarterback from Stephenville, Texas.

Stidham completed his first three passes to lead Baylor on an 81-yard scoring drive to open the game. And after the Wildcats answered with a methodical, 88-yard march that took 10 minutes, Stidham hit KD Cannon with another 55-yard touchdown strike.

While the victory lacked the pizazz of the Bears' nearly 60-point shellacking of Kansas, or similar blowouts of Texas Tech and West Virginia, it was a solid start to Stidham's tenure.

Baylor was ranked sixth in this week's initial playoff ranking, due partly to a soft early scheduled but also the uncertainty at quarterback. And while Stidham was far from perfect — he did have a delay of game penalty — he proved to be capably in control most of the game.

That bodes well for a season-defining stretch beginning Nov. 14 against 14th-ranked Oklahoma, and continuing with back-to-back games at No. 12 Oklahoma State and No. 5 TCU.

"People," Stidham said, "don't need to be counting us out."

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Tim Brown Won the Heisman with 3 Touchdown Catches; Baylor's Corey Coleman is On Pace for 30 This Year

Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman hauled in two more touchdown catches during Baylor’s road victory over Kansas State, bringing his season total to 20. If he continues his current rate of production, he’ll end up with 30. That’s before the Bears play a bowl game — and without the benefit of a non-existent Big 12 title game. That’d be three better than the current FBS record of 27, set by Louisiana Tech’s Troy Edwards in 1998.

It’d also be 10 times more touchdown catches than Notre Dame’s Tim Brown had in his Heisman Trophy-winning 1987 campaign.


Brown caught 39 passes for 846 yards that year. His campaign was buoyed by three kick-return touchdowns and the fact he was wearing a Notre Dame helmet while playing.

Brown and Desmond Howard (1991) are the only wide receivers to ever win college football’s most prized individual award. Since Howard’s win, only four have finished in the top three, including Amari Cooper last year.

Getting an invitation to New York has been difficult for wide receivers despite the game’s evolution to become more pass-oriented. The ball gets spread around to more targets and numbers can be seen as inflated. Playing in an offense like Baylor’s obviously works to Coleman’s advantage but it’s hard to ignore what he’s doing. In a different, Leonard Fournette-less year, he could be the Heisman favorite.

As it is, it would seem as if he’s done enough to earn serious consideration.

No matter the era or level, 20 scoring grabs in eight games jumps off the page.

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Something about playing on the road in Stillwater...

Oklahoma State overwhelms TCU, strengthens case for playoff consideration

How's this for a playoff statement? By dominating previously unbeaten Texas Christian on Saturday, Oklahoma State gained control of the Big 12 championship race, and perhaps much more.

Mason Rudolph passed for 352 yards and five touchdowns, James Washington caught five passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cowboys, No. 14 in the College Football Playoff ranking, pulled off a 49-29 upset of the No. 8 Horned Frogs.

Oklahoma State travels to Iowa State next week, then the Cowboys face No. 2 Baylor and No. 14 Oklahoma at home. Win those, and Oklahoma State (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) will be the undisputed Big 12 champion with a strong argument for a spot in the four-team playoff.

"There's a long ways to make up ground to get up there," Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy said. "Now, I'm not going to disregard that we're playing teams that are ranked high enough that we could make up some ground. But I just continue to stress for us, we have to practice well tomorrow."

Oklahoma State, which has won 11 straight overall, has felt overlooked all season. In the CFP ranking, the Cowboys are behind five teams that entered the weekend with a loss.

"We felt a bit snubbed, but our body of work has and will put us where we need to be at the end of the day," said Oklahoma State linebacker Chad Whitener, who intercepted two passes and ran one back for a touchdown Saturday.

TCU's Trevone Boykin, who has generated Heisman Trophy buzz all season, passed for 445 yards and ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw a career-high four interceptions.

"I used the Kevin Durant example, the one where you don't let him get to 50 points, just let him get to 25," Gundy said. "That's what we did tonight."

TCU (8-1, 5-1) gained 663 yards, but the Horned Frogs were held scoreless in the red zone twice as their 16-game win streak was snapped.

"They kicked our butt. It's as simple as this," TCU Coach Gary Patterson said.

TCU's Josh Doctson, the nation's leader in yards receiving, left the game in the second quarter with a left wrist injury and did not return.

"You go in with a game plan, and the game plan is to throw to number nine, and then number nine's not there anymore," Patterson said. "Your whole set of rules change for this offense, because they set plays up for people."

Now, TCU is likely out of the national championship picture, Boykin suffered a dent in his Heisman hopes and Doctson might be lost for the season.

"The key to it is, maybe the playoffs are out of line, but we can beat Oklahoma and Baylor, and you're 11-1, and somebody else can make that decision" about the playoff, Patterson said.

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Great night of college football.

Baylor Defense Reaches New Level at Oklahoma State, Keeps Bears in Playoff Hunt

Baylor upset Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Saturday, and despite a big performance from receiver KD Cannon—five catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns—the real MVP was the defense.

Seriously.

It may look different on paper, where the box score shows the Cowboys gained 441 yards and hung 35 points, but much of that production came at the end of the fourth quarter, when Baylor had a comfortable three-score lead.

The meat of the game saw Baylor force seven straight empty possessions and nine scoreless trips in 10. It sacked Mason Rudolph six times, owning the line of scrimmage and pulverizing the Cowboys' running game.

