Baylor faces first Power Five test

During each of the next several seasons, Baylor will face a potentially formidable nonconference opponent, either a team from a Power Five conference or the equivalent.

But this season, the Bears are the only Big 12 team not to play a Power Five opponent, having received an exemption from a league requirement. The exemption, according to a school spokesman, is because Baylor was under contract with Stephen F. Austin, UTSA and Rice. The Bears won those games by margins of 39, 49 and eight points.

Coach Matt Rhule might get a different view of his team when it opens Big 12 competition at home against Iowa State on Saturday.

“I have to just evaluate them on what we’ve done,” Rhule said. “The good, the bad, the ugly. There have been some good things. Unfortunately on Saturday (against Rice) there were a couple bad things. But we haven’t been tested from a Power Five team yet, so we’ll find that out this Saturday.”

Baylor played Duke in 2017 and 2018. Next year, the Bears will meet Ole Miss in Houston. In subsequent seasons, they'll face BYU, Utah, Auburn and Oregon twice apiece.

Campbell sees progress: Iowa State produced a school-record 714 yards during a 72-20 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. Coach Matt Campbell said the Cyclones have improved since they needed three overtimes to beat Northern Iowa 29-26 in the opener and followed that with a 18-17 loss to Iowa.

Iowa State, 8-5 last season, lost top receiver Hakeem Butler and leading rusher David Montgomery to the NFL.

“That was such a young group coming into this season,” Campbell said. “The wide receivers are almost all brand new. The running backs are all brand new. That offense, you almost can see from the first week to the second week to the third week, has really grown. I expect it to continue to grow.”

Sophomore quarterback Brock Purdy set a school record with 510 total yards against Louisiana-Monroe, including 435 passing. He accounted for six touchdowns.

Purdy's backup, redshirt freshman quarterback Re-al Mitchell, ran four times for 65 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown. He completed 1 of 2 passes for a 9-yard score.

Is there more work available for Mitchell this season?

“I do think there is certainly a role for Re-al in our offense,” Campbell said. “It’s a little tricky because he is a guy who offensively can play quarterback. We believe that and have seen that. What else and how else can we use him? That is something we will try to unfold as the season goes on.”

Now, that's better: West Virginia, the Longhorns’ next opponent, gained 64 yards on 56 carries during its first two games, a victory over James Madison and a loss to Missouri, its average of 1.1 per try ranking last in the country. But in their next two games, wins against North Carolina State and Kansas, the Mountaineers gained 365 yards on 76 carries, an average of 4.8.

“We’ve done a better job playing physical on the perimeter,” first-year coach Neal Brown said. “I think our tight ends, our fullbacks have been more of a factor. I think our wide receivers have gotten involved in the run game much better than they had been. The offensive line, we’ve got hats on hats.

"We’re not always blocking them exactly the way we want. But we’re not allowing run-throughs and negative yardage plays like we did the first two weeks. The communication is better up front. And our running backs have been more decisive.”

OU kicker arrested: Calum Sutherland, the starting place-kicker for Oklahoma, was arrested early Saturday on a public intoxication charge. The Sooners were off last week.

“I’m disappointed by it,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “There will be consequences. I’m never one to air out young men’s dirty laundry in front of everybody. It will be handled in an appropriate manner.”

BIG 12 SCHEDULE

Saturday's games

Kansas (2-2, 0-1) at TCU (2-1), 11 a.m., FS1

Texas Tech (2-1) at Oklahoma (3-0), 11 a.m., Fox

Iowa State (2-1) at Baylor (3-0), 2:30 p.m., ESPN

Kansas State (3-0) at Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1), 6 p.m.

Byes: Texas, West Virginia