This is the sort of Big 12 game that tells you a lot more than the records suggest. Kansas is back home at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 12 p.m., trying to shake off last weekend’s 35-24 loss to Kansas State. Baylor arrives after a 17-6 defeat to TCU, but do not let that result fool you into thinking this is a soft landing. Baylor has been built on defense this season, and that alone makes this a difficult assignment for Kansas.
The most obvious storyline is the one that should worry Kansas. Baylor has not allowed more than 20 points to any opponent this season and leads the Big 12 with 22 sacks. That is not a trivia line; it is the identity of the team. Even after the loss to TCU, Baylor has still been a stubborn, aggressive defensive outfit, one that makes every drive feel like a test of patience. If Kansas wants to get its offense moving, it will have to do it against a unit that has spent the year suffocating teams.
Why Baylor still looks like the sharper side
Baylor’s season has already had plenty of swings. It opened with a loss to Auburn in Atlanta on an unsuccessful two-point conversion with nine seconds remaining. It then beat Arizona State 55-19 on the road on Oct. 3, which is the kind of result that reminds everyone this team can still hit hard when it gets rolling. Last Saturday’s 17-6 loss to TCU was a setback, yes, but it does not erase the bigger defensive picture. This is still a team that has kept opponents below 20 points all season and brought real disruption up front.
That matters because Kansas has not exactly been consistent on either side of the ball in recent weeks. Lance Leipold said Baylor is still a fine football team despite the two losses, and he is right to be cautious. Baylor added Joe Klanderman and transfer talent in the offseason, including DJ Lagway, and that infusion has helped shape a defense that has been difficult to deal with. D.K. McDonald’s warning was also telling: what Kansas studies on film may not be the same group that shows up on Saturday, because Baylor will arrive with a point to prove.
Can Kansas finally force the issue?
The encouraging note for Kansas is that Leipold still believes his team can field an explosive offense and a more improved defense, even if the recent results have been uneven. That is the key question here. Kansas does not need perfection; it needs execution. It needs a cleaner, sharper performance than it produced against Kansas State. And if it is going to pull this one off, it probably has to make Baylor uncomfortable early and avoid letting the game become a defensive grind in which Baylor’s strength dictates everything.
Prediction: Baylor’s defense gives it the edge. Kansas should make this more competitive at home than many expect, but Baylor’s ability to keep games tight and low-scoring is still the difference. In a matchup like this, that is usually enough.