Kyle Porter of Pistols Firing summed things up nicely:


The key to Baylor's defense was, per normal, the line.

Tackle Andrew Billings and ends Jamal Palmer and Shawn Oakman flooded the backfield often, making Cowboys blockers look small and slow.

Billings excelled in particular, which was crazy after pregame reports suggested he would sit with an injury. Those reports were quickly amended, and Billings proved his health from the gun. It was arguably his best game of the season—although picking is admittedly hard—and indubitably the best Baylor's defense has played all year.

"We felt like we were together tonight as a defense," Billings told reporters after the game, per Baylor's official Twitter account. "It felt great."


The offense did its part across the line, even after quarterback Jarrett Stidham left with an injury.

Third-string QB Chris Johnson connected on two deep touchdowns at the start of the third quarter, and the offense eventually finished with 700 yards. (Ho-hum.)

Head coach Art Briles gave a somber update on Stidham, saying "he's not very good" and that Baylor will "have to hustle to see if he's able to go" against TCU next week, per Big 12 reporter David Ubben.

But Johnson has the skills to run this offense, can make enough plays to gash an injured TCU defense and inspires enough confidence to beat any potential playoff opponent. Quarterbacks in this system have proven fungible, much like Ohio State's system, which third-string QB Cardale Jones led to last year's national title.

Especially if Baylor's defense balls out like it did in Week 12, Johnson can steer the ship past just about anyone.

Having said that, Baylor still needs help to make the playoff. Oklahoma beat TCU in Norman, surviving after a wild late comeback attempt, and now stands one win from finishing 11-1.

The Bears could make an argument to pass Oklahoma, even though they lost head to head, because their only loss of the season came against a playoff contender, while Oklahoma dropped a game to non-contender Texas.

The problem is Baylor can't really make that argument after last year, when in order to pass TCU it argued the opposite. The Bears claimed head-to-head was more important than whom one lost to, because it made them look better than the Horned Frogs, whom they beat, despite a loss to non-contender West Virginia.

Pyrrhically, that argument worked, and Baylor passed TCU in the final poll. But neither team made the playoff, and the precedent the Bears set by passing TCU will prevent them from passing Oklahoma. They need Oklahoma State to beat the Sooners next week in Bedlam. There's no good way around that.

But strange things always happen in Bedlam, so Baylor shouldn't count itself out. It just beat a 10-0 opponent with its second- and third-string quarterbacks in a city where it hadn't won since FDR's second term (1939). Its defense also flashed another gear.

The Bears should feel good heading into TCU week.

They are still very much in the hunt.

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Ballsy move for Gary Patterson to go for the 2 on the road.

OU 30 - TCU 29: Oklahoma survives when TCU's last-minute 2-point conversion fails

NORMAN, Okla. -- It came down to one play, and Steven Parker made it.

Parker batted away Bram Kohlhausen's 2-point conversion attempt with less than a minute left and the seventh-ranked Sooners survived a late comeback attempt to beat TCU 30-29 on Saturday night.

After trailing 30-13 in the fourth quarter, TCU had a chance to tie the game after Kohlhausen's 14-yard touchdown pass to Emanuel Porter with 51 seconds remaining. Instead, the Horned Frogs went for the win by attempting the 2-point conversion but were turned away by Parker.

Sooners survive TCU by knocking down 2-point attempt

After losing QB Baker Mayfield to an injury, Oklahoma held off TCU's late rally on Saturday.

"I just had a hard decision between staying on my receiver and coming to get the quarterback," Parker said. "And I kind of just played in between, and just timed my jump right. It's probably my most memorable moment in my football career."

TCU coach Gary Patterson defended his decision to go for the win.

"Our rule has always been to go get the win on the road," Patterson said. "To be honest, if (Parker) doesn't knock it down, there's a guy open in the back of the end zone to catch it. ... We came here to win."

Samaje Perine ran for 188 yards and a touchdown and Heisman Trophy contender Baker Mayfield completed 9 of 20 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns for Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1 Big 12, No. 7 CFP, AP) before leaving with a head injury after the first half.

Oklahoma, winner of six straight, will have the opportunity to claim the Big 12 Championship next week when it plays Oklahoma State (No. 6 CFP, No. 4 AP).

Sooners coach Bob Stoops believes if they win that one, they should make it into the College Football Playoff.

"Sure, I would think so," Stoops said. "When you cannot be at your best and win, it's always a positive against a ranked team."

Without injured offensive stars Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson, TCU (9-2, 6-2, No. 18 CFP, No. 11 AP) turned the ball over four times, leading to 24 Oklahoma points.

Freshman Foster Sawyer started in Boykin's place and had a strong first quarter, completing 7 of his first 8 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown that put the Horned Frogs up 7-0. He was just 1-of-10 after that with three interceptions and was eventually replaced midway through the third quarter by Kohlhausen.

Kohlhausen led the fourth quarter comeback attempt, completing 5 of 11 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Aaron Green rushed for 127 yards -- 96 in the second half -- and a touchdown.

"That's what we do, we fight back, no matter who's on the field," Green said. "Second-string line, third- and second-string quarterback, freshmen at wideout, we just gave it our all. That's what we've been taught to do. Unfortunately, we just came up short."

