Is Brown as head football coach next?

Also, apparently Athletic Department is losing money. Perhaps a move to a conference with less travel?

WACO, Texas -- The Baylor football contest vs. No. 4/4/4 TCU has been set for an 11 a.m. kickoff at McLane Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 19 and will be televised live on FOX, it was announced on Saturday night.

Baylor (6-4, 4-3 Big 12 Conference) will face TCU (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) on Saturday at 11 a.m. on FOX in Baylor’s second game on FOX in 2022, also facing Oklahoma State at McLane Stadium.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor’s hopes of playing in the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 3 came to an end on Saturday night with a 31-3 drubbing by No. 13 Kansas State.

The Bears never tied or led in this game. The closest they came was John Mayers 37-yard field goal on the last play of the first half to cut the Wildcats lead to 17-3.

At 6-4, 4-3, there is one more home game to play against No. 4 TCU. The Horned Frogs clinched a spot into the Big 12 title game with their 17-10 win Saturday night at Texas.

The Bears play host to the Horned Frogs at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium. FOX will carry the game.

SicEmSports provides reflections, observations and three Golden Bears from this one.


Upon Reflection
Jane Craig: How’d it go?
Aaron Altman: You didn’t see or talk to anyone?
Jane Craig: No
Aaron Altman: Well, then it went very well.
Jane Craig: Do you feel good about it?
Aaron Altman: No
Jane Craig: Do others think you did well?
Aaron Altman: No

This exchange was from the 1987 movie Broadcast News when Jane visits Aaron at his house after she finishes up at a national correspondence dinner. Aaron pinch hit doing the national Saturday evening news which turned into a total disaster. He broke out into a case of flop sweat that culminated in a crew member bumping into the national globe positioned behind the desk causing it to sway back and forth. Then someone’s hand was caught live on screen holding the globe to stop the swaying.

I kept wondering how I was going to present this piece on the drive back from Waco last night. I had two thoughts, this above scene and that this was just a tail kicking the Bears received.

There’s no way to spin this. This was probably as bad as the 2020 season/home finale against Oklahoma State. Maybe worse because at least that team was missing about 30 players because of COVID issues and injuries.

Few to none should be surprised that Kansas State won this game. What is surprising is how much the Wildcats dominated, even in the opening possession that ended in a Baylor sack.

When I asked Dillon Doyle about Baylor not responding to Kansas State’s 97-yard scoring drive following the interception, he offered a circular answer. I kind of get that. This team probably still doesn’t know what happened to it.

They were outplayed, outcoached and played right into Kansas State’s hands. Wildcat run blitzes neutralized the running game. This passing game, which has been wobbly since Kansas, was worse. Consider that 91 of Shapen’s 203 yards came in the fourth quarter long after this was over, and the Wildcats were just trying to run out the clock.

Plus, Baylor got a taste of its own medicine. It dominated time of possession the previous three games. It got Baylor’d. Kansas State possessed the ball for 37:37. Baylor 22:23.

For many reasons, most thought this team had righted everything following the stunning loss at West Virginia. While this home stretch against Kansas State, TCU and Texas was daunting, it appeared doable.

Now, that the title game hopes are gone, what will be noteworthy to track is how the Bears respond in these two rivalry games with the Horned Frogs and the Longhorns.


Passing game problems
If you’ll recall in the Buying and Selling piece following Oklahoma, I mentioned the passing game as a sell.

Coincidence or not, Blake Shapen’s issues started following the concussion vs. West Virginia. But since that game, this part of the offense has been erratic to poor ever since then.

Shapen returned to practice the week of Kansas and had two extra days of recovery. Obviously, his turnover problems started before Kansas. But in these last six games – starting with Oklahoma State - he has 10, seven interceptions and three fumbles. And you can mix in several tipped passes at the line of scrimmage that could have been picked off.

His completion percentage has been going down over the last four: 65.3 vs. Kansas, 63.3 at Texas Tech, 60.9 at Oklahoma, 57.9 vs. Kansas State. No touchdown passes the last two games. Receivers are dropping the ball. Passes that are hitting receivers in the helmet or shoulder pads signal the timing is off and the routes aren’t being run well. They also can’t get separation.

Shapen just looks uncomfortable. He doesn’t set his feet, which leads to mechanical issues.

When Baylor chose him as the starting QB following spring football, I had no problem with it. It’s just come apart. It may have to go into the offseason to fix it. It’s going to take a complete overhaul.

But if I was Austin Novosad sitting in the stands Saturday night watching this, I’m thinking to myself that I can compete for this job when I arrive in January.


The stunning number
Kansas State won this game without recording a sack or QB hurry.

Did you notice?
When Mayers field goal cleared the upright, there were still about two seconds on the clock. It should have stopped. But the timekeeper did everyone a kindness by being slow with the finger to stop. Clock ran out. Officials didn’t catch it. Half over.

Golden Bears
The yearly tradition returns where SicEmSports highlights the three players who stood out in their performance on a weekly basis. Win or lose, they deserve the recognition.

The following are from Baylor’s 31-3 home loss to Kansas State.

Note: This was really hard. I’m only doing two.

Monaray Baldwin, WR, Soph.: Well, the good news is that he is all the way back from his hamstring issue that caused him to miss Texas Tech and be limited against Oklahoma State. Of course, 46 of his 75 yards came in the fourth quarter. Someone had to emerge since Gavin Holmes played but was never even targeted.

Notable – Receiving: 8-75

Al Walcott, Star, Sr.: He’s taken his share of criticism throughout the season. It’s can be an impossible assignment when you’re the one following the star. That’s what he walked into when he followed Jalen Pitre. But Walcott played pretty well and had a couple of nice plays behind the line of scrimmage. He led all Bear defenders in tackles.

Notable: 7 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles, 2 TFL

@seguinagave is like an ant at a picnic. He's on a roll, with his second straight weekly win. This week had a huge logjam at 6-4, @efernandez14 @kentowens @matt.hosey @Nelson6 and @timfwilliams also coming in at 6-4, but missing by more on the spread. @kentowens was the only one to ID LSU as winning over Bama. @timfwilliams and @ekluxhoj were the only two that picked Kansas over Oklahoma State.



This week, all games are on Saturday, November 12. Tiebreaker is point spread between Baylor and Kansas State.

