No. 6 Bears maul No. 10 OU, 41-12, in statement win at sold-out Floyd Casey
When you earn arguably the biggest win in program history, there’s going to be plenty to talk about.
After the No. 6-ranked Bears blew out No. 10 Oklahoma 41-12 Thursday night, it’s hard to know which accomplishment deserves top billing: Baylor improving to 8-0 for the first time in program history? The Bears’ current 12-game winning streak (second longest in the nation)? The win over a top-10 opponent? Maybe Baylor’s 5-0 conference record and spot atop the Big 12 standings?
[PHOTOS: Baylor Photography || BaylorBears.com || USA Today || ESPN]
Was it Heisman candidate Bryce Petty‘s five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) that led the way? Third-string running back Shock Linwood’s 182 yards rushing on a night the Bears’ starting backs were hampered by injuries? Or a Baylor defense that held OU to season lows for yards (237) and points (12)?
[VIDEOS: BaylorBears.com highlights || Behind the scenes || FS1 highlights || FS1 Announcer recap || FS1 Briles interview || ESPN highlights || ESPN Briles interview || FS1: Bryce Petty, Heisman hopeful? || Petty on The Dan Patrick Show]
And how about that crowd? A sellout crowd of more than 50,000 fans — including 10,000+ students — packed Floyd Casey for the stadium’s next-to-last game, and the #EveryoneInBlack push worked to perfection, giving the Bears an amazing boost that Coach Art Briles was quick to applaud postgame.
[FEATURE STORIES: ESPN on Briles || The New York Times on Briles || Sports Illustrated on Briles’ offense || ESPN on Petty || Fox Sports SW on Seastrunk]
Perhaps the most telling thing from the night’s game was that the fans didn’t rush the field after the win. Victories like this are becoming a norm at Baylor, a fact longtime fans might find hard to imagine — but one those same fans appreciate all the more.
What’s left for the Bears? Four more tough games: No. 25 Texas Tech at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Nov. 16, then at No. 14 Oklahoma State (Nov. 23), at TCU (Nov. 30) and home for the soldout Floyd Casey finale vs. Texas. Tickets are available to all but the finale; click the links for details.
Sic ’em, Baylor football!