With OU leading 23-7, Mayfield did not come out to start the second half. He was shaken up early in the second quarter by a helmet-to-helmet hit from TCU linebacker Ty Summers, who was ejected for targeting, but did finish the first half.

"Our trainers and doctors were constantly, with each series, every time Baker was off, checking him, asking him questions, making sure he was OK, and everything was checking out fine," Stoops said. "And then at halftime, they approached him again to go over some things and Baker admitted to having a headache, and that's when our doctors said we're not going to have him play.

"That threw us off in the second half. We weren't very consistent at all."

Trevor Knight played the rest of the game, completing 5 of 16 passes for 76 yards, with one interception.

Three plays into the third quarter, Perine got hurt after catching Knight's short pass and turning it into a 16-yard play. Unable to put any weight on his left foot, he came out for several minutes, but returned during Oklahoma's next possession.

Perine proved he was OK on a 72-yard touchdown run, putting OU up 30-13 with 7:55 left in the third.

"He had a slight ankle sprain," Stoops said. "It hurt him initially and once he gets on the sideline and they tape it again, he gets to moving on it again, then he trusts that it's OK. It's good and hopefully he'll heal up well."

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McCaffrey's Heisman impersonation propels Stanford to Pac-12 North crown; 282 All Purpose Yards in First Half

STANFORD -- Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey isn't the type. You know, to strike the Heisman pose. McCaffrey, who broke Glyn Milburn's school record for all-purpose yards in Saturday's 35-22 win over Cal in the 118th Big Game at Stanford Stadium, is way too humble to make like Michigan's Desmond Howard did during a game in 1991.

There are others to strike the Heisman pose for McCaffrey, but with words. Take Stanford coach David Shaw, for instance.

"If anybody has seen a running back, a football player, better than Christian McCaffrey, tell me," said Shaw after McCaffrey personally wrecked the Bears with 389 all-purpose yards. "Show him to me. I haven't seen anybody in America like this kid. He is truly special. Kickoff returner, runner, receiver, blocker. Our guys know that and they take pride in blocking for him down the field because the guy makes special plays."


The Cardinal (9-2, 8-1 Pac-12), which won the Pac-12 North with the win, had a 7-3 lead when McCaffrey caught a screen pass in the left flat late in the first half. The Bears, though, were wise from the start. Linebacker Jalen Jefferson was on McCaffrey like a drone, but McCaffrey shed the tackle. Next was safety Derron Brown's turn to take down McCaffrey, but no.

McCaffrey shook him off like a migraine headache, zigzagging upfield, finding open real estate through the middle of the Cal defense, until he had completed a 49-yard touchdown.

The Bears bounced back in a hurry, marching 12 plays for a field goal, getting within 14-6 with 51 seconds to go in the second period. The Bears gambled and kicked deep to McCaffrey, who took the ball at the 2-yard line. McCaffrey went up the middle, then caught the Cal sideline, receiving one final block from Barry Sanders, taking it to the house for a 98-yard touchdown. McCaffrey's first kickoff return for a touchdown tied him No. 6 all-time with Nate Kirtman, who went 98 yards for a score against Oregon State in 1967.

So within a matter of 3 minutes, 34 seconds, McCaffrey, if he hadn't already, had put himself on the Heisman map in front of a national television audience. McCaffrey's 282 all-purpose yards at halftime was unheard of. He leads the nation, averaging 255.2 all-purpose yards per game.

McCaffrey wasn't done. In the second half, he gashed the Bears for 107 yards on the ground, finishing with 192 yards. McCaffrey extended his school-record streak of rushing for 100 yards or more to nine games. McCaffrey has rushed for 1,546 yards, among the nation's leaders. He leads the Cardinal in receiving with 34 receptions for 416 yards and three touchdowns.

And he is proving to be a valuable decoy. On Stanford's final touchdown to break the game open, quarterback Kevin Hogan faked to McCaffrey, then gave the ball on a reverse to Bryce Love, who swept left end for a 48-yard touchdown. Can't blame the Bears for focusing on McCaffrey, who had taken the ball on the previous four plays for a total of 30 yards.

Whether McCaffrey loses out in the Heisman race to Alabama running back Derrick Henry or Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield or Leonard Fournette of LSU or whomever, he is lighting up Stanford Stadium down the stretch in ways never seen before. Should McCaffrey repeat his show-stopping performance vs. one of the best teams in the U.S. in Notre Dame at home on Saturday, he may attract quite a voting block. And if he does it again in the Pac-12 title game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara on Dec. 5, the WildCaff campaign may be too much of a monster to quell.

If I had a vote, he would get it. Not that he cares.

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Michigan State snaps Ohio State's 23-game win streak



COLUMBUS, Ohio — Breaking down No. 9 Michigan State's 17-14 win Saturday at No. 2 Ohio State:

THE BIG PICTURE: Even though they had been unimpressive and lacked significant victories, College Football Playoff committee chairman Jeff Long was adamant in recent weeks that the Ohio State Buckeyes' best football was ahead of them.

Well, so much for that.

The reigning national champions likely will not be back to defend their title, and it occurred in shocking fashion at home. Michigan State was the more physical team, the more poised team and the team with a better game plan.

The Spartans, left for dead after a stunning loss at Nebraska on Nov. 7, own Big Ten tiebreakers against East Division foes Ohio State and Michigan and are very much alive for the national title after junior Michael Geiger kicked a 41-yard field goal through the wind and rain with no time on the clock to break a 14-14 tie and silence Ohio Stadium.

