Nicci Collen has signed her first 2025 Basketball player in 6-0, 4 Star G, Marcayla Johnson out of Oklahoma.
Marcayla is a two time AAU Champion Team player, and is rated #21 in the Nation for 2025 by HoopGurlz
Magazine. She chose Baylor over numerous offers from the Major Colleges...
Sic 'em Nicci, Bears, get the best, be the best and win 'em all.....................

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Each week, Big 12 coaches have their weekly meetings with the media at their press conferences during the college football season. Baylor head coach Dave Aranda’s comments have already been posted. Rankings are from the AP Poll. Here are some highlights elsewhere in the league. Quotes and notes are taken from those pressers if not specified elsewhere. All games are Saturday unless otherwise noted.

Joey McGuire, Texas Tech (4-3, 2-2) - The Red Raiders play host to Baylor: Obviously, a lot of emotions as McGuire faces his old program Saturday night. "There's going to be nerves before the game," he said. "I'm going to get to see a lot of buddies. I was part of recruiting about 95% of that roster, so I know those guys really well and care a lot about them, but it's a football game in the Big 12 that we need to go win."

"There's probably 10-plus people in this building that were at Baylor, that worked there last year," he said. "I told the players, 'You need to call us out if you think it is about (the former Baylor staffers). If it's anything else, we're going to put something that doesn't mean a whole lot in front of a team win."

Lance Leipold, Kansas (5-3, 2-3) – The Jayhawks have a bye: Leipold talked about the bye following the 35-23 loss to Baylor. “I don't know where so I'm making it up. But I would say it's one of the later open weeks in our country, I would say you know, so, but at the same time, you know, we have a conference game we too, would rather have it going up and then we have to auditions, if that was always offered as an option, but I definitely would. But, it’s not an off week. We’ve got a lot of work to do in a lot of different areas and things that we talk about and have to get better at.’’ Leipold said QB Jalon Daniels continues to make progress recovering from his shoulder injury.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3) – The Sooners are at Iowa State: Through the Tulsa World, here are some of the details of Venables contract. Venables's salary breaks out to a $325,000 base, $6.075 million in "personal services" and a $600,000 payment toward his retirement fund. He will earn a $100,000 raise each Feb. 1.
Should Venables ever leave Oklahoma, he would owe $7 million through Jan. 31, 2023, $5 million through Jan. 31, 2024, $3 million through Jan. 31 of the following year, and then in amounts dropping $1 million per year, ending at $1 million through Jan. 31, 2027. The contract expires on Jan. 31, 2028.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-1) – The No. 9 Cowboys are at Kansas State: Gundy talked about the state of coaching at this level. "Coaching, in my opinion, at this level is more challenging now and more important than it ever has been in dealing with personalities, coaches. 'How much money am I making? How long is my contract?' NIL, 'Why am I not playing? My parents said I need to go in the portal? How come I don't have more NIL money? It's a big challenge now. It's almost like being a general manager of an NFL team, would be my guess, because you're managing a lot of things and not a lot of football. That's what's different nowadays, in my opinion. Just from an outside looking in, I see inconsistencies and inexperience and things that can contribute to havoc based on all the different moving parts if you can't try to keep them all together at once. That's just my opinion.

"This stuff out here [on the field] is the easy stuff."

Neal Brown, West Virginia (3-4, 1-3) – The Mountaineers play host to TCU: There appeared to be some give up during West Virginia’s 48-10 loss at Texas Tech. "I can’t sit up here and say yay or nay, so I'll watch it,’’ Brown said. “I told them the same I'll tell you: Their asses will be held accountable to it, because there are a lot of things that we can tolerate. Not playing hard is not one of them. If people didn't play hard, their asses won't play next week, I can promise you that."

Chris Klieman, Kansas State (5-2, 3-1) – The Wildcats play host Oklahoma State: QB Adrian Martinez’s status for Saturday is up in the air. Meanwhile RB Deuce Vaughn has to be handled carefully during the week. Injuries are mounting. Yeah, I mean, it's part of it. I mean, sure. It's part of it's okay. I mean, that's why you got 85 . We got other guys who can come up and play we'll be okay. We're not gonna make excuses on who's playing injuries or not. We're gonna get them ready and we got a tough one against Oklahoma State. We'll be ready."

Matt Campbell, Iowa State (3-4, 0-4) – The Cyclones play host to Oklahoma: ISU may go more tempo with its offense. “I think we’ve got to continue to find the things that give our offense and our team the opportunities to have success. Obviously, we felt in this gameplan that it was certainly something that would give us some advantages. At times, it really did. All great things, that we’ll only continue to grow with. A lot of young pups playing on that offensive side. I think you saw a group that took a step forward, and we’ll need to continue to get better this week.”

Sonny Dykes, TCU (7-0, 4-0) – The No. 7 Horned Frogs play at West Virginia: While they are the sole leaders of the Big 12, Dykes likes what he isn’t hearing from his players. "I've kind of been waiting to start hearing some talk about ... conference standings or bowl games or rankings, and I just haven't heard it ever with this group," Dykes said. "I mean, never once. And that sounds absurd. I think the guys just have adopted that mentality of, 'Hey, let's just show up on Tuesday and have a good Tuesday practice.' I think these guys kind of buy into the whole thing."

Steve Sarkisian, Texas (5-3, 3-2) – The Longhorns have a bye: Sark made the big mistake of not staying for The Eyes of Texas following Saturday’s 41-34 loss at Oklahoma State. “I owe an apology to Longhorn Nation. I made a mistake at the end of the game in not singing the Eyes of Texas when the game was done. It was not anything intentional.
“It was not anything that had to do with our players. I think our players just followed me up the ramp into the locker room. Obviously upset by the way the game ended and literally walked off the field. So, I apologize to everybody for that. That will never happen again. But again, it was not intentional. It was not premeditated by any means. That was just a mistake on my part. It had nothing to do with the players. They just followed my lead on that. That won’t happen again.”

