Baylor Football: Winners and Losers from Bears' Win vs. Iowa State

Baylor’s performance against Iowa State showed that they are still a team equipped to challenge the Big 12 elite. A team that usually controls games through the air switched gears against the Cyclones and ran for 391 yards. Robert Griffin III, as per usual, was fantastic, but had quite a bit of help.

The Bears did many good things this weekend, but the game did expose a few glaring weaknesses that Baylor must fix before they can hope to compete for a Big 12 championship.

Here is the good and the bad from Baylor’s game against Iowa State.

The Good: Terrance Ganaway

Terrance Ganaway had his best game of the season by far, as he set a career rushing record with 200 yards. He rushed 23 times, well above his season average of 16 carries a game. Aside from Baylor’s season opening game against TCU (120 yards on 24 carries), Ganaway had not rushed for more than 100 yards in a game all season.

Ganaway’s performance allowed Baylor to control the clock against Iowa State. His three touchdowns kept the Bears in the game and allowed them to pull ahead after trailing 7-0 early.

Having a rushing threat also keeps the pressure off Robert Griffin III and will open up the passing game in the future. Ganaway has already eclipsed his rushing attempts and total yards from last season and should see more touches and more success in future games. 

The Bad: Costly Mistakes

Baylor’s second drive of the game covered 71 yards on 11 plays. However, it ended with a fumble instead of a touchdown. The Bears were inside the red zone and seemed poised to score before Ganaway fumbled and Iowa State recovered on their own 11-yard line.

Baylor’s next drive, their last of the first quarter, also ended in a fumble. Iowa State led 7-0 despite only gaining 11 total yards after their opening drive touchdown.

Baylor corrected their mistakes after the first quarter, scoring on their next three drives. Against a team like Texas or Oklahoma, however, fumbles on consecutive drives will not be as easy to overcome.

The Good: Robert Griffin III’s Rushing

Griffin has deservedly been known more for his passing statistics than rushing so far this season. Against Iowa State, he proved that he is certainly capable of controlling a game on the ground as well as in the air, rushing for 107 yards.

His 24 rushing attempts were a season high, doubling his previous high of 12. The fact that his 73 percent completion rate was a season low shows just how unbelievable Griffin’s arm has been. However, it is arguably more impressive that when he is not piling up the yardage he is accustomed to, Griffin does not panic, but instead finds another way to score points and lead his team.

Griffin will undoubtedly continue to put up ridiculous passing numbers, especially if his carries per game continue to increase and defenses must always be aware of his rushing ability. 

The Bad: Offensive Line Protection

Not all was bad at the offensive line. There were more than enough holes for Baylor to amass almost 400 rushing yards.

On the other hand, Griffin was sacked three times and hurried all afternoon. Iowa State averages less than two sacks per game and is not known for their ability to get to opposing quarterbacks. Clearly, the offensive line has some work to do.

For a team that depends on such an important offensive playmaker, putting that quarterback and star player under so much pressure is unwise. Griffin should not be getting hit unnecessarily. If Baylor wants his body to hold up for the entire season, the offensive line needs to keep opposing defenses from getting to their quarterback.

The Good: Total Yards

Anytime a team compiles over 600 yards of offense, they have been very successful. What is more interesting in this particular game is that Baylor managed to achieve this feat (603 total yards of offense) while only throwing for 212 yards.

The combination of Griffin’s huge rushing numbers and Ganaway’s breakout game more than overcame Griffin’s slightly sub par (for him, only) passing statistics.

Baylor did not let Iowa State get close, maintaining possession for 36 minutes and grinding out yardage drive after drive.

The Bad: Rushing Defense

The Bears allowed James White to rush for 148 yards at almost 10 yards per carry. Iowa State is not a great rushing team, and the Baylor defense allowed too many long runs.

Allowing an opposing team to control a game by running the football means that the defense is on the field longer, becomes more tired and is more likely to give up big plays.

Every single Big 12 opponent Baylor faces this season is a better rushing team than the Cyclones. If they want to challenge Oklahoma at the top of the conference, the defense must improve at stopping the run. 

The Good: Short-Term Memory

After beginning the Big 12 season with a disappointing loss to Kansas State last week, it would have been easy for Baylor to get down on themselves, staying focused on one game instead of the entire season.

Instead, the team was able to put the one-point loss behind them and played a strong game to finish off the Cyclones. It is important in a league like the Big 12 to be able to forget losses and move on. While mistakes kept the Baylor offense from scoring in the first quarter, the team was still gaining yards. In the second quarter, those yards were converted into 21 points. The Bears did not look back after that.