Big 12 Games
#23 Kansas State (6-3, 4-2) @ #RV Baylor (6-3, 4-2)
Oklahoma (5-4, 2-4) @ West Virginia (3-6, 1-5)
Iowa State (4-5, 1-5) @ #RV Oklahoma State (6-3, 3-3)
#RV Kansas (6-3, 3-3) @ Texas Tech (4-5, 2-4)
#4 TCU (9-0, 6-0) @ #18 Texas (6-3, 4-2)

Other games
#10 Alabama (7-2, 4-2) @ #11 Ole Miss (8-1, 4-1)
Texas A&M (3-6, 1-5) @ Auburn (3-6, 1-5)
#22 Central Florida (7-2, 4-1) @ #16 Tulane (8-1, 5-0)
Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3) @ Iowa (5-4, 3-3)
#24 Washington (7-2, 4-2) @ #6 Oregon (8-1, 6-0)

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Dave Aranda
The results tonight are disappointing and frustrating. I give a lot of credit to Coach (Chris) Klieman and Kansas State. They played physical, they executed. I thought they were really on-point tonight.
I want to say how appreciative I am, we are for the crowd that showed up tonight. Chilly night and all that, and it was a big crowd. To have that and to be able to play in front of that is not lost on us. Just disappointed and frustrated, just like you all just with our execution. A whole lot to learn from and improve on and our aim is to do that. I think with this team, every day of every week of every month has been a constant push and pull and really tug of war to get our best selves to show up. So, it continues on, and it’s a good fight to have. There is so much potential there, and there’s a greatness there that likes to stay hidden. And you really have to work to get brave enough to show up. So, we’re aiming to do that. Still a lot to play for these next two games.

(Difference in going against Will Howard) The attack is different when he’s in there. If it was a second-and-long, and he wasn’t in there, it would probably be a run. If it’s second-and-long and he is in there, it’s probably a pass. And then the types of passes, too, so there are some adjustments in that. And I give credit to them just for their execution. I think when we look at the film tonight and tomorrow in all of it, we’re going to see a lot of misalignments and everything by us. So, a fair amount of self-inflicted wounds by us, but not to take away from their part of it. I thought they did a great job.

(The players focused too much on the Big 12 Championship picture) I’m sure it did. And that was not a focus or an emphasis of ours. And if it did, which I would believe that it did, it would be on-par with this year. That goes back to the tug of war and the push and pull and just all of it. So, we will continue.

(Tell them in the locker room) That I still believe in them and that things like this hurt and that there’s a lot to learn and grow from this. I think that we’re still fighting to get out of our own way. You look at just what goes into a game and goes into a win, and starting Monday and through maybe a Thursday or Friday, practice week I thought there were a lot of good there were a lot of good things there in this particular one. You could even say it might have been our best week of just energy and effort and speeds and just all of it. And I don’t really have all the answers with it now, but to really look at the head space from Friday night to this is really where we have to improve, per the question prior (about players focusing on the Big 12 picture).


(Successful drives were up tempo, do you wish you would have gone to that more?)


Appreciate that. Yeah, I thought that there was some good momentum to start the game with our drive until they were able to make a play on us to take the ball away. And I just think in the past, we've been hit like that, and punched like that, maybe take something on the chin and we kind of get down on a knee and we kind of come back. And that did not happen tonight. As hard as it is to say that, it did not. And so, that's something that way needs to be addressed and needs to be kind of owned so that we can get up next time. You look ahead and we're going to take some punches for sure. And so, to be our best requires a rise. We're aiming to do that.

(What would you consider an appropriate response from your team to this loss)
I think playing with an energy that says when the game starts that “I want to be here.” That “this is nowhere else I'd rather be.” I think playing with an edge in the game, regardless of the outcome or the result that … I want to out hit you next time. Or my level of violence is only gonna rise regardless of (the) score or outcome. And then that I'm going to do my 1/11th, that there's an execution and that there's a trust in my teammates, to my left and right. That I can do my job in a violent manner, and they can do theirs. And I think that's what it's been from the beginning and we're still fighting for that.
(On Deuce, why was he so successful?)

I think it was – I appreciate that. So, Kansas State is (a) very strong gameplan outfit. And so, the talk for us throughout the week really. And then we have a staff meeting always prior to the game is that “hey we're going to see some stuff in the beginning, it's going to be their plan, we're going to have an idea of it, we need to make the adjustments.” And we got to have it drawn up and all of it, settle everybody down and kind of respond. Because I think some of it was for that, right? And then I think some of it was their level of execution and our inability to execute, after the wave. After, “hey, this is what's coming. Hey, this is what it is. Hey, notice how wide he is. Hey, last time it was the same thing.” And so, I think those are things … we've been in this before. And the standard is higher.

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Sqwirl Williams
I felt like we had a great week. We did everything we were supposed to do. Props to Kansas State. They came out with a great gameplan. Chips just fell in their box today. That’s just how things went.

(Learning from this game) There’s a lot to learn from this game. We didn’t play our best game. Moving forward, just throw this game away. Looking forward to TCU and coming back to work on Monday and start preparing for TCU.

(KSU stopping the run) They’re a great team. They’re very physical. They ran off the football. They had a great gameplan as well and it just matched up well against ours. They had success on their side of the ball. And we didn’t have as much success as we wanted to.

(Shock at the outcome) I would say there was some shock. Coming into this game we had a great gameplan. We were really looking forward to coming out on top of this game. They came out and played a little harder than us. Props to them. We’ll learn from it. We’ll come back to work on Monday and get ready for TCU.

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Dillon Doyle
We just didn’t do simple better. It comes down to that. You can throw as many mantras and as many mottos out as you want, we just didn’t do it today. It’s disappointing. Certainly there’s no way to sugar coat it. We just didn’t play good football today, we didn’t play assignment football today.

I mean I’m sure there will be good things to take off the tape. But obviously the result is something we’re not happy with. In times like this, I think it’s important to keep perspective. I mean I just walked into a locker room with a hundred of my best friends. I mean they’re as heartbroken as me and they all love each other. I think just keeping things in perspective that we play football to go through the growth processes to make us better for life, and that’s a big part of being at Baylor. Just knowing those things and knowing we have two weeks to show growth here, and play for each other. I mean I only get to line up behind Apu a couple more times, I guess three. I love him to death. I get to play opposite Blake Shapen three more times, and that’s hard, it definitely makes me emotional to talk about. I mean I love those guys to death, and would rather be on no other team, even tonight.

(KSU early 97-yard drive for TD) Football is certainly a momentum game. We try to go out there and do our best every snap. We try not to feel those ebbs and flows, and we try to go and be where our feet are and be present in every snap and communicate. The key to every snap doesn’t change. The key to playing defensive football is the same thing every time. The guys may change, the personnel may change, but regardless of whatever happens on the field, the guys around you are counting on you to do your job and we just didn’t do it tonight. We’ll watch the tape and get better from it certainly, but we have a lot of growth to go through. I mean 31-3 hurts.

(Will Howard coming in) I mean they were a little bit more of a quarterback scramble game with Adrian Martinez. Everyone knows he’s gifted whether he’s running the ball or throwing the ball. He’s a really dynamic player, Will Howard is too though. I mean he can certainly throw the ball as he showed tonight. The amount of preparation he must have gone through tonight as a backup quarterback going into the game and really going out there and executing, a ton of respect for him. He’s an experienced player. I’m sure that’s not easy for him to do, sitting behind Adrian Martinez like that, just a ton of respect. That whole program really plays hard-nosed football. It’s the kind of football you love to watch. Run the ball and we know what they’re going to do but they’re going to do it anyway. That hurts especially when they do it on you and you can’t stop it. A ton of respect for the physicality they played with, just the edge, all the things we want to do they kind of did tonight. Just hats off to them.