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The transcript to come later. But some injury updates:

*RB Sqwirl Williams (concussion) working out with the team. There's hope he will be ready for Tech. We'll just have to see what happens for the remainder of the week.

*RB Taye McWilliams (concussion) still out. When Stephen asked if they were considering a redshirt for him, Aranda said they were not at that point.

*WR Monaray Baldwin's injury status for Tech probably won't be known until the end of the week. Perhaps a game-time decision. Think it was a deal on the sideline in the fourth quarter where Ben Sims accidentally rolled into him.

*****
Dave Aranda

Opening Statement
Just going through the film, a lot of good things, some things to improve on. I thought in the first half and third quarter in particular, you have our team. You saw what we could become and maybe what we’ve been, and it’s our choice. It’s a choice we have to make, and I think it starts like today, attending class, taking notes, and being on time for your learning specialist. All of those things are hard choices you can make consistently, and put you in position for easier things down the road. The easier your choices are, I think put you in position for harder things. That has been a consistent talking point, and I think it’s been one that has taken a while to take hold, so we’re still fighting that fight. We’re going to have to mature in that sense, so we can be that first half team because we’ve got a lot of football to play.
Excited for this first game. I know the environment in Lubbock will be a good one. A lot of familiar people there, and you watch the film, they play hard and aggressive, and it’s impressive to watch. They’re a good football team, so our best is going to be required to get out of there with the win. So excited for the week ahead.

(Emotions playing against Joe McGuire’s team) Well, I have a lot of respect for Joey and a lot of guys on the staff. I mean this wholeheartedly, I want them to win, I want them to have success, just not versus us. I want them to be successful, I know the type of people they are, and what it means to all of them and everything. So you want them to have their own success, but not this Saturday.

(Keys to winning) I think for us it’s going be starting fast, and when we do start fast, not having a third quarter, so to speak. So we continue to pound the rock and continue to work on the things that are right in front of us, so we’re in a position to finish strong. I think that complete game has been way elusive to us, and I think that’s probably going to be the most difficult thing of all.

(Baylor not winning in Lubbock since 1990, struggles in road games) I think part of the fight for us is to not really look at it that way, label it that way. I think some of the things that were for sure a struggle, and for sure a lapse, and for sure an underachievement in this past game in the third quarter were really kind of the same things that hurt us at West Virginia. One was home and one was away. I don’t think the home and away really has anything to do with it. I think it’s things within the team that I’m going to invite hard things, so that I’m callused to any circumstances that I’m in. My standards will override any of that. I think we’re still working to get to that point.

(How have technology advances changed) It’s funny because you kind of go back, for me it’s a little bit of full circle. Earlier in the year, we might have been relying on it too much. This is how fast you’re running, they can tell you how far, how hard, measured and divided by time, that would be the load, you get an idea of that. Then it could tell you if you’re under three miles per hour, this can be equated with walking. If walking is going on, this is who’s doing the walking, what period of practice, what part of the game, all of that is there. The first part of the year, I was probably maybe going off the numbers too much, and it’s because I wasn’t really feeling energy at practice. This would be the old school things that prior to having numbers, you could feel it. There are dudes who come to practice, and they’ll have a sense of like is this team in it, are they not in it, what’s the feel of it. Numbers sometimes while they’re good, I think they’re an aid to that feeling. I don’t think they replace the feeling, the read of it. So these last three weeks, and the fourth week now, I think the feeling has been there, and you have the numbers to kind of be there side by side, and I think that’s a positive thing.

(Atmosphere in Lubbock) They have passionate fans. It gets to be loud. I remember when I was there, the frozen tortillas. It’s a fun place to play. You get into college athletics to be in environments where it means something to people and you’re playing for something, something’s at stake, and it all matters. I think that’s going to be the case Saturday night.

(On the OL becoming what you thought they would be) I think we’re working to get there. Prior to the past couple weeks, there were still some guys maybe still living in the aftermath of the year before. And maybe there were some guys that were fighting the growth that needed to occur. Or maybe there were some younger guys that were just trying to figure it all out. And I think all three of those things, at different stages of the earlier part of the year, have all kind of taken center stage. I give Eric (Mateos) and Jeff (Grimes) and all of them a lot of credit, and then the O-line, too, because it’s hard to look in the mirror. It’s so much easier to look out and not kind of be critical with yourself but be, ‘It’s this guy’s problem,’ or ‘if only this call was played,’ any of that. We never really got to any of that. It was more, ‘I see it,’ and they’ve been fixing it. And it’s good to see. So, the more falling forward this past game, aided by O-linemen, O-linemen pushing running backs. And really, put a couple games together. In this last one, we kind of beat multiple, multiple games of falling forward, and the O-linemen had a lot to do with that.

(Do you take it personally when a player enters the transfer portal) No. So far in our experience here, the guys that have gone into the transfer portal, that thought has entered your mind way prior to the season starting. And you could kind of sense it. And we’re working really hard to kind of wrap our arms around them and show them, you might be thinking this way, how about we think this other way? Why don’t we embrace this? It’s not to say that any of it was necessarily, there’s no, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ or any of that. You just knew that it took an all-encompassing view and a real kind of commitment from everyone to really work to get this dude to feel loved and feel seen and feel like he belongs. And I think it’s a good thing because guys want to feel that. And if the school where they are is not giving them that feeling, that they should go somewhere where they do get that. All we can do in that circumstance is see reality for what it is and treat them with respect and really make ourselves available to them. And then, if it doesn’t work out, try to help them so that they can be somewhere where it does work out.