And they did it without their All-American candidate quarterback Connor Cook, who was unavailable because of a shoulder injury. It took an unreal effort from Michigan State's defense, which limited the Buckeyes to 132 yards on 45 plays and the ability to overcome two major mistakes that basically gifted Ohio State (10-1) two touchdowns.

But the Spartans (10-1) got it done and can win the Big Ten East with a home victory against Penn State next weekend. Meanwhile, this was supposed to be the stage for Ohio State — after beating (and at times sleepwalking) through 10 overmatched opponents — to finally show its championship stuff. It simply never happened.

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The quarterback injuries continue to mount. Bring in the third stringer. This Jones kid has real good speed and looked very impressive in the second half versus OK State so we'll see what he can bring in the final 3 or potentially 4 games.

Baylor quarterback Jarrett Stidham out for season with broken ankle; ex-WR takes reins

Tackle where ankle was broken.





No. 7 Baylor's national championship hopes now rest with its third-string quarterback after backup Jarrett Stidham was declared out for the season with a broken ankle.

Stidham was making his third start as a replacement for Seth Russell when he was injured Saturday against Oklahoma State. Russell was sidelined for the season with a neck injury against Iowa State on Oct. 24.

Chris Johnson replaced Stidham in the second half in Stillwater. Despite having only four previous career passing attempts, the sophomore threw for 138 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears won 45-35.

Johnson will start Friday when Baylor travels to No. 16 TCU.

The Horned Frogs could also be without their starting quarterback as Trevone Boykin is dealing with an ankle injury that forced him to miss last week's loss to Oklahoma.

If Johnson gets hurt, there are few options for the Bears. Walk-on freshman Zack Bennema is the only other quarterback on the roster. He has not played this season. Wide receiver Corey Coleman did take some snaps from center against Oklahoma State, but did not attempt a pass.

Baylor enters the TCU game in contention for the Big 12 title with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Each has one conference loss. The Sooners and Cowboys play each other Saturday night.

A win by Baylor and Oklahoma State would leave the Bears in position to claim the conference title and a possible College Football Playoff berth because of their head-to-head victory against the Cowboys.

The Bears finish the regular season against Texas on Dec. 5

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Expected to be cold and rainy versus TCU in Fort Worth so this kid's size (6'5 230 pounds) could be an advantage.

Chris Johnson takes control of Baylor offense, playoff hopes

Coach Briles: 'Brings another element to the game. He's a big guy that can run.'



Johnson (6-foot-5, 235 pounds) came off the bench to throw for two touchdowns and run for another in relief of the injured Jarrett Stidham in last week’s 45-35 upset of No. 6 Oklahoma State.

The Bears’ victory knocked the Cowboys (10-1, 7-1) from the unbeaten ranks, tightened the Big 12 championship race and kept Baylor on the fringes of the CFP playoff picture with a climb likely in Tuesday’s updated rankings.

To continue climbing after Friday’s game against TCU (6:30 p.m., ESPN), Johnson will have to continue delivering in relief of Stidham, who Briles called “highly questionable” to play against the Horned Frogs because of a lower leg injury sustained against OSU.

Stidham, a freshman from Stephenville, moved into the starting lineup Nov. 5 after a season-ending injury to Seth Russell, who posted a 7-0 record as the team’s starter.

Now, the injury bug has shifted Johnson into the starting lineup for Friday’s matchup between the teams that shared last year’s Big 12 title.

Until late October, Johnson was taking all of his practice reps in the Bears’ receiver rotation. He returned to quarterback after Russell’s injury. Briles said Monday that the dual threat from Bryan is up to the task, as evidenced by his strong second half against OSU (138 passing yards, 42 rushing yards).

“Since he moved back to quarterback, he’s gotten really sharp,” Briles said. “He’s got a lot of energy and every intangible you could ever hope for. The playbook’s open, and we’re dialing up the same stuff that we were with Seth and Jarrett because he can deliver.”

Johnson said he’s comfortable in his new role and views this week as “an opportunity to get more in-sync” with the Bears’ starting receivers. He’ll probably be asked to do more as a runner than Stidham because it suits Johnson’s skill set and because Briles declared the Bears’ leading rusher, running back Shock Linwood (1,240 yards, 10 TDs), as “very questionable” for Friday because of knee and ankle ailments.

Johnson, a powerful runner, stressed that he would not allow the absence of a clear-cut backup quarterback on this week’s Baylor depth chart to deter him from fighting for extra yards as a rusher against TCU.

“I’ll be smart. But I’ll still play aggressive,” said Johnson, who averaged 7.0 yards per carry against OSU, including a 4-yard touchdown run to clinch the game with 2:10 remaining. “Situationally, when I need to get the first down, I’m going to get it. When I’m at the goal line, I will go get it. That’s just the mentality I have.”

That’s the mentality Briles wants, although an injury to Johnson (assuming Stidham can’t play) would mean leaning on an emergency quarterback. Briles did not offer names Monday but a pair of former high-school quarterbacks, receiver Corey Coleman and nickel back Travon Blanchard, said they would be willing to step in, if necessary, against TCU.

