College Football Game Of The Week: No. 13 Baylor vs. No. 8 Oklahoma
The No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners will travel to McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas to take on the No. 13 Baylor Bears.
The game is on Saturday, November 13, with kickoff slated for 12:00 p.m. ET. This is one of the bigger matchups in the Big 12 this season.
Oklahoma heads into Waco as one of the best teams in college football. The Sooners are 9-0 overall, making them one of the only remaining undefeated teams in the power five conferences.
The signature win for Boomer Sooner this season was against Texas, when quarterback Spencer Rattler was benched in favor of current starter Caleb Williams. With the Sooners trailing the Longhorns, Williams led his team to a come from behind victory.
Williams has thrived since taking over the starting quarterback job. He has thrown for 1,189 yards, 14 touchdowns and just one interception with a 203.7 quarterback rating in just four games as the starter. Williams, a true freshman, looks very comfortable in the Sooner offense which is impressive given his situation.
Williams commands a dominant Oklahoma passing game, but its run game is good as well. Kennedy Brooks is the primary running back for the Sooners, and has rushed for over 800 yards so far this season. Oklahoma also has a very solid receiving unit as well, giving Williams multiple options to throw to.
Defensively, safety Pat Fields leads the team in tackles with 56. The Oklahoma defense has had five interceptions this season. It will be key to stopping a Baylor offense that knows how to score points.
Speaking of defense, Baylor limits opponents to roughly 20 per game on average. Its defense has had nine interceptions this season. The Bears have a 7-2 overall record, with road losses against Oklahoma State and more recently against TCU, which happened last week.
Baylor’s offense is more balanced. Its running game is more equivalent to its passing game compared to Oklahoma’s, as both units have just over 2,000 yards this season.
Abram Smith is Baylor’s primary running back with over 1,000 yards this season. Quarterback Gerry Bohanon has thrown for 1,967 yards this season, with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. This is a dynamic offense that is capable of putting up points and doing damage.
Unfortunately for Baylor, this will not be easy. Oklahoma leads the all time series by a large margin and has won the last seven matchups. With the Sooners looking as good as anyone else, expect them to win again on Saturday.
Prediction: Oklahoma 49, Baylor 35
Nolan Wick is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email nhw5046@psu.edu.
