Game Essentials:

What: Baylor (3-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. No. 19 OU (2-2, 0-0 Big 12)

When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Location: Norman, Okla.

Venue: Gaylord-Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

TV: ABC

Quick Facts:

– OU has won all previous 18 meetings with Baylor, including 10 in Norman.

– OU is 7-6 in Big 12 conference openers, and 7-3 under Stoops.

– OU is 28-5 all-time against teams currently in the ACC conference.

Key Matchup:

OU’s passing offense vs. Baylor’s pass defense.

The Sooners’ receiving corps took a big hit when it was announced sophomore wide receiver Ryan Broyles will be out two to four weeks because of a shoulder injury suffered last week against Miami.

The Bears enter Saturday’s game with the No. 19 pass defense in the country, giving up only 166 yards in the air per game. Redshirt freshman quarterback Landry Jones will need solid performances from receivers Brandon Caleb and Cameron Kenney to make up for the loss of Broyles, who has by far been OU’s leading receiver this season.

However, Baylor itself may not be putting up too many points Saturday, as the Bears look to be down to their third-string quarterback (freshman Nick Florence), and starting running back Jay Finley has missed the last two games.

Players to Watch:

OU: Junior running back DeMarco Murray. Murray is OU’s leading rush this year and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. On the ground he has gained 299 yards and rushed for three touchdowns. He also has 109 receiving yards and one touchdown reception.

Junior defensive back Jeremy Beal. With six sacks in four games, Beal has a shot at the OU season record of 14.

Baylor: Sophomore wide receiver Kendall Wright. Capable of playing both running back and wide receiver, Wright led the team in all receiving categories as a freshman last year. This year he is averaging 13.4 yards a catch and has two touchdowns.

Senior linebacker Joe Pawelek. The San Antonio native is the nation’s leading active career tackler (313). So far this year he has recorded 39 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one interception.

They said it:

– Head coach Bob Stoops on Baylor: “When you look at their team, in every category statistically, they are better. They’ve improved, they are playing really good defense overall. Even working through the quarterback injuries, like we have had to, they have still managed to be very productive offensively.”

– Offense coordinator Kevin Wilson on the offensive’s play this season: “We’ve been battling. We’ve been close. We’ve been disappointed twice in two close games. As much as anything it’s been our execution, our planning, and our preparation that’s gotten us where we are. We’re close. We need to plug it in, do it the right way, and roll out in a strong way.”

– Sophomore defensive back Sam Proctor: “We have to play all four quarters. Sometimes we come out and might play three good quarters but if you have a letdown in the fourth quarter, that’s what people are going to remember. They’re not going to remember the first two interceptions or the tackles. Our inconsistency is about finishing the game all four quarters.”

– Freshman offensive lineman Ben Habern on having two losses by one point: “We feel like a couple things just didn’t go our way and if they did we would have won the game. So that’s difficult but at the same time it’s our fault. We didn’t play to our best ability and we have to take that into factor against Baylor and Texas and the teams to come.”