Kansas defensive back Anthony Webb (20) can only watch as Baylor receiver Dominique Zeigler dives over the pylon for what proved to be the winning touchdown in the Bears' 36-35 victory over KU last year in Waco, Texas. Though the Bears - and Jayhawks, for that matter - are drastically different than they were a year ago, KU is prepared for an aerial offensive onslaught today.

Kansas safety Justin Thornton pops the ball loose from Baylor receiver Justin Fenty during the first half of last year's KU-Baylor game in Waco, Texas.

Surely, Kansas University’s football team still was trying to shake off the high of the Kansas State victory the day before.

So when assistant coach Je’Ney Jackson walked into a meeting room Sunday, he had with him one statistic for the Baylor game that was bound to keep KU’s secondary on cloud nine for at least another week.

“He said, ‘Man, they had 60 pass attempts yesterday!” free safety Darrell Stuckey recalled. “When he came in and said that, we said, ‘Are you serious?’ We were excited. It’s an opportunity for us to show exactly what we can do and an opportunity for us to go out and make some big plays.”

This isn’t a case of the little-league right-fielder praying to the sports gods that the ball isn’t hit in his direction.

No way. In Division I football, if an offense is specifically designed to go right after YOU, the normal reaction is to buckle up the chin strap, crack the knuckles and dare the opponent to bring it on.

And that’s precisely what the KU secondary is doing as it prepares for today’s 11:30 a.m. game with pass-happy Baylor at Memorial Stadium.

“How many times do they throw the ball? Fifty-five, 60?” cornerback Aqib Talib said. “That just means we have 55, 60 opportunities to get our hand on the ball.”

What to watch for

Baylor is in its second season imitating the passing chaos made popular by Texas Tech in the last 10 years.

The Bears list four wide receivers on their base depth chart, and a fifth, running back Brandon Whitaker, has more receptions than any of them.

The Bears, overall, have run 305 passing plays as opposed to 139 rushing plays this season. They completed 36 of 60 passes in a 43-23 loss to Colorado last week.

“It’s a totally different offense than what you see day to day,” KU defensive coordinator Bill Young said. “It’s a spread offense and big line splits and a timed passing attack. A lot of things you don’t see all the time. It’s a little bit of a changeup for us.”

The Bears (3-3 overall, 0-2 Big 12 Conference play) had immediate success with the new offense a year ago. Behind quarterback Shawn Bell and receivers Trent Shelton and Dominique Zeigler, the Bears passed their way to three Big 12 victories in 2006, the most they’ve ever had.

One was a 36-35 thriller over the Jayhawks in Waco, Texas. Kansas led, 35-17, with less than 10 minutes to play before the Bears passed their way right out of the deficit.

But this isn’t the same Baylor team – and certainly not the same Kansas team. The Jayhawks (5-0, 1-0) have added noticeable depth with the addition of cornerbacks Kendrick Harper and Chris Harris, as well as strong safety Patrick Resby. Stuckey played with a hobble in last year’s game but is 100 percent for this year’s rematch.

“The fatigue factor might have got us a little bit at the end of the game last year,” Young said. “It was really a warm day, and we chased 100 deep balls, and we were already thin in the secondary because of injuries and so forth.”

Bell passed for 394 yards and five touchdowns in the game, toasting Kansas and at the same time giving the Jayhawks a first-hand account of the new-look Bears for today’s game.

Replacing the graduated Bell at quarterback is Blake Szymanski, who already has thrown for 1,815 yards and 15 touchdowns in six games this season.

Szymanski spreads the love, with eight receivers having more than 11 receptions this season and nobody catching more than 24.

“I think it’s a sitff test for our pass defense,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “This team throws the ball really well. They mix up the runs. They’ve got a bunch of guys catching balls. They distribute the ball really well, so they put stress on your defense in a lot of areas.”

The mission

Kansas ranked dead last in the country in pass defense a year ago, and the Jayhawks’ coaches and players were quick to point out that it’s a total defensive effort, not just the secondary.

That said, defensive tackle James McClinton feels the pressure of today’s game. He was unsatisfied in the line’s inability to reach K-State quarterback Josh Freeman enough last week and feels getting in Szymanski’s face is a huge factor.

“Even if he gets the ball off, if we lay a big hit on him, it’s in his mind,” McClinton said. “He knows that we’re coming. We’re not just going to sit back, let you relax and throw the perfect ball. We’re coming, and we’re going to pressure you, so you might as well get ready.

“Sacks are the reward, but if we can just get back there and hit him, coach Young will take it. He’ll accept it.”

If the pass rush does its job, the pressure then shifts to the pass coverage.

In games against Texas Tech and Baylor the last few years, the Jayhawks have operated almost exclusively in a nickel package to have an extra member of the secondary on the field.

That makes a number of defensive backs potential impact players today. Talib, Stuckey, Harris, Harper, Resby, Justin Thornton and Sadiq Muhammed were in for their share of plays last week against Kansas State and could play extensively against the Bears.

For the newcomers, it’s the biggest test of their ability they’ve had.

“It just gives the secondary a good look,” said Harper, a Butler Community College transfer. “It lets us get a chance to pick some balls off or play good coverage.”

Added Resby, a Navarro (Texas) College transfer: “We’ll see what our secondary will be like. I’m ready, man.”

While the disappointment of last year’s pass defense has faded somewhat with strong play in the first five games this year, a test like Baylor is needed to really see how far along they’ve come.

Young, for one, feels his defense has a solid chance to pass it.

“We’re a much better football team than we were a year ago,” Young said. “Whether we play better remains to be seen.”