MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Nobody can dispute the fact that No. 11 Baylor is exceedingly tough to beat at home, not the least of which is Oklahoma, which just had its national championship hopes dashed with a loss in Waco last weekend.
The Bears on the road? That’s another story.
Their losses to ninth-ranked Oklahoma State and TCU came away from home. Their season-opener was a 29-20 victory at lower-level Texas Southern that came down to the fourth quarter. And they were hardly dynamic in a 45-7 win at Kansas, a school that just about everyone in the Big 12 besides Texas has handled rather easily.
Now, the Bears (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) head to Kansas State (7-3, 4-3) for what promises to be another big test.
“I think we just have to bring the energy in road games,” Baylor safety Jalen Pitre said. “We don’t have as many people when we’re away, and we don’t have the stands. We don’t have as many guys traveling. The guys that are playing, whether that is offense or defense, have to bring the energy on the sidelines and in turn translate that energy onto the field.”
There is certainly a lot riding on the Bears figuring out their road woes. They are one game behind the Sooners and Cowboys in the Big 12 standings with the tiebreaker over Oklahoma, so their championship hopes are very much alive.
“They’re very good. I think they have players across the board,” Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson said. “We’re excited because it’s a great opportunity. It’s a really good football team, and we believe that we’re a really good team.”
The Wildcats are definitely playing like it lately.
After beginning Big 12 play with a three-game swoon, they have ripped off four consecutive wins with the last three — over Kansas, TCU and West Virginia — in lopsided fashion. Their defense is allowing 13 points a game over that stretch while their offense, led by Thompson and do-everything back Deuce Vaughn, has topped 31 points in each game.
“I marvel at what we’ve done the last four weeks,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “If you’re not ready to play, you’re going to get beat, and our kids have come the last four weeks with an unbelievable mindset and great preparation and confidence to say, ‘We’re going to play our friggin’ best today.’ Have we played our best? I don’t know. We’re getting there though, and it’s fun to watch because when you’re playing with confidence, you’re tough to beat.”
HITTING THE ROAD
Despite the Bears’ road woes this season, they have had plenty of success in Manhattan. They’ve won three of the past four games at Bill Snyder Family Stadium after losing in their first four trips there.