Johnson, who led the Bears to three touchdowns in six possessions against Oklahoma State, plans for the quarterback carousel to stop with him. He likes the idea of following in the footsteps of Cardale Jones, Ohio State’s third-team quarterback who led the Buckeyes to last year’s national title after becoming a November starter, and stressed that he never considered transferring once Stidham was named the backup during fall drills.

“I didn’t want to take the easy route and leave because that doesn’t always work out in your favor,” Johnson said. “Since I stepped on campus, I’ve been wanting to play. But you just have to wait your turn sometimes. That’s part of the game. I always believed my opportunity was going to come.”

Now, it’s here. Johnson will be charged with breathing life into the Bears’ flickering playoff hopes for a second consecutive week in Friday’s battle of banged-up teams. Offensive tackle Spencer Drango, a fifth-year senior, considers him a solid bet to make that happen.

“He’s a phenomenal athlete. We’ve had less athletic guys do really, really good things here,” Drango said. “He knows the offense really well and he has all the attributes.”

Now, he’s the guy in charge of Baylor’s playoff hopes and Big 12 title chances. Briles made it clear Monday that he considers Johnson capable of delivering on both quests despite minimal experience at the college level.

“We like the fact that it’s late in the season and we’re still in the hunts, with an ‘s,’ ” Briles said, stressing the dual goals. “That is a tribute to our players. Up to this point, we’re still standing pretty solid.”

The bigger question is where the Bears will be standing after Friday’s first career start by a backup quarterback who has spent most of this season practicing at receiver.

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Bedlam 2015: With a win over Oklahoma State, the Sooners could capture their first Big 12 title since 2012





N  ORMAN – “Leave no doubt.”

Those three words were spoken by Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker when asked about Saturday night’s 7 p.m. game at Oklahoma State.

For the Sooners a Bedlam win means:

• Their first Big 12 championship since 2012.

• A near-guaranteed shot at the College Football Playoffs.

• Striker’s reason for his senior-season return — to push Oklahoma back to national prominence — has taken a giant step.

Striker’s “leave no doubt” message isn’t his exclusively. His Armwood (Florida) High School coach Sean Callahan gave him the motivational words. But as the heartbeat of Oklahoma’s team, he’ll channel that message to his teammates.

“Everybody has an understanding of what this is and what this means,” Striker said. “This is it right here. As a senior, it’s my last regular-season game. You just give it everything that you’ve got.”

Oklahoma (10-1) is trying to solidify its standing in the CFP rankings. Boosted to No. 3 this week, a victory almost ensures a berth in the four-team playoff field. After that, only two wins would stand between the Sooners and an eighth national championship trophy.

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My house is 15 miles away from the TCU stadium and it was absolutely miserable last night. 38 degrees with a wind chill in the low 20s and moderate to heavy rainfall the entire time. Terrible football conditions and one of the sloppiest games I have ever seen.

No. 19 TCU overcomes relentless rain, upsets No. 7 Baylor in double overtime

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Big 12's top offenses were no match for Mother Nature.

Playing in a relentless rainstorm throughout, TCU defeated Baylor 28-21 in double overtime at Amon G. Carter Stadium on Friday night.

Here's how it happened:

How the game was won: TCU freshmen Julius Lewis and Ty Summers came up huge on Baylor's fourth-down attempt in the second overtime, stopping Bears running back Devin Chafin for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the TCU 16-yard line. The Horned Frogs' defensive stand came after quarterback Trevone Boykin found a wide-open KaVontae Turpin to give TCU the winning points with an 8-yard touchdown to start the second overtime.

Player of the game: Summers' crucial play in overtime capped an outstanding night. The linebacker finished with 23 tackles (seven solo), including 1.5 for loss, in the victory. With Baylor forced to lean on its running game in the downpour, Summers continually put himself in the right place at the right time to stop the Bears for short gains.

What the win means for TCU: The gutty performances from Gary Patterson's team continue. Considering all the injuries the Horned Frogs have dealt with this season, it's quite remarkable to see them reach 10 wins. TCU has back-to-back 10-win campaigns after winning 11 combined games during its first two seasons in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs finish the regular season at 10-2 and could be in contention for a New Year's Six bowl if things fall just right on the rest of the college football landscape.

What the loss means for Baylor: The Bears saw their Big 12 title hopes dashed -- Saturday's Bedlam battle between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will now decide the conference crown -- and their College Football Playoff dreams were washed away with the loss. The wet conditions really took Baylor's explosive deep passing game out of the equation, resulting in a run-heavy approach and erasing the big plays that make the Bears tough to stop. Baylor hosts Texas on Dec. 5.

[Set It Up]

North Carolina is up on North Carolina State 35-7,...........in the fucking first quarter 

Michigan is awful, Ohio State is cheering for Penn State now

lots of interesting possibilities on the table still

I need Notre Dame to win by a ton to get into playoff spot 

[polychronopolous]

North Carolina is up on North Carolina State 35-7,...........in the fucking first quarter 

Michigan is awful, Ohio State is cheering for Penn State now

lots of interesting possibilities on the table still

I need Notre Dame to win by a ton to get into playoff spot 

Freaking stoked about this Stanford vs. Notre Dame game tonight.

Auburn hanging in there with Alabama right now and if they can pull off the upset I could see Notre Dame leapfrogging a 2 loss Alabama team because the SEC has been so weak this year.

I think an Iowa loss really helps Notre Dame once they lose that "0".