(Status on Sqwirl, Monaray and Taye) Taye is still a week or possibly more out. And then I think Monaray, the feedback we’re getting right now, is we won’t really know till the end of the week, possibly Thursday. So, he won’t really be doing much until then. And then, Craig Williams is on his way coming back to us, so he’ll work out today. So, granted that all that goes good, there’s a good chance we’ll have in for Saturday.

(Would you consider redshirting Taye) That could be something that comes up. We haven’t really got to that discussion yet, though, with him.

(When a power back like that gets knocked out, are you concerned about his mentality when he comes back) I think anyone that goes through any form of injury, I think you’re really talking about two types of athletes: those that have never been injured and those that have. And they’re very different. The ones that have been injured realize what it’s like to be all alone. Like, the world still goes on and I’m not involved. Why is everyone still going about their things? And they don’t see me over here hurting and getting rehab by myself and everyone’s playing games and I’m not. I think there’s a whole mental side of that. It’s such a strong thing. And I think for coaches to be side by side with all that is way important. And then, I think when you add concussions and getting hit in the head, it adds a bunch of layers to it. So, I think taking appropriate care for them on their recovery, one. But two, then answering the questions that come up of, ‘Am I ready for this again? Am I feeling confident in my abilities? Am I feeling confident in my health?’ All those things I think really have to take some time to be addressed so that you’re coming back better and stronger than before. So, the quality of that care is most important.

(On Blake scrambling) Appreciate that. Yeah, I think there has been some learning and growing, I think, just with Blake just out of the pocket. And I think it's still continuing now. Absolutely. And so, I think from, really, going all the way back, here's a former shortstop, here's good agility, good speed, right? Good athleticism, good instincts and everything. And then I think, somewhere in there, where just being in the pocket and just wanting to be right, I'm sure, and wanting to probably be perfect, to be honest. I think all of that has kind of held up some of the stuff out of the pocket. And then I think there's been turnovers and things that have kind of aided in kind of the holding up of all of it. And so, I think our ability to fight through that and use that as an emphasis to be better I think is going to be a big part of the second half of the season for us because I think Blake is a weapon when he gets out. You can see glimpses of it, of the different release points, the instincts, and I just think the continued growth on that phase of his game, I think will make him better, make us better.

(On Matt Jones) Yeah, so he's … I think … really this last game was probably one of his better games. And I think Matt is always one who is very instinctive, has been a playmaker. I go back to the Big 12 championship and everything and I think his role as a pass rusher and as a playmaker is one that really can still be fulfilled for this year. And I think this last one (game) was probably the most glimpses we've had of it, I think. And there's been talks with him of like, “Matt these are the things that we're seeing, what do you see?” And him saying, “Yeah, this is where I'm doing good. This is areas I can improve.” And so, we've all been really working hard to get that done. And because I think when Matt Jones is playing like Matt Jones, we're way better and I feel like we're on that path.

(Biggest difference between TTU now versus last year) Yeah, I think their level of effort is really good. And I think it just speaks to their coaches and everything. And when you watch them play, their effort is strong. And I think offensively they play really fast – their tempo. And they've had a few different quarterbacks in there, but they've all found ways to get the offense to work off the particular trait of the guy that's there. And then I think defensive wise, a lot of pressure, a lot of stunts, a lot of blitzes. Not a lot of defenses that look the same. There's a bunch kind of being thrown at you. And so, you've got to prepare for kind of some chaos with some speed to back it up. And so, it makes it where you've got your work cut out for you.

(Is this the Richard Reese you saw when recruiting?) Yeah, I think the … Yes. I think the guy that plays hard, that plays with passion, that is way driven, that is humble and always wanting to learn, and is someone that plays like his heart [is] on fire is really – when you ask that question is the first thing I can think of is just how passionate he is. And yeah, I think we talked about it last time was when he's hitting the hole as hard as he is and his legs are still churning, his pad level is down, and the O-line got him four and he got a yard and a half or two on his own, right? Over time, the confidence of that offensive line just take off. Then, after two or three reps of that, now the O-line’s pushing him. So, now it becomes two to three yards. And I think all of that matters and that is happening right now.

(How much of a load can Qualan Jones take?) It can be more. And I think his finishes with his runs I thought were way impressive. I was way proud of him. He’s been blocking and taking on A-gap linebacker blitzes and he’s been catching balls out of the backfield, and he’s been doing some the dirty work type stuff. And then for him to be able to get the ball and then finish the way finished on multiple occasions. And you go back to the beginning of the year where maybe there is a pitter-pat and there's kind of a pause and a read and a light of caution. And all of that's out. He's just playing fast and aggressive. It's really cool to see. It's a tribute to him and so, we all need more of it.

(On Drake Dabney) Yeah, Drake has been similar to what we just talked about with Qualan. Just a lot of the dirty work. The down tight end responsible for moving six or seven techniques or for sealing this five technique and getting up to a linebacker or pinning an edge on a bootleg, right? The other tight ends maybe got the over route. And so, I think, some of his work has been that but the growth in him has been more of, hey it's one back, one tight end, three receivers, and he's that one tight end. And he's getting the action to him. And he's getting the – he’s the first read in the progression. And he's becoming more of a focal point. And I think the consistency with him and his work ethic and … he had a shoulder banged up, had a quad banged up in this game, and it didn't stop him one bit. And he came out and he played well after all of that. So that’s a credit to him.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor picked up its first win of October and stopped a mini two-game losing streak with a 35-23 Homecoming win over Kansas Saturday at McLane Stadium.

The Bears are now 4-3, 2-2 to begin the second half of the season.

It was a tale of two halves. The Bears took advantage of great field position in the first quarter to build a quick 14-0 lead and eventually 28-3 at the half. But struggles ensued and the Bears needed a touchdown late to put it away.

Baylor finishes October with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday at AT&T Jones Stadium in Lubbock to play Texas Tech. It’s the first meeting against former Associate Head Coach Joey McGuire who left last November to take that job.

