Oklahoma football: Stats you don’t want to hear before the Baylor game

The Oklahoma football success against the Baylor Bears has been as one-sided as against any other Sooner opponent.

The Sooners have won 23 of the 26 games all-time between the two teams and, at one time, had beaten Baylor 20 consecutive times without having ever lost to the Bears.

Oklahoma has prevailed in four of the last seven games against Baylor, but the three losses during that time represent the only Bear victories over the Sooners in the 26 games in the all-time series. Half of the games played between these two teams have been contested in Waco, where the Sooners are 11-2. The catch is that the two losses have occurred in two of the last three OU visits to Baylor.

Two years ago, in 2015, Baylor led the nation in scoring (48.1 points per game) and total yards of offense (616.2). But this is not the same Baylor team. The 2017 edition of Baylor football is scoring 23 points less a game and producing 240 fewer yards of offense. That adds up to three consecutive losses to begin the 2017 season, and against teams that are not as good as any team in the Big 12, with the exception of Kansas.

The winner in the last seven games between the Sooners and Bears has scored 40 or more points. The Sooners are easily over that average (47.7) three games into the 2017 season. Baylor, meanwhile has uncharacteristically struggled to put up points.

Oklahoma has won 13 consecutive games and 16 in a row against Big 12 opponents. Most anyone who closely follows college football knows how good the Sooners are at home (103-9 since 1999), but the past couple of years, Oklahoma has been virtually unbeatable on the road, as well. OU has won a nation-best 12 consecutive true road games, a victory at Baylor being number five in that string.

While Oklahoma has won its last 12 games away from home and not on a neutral field, Baylor has lost its last four games at home.

If you have been keeping score up to this point, you would be hard-pressed to see any way the Sooners could not come away a winner — and by plenty — in their game Saturday at Baylor.

That is the good news. But we also know that the ball bounces in strange and sometimes unpredictable ways in college football and that upsets do occur.

So what is it that Oklahoma fans should be concerned about as their beloved Sooners prepare to take on Baylor in the Big 12 opener for both teams?

Here are four telling stats that the OU coaches and players should not overlook in their game planning for Baylor:

• Baylor junior running back Terence Williams rushed for over 1,048 yards last season. That is third best among Big 12 returning RBs this season. Williams was injured early in OU’s 45-24 victory last season. He has missed all three Baylor games this season with an injury, but is expected to return to action this weekend. The Sooners gave up 237 yards rushing last week against Tulane. They are going to have to tighten that up if they want to hold down Williams.
• Baylor leads the Big 12 and ranks No. 2 nationally in tackles for loss this season (28.0) and rank 19th in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) in sacks (9.0).
• Over the last six quarters, the Baylor defense has held its opponent to a 16.7 success rate in third-down conversions. The Sooners have converted 48 percent of their third-down conversions (12 for 25) in the first three games.
• Nine of Baylor’s 10 touchdowns this season have been scored in under 10 minutes. So the Bears’ offense still possesses quick-strike capability.