Texas A&M @ Baylor preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 21, 2009 ) Baylor 3, Texas A&M 38

Two high-powered offenses will be on display Saturday night when No. 25 Texas A&M and Baylor meet in a key Big 12 showdown at Waco, Texas.

The winner stays in the hunt for the South Division title, and a spot in the Big 12 Championship game.

Texas A&M (6-3, 3-2 Big 12) has won three straight, including last week’s impressive 33-19 victory over then-No. 8 Oklahoma at College Station. The Aggies have jumped into the Top 25 for the first time since 2007. Their surge has been led by former wide receiver Ryan Tannehill, who was inserted into the starting quarterback position three games ago.

Tannehill has jump-started the A&M offense, which has averaged 41 points per game since he took over. Tannehill, the Big 12’s top-rated passer in league games, has thrown for 674 yards and six touchdowns in his last two starts. Since he took over the reigns from Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Jerrod Johnson, Tannehill has completed almost 70 percent of his passes (70 of 102) for 854 yards and nine TDs.

Baylor (7-3, 4-2 Big 12) had its own three-game winning streak snapped at South Division-leading Oklahoma State last week. The Bears, who spent two weeks in the Top 25 for the first time in 15 years, have a dynamic offense led by sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin III and senior running back Jay Finley.

Griffin is one of only eight active Division I FBS quarterbacks (and the only sophomore) to pass for more than 5,000 yards and gain more than 1,000 yards rushing in his career. The explosive Griffin has already passed for 2,859 yards and 20 touchdowns, and rushed for 416 yards and seven scores this season. Finley has rushed for 904 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry.

Texas A&M will be looking for its first four-game Big 12 winning streak since 2006, while Baylor, bowl eligible for the first time since 1995, seeks its first eight-win season since 1991.

The Aggies won last year’s meeting, 38-3 in College Station, but the Bears have won two of the last three contests in Waco, the most recent a 41-21 victory in 2008.