Texas Tech vs. Baylor: Game Grades, Analysis for Red Raiders and Bears

The Baylor Bears got their first true resume-building win for their playoff hopes on Saturday by throttling the Texas Tech Red Raiders 63-35. 

Shock Linwood had the big day for Baylor, rushing for a career-high 221 yards, including a game-opening 79-yard touchdown run on the Bears' first drive. 

Seth Russell also had four touchdowns and 286 yards through the air. 

As for the Red Raiders, their gaudy offensive numbers mask a variety of miscues that ultimately buried a team that was fresh off nearly upsetting TCU last week. 

With that, let's check out the game grades for each team's positional units.

Baylor Bears

Rush Offense: A+ 

Shock Linwood's career-high 221 yards don't even tell the full story of how well Baylor ran the ball. Seth Russell added 81 yards on the ground, and the Bears combined for five rushing touchdowns. The Bears go fast, but they're as balanced as it gets. That was on full display against the Red Raiders. 

Pass Offense: A 

Russell was 15-of-23 passing for 286 yards and four touchdowns while also being charged with one interception. Jarrett Stidham appeared late and completed his only pass for 26 yards. Russell was efficient, and his deep ball looked pure. 

Rush Defense: A 

DeAndre Washington, very much a quality running back in the Big 12, was limited to just 39 yards on the ground. The Red Raiders as a team had just 106 on 24 carries, with the Baylor frontline unwilling to give an inch all day. 

Pass Defense: B- 

The Baylor secondary bent but for the most part, didn't break. At least, they didn't break enough to put the Bears in any kind of trouble in the game. Yes, they allowed three touchdowns through the air, and Patrick Mahomes had 415 yards passing, but he also threw two picks and was forced to pass under duress through most of the afternoon. 

Special Teams: A 

Chris Callahan was 9-for-9 on PATs with no field goal attempts. Drew Galitz averaged 50.5 yards per punt, and there weren't any breakdowns. 

Coaching: A 

Art Briles went into a neutral site and clearly had the upper hand on Kliff Kingsbury. The Bears defense took the Red Raiders out of their early rhythm, while the offense never slowed down until late in the game. 

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press/Associated Press

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Rush Offense: D 

The Red Raiders were stuffed at the line all game, picking up just 106 yards on the ground. That inability to pick up real estate upfront forced Mahomes into passing virtually every play, making Texas Tech predictable. 

Pass Offense: B 

While he did have two picks, Mahomes still overall had a good game with 415 yards and three touchdowns on 32-of-50 passing. Davis Webb also looked good on his only drive, finishing 8-for-15 with 115 yards and a touchdown. Texas Tech didn't get any ground support, so Mahomes did the best he could and kept the Red Raiders on life support until about midway through the third quarter. 

Rush Defense: F 

The Bears picked on the Texas Tech defensive front all day, ending up with 367 rushing yards and five touchdowns as a team. The Red Raiders defense is clearly a cause for major concern, as they've given up over 50 points in two straight weeks. 

Pass Defense: D- 

Texas Tech couldn't defend the run or the pass. They had one interception but allowed 312 yards and four scores through the air. They also allowed Russell to complete 65 percent of his passes. The secondary was torched, and they didn't get any help from the linebackers or linemen. 

Special Teams: A 

Clayton Hatfield made all five of his extra points, Taylor Symmank averaged 44.3 yards on three punts and Jakeem Grant averaged 20 yards on his punt returns. No gripes. 

Coaching: D 

Kliff Kingsbury got his behind handed to him, plain and simple. Briles completely outworked the darling coach of college football, despite his team being flagged for 17 penalties. Texas Tech's offense is solid, but its defense is an embarrassment.