Baylor wants to right wrongs vs Oklahoma St

Waco, Texas (AP) — Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty has tried to avoid calling Oklahoma State a revenge game for the No. 6 Bears.

"At the same time, it's hard not to," Petty said. "Last year we had one (regular season) loss and it was to them, so we want to make sure we right our wrongs. ... I'd love to come out and show them who Baylor football really is."

The Bears' national championship hopes last season unraveled with that 49-17 loss at Oklahoma State, after going into that game undefeated and No. 3 in the AP poll.

Baylor (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 7 CFP) is now contending for a spot in the first four-team College Football Playoff and trying for its second Big 12 title in a row. And this year's game is Saturday night at home, where the Bears have won 23 of 24 since 2011 and 14 in a row to match No. 2 Alabama for the longest active streak.

Oklahoma State (5-5, 3-4) was No. 11 and on a roll for this matchup last year, but is now mired in a four-game losing streak that is the longest since coach Mike Gundy's first season in 2005. Oft-sacked quarterback Daxx Garman, who replaced injured J.W. Walsh early in the season, might not play.

The Cowboys, a four-touchdown underdog despite winning 16 of the last 18 games in the series, have to win at Baylor or Oklahoma to stretch their postseason bowl streak to nine seasons in a row.

"We are definitely not happy with where we're at, but it's one of those things where we just got to go out and work hard each and every week. We can't feel sorry for ourselves," linebacker Seth Jacobs said. "It's important for everyone to make a bowl game."

The Bears won 48-14 at Oklahoma two weeks ago, which came before their third bye week of the season. That wasn't the kind of break they wanted after building some real momentum.

"Once you catch it, you've got to hold onto it," Petty said. "I thought we had a really focused week last week with high energy. Everybody was really excited about what's going on and that stuff helps. ... The last thing we remember is a big game on the road that we won, so we have to carry that into this week and throughout these next couple games."

Here are a few other things to know when Oklahoma State tries to sidetrack the Bears again:

Getting better: Coach Mike Gundy said the Cowboys are improving despite the losing streak. "We're just playing better teams as we've gone on," he said. Oklahoma State plays its fourth ranked team in a span of five games. The only ranked opponent before that was defending national champion Florida State, which held on for a 37-31 win in the season opener.

Coleman coming on: Corey Coleman has nine touchdowns (eight receiving, one rushing) in six games for Baylor since returning from a hamstring injury. His six consecutive games with a TD catch is the longest active streak in the nation. He leads the Big 12 with 132.7 yards receiving per game. "It's encouraging because it allows us some different schemes offensively and it puts pressure on the defenses," coach Art Briles said.

Done at home: Oklahoma State has quite a challenge in trying to get bowl eligible, with two road games against Top 25 teams. Defensive tackle James Castleman said the Cowboys' mindset is to "try not to let the fact that it's a road game get into your head." They lost their each of their last two home games by at least 21 points.

Baylor blackout: The Bears are wearing all black and encouraging fans to do the same for their second designated blackout game. The first one last season was a 41-12 win over Oklahoma. "I've been fortunate to be in a lot of atmospheres and I would rate that maybe as the best," Briles said

by Stephen Hawkins, AP Sports Writer. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly – November 21, 2014 @ 11am