An Irish fan is probably rooting for an OU loss as well, which is VERY possible. Anything can happen in Bedlam.

Notre Dame is in a pretty decent spot right now but definitely needs to make a statement tonight.

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Outside chance for some freezing rain tonight

[Set It Up]

Derrick Henry is a fucking beast

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Derrick Henry is a fucking beast

They know how to stretch out a drive don't they?

I'm not liking Auburn's chances in this one.

[Set It Up]

Notre Dame will not be going to the playoff

which means college football for me is over

if I were to want a team to win it all, I hope its Alabama just cause of Henry

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Notre Dame will not be going to the playoff

which means college football for me is over

if I were to want a team to win it all, I hope its Alabama just cause of Henry

Yeah it sucks but the playoff is a pretty high threshold to acquire, only 4 teams get in after all.

Notre Dame still has an excellent shot at making the Fiesta Bowl and Baylor projects into the Sugar Bowl so we as fans can't complain too much.

Excellent game last night though...one of the best of the year. Both of those teams looked really solid.

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Without their top 2 Quarterbacks, top running back and Biletnikoff Award Winning Wide Receiver.

Baylor Smashes All Time Bowl Record With 645 Rushing Yards in Win over UNC; Plays 5 different quarterbacks in one quarter

Baylor was without its two leading passers, leading rusher and leading receiver for the Russell Athletic Bowl on Tuesday against North Carolina, but it didn't matter as the Bears ran all over the Tar Heels in a 49-38 victory.

Baylor ran for an all-time bowl-record 645 yards, led by Johnny Jefferson's 299 yards and three touchdowns, as Art and Kendal Briles adapted to their personnel to dominate the Tar Heels defense. The previous record in a bowl game was held by Nebraska, which ran for 524 yards in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.

As a team, Baylor averaged 7.7 yards per carry as it gashed the Tar Heels inside and outside in the running game. The Bears gave North Carolina plenty of unique looks, running some read option, some single-wing action and all manner of other sets. Five different Baylor players took snaps Tuesday as the Bears operated an offense that was almost completely reliant on the running game.

Baylor's offensive show was an incredible exhibition of running, and also showed off how inventive and adaptable Art Briles is with an offense.

Story of the game: The Baylor rushing attack was incredible. It can't be overstated how well the Bears operated in an offense that they created on the fly toward the end of the Texas game.

This looked nothing like the Baylor offense that was the nation's top scoring offense, but it worked just as well -- if not better, somehow. Baylor had 756 total yards of offense, with 645 on the ground. The offensive line mowed down the North Carolina defensive line as the Tar Heels offered little resistance.

Jefferson led the way, but Devin Chaffin (27 carries, 156 yards, 1 TD), Terrence Williams (16 carries, 97 yards, 2 TDs) and Lynx Hawthorne (7 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD) all had a great deal of success on the ground for the Bears -- and all took direct snaps.

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Insane.

Last year, Art Briles' Baylor Broke Bowl Season's Passing Record. This Year, the Rushing Record; 603 Passing Yards In 2014, 645 Rushing Yards in 2015



It's impressive enough to be historically good at one football thing. In the past year, Baylor has been historically impressive at two.

In last year's Cotton Bowl, Baylor squared off against Michigan State's run-stuffing defense. Art Briles had a solution: don't run. He had an NFL quarterback in Bryce Petty and two wide receivers worthy of double coverage in Corey Coleman and KD Cannon.

The result was 603 yards passing, a record for most ever in a bowl game, breaking a record Ty Detmer's BYU set in the 1989 Holiday Bowl. Petty had a career-high 550 yards passing, and Cannon and Coleman each cleared 150 yards receiving. Two late missed field goals and a lack of a running game cost the Bears, who lost a 42-41 thriller, but it wasn't for lack of offense.

In Tuesday night's Russell Athletic Bowl, Baylor didn't have those options. Petty's successor, Seth Russell, had a season-ending injury, as did his successor, Jarrett Stidham, as did Coleman. Starting running back Shock Linwood was hurt, too.

Briles devised a new scheme. He had five players — one actual quarterback, two running backs, and two wide receivers — take snaps out of the wildcat, and he ran the ball over and over and over and over.

The result? Absolute domination. The Bears ran for 645 yards, a record for most ever in a bowl game, breaking a record Tommie Frazier and Nebraska set in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. Johnny Jefferson, a backup until the last game of the season, had 299 yards, the most of any player in 2015 and second most in bowl history. They hung 49 points on No. 10 North Carolina, winning more comfortably than No. 1 Clemson did in the ACC Championship.

They did this with an offense that resembled 1930s football: no passing, few handoffs, not even a ton of misdirection. They did this with a few speedy guys and mashing offensive line play. They did this with an offense they didn't play for the majority of the season, an offense UNC couldn't have really known was coming, other than some hints from what Baylor did in its last game against Texas.

When people see Baylor putting up tons of points, some blow it off, assuming there's some type of gimmickry afoot.

Briles uses some "system," some bogus football that puts up points but wouldn't stand a chance against the true football your team plays. The Bears are one-trick ponies.

Actually analyzing what Baylor does makes it clear that is not the case. You should read Ian Boyd from 2013 about "the Art of offense:"

It's not the air raid. It's not the run ‘n' shoot. It's not just a spread offense. Baylor's hybrid offensive approach essentially combines many of the greatest tactics in offensive football into one cohesive and simple package.

