Baylor @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 7, 2013 ) Texas 10, Baylor 30

Baylor will showcase the nation's top-ranked offense when the No. 6 Bears hit the road Saturday to face rival Texas in a Big 12 clash. Led by Heisman Trophy contender Bryce Petty, Baylor comes in averaging a national-best 56.8 points, including at least 45 in every game. Petty has thrown for seven touchdowns and run for three more, while Shock Linwood has accounted for seven of the team's 18 rushing scores.

“It will be a huge task for us to slow (Baylor’s offense) down because they’re averaging over 600 yards and more than 50 points per game," said Texas coach Charlie Strong, whose team is coming off its first road shutout in nearly a decade. The Longhorns blanked Kansas 23-0 last Saturday but still are trying to find their footing offensively in Strong's first season at the helm. "They’re well coached and are fundamentally sound and play at a high level," said Bears coach Art Briles. "They play with a lot of confidence. That’s what we’ve always seen from Texas, and Coach Strong and his staff have done a great job of keeping that tradition alive and maybe even expanding on it.”

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Baylor -16.5

ABOUT BAYLOR (4-0, 1-0 Big 12): The Bears have allowed increasingly more points in each of their four games (0, 6, 21 and 28, respectively), but they still rank eighth nationally in points allowed per contest. Baylor, which has surrendered a total of 10 first-half points all season, is led defensively by Shawn Oakman (four sacks) and Xavien Howard (two interceptions). Of course, the defense remains in the shadow of the Bears' offense, which leads the country with 641 yards per game and has racked up at least 500 yards in six straight outings - the longest active streak in the nation.

ABOUT TEXAS (2-2, 1-0): While the Longhorns are coming off a suffocating victory against the lowly Jayhawks, their offense remains a work in progress since quarterback David Ash suffered a career-ending concussion. Tyrone Swoopes passed for two touchdowns and ran for another against Kansas, but Texas managed only 3.1 yards per carry in that contest and enters the weekend ranked 105th in the nation with 120.5 rushing yards per game. Jaxon Shipley and John Harris have combined for 51 catches - 20 more than the rest of the team combined - and Harris has four of the team's six receiving TDs.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Bears have won three of the last four meetings after losing their previous 12 matchups with Texas.

2. Longhorns LB Steve Edmond said after spring practice: "I really don't like Baylor. I still feel they're trash. Y'all think it's funny, but I'm dead serious. They've had some good players. But I don't understand how we lost to Baylor."

3. Baylor (18) and Texas (16) are first and second in the Big 12 in sacks.

PREDICTION: Baylor 55, Texas 23