(Not playing complementary football) I don’t think frustrating is the right word to use when we watch the offense go out there because we love them and we’re playing for each other. So I don’t think frustrating is the right word to use. Obviously it stinks when they don’t have the production you would love to see, but it’s like hey we’re going to try to pick you up because we love you. That’s a big thing for us, trying to stay out of the negative space is something we continue to work on. Obviously working on complementary football because it didn’t show up tonight. Hopefully we can kind of turn it around a little bit and stay positive with the right we’re fighting.

(KSU 37 minutes TOP) We’re used to playing tempo teams…90 plays per game so I wouldn’t say it’s that demanding. It makes it actually easier mentally. You have time to communicate and solve some issues. I don’t think that’s necessarily it. It kind of lull you to sleep a little bit. When it comes to the slow pace of play, bringing that edge every snap….when a drive is going…I looked up at the clock and it said 6 minutes or something in the first quarter. It really comes down to doing the basics better. It is a little bit difficult. Football is a lot of between the snaps mentally. How you handle things. Whether that’s emotionally, mentally, physically. All those things. If you mess up it gives you a little bit more time. It is a little more hard to bounce back when they go slow like that.

(Last two games, keep the heartbreak from spiraling) Yeah, the 24 hour rule. It’s big in football. You win a game. It’s 24 hours, you turn it over and it’s on to the next one. You lose a game. You eat it, box it up and move on. This hurt for everybody. Obviously, everybody knows what was on the line tonight. Probably too much. You box it and move on. It’s really hard to do. But it’s the same thing with life. I think it’s a really good skill to learn. You can’t let the past affect the future. Stay grounded in the present and continue to move through your challenges with your values. Those are the things we talk about every day. Person over player. It’s the motto. And that’s what’s important to us. Obviously, you love to lift trophies at the end of the year and those things. But football’s bigger than that. You have to realize that and move through the next two weeks with growth and play with the love we have for each other.

(Last game coming up at McLane Stadium) I had a little bit of those thoughts today. You drive in and it’s the second to last time playing in the stadium you’ve played all your games in. I had a little bit of that today. But really it’s trying to take the emotion out of it next week. You love to play with that raw passion and everything. I think it’s great to use it with positivity, but I think emotion can cloud your head sometimes. I’m not sure next week before the game is the time to be thinking of all the lasts because we’re going to be facing a Top 4 opponent (TCU). When we’re done with all of this, I’ll look back and really appreciate what my time at Baylor means. We have a two-week sprint here with two great teams to play. Really excited to show how hard we can play and how we can grow from this because that’s what’s important.

This one isn't very long. There wasn't a lot to say.




Came in at 8:15

Listen to the podcast here

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
About the only successful part of Baylor’s blackout Saturday night at McLane Stadium was that part of the plan was executed.

As for the game, not so much.

Kansas State backup quarterback Will Howard threw three touchdown passes as the Wildcats knocked Baylor out of the Big 12 title race with a 31-3 victory.

Baylor will not repeat as Big 12 champions.

The Bears (6-4, 4-3) had their three-game winning streak stopped as well as their four-game winning streak against the Wildcats (7-3, 5-2).

Howard entered the game early when starting quarterback Adrian Martinez left with a knee injury. He finished with 193 yards and connected with tight end Ben Sinnott on a pair of touchdowns.

The game started the right way. Baylor got a stop on the Wildcats first possession of the game when Martinez was sacked at the Bears’ 39.

Baylor marched to the Kansas State 17 before Blake Shapen’s pass Josh Cameron deflected and was intercepted by Wildcat safety Kobe Savage. Shapen threw his second interception in the fourth quarter and has committed 10 turnovers in the last six games.

It flipped after that. The Wildcats methodically marched 97 yards in 12 plays and took the lead for good, 7-0, on Howard’s 15-yard strike to Sinnott. It was a pretty good ball because he fit a tight window between three Baylor defenders.

Kansas State extended to 17-0 on Howard’s 20-yard out route to Deuce Vaughn. Baylor’s only tally of the night was John Mayer’s 37-yard field goal to close the first half.

From there, Baylor’s offense had no rhythm and was completely frustrated. Shapen’s struggles continue. He was just 22-38 for 203 yards. A running game that collected 281 at Oklahoma finished with103 for the night.

Vaughn, who went over 1,000 yards for the season, finished with 106 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards.

The Bears play their final home game of the season next Saturday against archrival TCU. It will be senior day.

From Baylor SID

ylor vs. #4/4/4 TCU (Nov. 19 in Waco)
TEAM NOTES
• Baylor is 6-4, 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference and Kansas State is 7-3, 5-2 in the league. • The series is even 10-10 and Baylor owns a 6-5 mark in games played in Waco.
• The Kansas State win snapped a four-game winning streak for Baylor.
• Baylor captains: Connor Galvin, Siaki Ika, Ben Sims, Al Walcott.
• Baylor is 20-13 under third-year head coach Dave Aranda. It is the best 33-game start to a BU coaching career since Gerge Sauer went 21-9-3 from 1950-52.
• The Bears are 3-2 in 2022 at home and 12-4 under Aranda.
• Baylor has 61 takeaways and 38 giveaways in 33 games under Aranda.
• A kickoff at 44 degrees marked the coldest kickoff temperature in McLane Stadium history and the coldest since a 2013 kickoff vs. Texas, which was 24 degrees. This was the third sub-50 degree kickoff in McLane Stadium history.
• A crowd of 47,686 marked the ninth-largest crowd in McLane Stadium history.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Freshman WR Josh Cameron set new career highs in catches (six) and yards (83). • Sophomore WR Monaray Baldwin had a career-high eight catches for 75 yards. • Senior John Mayers connected from 39 yards out to end the first half.
• Mayers has 212 career points, ranking fifth in program history.
• Mayers has made 33 career field goals, ranking sixth in program history.
• Mayers has made 80.5 percent of his field-goal attempts, ranking tops in program history. • Mayers is 7 of 7 in 2022 and is 2 of 2 from 30-39 yards.
• Freshman RB Richard Reese carried it nine times for 54 yards.
• Reese needs 29 yards to tie the Baylor freshman rushing record, held by Shock Linwood (2013).
• Junior OLB Garman Randolph had three tackles and half a sack. • Randolph has 6.5 sacks in his career and 4.5 in 2022.
• Randolph has nine career tackles for a loss and six in 2022.
• Baylor senior OL Connor Galvin made his team-leading 47th-career start and made his team-high 36th-straight start.
• Galvin ranks second in program history in career starts, passing Ivory Wade (2009-12) and sitting one shy of the record held by Spencer Drango (2012-15).
• Senior LB Dillon Doyle had nine tackles, including half a sack and a QB hurry. • Doyle has one tackle for a loss in 2022 and 12 in his career.
• Doyle has 0.5 sacks on the year and 2.5 in his career.
• Doyle has two QB hurries in 2022.
• Junior LB Matt Jones finished with nine tackles, half a sack and half a stop for a loss, adding a QB hurry. • Jones has two QB hurries in 2022 and seven in his career.
• Jones has 2.5 sacks on the year and five in his career.
• Jones has 14 tackles for a loss in his career and four in 2022.
• Senior S Al Walcott had a career-high 11 tackles, with two going for a loss. • Walcott has nine tackles for a loss in 2022 and 11 in his career.
• Junior DL Siaki Ika had three tackles, a tackle for a loss and one QB hurry. • Ika has four QB hurries in 2022 and eight in his career.
• Senior DL TJ Franklin went for three tackles, one pass break-up and one QB hurry. • Franklin has a career-high four QB hurries in 2022 and seven in his career.
• Franklin broke up his third pass of the year.
• Junior RB Craig Williams finished with four carries for 17 yards and three catches for 10 years. • Senior S Christian Morgan broke up his fourth pass of the year and the 15th of his career.
• Senior DL Jaxon Player has one QB hurry on the year.
• Junior DL Gabe Hall has four QB hurries on the year and eight in his career.
• Senior DL Chidi Ogbonnaya played in his 56th career game, ranking third in program history.
• Jacob Gall played in his 56th career game over two institutions, Buffalo and Baylor.