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

Upon Reflection
If you didn’t know anything about this game except the final score, you probably would have walked away with shrugging your shoulders thinking that was the outcome you were expecting.

How we got there was another story. The context of this double-digit win and 13th consecutive against the Jayhawks reveals that while we know this team has talent, it has the uncanny ability to turn it on and turn it off.

We saw that at West Virginia as well as at Iowa State. This is what erratic teams do. They can’t string the consistency and level of play together for four quarters.

The first half could not have gone any better. Baylor jumps quickly to 14-0 and looks in total control with four score lead at the half including a brilliantly schemed 99-yard scoring drive.

Then it went poof in the second half. Until the game-sealing 69-yard scoring drive, the Bears had 118 total yards and committed two turnovers.

This is a hard game to play. Winning is even harder.

I said after West Virginia that the time to say, “Well, let’s wait until Baylor has completed this game or this sequence to know what we really have’’ is over.

This is the 2022 Baylor football team: Pretty good offense but can be hot and cold. Freshman running back Richard Reese is a great find. Defensive line can’t rush the quarterback. Secondary has issues. Punter and kicker are dependable.

I still believe the ceiling for this team is 8-4. However, you have to presume the clean up a lot of things. Plus, this team is about to head into the teeth of the Big 12 schedule.


The Wind
Let’s not kid ourselves, throwing the football for both Blake Shapen and Kansas’ Jason Bean against a 20-30 mph south wind is no fun. It changes the play calling quite a bit. Vertical shots are not an option. There has to be more high percentage, low trajectory throws until you switch sides. I’ll give Shapen a little benefit of the doubt in some of those situations. Shapen averaged 6.3 yards per attempt. That’s not all bad considering the elements.

Look at Kansas’ first punt that giftwrapped Baylor’s first score.

Drops
I know Ben Sims is still smarting after the gimme touchdown he dropped in the end zone right before the end of the first half. It happens to the best of them. Baylor had a golden opportunity to put this beyond out of reach following the Devin Lemear fumble return that set up the Bears at the Jayhawk 14.

What makes it more frustrating is that Shapen gets picked on the next play. Still I thought the Jeff Grimes message to Sims was perfect: how are you going to respond?

Go back to Gavin Holmes against Oklahoma State and what he did at West Virginia. It’s football. You gotta still keep playing.


Turnover issue
We have a problem, here, folks. A real problem. And its mostly coming from the quarterback. I tweeted out something late Saturday afternoon that Baylor had committed six turnovers in the last two games.

Well, mix in Oklahoma State and it’s eight in the last three. Shapen is responsible for six of them, four interceptions and two lost fumbles. Opponents have scored 24 points off of them. That’s not horrible. It’s not great either.

Kansas scored seven. West Virginia 14. Oklahoma State 3.

There’s no way to excuse any of them or say this receiver should have been here when the ball was traveling there. The bottom line, it all counts.

This is what Dave Aranda said, ‘’I think there’s also decision-making improvement. Both of those are kind of combining for the turnovers that we’re seeing. I think a week ago, out of the pocket, I’m no longer a thrower, I’m a runner, he’s got to secure the football. This one, I’m trying to decide, am I still a thrower, am I turning into a runner, those decisions being quicker. There’s a pause and a hold and wait, and the ball comes out.”

Baylor is -3 in the turnover ratio this season.


Notables
>Can’t say enough about the emergence of Richard Reese with a career and breakout day. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what this running game looks like. But that’s why you have depth.

>Another good day with the flags (3-30). For all of the frustrations that Baylor has dealt with during this season, beating itself here isn’t one of them.

>Baylor held Kansas to 56 net rushing yards. That’s what partly led to this win because the Jayhawks are pretty solid running football team. Still, they like to establish the run and really couldn’t afford to do that in the second half trailing, 28-3. They could mix it to try and keep Baylor off balanced.

>We saw the oddity of two 90-plus scoring drives. The Bears going 99. Kansas going 95. It’s an all-or-nothing feeling. Feeling pretty pumped up when your team doesn’t. Feeling frustrated when your team surrenders it.

Golden Bears
The yearly tradition returns. No matter the outcome, we select the three who had the most impact on the Bears’ performance. The following are from Baylor’s 35-23 victory over Kansas.

Richard Reese, RB, Fr.: When we saw him in the opener against Albany, there was “Ya know…” kind of thought. Then he has just kept delivering week after week. A banner performance from the best offensive player on the field Saturday.

Notable – Rushing: 31-186, Receiving: 2-26

Devin Lemear, S, RFR – The talent from Manor is putting together a pretty strong season. He will lay the wood. His stat line won’t show it. However, Lemear can impact a game because he can influence where the ball goes out of the QB hands. Nifty return on the fumble.

Notable – 2 solo tackles, 1 TFL, FR 18 yards

Qualan Jones, RB, Jr. – It stands to reason that when Baylor rushes collectively for 273 yards and averages 4.8 yards per carry, there needs to be a Robin to Batman. Jones was that to Reese. He actually averaged more yards per carry (7.9) than Reese (6.0). And each of those numbers are exceptional.

