Horns Could Turn Around Season by Turning the Tables on Baylor

Habe on the Horns – By Steve Habel/Associate Editor

Texas used to own Baylor in football. It wasn’t that long ago when a game against the Bears was almost an automatic win, and crowds in old Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco wore burnt-orange than green and gold.

Even with the current streak that’s seen the Bears win three of the past four games, the Horns have won 49 games more than Baylor in a series that dates back 101 contests.[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]

But the past is for chumps and the present is for champs.

The Bears are the reigning Big 12 Conference titleholders and have begun 2014 with four easy wins, the mark of a team that knows just how good it is and has the capability of beating anyone – and everyone – on their schedule.

Baylor is now a constant presence in the Top 25, no longer the little team that just thinks it can. During the past four seasons, the Bears are 12-3 against teams from Texas, prompting a heading in their press noted for this week’s game that claimed the program was “Owning the Lone Star State.”

While the Bears have been moving on up, Texas has been bounding down, forging a 2-2 record so far in 2014 on the strength of wins against North Texas and Kansas, the latter result received so well in Lawrence that KU up and fired coach Charlie Weis despite the fact that it still has to pay him $5.625 million to buy out his contract.

So when Baylor rolls into Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Saturday, it will be a prohibitive favorite to lay a whupping on the Horns. But the Texas players aren’t buying into the Bears’ hype.

Longhorns’ linebacker Steve Edmond, still upset about last season’s loss to Baylor that cost Texas the Big 12 title, created a firestorm in April when he said he “didn’t understand how we lost to Baylor.”

“I really feel like we should have beat Baylor,” Edmond said after Texas’ spring scrimmage. “I really don’t like Baylor. I still think they’re trash.”

Edmond, who missed the Baylor game because of a lacerated liver, later recanted the comments, saying he was “so frustrated over not being able to play and our loss to them that I let all that anger build up and get the best of me.”

This week, Texas wide receiver John Harris made it clear that he believes that there is still a gap between the Longhorns and Baylor, despite the recent trends.

“They’re still Baylor,” Harris said. “Just because they started playing better in this era, that’s good for them.

“You’ve always got to feel like you have a chance,” Harris added when asked about the Horns’ chances to pull an upset. “If you don’t feel like that, then you’ve already defeated yourself. People have doubted us all year long (after) people doubted us last year. We’re not worried about what anybody else says, we’re just going to go out there and play football.”

The Horns need to be focused with what they’ll see on the field rather than the hype surrounding the game.

“This is a new Baylor,” Texas defensive coordinator Vance Bedford said. “This is a Baylor of the new era of college football across this country – spread offense, let’s get 90 plays a game, athletic quarterback that can throw the football. That’s what it’s all about – it’s about (Baylor coach) Art Briles and what he brings to the table.”

This game will come down to what the Texas offense can bring to the meal, and it better not be fruit cake.

The Longhorns’ defense is talented and fast enough to slow down Baylor’s prolific attack, but will need a lot of help from UT quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and the Horns’ offense to even have a chance to beat the Bears.

If the Horns can find a way to make the plays needed and win this game, it could be a boon to the team’s hopes for the rest of the season. If not, well at least Texas gets to play third-ranked Oklahoma next week in Dallas.

Gulp.

Just sayin’, ya know?

[/s2If]
[s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]
[article-offer]
[/s2If]