MANHATTAN
A freshman quarterback will start for No. 2 Baylor when the Bears play at Kansas State on Thursday.
The Wildcats would normally celebrate that kind of news, but they had a different reaction when they learned about Jarrett Stidham, the passer taking over for Seth Russell.
Stidham is not your typical freshman. Much like Josh Rosen at UCLA or Tanner Mangum at BYU, he was ready to play the moment he enrolled. Stidham, a former five-star recruit has completed 24 of 28 passes for 331 yards and six touchdowns this season. He might not be an upgrade from Russell, who will miss the remainder of the season with a neck injury, but he isn’t a big downgrade, either.