Notable – Rushing: 9-71, Receiving: 2-3

TEAM NOTES
• Baylor is 4-3, 2-2 in the Big 12 Conference and Kansas is 5-3, 2-3 in the Big 12.
• The Bears lead the all-time series with Kansas, 18-4, including an 11-0 mark in games played in Waco. • Baylor has won 11 straight in the series.
• Baylor is 5-0 vs. Kansas on homecoming.
• Baylor captains: Connor Galvin, Gavin Holmes, John Mayers, Cole Maxwell.
• Baylor is 18-12 under third-year head coach Dave Aranda.
• Baylor is 3-1 in 2022 at home and 12-3 under Aranda, with an 8-1 mark over the last two years.
• The Bears are 4-1 in 2022 when scoring first and 13-4 under Aranda. • Baylor is 4-1 when leading at halftime in 2022 and 15-3 under Aranda.
• The Bears are 50-43-4 all-time on homecoming, have won four straight and have wins in 11 of their last 12.
• The Bears have won 10 straight 11 a.m. kickoffs, including seven straight at home. The Bears are 3-0 in 11 am. kickoffs on homecoming.
• The Bears had the football for 40:10 of the 60 minutes of game time, setting a new program standard for time of possession in a single game, with immediate records dating back to 2006.
• Baylor has 53 takeaways and 35 giveaways in 29 games under Aranda.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Freshman RB Richard Reese made his first career start.
• Reese set new career highs in carries (31) and yards (186), also adding two TDs.
• It was the most carries for a BU player since Terrance Ganaway had 42 carries vs. Texas Tech in 2011.
• Reese went over 100 yards rushing for the second time.
• Reese rushed for his team-leading eighth TD of the year.
• Sophomore QB Blake Shapen threw for 164 yards on 17 of 26 passing with a TD.
• Shapen has thrown 12 TD passes in 2022 and has 17 in his career.
• Sophomore WR Monaray Baldwin had two catches for 29 yards and a score.
• Baldwin has four TD grabs in 2022.
• Senior S Al Walcott finished with four tackles, including a sack and PBU.
• Walcott has three career sacks and one in 2022.
• Walcott has eight career tackles for a loss and six in 2022. • Walcott broke up his third pass of the year.
• Senior John Mayers connected on all five of his PAT attempts.
• Mayers has 192 career points, ranking seventh in program history.
• Mayers has made 102 career PATs, passing Terry Syler (1985-88) for fifth in BU history.
• Junior S Devin Neal finished with four tackles and forced a fumble.
• Neal forced his first career fumble.
• Junior S Devin Lemear had two tackles, including one for a loss and recovered his first career fumble.
• Lemear recorded his second tackle for a loss.
• Baylor senior OL Connor Galvin made his team-leading 44th-career start and made his team-high 33rd-straight start.
• Galvin ranks tied for third in BU history in starts, equaling Lanear Sampson (2009-12).
• Freshman QB Kyron Drones rushed for his second TD of the year.
• Junior RB Qualan Jones finished with nine carries for 71 yards.
• Senior LB Dillon Doyle had four tackles. • Sophomore CB A.J. McCarty broke up his second pass of the year and the third of his career.
• Freshman LB Jackie Marshall forced and recovered a fumble, the firsts of his career.
• Senior DL Cole Maxwell broke up his second pass of the year. • Senior TE Ben Sims had three catches for 36 yards.
• Sophomore CB Lorando Johnson broke up his fourth pass of the year.
• Junior DL Siaki Ika has three QB hurries in 2022. • Junior DL Gabe Hall broke up his second pass of the year.
• Senior DL Chidi Ogbonnaya moved into a tie with Raleigh Texada (2016-21) for fourth in program history with 53 games played.
• Jacob Gall played in his team-best 53rd career game.

It was a tough, tough week, starting out with the Baylor loss to WVU, but @jbhouse pulled out the weekly win, only picking the Bears to win by one. @Nelson6 @seguinagave and @efernandez14 also went 6-4, but missed the spread by larger margins. @reagan1288 was the only one to pick LSU over UF.



All games this week are on Saturday, October 22nd. Tiebreaker is point spread Baylor-Kansas.

Big 12 Games

Kansas (5-2, 2-2) @ Baylor (3-3, 1-2)
West Virginia (3-3, 1-2) @ Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2)
#20 Texas (5-2, 3-1) @ #11 Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-1)
#17 Kansas State (5-1, 3-0) @ #8 TCU (6-0, 3-0)

Other games

#7 Ole Miss (7-0, 3-0) @ #RV LSU (5-2, 3-1)
Texas A&M (3-3, 1-2) @ #RV South Carolina (4-2, 1-2)
#9 UCLA (6-0, 3-0) @ #10 Oregon (5-1, 3-0)
#RV Purdue (5-2, 3-1) @ Wisconsin (3-4, 1-3)
#14 Syracuse (6-0, 3-0) @ #5 Clemson (7-0, 5-0)
BYU (4-3) @ #RV Liberty (6-1)

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The RJB has featured The Bangles in the past. It was one of the all-female group’s underrated hits.

But since we’re on this series of bringing back some of the signature 1980s hits, it was a must to revive this one. Walk Like an Egyptian was a creation that had nothing to do with Egypt.

So here’s the story: Composer Liam Sternberg said he was inspired to create the song while on a ferry crossing the English Channel. When the vessel hit choppy water, passengers stepped carefully and moved their arms awkwardly while struggling to maintain their balance, and that reminded Sternberg of the depiction of human figures in ancient Egypt Tomb Paintings He wrote the words "Walk like an Egyptian" in a notebook.

Sternberg gave it to The Bangles. It made its debut in 1986. They turned it into their first No. 1 hit in 1987. It then became certified Gold.

But did you know the rest of the story? No, you probably don’t. Growing up in Las Vegas when the Runnin’ Rebels were making their run to the Final Four in New Orleans, a local band covered that version but created it for the late head coach Jerry Tarkanian. They termed it Walk like a Tarkanian.

So you get the real banana and then you get the really bad cover.

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****
Just an epic weekend for the Third Weekend in October. And I’m not talking Alabama-Tennessee. I’ll get to that in a bit. But consider what we saw from the Big 12.

As disappointing as Baylor falling to West Virginia was, 43-40, you can’t deny the excitement as it was decided in the final 33 seconds.

Follow that up with maybe the “dud” but also the “where did that come from” was Oklahoma 52, Kansas 42. It helped that the Sooners got QB Dillon Gabriel (concussion) back. The trigger man does make a difference. However, it was wild to see the Sooners go from zero against Texas to half a hundred against Kansas.