Bears and Cats in what should be a good one.

I'm not able to go. Let me know if you need them. For using only not selling

Keyonte George goes off for 23. He was 8-13 from the field 6-11 from the arc.

Adam Flagler with 19 and Jalen Bridges continues his impressive start with 19.

Bears shoot nearly 40 percent from the arc and 49 percent for the game.

Not a great ball handling game with 15 turnovers. They also allowed Norfolk to shoot 50 percent.

The Bears slowly pulled away but this was nowhere near a rout. They had some problems with the Spartans. It was only 42-34 at the half.

That's why you play these games. You may not look great but you win and can fix as you go.

One more gimme with Northern Colorado on Monday before they travel to Las Vegas.

Notes

• Baylor improved to 4-0 all time against Norfolk State
• The Bears are 3-1 when facing an NCAA Tournament foe the following season
• Scott Drew won his 399th game at Baylor
• 38 three-point attempts tied for the 5thmost in school history (2nd most in the Drew Era) and were the most since BU shot 39 against Alcorn State (11/23/02).
• BU improves to 40-3 in non-conference games over the last three seasons.
• Friday marked the second time in the last three games that BU had two 20-point scorers.
• With 23 points Keyonte George set a new career high for second-straight game.
• 23 points are the most by a freshman since Jared Butler had 31 at Kansas (3/9/19).
• Jalen Bridges set a new Baylor career high with 20 points, two points shy of his career high of 22.
• It is the third time in his career thatBridges scored 20+ points.
• Bridges went 7-for-7 from the free throw line, it is the seventh time in his career he has shot 1.000 from the line in a game (minimum four attempts).
• Adam Flagler scored in double figures in 25 of the last 27 games.
• Flagler has made 4+ three pointers in back-to-back games, and has 4+ made threes in 11 of his last 24 games, after doing so 11 times in his previous 72 games played.
• Flagler is shooting 44% from 3-point range in his last 24 games (66-of-149).

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher

The Topper
>No. 5 Baylor (1-0) will play host to Norfolk State (2-0) at 7:00 p.m. Friday at the Ferrell Center. This is a rematch of the 2022 NCAA tournament first-round game at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth. Baylor, 85-49. The Bears are coming off their 117-53 rout of Mississippi Valley State on Monday to open the season.

>One linebacker option for the 2023 class is recent offer Chase Martin from Thousand Oaks, CA. Rivals doesn’t have a rating for him yet. His early offers were coming from MAC and Mountain West Schools. But he picked up offers from the Bears and Boise State this week.
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>Recruiting Note I: Baylor made a push for 2023 North Crowley LB S’maje Burrell before he committed to Texas late in the spring. Don’t be surprised if the Bears regain some momentum here. That doesn’t mean Baylor will flip him – our Nick Harris had him as a potential flip candidate in a story earlier this week – but the longer Baylor can stay in this, things could change with the Rivals No. 243 prospect.

>Recruiting Note II: Even though he re-opened from Northwestern in mid-October, it does not appear Baylor is making any kind of push for 4-star defensive end Ashton Porter from Cy Ranch. There’s been little to no dialogue between the two sides. Baylor and Porter were in a good place in the spring through the spring football season until Porter went in another direction.

Notable Kansas State visitors
Baylor is promoting a blackout for this game against the Wildcats. But it’s also expected to be a good recruiting opportunity for targets. Subject to change, here is the list of those recruits who told SicEmSports they plan to attend.

2023
Austin Novosad, QB, Dripping Springs (Baylor commit)
Caden Jenkins, DB, Lewisville (Baylor commit)
Taurean York, LB, Temple (Baylor commit)
Brendan Bett, DE, Killeen Ellison (Baylor commit)
Micah Gifford, WR, Pflugerville Weiss (Baylor commit)
Dawson Pendergrass, RB, Mineola (Baylor commit)
Isaiah Robinson, OL, Arlington Lamar (Baylor commit)
DK Kalu, DT, Fort Bend Ridge Point (Baylor commit)
Wes Tucker, OL, Argyles (Baylor commit)
DJ Coleman, DB, Mesquite Horn (Baylor commit)
Corey Kelly, LB, League City Clear Falls (Baylor commit)
Matthew Klopfenstein, TE, Scottsdale (AZ) Horizon (Baylor commit)
Latreveon McCutchin, LB, Austin Johnson (Baylor interest)

Notable: Pretty good turnout by the 2023 commitment class. RB Bryson Washington has a family function so he couldn’t make it. DB Tay’Shawn Wilson said he plans to come to TCU. As for McCutchin, this is going to be the Baylor coaching staff's first time to ever see him. He didn't come to any of the camps. Again, he has no offer. Time will tell how/if the staff will move forward on him.

2024
Mason Dossett, Ath, Fort Bend Ridge Point (Baylor offer)
Brock Jackson, LB, Lumberton (Baylor offer)
Jadon Porter, WR, Lorena (Baylor commit)
D.G. Lagway, QB, Willis (Baylor offer)
Tre Griffiths, WR, Keller (Baylor offer)

Notable: Of course, the two Baylor legacies in Dossett and Lagway are coming. Still not a fan of Baylor’s chances with Lagway. Going to be tough. Rivals FutureCasts have him heading to Florida.

2025
Logan Schram, OL, Boerne (Baylor offer)
Talan Holmes, WR, Haslet V.R. Eaton (Baylor interest)
Harry Stewart, RB, Frisco Centennial (Baylor offer)
Adrian Wilson, WR, Pflugerville Weiss (Baylor offer)
Taz Williams, WR, Red Oak (Baylor Offer) - NEW Friday

TCA-Addison DT (Baylor interest) - NEW Saturday
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Notable: All four of these are multiple visitors to home games. Baylor doing really good work on Schram, someone the staff really liked at the June camps.


