• When: 11:30 a.m. Saturday
• Where: Floyd Casey Stadium, Waco, Texas
• TV: Versus
• Radio: 1110 AM KFAB

LAST TIME OUT

The unforgiving Big 12 schedule hasn't made it any easier for the Bears to regroup since they lost their play-making quarterback Robert Griffin to a season-ending knee injury. Oklahoma State was the latest team to take advantage.

The Cowboys (6-1, 3-0 Big 12) scored on three of their first four possessions en route to a 34-7 victory in Waco, Texas, on Saturday. Playing without the sophomore Griffin for the fourth consecutive week, the Bears (3-4, 0-3) didn't have a chance.

Oklahoma State was missing its top running back, Kendall Hunter, and its top wide receiver, Dez Bryant. But quarterback Zac Robinson made up for the two stars' absence. He completed 23 of 27 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns.

Baylor couldn't keep up. After the Cowboys took a 3-0 lead, freshman Terrance Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 44 yards, but true freshman Nick Florence threw an interception on the next play. Three minutes later, OSU took a 10-0 lead on a Robinson touchdown pass.

The Cowboys led 34-0 until Florence's touchdown throw with 7:17 left in the game. Florence found receiver David Gettis for the 17-yard score, capping a 10-play, 80-yard drive.

Florence threw for 241 yards and a touchdown in his third collegiate start. But the Bears managed just 43 rushing yards and committed eight penalties. To make matters worse, they were constantly pinned in their own territory. Their average starting field position was their own 23-yard line.

PAWELEK TACKLING RECORD

Linebacker Joe Pawelek may never catch Mike Singletary on Baylor's career tackle chart, but he shouldn't have any trouble finishing second to the legendary star.

Pawelek needs just two tackles Saturday against Nebraska to pass Ray Berry on the career list. The senior has tallied 379 stops in his career, more than any active Division I player.

Pawelek's far behind Singletary, though. The school record-holder and NFL Hall of Famer recorded 662 tackles at Baylor.

Still, Pawelek is averaging 9.4 tackles per game this season, ranking second in the Big 12 and 31st nationally. He had a season-high 21 tackles against Connecticut in a 30-22 loss Sept. 19.

In the 32-20 loss to Nebraska last season, Pawelek finished with 10 total tackles.

QB INJURIES HURT BEARS

Injuries at quarterback have decimated any continuity the Baylor offense might have had in its second year under coach Art Briles, who's known for his innovative philosophies on that side of the ball.

Griffin tore his ACL against Northwestern State Sept. 26. And his top backup, senior Blake Szymanski, suffered a shoulder injury before the team's next game.

So enter Florence, the true freshman from Garland, Texas. He threw for more than 3,000 yards as a senior for his Class 5A team in the Dallas area.

Florence won his first start against Kent State, 31-15. But after a loss to Oklahoma, Szymanski replaced the third-stringer against Iowa State.

Szymanski, maybe still bugged by that shoulder, had his own issues. He threw three interceptions.

Florence is expected to start Saturday against Nebraska.

Neither backup has thrown for more than 250 yards, but both have been crippled by their one-dimensional offense. The Bears are averaging just 74 rushing yards per game since Griffin's injury.

Last year, as a freshman, Griffin threw for 2,091 yards and ran for 843.

DEFENSE RUNS INTO TROUBLE

Baylor's defense hasn't given its offense too many opportunities to figure things out during the first three conference games.

The Bears have struggled to get opponents off the field, largely because they can't stop the run.

Oklahoma ran for 197 yards, Iowa State totaled 240 on the ground and Oklahoma State finished with 195. That's an average of 210.7 per conference game, the worst for any Big 12 team.

Plus, the defense has allowed a 53.2 percent conversion rate on third down. And the Bears have forced just one turnover since the Big 12 season began.

So it's no surprise that Baylor has held the football for an average of 24:19 against conference foes. And an offense that's now operating without Griffin has produced just 24 points in its last three games.

— Jon Nyatawa

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