Huskers to win close one

Nebraska returns to the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium for a Big 12 game with the 3-4 Baylor Bears. The game is set for an 11:30 a.m. kickoff, and will be televised on Versus.

Art Briles is in his first year as the head coach of the Bears. Briles, who has had a successful run as the coach of the Houston Cougars, has the best freshman quarterback in the conference in Robert Griffin (6-foot-3, 200 pounds). He is a dual threat as both a runner and passer. Griffin is athletically gifted with skill as a runner that will put a tremendous amount of pressure on the Husker defense. He has been very solid, not throwing an interception in his 155 passes all season. That has set a record for a freshman in the major Bowl Championship Series conferences.

Griffin averages 62 yards rushing per game with a team-high eight rushing touchdowns. He is 94-of-155 (60.6 percent) passing with nine touchdowns. He is a special challenge for any defense.

Sophomore Jay Finley (5-11, 202) is the top running back for the Bears. He also averages 62 yards rushing per game with four touchdowns.

Baylor will try to run the ball at the Nebraska defense more than most of the teams in the conference. Combine this with Griffin’s running talents and Baylor is a better team offensively than in the past.

In the passing game a trio of receivers pace Baylor.

Freshman Kendall Wright (6-0, 180) has become Griffin's favorite target. He leads the Bears with 33 catches for 413 yards and three touchdowns. David Gettis (6-4, 206, Jr.) is second on the team with 23 receptions and Thomas White (6-2, 204, Sr.) adds 18 grabs on the year. This group has good size and athleticism to challenge the Nebraska secondary.

The offensive line is an under-rated unit.

They both run and pass block equally. Griffin’s mobility means that the offensive line gives up fewer sacks. They have allowed 16 on the season but for only 88 yards in losses. The group physically is smaller than most lines in the conference averaging 6-4 and 288 pounds from tackle to tackle. Right tackle Dan Gay (6-5, 288, Sr.) and left tackle Jason Smith (6-5, 298, Sr.) are veteran starters that protect Griffin well.

Defensively, Baylor employs a 4-3 scheme.

The Bears are a smaller group that will try to overcome their lack of size by using quickness to their advantage. As a team, Baylor allows 146 yards rushing and 219 passing per game.

The defensive leader is middle linebacker Joe Pawelek (6-3, 233, Jr.), who is tops on the team with 82 total tackles on the season. He also leads the team with two interceptions. Pawelek is second on the team with 5.5 tackles for losses as well. He is trying to follow in the footsteps of former Baylor middle linebacker Mike Singletary who was one of the all-time greats in college and professional football history.

Up front on defense Leon Freeman (6-2, 241, Sr.) is solid as a defensive end. He leads the team with six tackles for losses and is tied for the team lead with two sacks. Senior Vincent Rhodes (6-2, 305) and Trey Bryant (6-3, 321, Jr.) are very good run stoppers inside.

In the secondary, free safety Jordan Lake (6-2, 203, Jr.) is the big play man. He is second on the team with 51 total tackles and a team high 34 solo stops.

Nebraska will try to take advantage of the secondary with the short and intermediate passing game.

On special teams, Baylor is very good on kickoff returns and very poor on punt returns. Mikhail Baker (6-0, 195, Jr.) averages 28.8 yards per kickoff return with a 93-yard return for a touchdown. As a team, the Bears average just over four yards per punt return, one of the lowest ranked teams in the country.

Freshman kicker Ben Parks (6-2, 195) has made 4-of-5 field goals with nothing from outside of 36 yards. He is also only 23-of-26 on extra point attempts. Punter Derek Epperson (6-3, 212, So.) is solid averaging over 43 yards per punt on the season.

Nebraska seems to have found a solid offensive rhythm the last two weeks. The defense also played very well against a less than impressive Iowa State team last week.

Baylor has a very versatile athlete in Robert Griffin. He makes very few mistakes and reminds me of Vince Young, the former Texas star quarterback. I think Griffin alone will keep the Bears in the game.

Nebraska makes it two in a row with a 35-27 victory over Baylor.

Jim Dolezal is a local Husker football fanatic as well as a part-time sports writer for the Telegram. He will analyze the Huskers’ opposition from a hometown perspective every Thursday throughout the season.