Even with explosive run game, Baylor falls short against Oklahoma

The increasingly stronger Baylor running game wasn’t enough to hold off Landry Jones and No. 12 BCS-ranked Oklahoma tonight in the Bears’ 42-34 loss to the Sooners.

“Not a happy situation, of course, for our football team, or for Baylor,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said. “Oklahoma’s got a really good football team. They do a great job. Their coaching staff does a great job schematically, both sides of the ball…I thought our guys played valiantly. I thought that they played with a lot of effort, heart and confidence.”

Baylor, entering the game with the nation’s top overall offense, ran for 252 yards against Oklahoma, with running back Lache Seastrunk recording 91 yards and three touchdowns for the Bears. The team became only the fourth team to record over 200 rushing yards against the Sooners.

In an unusual turn of events, Baylor’s prime receiver, Terrance Williams, was held to only six catches for 91 yards – 76 yards below his average. To accompany him, Florence had a season low in passing yards with only 172 and no interceptions.

Baylor had a chance to catch back up with Oklahoma after Seastrunk scored a four-yard touchdown 32 seconds before halftime. However, the Sooners offense was alert and ready to take advantage of any opportunities to score.

Oklahoma’s Brennan Clay returned the punt 39 yards, giving the Sooners the ball in Baylor territory. After just two plays, Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones connected with receiver Justin Brown on a 35-yard pass to put Oklahoma up 28-17 at the half.

“You cannot afford to give them anything or let them take advantage of a situation,” Briles said. “They took advantage of the situation when they started the drive on our 45-yard line before the half.”

Never holding the lead, the Bears had a chance to tie the game midway through the third quarter when Seastrunk picked up a two-yard touchdown bringing the score to a 28-26 Oklahoma lead. However, the Sooners were successful at stopping the two-point conversion, holding Baylor to a two-point disadvantage.

“We were a lot closer that we were,” Baylor safety Mike Hicks said. “It’s really a team thing, a ‘we’ thing. We beat ourselves and made little mistakes; we have to fix them.” -- Savannah Pullin