SportsFriday | September 20, 2013 B1 Bears prepared for rematch with ULM By Shehan Jeyarajah passes of 50 yards or more, led by Last week, junior defensive end Sports Writer an 83-yard sprint by junior wide Joey Gautney was named College receiver Antwan Goodley. Senior Sports Madness Sun Belt Defen- receiver Tevin Reese leads the team sive Player of the Week after post- No. 20 Baylor football hosts its with nine receptions, 227 total ing two sacks and a forced fumble. final non-conference game of the yards and two touchdowns. In its one true test, however, Okla- year against a familiar opponent Baylor’s defense has been sur- homa put up 34 points behind 305 in the University of Louisiana at prisingly dominant this season. rushing yards and three touch- Monroe at 3 p.m. at Floyd Casey The Bears are second in the coun- downs from Travis Knight. Stadium Saturday. The Bears look try in total defense and have held Baylor played ULM last sea- to post a more impressive showing teams to only 8.0 points per game. son in Monroe in their third game against ULM after squeaking out The Bears defense has not allowed of the season. The Bears won the a 47-42 shootout win last season. a single point after halftime this game 47-42, but the score was Even in the hostile setting of Mon- season. The defense has forced much closer than Baylor would roe, the Baylor win was a little too two or more turnovers in eight of have liked. Nick Florence had to close for comfort. its last nine games, including last lead Baylor to a come from be- Baylor comes into the game week at Buffalo. Under defensive hind victory in the fourth quar- against ULM on a hot streak. The coordinator Phil Bennett, Baylor ter, as Baylor trailed 35-34 early Bears have not lost a game since is 17-2 when forcing two or more in the fourth quarter. Baylor al- Nov. 10, 2012, against Oklahoma. turnovers. lowed 262 total rushing yards last Since that game, the Bears have ULM comes into this game season against ULM. Browning won six straight games. coming off the programs first ever had 321 all-purpose yards for the In the first two games this sea- win against an ACC team after Warhawks and three touchdowns. son, Baylor has been dominant of- defeating Wake Forest last week- ULM posted four rushing touch- fensively. The Bears have combined end. The win was their second win downs total. to beat opponents 139-16 through of the season, after a win against This year, Baylor’s defensive line two games. The Bears rank at the Grambling State the week before. is a completely different animal top of college football in points per In the season opener, ULM lost to than the one that struggled might- game, total offense per game, third then No. 16 Oklahoma. ily against ULM last season. In the in passing yards per game and Senior quarterback Kolton last three games, Baylor has posted eighth in rushing yards per game. Browning leads the ULM offense. 14 total sacks. Baylor also leads the Junior quarterback Bryce Petty Browning has thrown for 614 nation in tackles for loss with 13.0 has led Baylor’s offense so far this yards and six touchdowns through a game, led by sophomore defen- season. Petty has thrown for 650 three games, including two straight sive end Shawn Oakman and his yards and four touchdowns in two games with three touchdowns. In 5.5 tackles for loss. Baylor has held games, despite never playing more the win against Wake Forest last opponents to 128.0 yards rush- than a drive in a third quarter. week, Browning threw the ball 68 ing per game despite playing two RAVIS AYLOR ARIAT HOTO DITOR Heisman hopeful junior running T T | L P E times. He currently ranks third in teams that run the ball constantly. back Lache Seastrunk has rushed all of college football in pass at- ULM caused problems for Bay- for 261 yards on 28 carries with five Junior running back Lache Seastrunk carries the ball against Buffalo en route to a 70-13 Baylor victory. Seastrunk tempts with 132. Browning is not lor last season, but both teams are touchdowns. His 9.4 yards per rush carried the ball 17 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns. efficient. ULM is 79th in the coun- in a completely different place this attempt ranks him top five among try in passing yards with only 215.7 year. Baylor’s defense is much im- running backs in the country. finding an answer for Baylor’s of- ring a meltdown, Baylor’s offense Bears will have another bye week