Texas-Iowa State another dandy. A back-and-forth fourth quarter. The Cyclones are driving deep into Texas territory with less than three minutes to play. Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers fumbles. Texas recovers and gets a first down and runs out the clock.

It’s been one gut punch after another for the Cyclones. They’ve lost their first four Big 12 games by 14 points, Baylor (7 – remember they closed to within 7 and had an onside kick inside minute), Kansas (3), Kansas State (1) and Texas (3). I swear to you the look on Matt Campbell’s face – he was furious thinking that Dekkers was down and didn’t fumble – and you would have thought he wanted to punch somebody.

TCU-Oklahoma State caps off with the best for last. Cowboys sprint to a 24-7 lead. Horned Frogs get this thing tied, 30-30, late in the game and then win it in double overtime, 43-40.

Horned Frogs are the surprise story in this conference under first-year head coach Sonny Dykes. But he has found the magic and perhaps his familiarity with the program when he was an analyst gave him a sense of what he needed to do to flip this around. Of course, there is a long way to go.

Three games decided by three points. The home team won all of them. The fourth where the teams combine for 94 points.

Football is a week-to-week sport. But it’s safe to say that this league is anybody’s to win. Iowa State won’t win it but sooner or later you have to think the Cyclones are going to pick off someone and ruin their chances.

Looking forward to this Saturday’s card (Oklahoma and Iowa State have byes):

*Kansas at Baylor for Homecoming

*Texas at Oklahoma State

*West Virginia at Texas Tech

*Kansas State at TCU

****
Now, to the national scene. We’ll start with the actual Third Saturday in October. If you weren’t a believer in Tennessee, you should be now. The Vols ended 15 straight years of misery to Alabama with knuckleball 40-yard field goal as time expired to win, 52-49.

There’s no point getting into all the details. You can make the argument that if Alabama would stop beating itself with penalties, the Crimson Tide probably wins. But ifs are just water cooler talk. I posted elsewhere that I thought the Crimson Tide would go 9-3 if they keep up this style of play. They’re proving that out talenting people doesn’t mean you’re going to win. It’s a huge factor, no doubt. Still, you gotta play the game right.

I do like that tradition where the winners break out the victory cigar. The historian that I am, I looked up that series that Alabama leads, 58-39-7. Really streaky. And until Alabama’s 15-year streak, it was close, a 5-game lead for Alabama.

>Flip it to USC-Utah. The atmosphere in Salt Lake City was amazing. They were loud from start to finish even as USC raced out to a 21-7 lead. But the Utes kept playing.

Quarterback Cameron Rising will be known for the bonehead goal line interception he threw in the opener at Florida. But he was money in the second half including the drive that kept their PAC 12 title game berths hopes alive. His fourth-and-goal run from the 1-yard line cut the lead to 42-41 Trojans.

Then HC Kyle Whittington didn’t want to go into OT. He goes for the win with the try for 2. Rising finds a lane and converts. No. 12 USC’s last-ditch effort really didn’t amount to much. Utah, 43-42.

>Then the jaw-dropping fact is No. 5 Michigan rushing for more than 400 yards against Penn State in a 41-17 blowout. Nittany Lions led, 17-16, early in the third.

>Colorado gets its first win, 20-13 in OT against Cal. No team should ever go winless unless it’s the hated rival you want to see lose 50-0 each game.

>Don’t look now but Tulane is ranked. No. 25. Good team. Remember when they won at Kansas State, 17-10, most thought it was product of Kansas State being bad. After all, Tulane had lost to nothing burger Southern Miss the previous week.

>Vanderbilt hasn’t scored against No. 1 Georgia since it scored six points in a 2019 meeting. There was no 2020 meeting because of the pandemic.

I also have this PSA for you. Midweek college football games on TV are returning. We started with Louisiana-Marshall last Wednesday. This Wednesday we have Georgia State-Appalachian State.

And if you’re looking for a game to avoid the nauseating election night TV coverage on Nov. 8 – and your publisher will do everything to disregard/ignore every talking head pointing out the extreme gravity of a race – MACtion has you covered with three games that night.

Most will tell you that this is the most important election in our lifetime (wasn’t that used in 2020 then 2018 and 2016?). But Ball State facing 4th-and-2 at the Toledo 36 in the second quarter probably has more importance to it.

****
Now, a look at other Baylor sports…

>Averi Carlson had her first career double-double and Elise McGhee totaled a career-high 17 kills but No. 1 Texas outlasted No. 18 Baylor volleyball in four sets (19-25, 25-22, 17-25, 19-25), in front of 5,604, the third-largest crowd in program history, on Saturday afternoon at the Ferrell Center.

Baylor (15-4, 4-2 Big 12 Conference) used a thrilling second set to even the match, snapping a 16-set streak of wins for Texas (14-0, 6-0 Big 12), but the Horns were able to answer with wins in the third and fourth sets to secure the victory.

The Bears will return to action on Wednesday, hosting Texas Tech at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ in the Ferrell Center.

> Baylor soccer fell against West Virginia, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, WV.

The Bears who are now 4-8-2 on the season, 2-4-0 in conference play, scored their lone goal in the first half.

The Bears will make a trip to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech Thursday, Oct. 20, before returning home for their final two games of the regular season.

>Baylor cross country closed the regular season at the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Saturday morning on the Dale Watts Cross Country Course. The women’s squad finished eighth as a team, while the men finished 13th.

The Baylor women were led by Ellie Hodge in 18th with a 21:03.4 6k time on the 2022 NCAA regional course.

The men’s race was highlighted by Ryan Day finishing in seventh place out of the field of 360. Day’s 23:56.6 was only five seconds behind his personal best that was set at the Gans Creek Classic, just two weeks ago.

