By Brice Cherry

Tribune-Herald staff writer

The Baylor defense has already been tested against some potent offenses this season.

There was Wake Forest, led by pinpoint-accurate quarterback Riley Skinner. Three games later, the Bears met Connecticut, with rugged tailback Donald Brown, now the nation’s leading rusher.

But if there’s any sign that the Big 12 offers a whole other level of challenge, it’s the impending shadow of the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners making their way to Waco.

In terms of tests, those other opponents were like a pop quiz. The Sooners are the bar exam.

“Obviously they’re No. 1 and they’re ranked No. 1 for a reason,” defensive end Jason Lamb said. “As far as their offense goes, their offensive line is the best we’ve faced all year. They’re the most physical up front. It’s going to be a challenge for our D-line.”

“You don’t just get the No. 1 spot from having a weak offense or anything,” defensive tackle Vincent Rhodes added. “They’re kind of held up on a little pedestal, but it’s our job to bring that pedestal down.”

Oklahoma has earned its way to the top of the polls. The Sooners own the seventh-ranked unit in total offense in the NCAA, and are fifth in scoring offense, averaging 49.8 points per game.

The Sooners are absolutely loaded offensively, with a roster that reads like a Big 12 all-star team. At quarterback, sophomore Sam Bradford ranks third in the nation with a 209.1 passer-efficiency rating. Running back DeMarco Murray may be the most gifted all-around athlete on OU’s roster, and the receiving corps is deep and balanced, with 16 different players having caught passes.

But as Baylor coach Art Briles likes to remind his team, it all starts up front. With Oklahoma, it’s an accurate depiction, given that the Sooners’ line is anchored by a returning consensus All-American in left guard Duke Robinson and averages 6-5 and 302 pounds along its two-deep.

Nevertheless, Briles doesn’t believe that critical trench warfare — OU’s offensive line against Baylor’s defensive front — will be an Oklahoma onslaught.

Briles: ‘I like our guys’

“I like our guys,” the coach said. “We’ve got guys who will get after it. They do, too. I think it’s a great, great matchup and an interesting part of the football game. We really believe in our people up front, without a doubt. I’m sure they feel the same way about theirs. It’s going to be an interesting matchup throughout the day.”

Last weekend, TCU stacked the box to stuff Oklahoma’s running game, limiting the back-to-back Big 12 champions to just 25 yards on 36 attempts. But the Sooners simply exploited the Horned Frogs through the air instead, as Bradford passed for a career-high 411 yards to go along with four touchdowns in a 35-10 OU win.

The Baylor defenders said they didn’t necessarily want to mimic TCU’s game plan, but they did see the value in forcing the Sooners into an unbalanced attack.

“Anytime you can make a team one-dimensional from a defensive standpoint, it’s a plus,” linebacker Joe Pawelek said.

No doubt the Sooners will stretch Baylor’s defense to its limit. TCU entered last week’s game against Oklahoma with the No. 1-ranked defensive unit in the country, and the Sooners still flattened the Frogs on their way to 436 total yards.

But whether or not they end up on the wrong side of a knockout, the Bears seem more than willing to trade punches with the heavyweight Sooners.

“I’ve had experience against Oklahoma,” Rhodes said. “I’ve got a grasp of it more than the younger players who really haven’t had that pressure of playing a lot. So I know what to expect, and I’m taking it all in stride.”

“I don’t think anybody’s unstoppable,” Lamb said. “If we can just bring it to them up front, create pressure, create havoc in the backfield, I think we can shut down anybody.”

bcherry@wacotrib.com

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