Baylor got an extra week to get over the shock of Seth Russell's injury and get a freshman quarterback prepared to lead it on its push for the playoffs.
A year after leading his high school team to the Texas state playoffs, Jarrett Stidham is tasked with taking the second-ranked Bears the rest of the way, beginning Thursday night at Kansas State.
The bye week couldn't come at a much better time for Baylor and its sudden transition in starting quarterbacks. The Bears also got a chance to see Russell emerge from a successful surgery for a fractured cervical vertebra in his neck, a season-ending injury suffered in the fourth quarter of a 45-27 win against Iowa State on Oct.