Baylor Players talk Kansas State
Quarterback Blake Shapen, WR Josh Cameron, PK Noah Rauschenberg met with the media earlier this week to discuss the matchup with the Wildcats.

Blake Shapen
(How good is it to be home?) It's great. We had a tough couple of weeks going on the road and playing in some big environments and things like that. So, it feels good just to be able to come home and play in another good environment at home. Night game obviously, so it's gonna be fun and it's great that we're back home.

(What do you see from K-State’s defense?) I think their secondary’s pretty good. They got some good corners. I know they got one really long corner, number 23, he’s pretty good. But they run a pretty unique defense, kind of similar to Iowa State. And so, hopefully we'll have some big opportunities in the pass game and in the run game, too.

(On Josh Cameron’s big day) Yeah. No, Josh had a great week of practice leading up to the game. He was fun just to have on the field and see him have a game like that. And that only just boosts confidence in a guy like that. When you're young and you’re starting to get more experience game by game, and to be able to kind of have your breakout game, and that only gives you more confidence under your belt for the future. And so, I'm excited to see what Josh can do for us.

(What do you think about the versatility in the running back room?) Yeah, all of them are great. I mean, you're right. There's a bunch of versatility with each guy. They all have their strengths and they bring kind of everything that you need in a running back to the table. And that only helps us. And so does having the offensive line that we have opening up those holes and things like that is also a plus for us. So, it's been fun watching those guys running around.

(How cool was it to see Sqwirl have that kind of game?) It's awesome. That makes me more happy than anything seeing a guy like that. That's been here for so long. And finally … he's on and off the field and hurt, and seeing him be able to come out and do what he did – rush for what? 290 (yards) or something like that, couple of touchdowns. And just seeing that, it was great to see. He played a great game and I’m so proud of him, too.

(Where do you think you and the offense has grown in terms of confidence over the past couple weeks?) I think that you can talk about playing more complimentary football and things like that. And more of … we're playing as a team more, too. It helps watching our defense get a stop and us getting a turnover, a stop or whatever, and feeding off that. That only makes us go out there and want to score even more. And so, just being able to bounce back off of each other and things like that gives us a lot of confidence. And also, us being able to establish the run game these last couple of weeks. I know y'all see the numbers that we're putting up in that area, and it's pretty impressive. And so, that has a lot to do with it.

(What does it say about this team to be able to get a win in Norman despite not having the best game?) I think that just shows how close we are as a team. We’ve faced so many different obstacles and struggles throughout the season. And we've lost some games that maybe we feel like we should have won. And I think that we've got that feeling, we've had that feeling. And so, that only makes us know that that feeling can happen again and we do our best to not let that happen again. Even if we're not playing our best game, being able to stick together as a unit, as a team. Like I said earlier, playing complimentary football and things like that, you're seeing that more out of us now. And so, that's what's helping us.

(At this point in the season, how do you feel like you’ve evolved; what’s something you’ve learned about yourself?) Yeah, just, I've had to evolve in being more vocal, I guess, and things like that. Just trying to get better as a player every single day. When it's such a long season like this, it's easy to try to be out of the facility as early as you can and things like that and maybe take shortcuts. And for me personally, I'm not the type of person that can do that because I know that's gonna come back and haunt me. If I'm not in and out of the facility late and I'm not watching film, and I'm not putting in all the work that needs to be put in prior to the game, I know that I'm not giving my team the best opportunity to win. And so, that's what I have to do week in and week out and I know a bunch of other guys are doing the same.

(What’s allowed you guys to have a killer instinct to finish key drives at the end of the game?)
I think everything falls behind our offensive line. They’re a bunch of veteran guys that kind of (have) been through it. They're mature and they understand kind of just what it takes to get the job done. And so, I think us being able to follow their lead and let them lead the way is a huge key in that happening.

(Do you like the confidence Aranda has to go for it deep in your own territory?) Yeah, he’s great. No, it's awesome. And for us, we just got to keep converting for that to keep happening. So, no it's awesome to see your head coach have confidence in the unit like that and be able to understand that we're gonna go out there and execute.

(Is it to the point now where you expect it?) Yeah. I understand when we're going to go for it and things like that. So, yeah. I’m not really surprised.

Also, I just want to say, we need to have as many fans as we can get out to the game. It's going to be a night game, it’s going to be a big game. And we need everyone there. We're on a roll and we got to keep it going. So, I'm excited to see everybody at the game.


Josh Cameron
(Coming off two road wins, confidence level) I’d say it’s really high, to be honest. Even in practice today, the energy level was probably the highest it’s been, like ever, this whole season, to be honest. Everybody was coming together, flying around, all that stuff. So, I’d say we’re really confident right now, for sure.

(Having a game like that on Saturday) It’s cool, I guess, but I just love working, to be honest. Really, just getting the opportunity to go out there and do my thing. I’ve got to give credit to really the other guys. Like, the O-line, if they weren’t on their stuff, then Blake wouldn’t have time to get me the ball and all that stuff. So, I just have to give credit to them. I’d say it definitely feels good, but shoot, we’re on to the next game now.

(Seemed like Blake had a lot of confidence in you) I think that’s just a trust thing, to be honest. Like, that’s my boy, on and off the field. That’s the main thing is just the trust, for sure.

(Having so many backs that can contribute) It's awesome, to be honest. You’ve got Sqwirl, speed, really power, too, because once he gets downhill, you’ve got to watch out for that, too. But then you have Qualan, also the big power back. Then, you’ve got my boy, Reese, for sure. Just the variety, I think it’s just really hard for teams to kind of game plan that, because let’s say Sqwirl gets hurt or something, and then Reese steps in. And it’s like, ‘Oh, who’s this guy?’ It’s a completely different game plan now, it’s a lot of variety, for sure.

(Different receiver each week, how do you stay patient to wait for your turn) I’d say one thing Coach Baker has done a good job is really keeping the room together and not really focusing on individual accolades and stuff like that. He’s always like, wait for your time, your time is going to come. Or, whenever your time comes, be ready. So, he always just prepares us for that. It just so happens that the last game was my time. And he had me ready for it, for sure.

(Each time you’ve had a one-possession lead and the ball in the fourth quarter, you guys have either scored or bled the clock. Where does that killer instinct come from to close out the game)
That’s truly just the work we put into practice. One thing we always talk about is strain to finish. That’s finishing blocks, through the whistle, in and out of plays, getting out of the huddle quick, just really strain to finish in practice. And then, when it gets to the game, it’s just second nature at that point. So, it’s just easy.

(What do you see from K-State’s defense, Blake said they have some good corners) They have some pretty long corners, that’s something we’re going to be looking out for. And then another thing is they like to fill the run pretty hard. So, really just meeting that contact and just really exploiting that.

