K-State preparing for Baylor's Griffin

MANHATTAN — As good as Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin has been this season, Kansas State isn't interested in devising a defensive game plan that focuses solely on slowing him down.

Not after what happened in Waco, Texas, last year, when the Wildcats took a one-dimensional approach against the Bears and ended up paying dearly. K-State covered the field with defensive backs, expecting Griffin to throw deep. Instead, he threw short and handed the ball off. Baylor piled up 683 yards and won 47-42.

Lesson learned.

"We were really thinking that they were going to beat us through the air last year with the passing attack and then they came out and ran the ball a little bit better than we were anticipating them doing," said defensive end Jordan Voelker. "So we're just preparing for all aspects of their game this year."

That means accounting for leading rusher Terrance Ganaway and wide receivers Kendall Wright and Tevin Reese on top of Griffin.

K-State's defense, which is allowing 164 yards (sixth nationally) and 10.3 points , is more equipped to handle those assignments than a year ago. It made significant improvements during the offseason, with linebackers Arthur Brown and Tre Walker leading the way.

They are also coming off a game in which they held Miami to three first-half points. Confidence is high, but K-State (3-0) will need more today against the 15th-ranked Bears, who are averaging 588 yards and 51.3 points through three wins.

"We think we're a new team, but you've still got to look at the past and what they did to us last year," Voelker said. "We've got to prepare better."

While that preparation will revolve around covering the entire field, stopping Griffin has been a recurring subject.

The junior entered the Heisman Trophy conversation by completing 70 of 82 passes for 962 yards and 13 touchdowns and guiding Baylor to its highest ranking since 1991.

After looking at those numbers and his 85.4 completion percentage, K-State coach Bill Snyder suggested Griffin could compete with any quarterback in the NFL.

"We don't do that in pregame warmups against air," Snyder said.

How does a defense stop a guy with more touchdown passes than incompletions?

"It's tough to say," senior safety Tysyn Hartman said. "If it was that simple, someone would have found a way to stop it. So far that hasn't happened. He's accurate and he's putting the ball where his guys can get it and the defenders can't."

This story was originally published October 1, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "K-State preparing for Baylor's Griffin."