Maybe you thought Baylor was monotone after last year's bowl or as Russell and Coleman combined for touchdown after touchdown this season. Perhaps that was confirmed when Russell, Stidham, and third-stringer Chris Johnson went down, turning the once-mighty Bears into a team capable of losing to lowly Texas.

Hopefully, this performance shuts up that talk. Briles had his offense reduced to a shell by injuries. But he found the remaining strengths of his team and figured out how to use them to attack the weaknesses of his opponent.

You thought his car could only drag race. But he took all the parts, rejiggered them, and emerged from the garage a month later with a car that could win the Daytona 500.

It's one of the most impressive coaching jobs I've ever seen, and a reminder never to sleep on a brilliant coach with time and talent at his disposal.

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Christian McCaffrey sets Rose Bowl record as No. 5 Stanford beats No. 4 Iowa

PASADENA, Calif. — The first time Christian McCaffrey touched the ball in the Rose Bowl, he took it 75 yards for a touchdown. A few hundred yards later, Stanford’s sophomore star had smashed the oldest bowl game’s record for all-purpose yards while leading the Cardinal to a blowout win over Iowa.

Sure, McCaffrey didn’t win the Heisman Trophy, and Stanford barely missed out on the College Football Playoff.

McCaffrey and the mighty Cardinal are still headed into the new year with the Pac-12 champions’ most coveted postseason trophy — and the brightest of futures.

McCaffrey caught a touchdown pass on the opening snap and returned a punt 66 yards for another touchdown while racking up 368 all-purpose yards, propelling No. 5 Stanford to a 45-16 victory over the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes on Friday.

Three-time Rose Bowl starter Kevin Hogan, from McLean, Virginia, passed for 223 yards and three touchdowns in his final game for the Cardinal (12-2) as this unlikely Bay Area football powerhouse won the Rose Bowl for the second time in three trips over the past four years.

“It’s so fun when a team can come together,” McCaffrey said. “We’ve got a bunch of fighters on this team that will never give up. Just love playing with these guys.”


McCaffrey was sublime in his Rose Bowl debut, breaking the all-purpose yards record set by Wisconsin’s Jared Abbrederis in 2012. McCaffrey finished second behind Alabama’s Derrick Henry in the Heisman Trophy voting, but the speedy running back turned in one of the most dynamic performances in the Rose Bowl’s lengthy history.

“I think he was the best player in America before this game, so I think it’s just the icing on the cake,” Stanford coach David Shaw said. “I do think it’s a shame that a lot of people didn’t get to see him during the course of the year. Apparently the games were too late.”

The world was wide awake to see McCaffrey in Pasadena — and he scored 11 seconds in. Hogan’s throw to McCaffrey was the second-longest touchdown pass in Rose Bowl history and the longest play given up all season by the stingy Iowa defense.

“I wouldn’t say I was in shock, [but] it was like, ‘Dang, already?’” Stanford left tackle Kyle Murphy said. “I knew they haven’t seen a player of his caliber all year, someone with speed like that. With all the Heisman stuff, he felt really snubbed. He’s not going to say anything about it, but all of us, we know. He’s the best player in the country. It lit a fire under him, although he’s already the hardest-working man and most motivated man.”

McCaffrey finished with 172 rushing yards, 105 receiving yards and 91 yards on kickoff returns, putting an appropriate cap on the season in which he set the NCAA record for all-purpose yards. He also became the first player ever to rack up more than 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in a Rose Bowl — and he even became the single-season rushing leader in Stanford history with 2,109 yards on the ground.

Stanford and Iowa finished in the final two spots outside the College Football Playoff field, but the Cardinal showed they belong among the best with their 12th win in their final 13 games.

With a powerful offensive line and a sturdy defense, they also ruined the first Rose Bowl in 25 years for the Hawkeyes (12-2), who followed up their remarkable 12-0 regular season with two postseason losses.

C.J. Beathard passed for 239 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Hawkeyes, whose thousands of fans proudly filled the venerable stadium with old gold and black. The faithful had painfully little to cheer after Iowa fell behind on the first snap, putting a daylong damper on Kirk Ferentz’s first Rose Bowl after 17 years as a head coach.

“Just like this game won’t define this team, one play doesn’t define a game,” Ferentz said. “We had ample opportunity after that to play, but they played a tremendous game in all phases.”

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Damn shame. Would have loved to see TCU full strength versus Oregon

ALAMO BOWL MELTDOWN: BOYKIN ARRESTED IN BAR MELEE

TCU quarterback and Dallas native Trevone Boykin was charged with a felony in San Antonio early Thursday morning after a bar fight spiraled out of control.


Like many brawls of its kind, it started with “some jaw jackin' at the bar about the game” between patrons and members of the team at just before 2 a.m., according to San Antonio Police chief William McManus. The fight turned physical and spilled outside Pat O’Brien’s. When nearby bicycle cops saw the fight, they intervened. Police say Boykin left the scene and then returned, and at some point he got into it with police. A police spokesman says the quarterback punched one in the face and "was finally subdued after being threatened with a Taser," McManus said.  

TCU is playing Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday. “Trevone Boykin and [wide receiver] Preston Miller have been suspended for Saturday’s game due to a violation of team rules,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said in a statement. “We are disappointed in their actions and apologize to the TCU Horned Frogs Nation.”