(Was that an adjustment coming to college and going for it on 4th-and-1 from your own 30) That’s actually really funny, because when I was at Cedar Park, we actually rarely punted the ball. It was the exact same way, probably even worse there in terms of going for it. We’d go for 4th-and-1, probably at the 10-yard line. We just had that kind of confidence. So, I’m really used to it, to be honest.

(Coach Aranda talked about how some of the younger guys had to adjust to him, when he’s talking in metaphors, maybe he has to be a little more direct)
We have this young guy meeting group, and it was actually a moment where he was speaking in metaphors, and I pretty much picked up on it. But I looked around, and everyone was like, ‘Uhhh’ (confused looks). So, he just reiterated it and made it a little bit more clear, but I think that’s just the young guy thing. And once you get around him more, you kind of get used to what he’s saying, and then you just start picking up on the things he’s saying.

Noah Rauschenberg
(K-State) Every time we’ve played them, they’ve always been a really physical team, always tough. They’re always well coached, and they handle their business and do everything right. So it’s going to be a tough opponent. We’ve just got to execute and do our thing, and hopefully we can come out on top.

(Phillip Brooks) He’s just an elite player. He’s very agile, great speed, and he just has an instinct that a lot of other guys really don’t have. He knows when to cut, how to cut, and just finds open space to get good yardage whenever he can.

(Touchbacks) It was tough to start the season. We were using different balls. I was using Keebeen balls to hit kickoffs, and we figured out if I was able to use my own ball that I like produces a better kickoff. After the OSU game, I got to choose my own ball and I’ve had better production with that, so I’m happy with how it’s performed out there.

(What makes Mayers a good kicker) He consistently hits a good ball, and it goes in. That’s all you can ask for as a kicker is to make three points. That’s all you really need. It’s a great testament to his willpower, especially what happened last year and losing the job, and fighting back and winning it back this year, just all the respect to him.

(Back to McLane) We always love playing at McLane. We want our fans to come out strong. We know it’s a night game. It’s the first night game in a couple of years for us here. It’s going to be fun just watching all the excitement, all the buzz. So it’s going to be a huge atmosphere and we expect a lot, and we hope they can make a difference in this game.


SicEmSports Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports unveils its looks at the league who in its view deserves to be ranked where. Agree or disagree, here’s how they look.
1. TCU – Now, No. 4 in the CFP poll
2. Baylor – Running game starting to dominate
3. Kansas State – Adrian Martinez late fumble vs. Texas stings
4. Texas — When Bijan Robinson is right….
5. Kansas – Going bowling for the first time since Bush 43
6. Oklahoma State – This is looking like a collapse
7. Oklahoma – This defense is so bad
8. Texas Tech – Have to beat Kansas to be in the bowl hunt
9. Iowa State – QB Hunter Dekkers isn’t that bad
10. West Virginia – Neal Brown watch continues

Big 12 Weekend
A look at the Big 12 schedule for the upcoming weekend. All games are Saturday unless otherwise listed. Rankings are from the coaches and AP polls. All times are central. TV is listed. All 10 teams are in action.

Oklahoma (5-4, 2-4) at West Virginia (3-6, 1-5); 11:00 a.m. Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV (FS1).
Series: Oklahoma leads, 11-2
Notable: Sooners need one more win to become bowl eligible. If the Mountaineers officially become ineligible for the postseason, would they make the move with Neal Brown.

Iowa State (4-5, 1-5) at Oklahoma State (6-3, 3-3); 2:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (ESPNU)
Series: Oklahoma State leads, 33-20-3
Notable: It’s unknown if QB Spencer Sanders will return to play for the Cowboys this week. Cyclones need to win two of the final three to become bowl eligible.

No. 13 Kansas State (6-3, 4-2) at Baylor (6-3, 4-2); 6:00 p.m., McLane Stadium, Waco (FS1)
Series: Baylor leads, 10-9
Notable: Two of the top turnover teams in the Big 12 in turnover ratio. KSU +9, Baylor +3.

Kansas (6-3, 3-3) at Texas Tech (4-5, 2-4); 6:00 p.m., AT&T Jones Stadium, Lubbock (ESPN+)
Series: Texas Tech leads, 21-2
Notable: Now, that bowl eligibility is secured, Kansas is looking for its first winning season since 2008. Red Raiders are 4-1 at home and 0-4 on the road.

No. 4 TCU (9-0, 6-0) at No. 18 Texas (6-3, 4-2); 6:30 p.m., Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (ABC)
Series: Texas leads, 64-27-1
Notable: ESPN College GameDay will be in Austin. This is the national night game. Texas needs this to stay in the race. TCU can pretty much wrap up a berth in the Big 12 title game with a win.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher

No. 13 Kansas State (6-3, 4-2) at Baylor (6-3, 4-2)
Site: McLane Stadium, Waco
Time/Day: 6:00 p.m. Saturday
TV/Radio: FS1/ESPN Central Texas
Betting Line: Baylor -2.5
Series: Baylor leads, 10-9

Creating a homefield advantage is one thing. Creating a reputation that your building is a house of horrors is another.

It seems like it’s been forever since the Bears have played a game at McLane Stadium. That’s because it has been. Since the Oklahoma State game on Oct. 1, Baylor has played only once there, Oct. 22 against Kansas.

Other than that, a bye and three other road games greeted the Bears. But since they have navigated through that and are in the middle of the Big 12 title game chase, coming back to the friendly confines is at the perfect time.

Starting with Kansas State on Saturday night, the Bears are practically in elimination game after elimination game to determine if they remain a contender or not. Against the No. 13 Wildcats, they will know by late that evening if next Saturday against TCU is a rivalry game with a little extra or just a rivalry game.

“I just want to say, we need to have as many fans as we can get out to the game,’’ quarterback Blake Shapen said. ”It's going to be a night game, it’s going to be a big game. And we need everyone there. We're on a roll and we got to keep it going. So, I'm excited to see everybody at the game.”

Well, Saturday’s game is both a blackout and a sellout. Fans heeded Shapen’s message. Baylor has also won 10 out of its last 11 homes so McLane is becoming a difficult venue for opposing teams.

The Bears have also owned Kansas State’s number in the series overall. Baylor has won the last four including come-from-behind late field goal home victories in 2018 and 2020.

“I think to keep the focus on what’s right in front of us and what we have to do today and to make this meeting we’re about to have be the best, and the walk-through we’re about to have to be the best and this practice we’re about to have to be the best and keep it there is what we’ve been doing these past couple weeks,’’ Baylor head coach Dave Aranda said. ”So, we’re hoping to continue doing that.”


Here are some key elements to look for
>If he’s ready to return from the flu, running back Richard Reese should be able to balance out Baylor’s running attack a little more with Sqwirl Williams and Qualan Jones. But sometimes a rushing game does lend itself to riding the hot hand.

>While much is made about Baylor on fourth down, the Bears are actually converting third down at nearly 46 percent. That’s very good. Meanwhile the Wildcats are last on that down at 33 percent.