The Bears head to Lubbock, Texas, for the Big 12 Championship meet on Oct. 28 hosted by Texas Tech.

>Baylor men’s golf will open the Big 12 Match Play on Monday morning at the Golf Club at Houston Oaks. The event began in 2018, and since its inception, the Bears have won two of the four tournaments. The last win came in the fall of 2020 when BU went 5-0 with a win over Oklahoma State in the championship match, thanks to a 9-4 hole differential in favor of the Bears.

Baylor enters the fifth edition of the match play as a No. 6 seed, and head coach Mike McGraw is looking forward to watching his team compete at Houston Oaks.


Let’s make it a great week.

TV is TBD. Big 12 is using the 6-day window after next week's games conclude.

Baylor has been celebrating Homecoming - the original place for Homecoming - since 1909. Bears have won 10 of their last 11 and are looking for 13 straight wins against the Jayhawks. Blake Shapen expected to return.

Clairatt will guide you through it. I will be keeping track. They need to get things going. It would be nice to see the return of complimentary football.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Once Sting explained the true meaning of Every Breath You Take, people finally understood.

When he and The Police saw this epic piece climb to No. 1 and remain there for eight weeks in 1983, most people thought it was a positive love song. It was anything but that. It’s about the obsession over a lost lover and the jealousy and surveillance that follows.

The inspiration – and let’s understand artists find their epiphany in many forms – was from his separation from his wife and beginning a relationship with another woman who just happened to be soon-to-be ex’s best friend. When it hit the news, it pretty much caught the wrath of the public.

Sting tells this story: "One couple told me 'Oh we love that song; it was the main song played at our wedding!' I thought, 'Well, good luck.'"

So here is this signature song from The Police from their Synchronicity album.

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*****
>The Big 12 championship race officially makes no sense. Consensus preseason poll No. 9 selection TCU is in control with wins over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.

Sonny Dykes’ program is also ranked No. 7 in the nation and on the cusp of getting into the college football playoff discussion.

And the Horned Frogs did it again to Kansas State like they did to Oklahoma State last week. They fell behind by three scores and climbed all the way back.

But this win over the Wildcats was a little more impressive. Down 28-10 in the first half, they ran off the next 28 to win 38-28 and rolled up nearly 500 yards.

However, the Horned Frogs are going to have to work for this. Three of the final five are on the road – at West Virginia, at Texas and at Baylor.

TCU’s season has some characteristics this season like Baylor’s 2021 season. The Horned Frogs have played their toughest games at Amon Carter Stadium. Baylor had that at McLane when it played Oklahoma and Texas.

>What’s concerning for the No. 22 Wildcats is that they can’t get starting quarterback Adrian Martinez healthy. He got banged up at Iowa State but didn’t last too long in Fort Worth. Will Howard finished the game.

But Kansas State still controls its destiny. That starts Saturday when Oklahoma State visits followed by Texas.

>As we transition to the mystery that is Texas, the subplot to No. 9 Oklahoma State’s 41-34 victory in Stillwater, OK is Texas blowing another big lead on the road. The Longhorns had three different two score leads in this game – 21-10, 31-17, 34-24 – and couldn’t hold them. This was the same story in Lubbock a month ago.

Plus, Quinn Ewers and his receivers had a huge disconnect. He was 19-49 with three interceptions including the last one that wasn’t anywhere close to a Longhorn receiver.

Now, a lot of attention has been paid to the penalty issue from that game. Texas was flagged 14 times. Oklahoma State was never flagged. A bit odd to see that.

>Now, Oklahoma State is very much alive in the Big 12 championship game race with that win and pretty much cripples Texas chances. The Big 12’s feature game is in Manhattan, KS on Saturday.

>Baylor’s trip to Lubbock is going to be interesting on Saturday night. As we know, the bizarre can be a player on the South Plains. Tech is two different teams when it’s at home and when it’s on the road.

The Red Raiders were nothing short of impressive in flattening West Virginia, 48-10. Freshman and Eastland product Behren Morton has been magnificent in his two starts. He’s thrown for 704 yards at Oklahoma State and against the Mountaineers. Baylor’s non-existent pass rush better have a plan. And that plan better involve some blitzing.


*****
Now, to the national scene

>When Mississippi State scored on the last play of the game in Tuscaloosa, AL Saturday night, that marked the Bulldogs first TD scored at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2014. It also broke a shutout streak where they had not scored in that building since 2016.

You know it’s been a bad night when you score a meaningless touchdown as time expires and you don’t even get to try the extra point. When the Bulldogs scored, the officials left the field. That’s the rule but still amusing.

>Nov. 5 when No. 6 Alabama visits No. 18 LSU will be interesting. The Tigers have found some swagger with resounding victories at Florida and then turning the Ole Miss game upside down. Brian Kelly’s team trailed 17-3 early and finished on a 42-3 run to win 45-20.

There have been complaints about Jayden Daniels playing QB. All he’s done is throw for 1,800 yards with 12 touchdowns and one INT.

>Clemson coach Dabo Swinney maintains DJ Uiagalelei remains his starting quarterback despite pulling him after a dismal performance against Syracuse. Austin Westlake’s Cade Klubnik rallied the Tigers to a come-from-behind 27-21 victory over the Orange. The Tigers remain No. 5 in the country.

>Speaking of No. 16 Syracuse, it’s good to see former Baylor assistant Dino Babers get his program back on track. They are still in the midst of a great season at 6-1 and are bowl eligible. This could have been a make-or-break season for him. Syracuse endured three consecutive losing seasons. He’s only had one winning season in his first six.

>After getting lit up by Georgia in the season opener in Atlanta, 49-3, No. 8 Oregon is quietly at 6-1 and in control of the PAC 12 North. The Dan Lanning-Bo Nix marriage working very well. The Ducks were very impressive as they blew out former head coach Chip Kelly and No. 12 UCLA, 45-30. And it wasn't even that close. Nix, the former Auburn QB, is enjoying the best season of his career to this point.

