Baylor 63, Texas Tech 35: Five things we learned

There was some (minimal) concern about the loss of Bryce Petty, but Art Briles has proved that his system works no matter who is under center. Robert Griffin, Nick Florence, Petty, Seth Russell, right on down the line.

Russell threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns in the win. He's averaging an absurd 12.4 yards per pass attempt while completing 63 percent of his throws so far this season.

Russell also had the best game of his career on the ground, running for 81 yards and two scores on 12 carries. It's a little easier when you're facing a defense that doesn't take tackling too seriously, but the instincts he showed were impressive.

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When you think about Baylor's offense, you think high-flying and pass-heavy. But balance can go a long way and if Baylor can continue to be this efficient on the ground and through the air, the rest of the Big 12 will be in trouble. The Bears entered Saturday averaging 8.1 yards per carry, the best in the country by more than a yard.

Shock Linwood ran for 221 yards and two scores on 20 carries to lead Baylor. Russell added 81 with his legs. Five players carried the ball at least four times to help the Bears total 368 yards on the ground.

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It's can't be concious — no team would shift its focus just because another team in its conference looked good earlier in the day — but seeing how Baylor and TCU one up each other on a given Saturday should be pretty fun.

The Horned Frogs stomped Texas 50-7 early Saturday, and Baylor turned in an effort nearly as impressive in the afternoon. To compare:

Points: Baylor 63, TCU 50

Yards: Baylor 680, TCU 604

First downs: Baylor 26, TCU 31

Turnovers: Baylor 1, TCU 0

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The narrative going in this game: Baylor will score 50, but Texas Tech should do enough on offense to keep pace. And with a few breaks, like last week against TCU, we could have a classic Big 12 game on our hands.

Tech averaged 7.4 yards per play and gained 636 total. Everyone knows the Red Raiders will throw the ball, but they do it anyway and succeed. Two QBs combined for 530 yards passing at 12.1 per attempt.

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QB Patrick Mahomes injured his knee against TCU last week and his status was uncertain for this game, but he started and kept Texas Tech in it early. In the second half, with the game out of reach, Davis Webb came in at quarterback and completed 8 of 15 passes for 115 yards and a score.

Mahomes wasn't bad by any means, going 32 of 50 for 415 yards and three TDs, but two interceptions doomed him. When you give Baylor extra possessions, you really don't stand a chance. We'll know more about his status this week.