Kansas State @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 27, 2007 ) Baylor 13, Kansas State 51

The Baylor Bears haven’t been bowl eligible since 1995, but that can change on Saturday.

Baylor has a chance for that prestigious sixth victory, as it hosts Kansas State at Floyd Casey Stadium.

The Bears are coming off a 31-25 victory at Colorado and are off to their best start since joining the Big 12. In fact, Baylor has already scored 124 points in three conference games — compared to scoring only 104 total points in conference play last year.

And a big reason has been Baylor sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin, who is off to a remarkable start. He’s the Big 12 leader in total offense, has completed 75.2 percent of his passes in conference play and has thrown for 998 yards.

Last week against Colorado, Griffin was 22 of 27 for 234 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 137 yards on 15 carries.

Bears senior running back Jay Finley played well, too, rushing for a career-high 143 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Baylor managed to stop a late charge from Colorado. The Buffaloes had the ball on the 19-yard line with five seconds remaining, but sophomore cornerback Chance Casey batted down a pass in the end zone to seal the Bears’ victory.

Finally, Baylor kicker Aaron Jones had three field goals, including a 50-yarder in the first half.

While Baylor has certainly played well this year, Kansas State has been just as impressive. After all, the Wildcats are coming off a 59-7 blowout victory over rival Kansas last week.

Kansas State has relied on its rushing game all season, averaging 221.7 yards on the ground. The Wildcats rushed for 286 yards and five touchdowns against Kansas.

Kansas State senior running back Daniel Thomas has led the way. He has 782 rushing yards and seven scores already this season. Against Kansas, Thomas had 91 yards and one touchdown.

And Wildcats senior quarterback Carson Coffman had three rushing touchdowns, as well as two passing touchdowns, against the Jayhawks.

Defensively, Kansas State hasn’t been as good, allowing nearly 400 yards a game. But Bill Snyder’s team has held opponents to an average of 22.3 points per game.

Against KU, sophomore linebacker Jarell Childs had a team-high 15 tackles and junior defensive back David Garrett had two sacks.

The Wildcats have traditionally fared well against the Bears, holding a 6-1 series edge. And Kansas State has outscored Baylor 278-78 in the series history. But Baylor’s lone win came at home, 17-3, in 2006.