>It’s been spotty play for Shapen over the last month. There are possessions where he looks poised and attacking the field. There are possessions where he’s none of that. He must develop some consistency.

>If Adrian Martinez struggles for whatever reason for Kansas State, head coach Chris Klieman would have no problem replacing him with Will Howard who has been pretty reliable this season. He’ thrown for nearly 60 yards in 2.5 games.

Notable
Baylor is tied with Kansas for the fewest punts in the Big 12 with 26.

Keys to the game
Muscle up – Baylor’s rushing attack has been exceptional over the last four games. It has to continue against a Kansas State defense that has been solid but susceptible to giving up the big game.

Shape(n) Up – There just needs to be better play from him out of this position. He’s committed eight turnovers in the last five games. That’s played a role in Baylor getting buried in the Big 12 standings before climbing out.

Win the turnover battle – You can’t count on another 3+ turnover performance like the Bears have generated between Texas Tech and Oklahoma. It wouldn’t hurt, of course. Baylor just has to find a way to win it.

Don’t let Deuce loose – K-State running back Deuce Vaughn is one of the best in the country and an all-timer in that program’s history. If the Bears can keep him around 60 yards rushing and maybe 20 receiving, they can win this game.

Prediction
The energy for this game Saturday night should be a lot of fun. Baylor is excited to be home. Big 12 do-or-die scenario adds to the energy. I think this will be close. I have no doubt the Wildcats will hit some big plays from Martinez and Vaughn. But I think Baylor’s running game will have some success as long as it doesn’t allow All-Big 12 defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah from taking over. Do that, and the Bears should stay alive for Dec. 3.

Baylor 33, Kansas State 26

Baylor had a few of these guys in the game last year.

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Billy and 1947 likely have the details

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We start out talking about the Oklahoma game, then the upcoming Kansas State game. After that, we hit on the new basketball season. We close out with some picks and speculation about the Big 12 race.



Came in at 24:47

Listen to the podcast here

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor and Kansas State meet in what could be an elimination game for the Big 12 title game Saturday night at McLane Stadium (6:00 p.m., FS1).

Both are coming off interesting games last week. Trailing for only five-plus minutes for the entire game, the Bears hung on to win at Oklahoma, 38-35. Meanwhile, the Wildcats nearly made their comeback against Texas complete. They rallied from a 31-10 halftime deficit to close to within 34-27, had the ball late in the game, drove into Texas territory but committed a fumble and lost.

These teams come in with the same record (6-3, 4-2).

The Wildcats are looking to break a four-game losing streak in this series. Baylor won in Manhattan, KS in 2021, 20-10, when it lost Gerry Bohanon to a hamstring injury and led to the debut of Blake Shapen, who wound up finishing the season.

A look at the Wildcats including a Q&A with Mason Voth of our Kansas State Rivals affiliate, EMAWonline.


Opponent: Kansas State Wildcats
Head Coach: Chris Klieman (26-19 4th season at KSU, 98-32 10 seasons overall)
2022 Record: 6-3, 4-2
Record vs. Baylor: Baylor leads, 10-9
Returning Starters: 6 offense, 7 defense
Key Returners: RB Deuce Vaughn, WR Phillip Brooks, OL Cooper Beebe, DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, NG Eli Huggins, DB Julius Bents, LB Daniel Green
Common Denominator: In the Wildcats’ last two visits to Waco, Baylor has kicked the game-winning FG as time expired or with few seconds to play to win.
Offensive Formation: One-back
Defensive Formation: 3-3-5

About Kansas State on Offense: The return of Adrian Martinez to the lineup is a big deal to this lineup because of his ability to run. While he’s thrown for 1,236 yards and 6TD (63%, 1 INT), he’s rushed for 617 and a team-leading 10 scores. But backup Will Howard (521 yards, 6TD) is more than capable. Deuce Vaughn (975, 5.9, 5 TD) should surpass 1,000 yards Saturday. He’s also a really big threat catching the football. This offense took a while to get going. It was very pedestrian in non-conference and got into a better rhythm since Big 12 play began. Very balanced as it nearly 50-50 run to pass. Wildcat QBs have thrown the fewest TD passes in the conference (12). Malik Knowles is the big receiving target (540, 15.4) followed by Phillip Brooks (402, 14.9). This offense is last in third down conversions, 33.6.

About Kansas State on Defense: KSU is third in the Big 12 in total defense at 367.2 yards per game. They’re getting a huge season from All-Big 12 DE and future NFL first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who leads the conference with 7.5 sacks. KSU leads the Big 12 in sacks (23) and leads in turnover ratio (+9). Linebacker Austin Moore leads them in tackles at 61.5 followed by safety Kobe Savage with 55. Because of the 3-3-5 formation, there is more of a sideline-to-sideline approach so plays can’t get to the perimeter. However, they were cut up by Texas running back Bijan Robinson who went for 209 against them last week. This should be an interesting subplot for this game. Baylor converts fourth down at 70 percent (21-30). Kansas State defense is the stingiest on that down at 33 percent (7-21).

About Kansas State on Special Teams: PK Chris Tennant has been OK but nothing great this year. He’s missed two PATs. While he is 9-14 on field goal attempts, he’s 4-9 from 30 yards and beyond including 0-3 from 40-49. Ty Zentner is having a good punting season at better than 43 yards per boot along with 18 landing inside the opponent’s 20 and 13 traveling 50+. Wildcat punt returners have only had eight total returns. Brooks has seven but he is a threat averaging 20 a return including a 76-yarder that went for a score against Missouri. Knowles is the primary kickoff return artist.

Bottom Line: Obviously, this should be a great matchup Saturday night. Kansas State’s defensive line may have a lot to say about how this game goes in terms of it limiting the effectiveness of the BU rushing attack and the pressure it applies to Blake Shapen. However, Martinez is going to have to demonstrate he’s a willing passer.


Q&A with Mason Voth

This is pretty much a Big 12 title appearance elimination game. How do you sense this team has responded following the loss to Texas?
I think the team has responded well, they were obviously disappointed with how the game played out against Texas but also realize that the two conference losses they have had shouldn't send alarm bells. I also think they are incredibly motivated to prove that at full strength they are still the second-best team in the conference. They feel slighted that Julius Brents got kicked out on the fourth play of the game on a tough targeting call and the defense took some time to fully bounce back from the shell shock.

It appears Adrian Martinez is back. What do you think his legs mean to this offense and how Baylor must defend it?
Adrian Martinez's legs have been huge all season, it carried them to wins against Oklahoma and Texas Tech, but it also has been key in escaping would-be sacks against Iowa State and Texas and being able to keep plays alive and give the Wildcats a chance to keep moving the ball. It also helps that he had the best passing game of his short K-State career against Texas and third most yards in a single game in his entire career. If Martinez throws the ball like he did against Texas, K-State's ceiling is higher than it even looked at the middle point of the season.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah has had a monster season. What have you seen from him?
He has been impressive this year, because most teams have thrown doubles at him and he gets held constantly without many holding calls actually getting thrown his way. He has still found ways to get to the quarterback and help free things up on the other side of the line for a guy like Brendan Mott. He also never gives up on a play, whether that is trying to finish a play behind the line or running upfield to track a guy down from behind, he is an absolute menace. It is also fitting that his roommate is Deuce Vaughn, K-State's two most talented players are best friends and live together.

