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PrintRobert Griffin III was a fantastic athlete and did wonders to put a football program like Baylor on the map, but let’s be clear: Art Briles’ offenses will put up plenty of points regardless of whether or not they have a world-class track star running the show.
Senior Nick Florence threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns on just 30 attempts, as the Bears opened the post-RG3 era with a 59-24 victory over SMU in a game that was over by halftime.
“Just because he leaves,” Florence told reporters afterward, “doesn’t mean anything different happens here.”
Florence exited after the third quarter with Baylor ahead 45-3. The Bears racked up 613 yards of offense and scored at least 45 points for the fifth consecutive game, dating back to a 31-30 win at Kansas last Nov. 12.
Baylor averaged a whopping 9.1 yards per play (11.4 through the air and 6.9 on 32 rushing attempts) and scored 59 points despite holding the ball for just more than 20 minutes.
The offense strikes quickly, the defense is anything but great, and that has made this team a fantastic ‘over’ bet week after week.
Yesterday’s over/under closed at 56.5, an absurdly low number. Last year, Baylor’s over was 10-1-1 despite gradually increasing numbers that featured three totals in the 80s. (The over still went 2-0-1 in those games.)
The Bears had 13 drives on Saturday, running an average of 5.2 plays for 45 yards and taking only 1 minute, 32 seconds off the clock.
Baylor has a bye week before facing two cupcakes to close the non-conference schedule. Look for an over/under in the 80s for the Bears’ Big 12 opener at West Virginia on Sept. 29.
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WITH A SENIOR quarterback leading a potentially lethal offense, NC State gathered a lot of preseason hype leading up to a showdown with Tennessee to open the season.
That Friday night flop was a major buzzkill, but could it have made the Wolfpack a little undervalued going forward?
Mike Glennon tossed four interceptions, an alarming number for a pro prospect who threw only 12 all of last season, and then NC State opened as a 2.5-point underdog against UConn in Week 2. That number has since moved a full touchdown to NC State -4.5, but there is at least one reason to be concerned about backing the Wolfpack right now.
Tom O’Brien’s teams usually take some time to pick up steam.
O’Brien’s five previous years at NC State have been characterized by slow starts and furious finishes. Here’s a look at his regular season ATS record, broken up by first and second halves of the schedule.
| FIRST 6 GAMES | LAST 6 GAMES | |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 12-15-3 ATS (.444) | 21-9 ATS (.700) |
| 2011 | 1-4-1 | 4-2 |
| 2010 | 5-1 | 4-2 |
| 2009 | 2-3-1 | 3-3 |
| 2008 | 3-3 | 6-0 |
| 2007 | 1-4-1 | 4-2 |
They say a great coach puts together teams that are constantly improving throughout the season. O’Brien’s teams have shown they can do that, but we’re still only in Week 2.
We liked the Wolfpack at anything less than a field goal, but we’d be nervous about backing them now.