Boykins is believed to have NFL written all over him. The only debate has been whether scouts see him as a quarterback or a slot receiver. Now it seems like he has the temper, lack of judgment and ability to generate bad press that is required of professional football players. The Big Time awaits.

But first, there’s this criminal charge to deal with. The former West Mesquite High Schooler is charged with assault on a public servant, a third-degree felony. Bond has been set at $5,000.

[polychronopolous]

Probably the best comeback I've ever seen live and definitely the best bowl game this year. Swore this game was over at halftime and TCU comes back to win in Triple OT. Unbelievable.

No. 11 TCU Roars Back to Beat No. 15 Oregon 47-41 in 3OT; Ties Biggest Comeback in Bowl History

Thrust into the starting role in place of the suspended star quarterback, TCU's Bram Kohlhausen made the absolute most of his final chance with the Horned Frogs — in historic fashion.

Not just for his team, but for the family that could join him at the Alamo Bowl and those who couldn't.

Starting in place of Trevone Boykin, who was suspended after a bar fight two days earlier, Kohlhausen led the No. 11 Horned Frogs back from 31 points down for a 47-41, triple-overtime victory over No. 15 Oregon on Saturday night in the Alamo Bowl.

Kohlhausen passed for 351 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, running in for the winner in the third overtime. The comeback tied the record for the largest deficit overcome to win a bowl game, matching Texas Tech's win over Minnesota in the 2006 Insight Bowl, and set a TCU school record.

After it was over, Kohlhausen talked stadium security into letting his mother join the celebration on the field. The person not there was his father, Bill, who died Nov. 7 of cancer.

"I just gave her a hug and started crying with her. I'd love for him to be here and watch this happen but I know he's watching upstairs," Kohlhausen said.

"This will be one I'll tell my grandkids. This is a night I never thought would happen. I dedicate it to Trey. He showed me how to play like I did tonight."

Kohlhausen, who had played spot duty this season, was thrust into the spotlight on Thursday when Boykin was arrested and suspended after a bar fight in San Antonio's famed River Walk district.

Kohlhausen started his career at Houston, left for junior college and walked on at TCU (11-2). He had never started a major college game until his final one and did his best to mimic Boykin, especially in the second half with tough runs and pinpoint passing as TCU stormed back. He twice came back from hard hits that forced him out of the game.

"I told him, I said, 'Can you imagine — your dad passed away, he's watching, can you imagine if you come back? Can you come back, can you win this football game?'" TCU coach Gary Patterson said.

It didn't look possible when Oregon (9-4) was rolling to a 28-0 lead behind standout senior quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., and led 31-0 at halftime.

Adams passed for 197 yards and a touchdown and led the Ducks on four consecutive touchdown drives, eluding sacks and throwing downfield as Oregon rolled early.

But Oregon stopped in its tracks when Adams was hurt on a rare called run for him. Adams knocked heads with TCU linebacker Derrick Kindred, left the game and never returned.

Jeff Lockie drove Oregon to a field goal that made it 31-0 at halftime, but the Ducks stalled there.

TCU scored on all of its possessions in the second half and overtime..

The Horned Frogs started their march back with 17 points in the third quarter, twice scoring touchdowns on fourth down. Kohlhausen threw a touchdown pass to Jaelen Austin, then ran 2 yards for his first score.

"Nobody had any doubt we'd come back from 31 points," Kohlhausen said. "Their quarterback out, get a couple scores, nobody had any doubt."

TCU was gaining confidence with each play while Oregon seemed stuck in neutral. Lockie, who had played in relief of Adams when he was injured earlier this season, couldn't move the offense as the TCU-dominated crowd of nearly 65,000 revved up.

"This whole year, especially on the defensive side, it's been a struggle in the second half to finish games," Oregon defensive end DeForest Buckner said.

Jaden Oberkrom's 22-yard field goal with 19 seconds left tied it, and TCU scored first in the first overtime when Kohlhausen hit Emanauel Porter for a 7-yard touchdown. Oregon answered with Royce Freeman's third touchdown run.

After the teams exchanged field goals in the second overtime, Kohlhausen sneaked around the right end on an option, and seemingly disappeared behind his blockers until he was in the end zone. TCU's 2-point conversion pass attempt failed, but Oregon's final chance to tie and keep the game going ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down near the goal line.

TCU players stormed the field when the game was over.

"Tough to end like this," Oregon coach March Helfrich said. "They made one more play that we did."

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The man's team is down 31 so he decides to change shirts at halftime then his team roars back for the victory. 

Gary Patterson changed shirts in hopes of changing TCU’s luck … and it worked



SAN ANTONIO
At halftime, TCU coach Gary Patterson changed his attire from a black shirt and visor to a purple top and purple visor.

Social media and the telecast analysts noticed. Patterson might hang on to that combination for good luck.

With the 47-41 win in three overtimes, TCU had the largest come-from-behind win in the Patterson era. Overcoming a 31-point deficit surpassed the 18-point comeback in 2005 at BYU.

Oregon’s 31-0 halftime lead was the biggest in Alamo Bowl history, eclipsing UCLA’s 31-6 advantage over Kansas State a year ago.

In the second half, TCU amassed 356 yards of total offense to Oregon’s 18.