This is going to be a battle of two really good rushing offenses. What do you think KSU must do to be successful?
I think the K-State defense needs to prove that they can shut down a talented running back. They weren't able to do it to Kendre Miller and that is ultimately what did them in against TCU (plus their third string quarterback) and then Bijan Robinson went wild on them for 209 yards. So now Richard Reese is a part of that top tier in the conference with Vaughn, Robinson and Miller. K-State's defensive line is really important for them, but they also need the linebackers to show up in Waco. That was probably the quietest group last week and it doesn't seem like anyone ever mentioned their name when making a play.

Offensively, K-State's offensive line is great blocking for the run and having the newfound passing game is going to make the Wildcats dangerous. They have been good on offense the last few weeks, but I think this could be one of the more fun weeks of playcalling that Collin Klein has now that the entire playbook might be open.

Kansas State has lost the last four in this series and the last two in Waco on last-second FGs. Has that even been discussed and if the Wildcats win, what will it come down to in your opinion?
I actually wrote about the close finishes and blown fourth quarter leads in Waco on Wednesday. I think what it will come down to for K-State is just avoiding a lull in their scoring and extending a drive at key moments in the game. Even in this season with the success, they have frequently struggled to be consistent on offense. They can start a game hot, and then have a string of quick possessions that take very little time off the clock, which is what got them in trouble in 2020. Baylor scored the touchdown with four minutes left to go down by two, and K-State went three and out on their next drive. It's a football cliche, but when it is what has killed you year after year, playing a full 60 minutes becomes paramount.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor picked up a well-earned 38-35 victory on Saturday at Oklahoma. The Bears control their Big 12 title game appearance hopes as they won their third straight game.

Dave Aranda’s program now sits at 6-3 and 4-2 as it prepares to play Kansas State at 6:00 p.m. Saturday night (FS1) at McLane Stadium. The Bears have won the last four meetings against the Wildcats. Call this an elimination game.

So what was trending from a buying and selling mode from Oklahoma? SicEmSports continues its new segment that began with the conference opener against Iowa State and runs through the rest of the season.

Buying: Offensive line
A few weeks ago, this group landed in the selling category. But since West Virginia, this has been the group that has performed at 2021 levels. Regardless of Oklahoma’s rushing defense issues, the Bears played to that strength for 281 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. The return of Khalil Keith helps. But this surge started to come before he permanently was inserted against Texas Tech. Baylor is fourth in the Big 12 in rushing offense (210.3) but that number has been climbing since West Virginia.

Selling: Passing game
This has become erratic over the last several weeks. Wind notwithstanding, Blake Shapen was marginal against Kansas, then was good at Texas Tech followed by last week’s clunker against the Sooners. If you watched the game and listened to analyst Ryan Leaf (a former college/NFL QB), he was right about Shapen’s mechanics being out of sync. On a couple of occasions, Shapen’s footwork was poor. That needs to be corrected. That might be part of the reason why Shapen has thrown five interceptions in the last five games.

Buying: TOP
Sometimes, time of possession can be misleading because of how other things happen in a game. However, if your running game is really good and you win, it goes together. Not only have the Bears won this category during the three-game winning streak they have dominated it. They possessed it for 40 minutes against Kansas, 40 minutes against Texas Tech and nearly 34 minutes at Oklahoma. And it's a little more impressive because they haven’t been clean holding the football.

Selling: Third down
Actually, Baylor has been really good in this category for the season converting at 45 percent. The Bears just had a problem at 4-for-13 against Oklahoma. But then you can look at it like this: the Bears were 7-16 in gotta-have-it situations because in three of those failed conversions, they converted on fourth down.

Buying: Turnover margin
As critical as I have been about the defense, the ball hawking is back. This team has collected eight interceptions in the last two games. Before Texas Tech, the turnover ratio was -3. After Oklahoma, it’s +3. That’s called flipping the script. The impressive part what they did to Gabriel is that he came into that game having thrown just one interception for the season. His season total is now four. Keep doing that and Dec. 3 has a chance.

PFF OL Grades
Thanks to Rivals’ relationship with Pro Football Focus, each week we’ll share with you how Baylor’s offensive line graded from the previous week. This one comes following Oklahoma. We’ll break it down from run blocking, pass blocking and overall in that order.
Grant Miller: 75 snaps, 65.0 run, 80.7 pass = 67.5 overall
Jacob Gall: 75 snaps, 72.7 run, 84.4 pass = 78.6 overall
Khalil Keith: 70 snaps, 61.3 run, 76.0 pass = 66.0 overall
Gavin Byers: 5 snaps, 59.7 run, 72.3 pass = 61.1 overall
Micah Mazzccua: 75, snaps, 55.8 run, 49.7 pass = 52.9 overall
Connor Galvin: 75 snaps, 72.4 run, 79.1 pass = 76.8 overall

I'll have the Kansas State visitor's list in the Blitz. Still awaiting responses. But it's building. Should be a good group coming. Not bad considering that Texas-TCU and Texas Tech are playing in the same timeslot.

WACO, Texas – Baylor women’s basketball inked Letycia Vasconcelos to a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, head coach Nicki Collen announced.

Vasconcelos is a 6-foot-7 post player out of Brazil and currently attends Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. She is ranked No. 6 in her position and No. 36 overall in the 2023 class by ESPN HoopGurlz.

A three-time member of the Brazilian national team, Vasconcelos won a South American Championship in 2020 with Brazil and a Geico National Championship with Montverde Academy in April.

“We are so excited to welcome Letycia and her family to the Baylor family,” Collen said. “Lety will provide us obvious rim protection on the defensive end, however, her ability to run, catch and finish is equally important as we continue to shape our roster. She has good touch and feel around the basket and can consistently knock down the perimeter jumper.

“Off the court, she is a fantastic student with an engaging personality who will fit into the culture we are continuing to build. Lety has been a priority for our staff since we arrived at Baylor, and I want to thank Tari Cummings for doing a great job leading our efforts to make her a Bear!”

Playoffs begin this week. A few seasons ended that were not injury related.

Performance Chart

Youir VOTE today counts, not only for yourself but for all of us. VOTE for those Candidates that fit your VALUES, and your HOPES for not only the future of yourself but for all of us as well.
I believe that the Values of all the Bloggers here on are closely similar. Our Freedoms, protection, future and our welfare and CHRISTIANITY ARE PARAMOUNT.
JUST VOTE YOUR CONSCIOUS. Thank You.....

It runs through next Wednesday Nov. 16. Bears are expecting these two. We’ll let know when they are announced.

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If Billy watched it he can tell you what happened.

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