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(AP) - Baylor coach Art Briles admits he was a bit surprised by how quarterback Bryce Petty answered questions after the No. 10 Bears' bounce-back victory.
"But I was kind of pleased," Briles said Monday.
In the postgame interview after Petty threw three touchdowns and Baylor scored on 11 consecutive possessions in a 60-14 victory over Kansas last Saturday, the usually talkative quarterback couldn't manage much more than this: "Just ready for O-U."
Petty will show whether he truly is when Baylor visits the No. 16 Sooners on Saturday in a key Big 12 matchup.
"He's in a mode where it's kind of a no-nonsense mentality," Briles said of his quarterback, who was 15 of 27 for 277 yards against the Jayhawks. "So I certainly appreciate that part of it."
The defending Big 12 champion Bears (7-1, 4-1) rebounded from their lone loss at West Virginia with a victory in which they allowed only 16 yards on the ground.
Now they play at eight-time conference champion Oklahoma (6-2, 3-2), a place where Baylor has never won.
"It would be big from the standpoint that we're trying to establish ourselves just like everybody else in this league as a team that can sustain," Briles said.
If the Bears win out, they would be guaranteed no worse than a share of the Big 12 title, while a loss drops them into a tie with the Sooners.
Oklahoma has a 21-2 series lead, but the Bears' two victories have come in the last three years at home, including a 41-12 win last year.
To keep pace with Baylor's nation-leading 590.3 yards per game, the Sooners could use Sterling Shepard, whom coach Bob Stoops expects to be ready after the receiver left last weekend's game against Iowa State with a groin strain.
Shepard was hurt while catching a 46-yard pass on the first offensive play, and without him, the Sooners still amassed 751 yards to beat the Cyclones 59-14.
Stoops said Monday that it seemed minor when the injury was checked Sunday, but the team would monitor the situation throughout the week.
"The best way I'd say it now is we're optimistic that it will heal enough that he'll be full speed by the end of the week," Stoops said.
It would be a huge blow to not have Shepard, who is third nationally with an average of 119.6 yards and accounts for nearly half the team's receiving yards.
Shepard, who is also Oklahoma's punt returner, tied a school record with 15 catches and had 197 yards in a 31-30 home loss to Kansas State on Oct. 18.
Trevor Knight passed for 230 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 146 yards and three scores against Iowa State to earn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
"I'll say this - to their credit, they played really hard," Stoops said. "They competed. They were chasing people downfield trying to block. It's a lot to build on. I'm not ragging on them. It just needs to be better. But I was excited to see them compete the way they did."
In Shepard's absence, tight end Blake Bell caught two touchdown passes - which suggests Knight may have learned to trust someone other than Shepard. Four of the 6-foot-6 Bell's 13 catches have gone for touchdowns.
"He's a big target," Stoops said, "and particularly in the red zone when you can throw it over the linebacker and feel you're not going to throw it out of the end zone because of his height and his ability to go up and get it.
"He's got great hands, and he continues to improve blocking-wise the more he does it."
Knight could get some additional help with the return of running back Keith Ford, a strong receiver out of the backfield who has missed the past five games after breaking his right fibula against Tennessee on Sept. 13.
As for Petty, he was more like himself Monday during his weekly media availability that follows Briles. Asked about his postgame comments two days earlier, Petty said he was - and still is - just really excited about this weekend.
"I never wanted to come off as Kansas wasn't important, they're a really good team, so anytime you get a Big 12 win, that's huge for us," Petty said "I'm really excited about this week. It's a big opportunity."
