The Baylor offense was missing a couple key players against Texas Tech.
No problem.
After an early scare from the Red Raiders, Baylor kicked it into gear and throttled Texas Tech 63-34 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Baylor was without wide receiver Tevin Reese, who injured his wrist against Oklahoma and is out for the regular season and running back Lache Seastrunk. In their place, Levi Norwood and Shock Linwood stepped up.
Great teams have great depth. And if you wondered about Baylor's depth, the performance against Oklahoma and Tech should leave you wondering no more. Baylor has depth.
Norwood had seven catches for 156 yards and two scores and he also had an electrifying 58-yard punt return for a score in the first quarter. Linwood, starting in place of Seastrunk, who hurt his groin against Oklahoma, had 29 carries for 184 yards.
Oh, and Bryce Petty was his usual Bryce Petty self, completing 17-31 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns.
Texas Tech went up 14-0 in the first quarter, which was the biggest deficit that Baylor had faced all season. For a brief second, you couldn't blame people for wondering if Saturday night's game would be to Baylor what Baylor's win last year against Kansas State was to the Wildcats.
That game, almost one year to the day, Kansas State entered as a national title favorite and with a Heisman favorite in Collin Klein. But Baylor jumped out early to a 28-7 lead and won 52-24. Could Texas Tech do the same to Baylor?
Um, no. Petty hit Norwood to cut the deficit to 14-7 and while Texas Tech scored again to make it 20-7, within three minutes and 10 seconds, Baylor had a 21-20 lead that it would never relinquish, and another spot in the BCS standings thanks to Stanford's loss.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech has lost four straight games after starting 7-0.