yards a game. proved from last season, and will The Bears’ wide receiving corps fense. Bryce Petty and the offense will find a way to produce points before opening Big 12 Conference ULM’s defense has held the last look to make a statement by con- has impressed early. Four separate are looking to use tempo to over- against the Warhawks. play against West Virginia on Oct. two opponents to under 30 points taining Browning and the ULM of- receivers have caught touchdown power the ULM defense. Bar- After the ULM contest, the 5 at Floyd Casey Stadium. combined. fense. ULM likely will have trouble BIG 12 FOOTBALL WEEKEND PREVIEW By Shehan Jeyarajah rently top ten in the nation with eighth in rushing yards with 305 the nation in total defense and No. have a lofty challenge on Saturday 25. The defense has held teams to Sports Writer 554.7 yards per game. Quarterback per game, first in points per game 2 in the nation in scoring defense. against statistically the best offense an average of 15.3 points per game. C.J Brown is currently 11th in the with 69.5 and second in points After being embarrassed by in college football. Texas State’s defense has been Kansas (1-1) vs. country in total offense with 363.3 against with 8.0 al- Oklahoma in week one, After a shootout against ULM dominant this year, holding teams Louisiana Tech (1-2) yards per game. The Terrapin de- l o w e d the Warhawks last season in Monroe, Baylor to 313.5 total yards per game and fense has held opponents to an h a v e should be looking to make a state- 9.0 points per game, but they have So far this season, the Kan- average of 13.7 points per game. ment that they belong among col- not faced anything close to Tech’s sas Jayhawks have been decidedly It will be interesting to lege football’s elite programs. offense. Their first two games were poor. After taking care of business see whether West Vir- The Bears can take anoth- against Southern Mississippi and against a bad South Dakota team, ginia’s defense is er step in that direction Prairie View A&M. Kansas was soundly defeated by real and wheth- by beating ULM. The Red Raiders are a whole Rice a week later. While Rice is er it can hold different animal than those two not a bad team, it is not the type of up against No. 25 Texas teams. State’s offense has also team that should be beating Big 12 a high- Tech (3-0) vs. ranked 112th in the nation in total opponents. Kansas has struggled pow- Texas State offense. mightily throwing the ball with (2-0) Tech is oozing with confidence 140.0 passing yards a game. after their win against TCU, and Louisiana Tech has not been should take care of business easily much better this season. Only a against Texas State. year ago, Louisiana Tech led all of Division I college football with Texas (1-2) vs. 577.9 yards per game. This season, Kansas State (2-1) Tech ranks 94th with under 350 offensive yards a game. After The only conference game of finishing third in passing yards the weekend pits a sliding Texas last year, they are 101st in the Longhorns squad against a Kansas country with under 170 yards State team looking for redemption. a game. While a loss to North Kansas State lost week one to an Carolina State was expected, a FCS team, and hasn’t really lived loss to Tulane shows that this that down. football team is a shell of what They have beaten Louisiana- it was last season. Lafayette and Massachusetts since A year ago, Louisiana Tech then, but the stigma of the loss to a would have blown Kansas out FCS opponent is still there. After a of the water. With both teams wildly successful 2012 season, Bill Snyder may have run out of talent looking like one of the worst MATT HELLMAN| LARIAT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR in their respected conferences, to be competitive in Manhattan. Kansas has an opportunity to get The Longhorns are currently a win. third to last in rushing yards al- lowed at 308.7 yards per game, and West Virginia (2-1) at that is a stat that will follow them Maryland (3-0) until they how to stop the run de- fensively. After struggling against Wil- Af- Offensively, the Horns haven’t liam & Mary in week one, West ter the been a whole lot better. Virginia kept things close against ered departure Against Ole Miss, Texas led then No. 16 Oklahoma, before of- of Tommy early in the game before their of- blowing out Georgia State last fense like Tuberville fense completely shut down in the week.