Baylor vs. Kansas State: Game Grades, Analysis for Bears and Wildcats

The Baylor Bears survived a scarier trip to Manhattan, Kansas, than they imagined, surviving a late rally by the Kansas State Wildcats by a score of 31-24. 

The Bears, who are among the first two teams out of the College Football Playoff in the season's first poll, were led by receiver Corey Coleman, who helped ease the transition for new starter Jarrett Stidham. 

With that, let's check out the game grades for both teams' positional units. 

Kansas State Wildcats

Rush Offense: A-

Joe Hubener set a career high with 153 yards on 29 carries, while the Wildcats as a whole racked up 258 yards on 48 touches. The Wildcats front line got great push against a highly touted Baylor defensive line, all but solidifying K-State fans' belief that the Wildcats should have relied on the run game more often earlier this season. 

Pass Offense: C

The Wildcats didn't go to the air often, with Hubener finishing 12-of-21 for 151 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Kody Cook added the game-sealing interception on one of his two pass attempts. The Wildcats simply don't have the quality downfield threat they had last year with Tyler Lockett nor the quality arm like they did in both Collin Klein and Jake Waters. 

Rush Defense: B

The Bears had 103 yards total on the ground, with Shock Linwood racking up 72 on 13 carries. K-State's defensive front bent but didn't break throughout the game, at least forcing a freshman starter to have a stellar night. 

Pass Defense: F

The K-State secondary was toasted for 419 yards on the night, as the soft coverage the Wildcats played with a depleted secondary proved too vulnerable. The Wildcats' ability to defend the pass has been a liability all season, and it showed against America's most prolific offense on Thursday night. 

Special Teams: A

No mistakes here. The Wildcats converted all their kicks and didn't allow any big returns. 

Coaching: B

Beating Baylor is a tough task, but Bill Snyder showed on Thursday night why he's still got the capability to be one of the best head coaches in the country. He utilized time of possession and good old-fashioned hardball to grind away at Baylor, nearly doing so enough to tie the game late. Snyder has been highly maligned this season for his team's play-calling, although that issue appeared to be solved. 

Baylor Bears

Rush Offense: C-

Shock Linwood was limited to 72 yards, while the Bears as a whole gained just 103 yards on the ground. Baylor isn't known as a stellar running team—it loves to air it out—but K-State's front line still required that a freshman signal-caller rise to the occasion.

Pass Offense: A+

It was the coming-out party for freshman starter Jarrett Stidham, filling in for the injured Seth Russell. The gunslinger finished 23-of-33 passing for 419 yards and three scores with no interceptions. His favorite target—and everybody else's, essentially—was Corey Coleman, who hauled in 11 balls for 216 yards and two touchdowns. 

Rush Defense: D-

There wasn't anything gimmicky about K-State's rushing attack—it was mostly just quarterback runs with Hubener. Regardless, the Baylor defensive front gave up 258 yards on the ground to the Wildcats, who constantly wore down the likes of Shawn Oakman and Co. 

Pass Defense: B

The Bears faltered at times in their secondary but ultimately weren't tested much. Hubener dropped back to pass just 21 times and completed 12 attempts. Meanwhile, Baylor had two crucial interceptions, including the game-clincher in the final minute to squash K-State's rebellion in the fourth quarter. 

Special Teams: B-

A missed field goal by Chris Callahan in the game's waning moments nearly allowed K-State a chance to tie the game. He was bailed out by his defense, but that special teams blunder was nearly catastrophic. Other than that missed kick, however, the Bears had no cracks. 

Coaching: B

Beating Bill Snyder on the road isn't easy. But head coach Art Briles, who had a chip on his shoulder with the Bears currently out of the playoff picture, did just that despite K-State playing its best game since the TCU outing.