>I’m going to say it. No. 2 Ohio State is the best team in college football. Better than No. 1 Georgia. Iowa’s defense is one of the best in the nation. But the Buckeyes hung 54 on them. It helped that Iowa turned it over six times. In fact, the 54 points the Hawkeyes surrendered are the most they have surrendered since 1995 when they yielded 56 to….Ohio State.

>Finally, that 26-20 overtime loss at BYU is sitting like a bad bowl of chili about one hour after eating it. The Cougars have collapsed with three straight losses and are now 4-4. They got hammered at Liberty Saturday, 41-14. BYU has allowed 121 points in this streak.


*****
Now a look at other Baylor sports…

> No. 14-ranked Baylor volleyball took a 3-1 win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon in Bramlage Coliseum. That followed a 4-set win over Texas Tech this past Wednesday at the Ferrell Center.

The Bears (17-4, 6-2 Big 12 Conference) have now won nine-straight matches against K-State (12-9, 3-5). The Bears continue on the road and face Oklahoma in Norman on Wednesday.

>Baylor women’s golf finished off a 2-over 854 on Sunday to finish in fifth place at the Stanford Intercollegiate.

The Bears were led by sophomore transfer Sera Hasegawa, whose 4-under 209 tied her for seventh, her best finish since the SoCon Championship last April with East Tennessee State. Rosie Belsham also carded her first top-10 of the season with a 3-under 210, which was good enough to tie for ninth.

BU will compete in the Battle at The Beach Oct. 28-30 at Golf Club De Campestre in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

>Baylor soccer fell against No. 12 TCU, 2-0, Sunday afternoon at Betty Lou Mays Field.

The Bears, who are now 4-10-2 on the season and 2-6-0 in conference play, held the Horned Frogs scoreless until the second half. The Bears will close out their regular season at home Thursday, against Oklahoma State.

>Baylor men's golf finished eighth at the Big 12 Play, closing with a win over West Virginia and a loss against Texas on Wednesday at Houston Oaks. BU will host the second annual Bear Brawl Oct. 31 at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco.

>No. 10 Baylor equestrian (1-3, 1-1) upset No. 1 TCU (3-1, 0-1) Friday afternoon at the Willis Family Equestrian Center in Waco by a final of 12-7.

Behind an event win in Fences and a tie in Horsemanship, Baylor took a 5-4 lead into halftime. Then, the Bears made use of a 5-0 sweep in Flat to clinch the victory over the top-ranked Horned Frogs. To round out the afternoon, the Bears picked up another two points in Reining to see out the victory.

>A reminder that the Big 12 cross country championships are Saturday at the Chaparral Ridge Cross Country course in Lubbock. Texas Tech is the host.



Let’s make it a great week!

Obviously strengthens the league and puts the PAC 12 in a tough spot.

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DAVE ARANDA: (opening statement) I thought in speaking to the team, it was really the best week of practice that we’ve had. Really, the best week of practice that we’ve had since I’ve been at Baylor, in terms of effort and finish and the energy, having a real energy and not something that’s forced upon, or we’re doing it just because there’s an expectation. I thought all of the energy was real. Some of the film from a Tuesday or a Wednesday practice, you’d look at it and there’s guys covering 20 or 30 yards of ground, long stride to a short stride, thudding up ball carriers, receivers working across the field to cut off a safety. Just way phenomenal effort, way impressive. All of that kind of gets you in position to play at your best on Saturday. It’s not going to guarantee that you play well, but I think it puts you in a great spot to do that. I thought the guys were able to put those two things together. The week, and then the mindset to start fast. I think we’ve had games before where we’re fighting uphill to do that, for whatever reason. Way impressed with that. I just think that’s kind of the glimpse of who we can be. We’re still just scratching and clawing and fighting to be that, and still have belief that we can be that. It’s elusive, though, because you guys were all with us in the second half. I think the ability to finish and just all of it, everything this season is all about defining things. It’s difficult to have patience when you’re counting the wins and losses, but I think it’s way important to have patience and to teach. So, the ability for us to learn a really hard lesson and then win, is a successful thing. Because we’ve learned some hard lessons and have taken losses. So, this is the first time we can do it and say we’ve won. I’m proud of the guys. There’s a whole lot to work on that we can get better at, and we’ll do that.

(On Richard Reese) He played physical, he played with an edge. I thought he was violent. There’s something when you’re an O-lineman and you’re moving people and you’ve got combos and you’re working up to linebackers and you’re getting attached to people and you’re running off, if you can get a running back three or four yards prior to contact, there’s something about that running back and what he’ll get for us, to get two or three yards extra, and fall forward. We had a fair amount of that a year ago. What ends up happening is that as an O-lineman you see that happening and that energizes you. Because you feel like you’re kind of running downhill at that point. There’s been flashes prior to this game. But I think there’s been a fair amount of us creating three or four yards and then kind of running into a wall. This is the first time I can remember constantly falling forward, and the violence of all of it. That fed into the O-linemen. Once you’ve got that, you’ve got yourself a running game. Our task is to continue that.

(On the butt-slapping drive) That was good to see. I wish there was probably more of that earlier, and that it didn’t take all of those points that we scored prior to that for that to happen. However you call that, that killer instinct or whatever that is, we’re aiming to work to get it. The best teams have that. I think for us it’s something we have to teach. I have to teach it better and we have to execute it. To make it to where we want to make it, with the rest of the schedule the way it lays out, it’s going to be needed. To build that and close out the game when it’s needed was good to see, but we would all like to not be in that situation again.

(Shapen ball security) I think there’s improvement he can have with his ball security, for sure. I think there’s also decision-making improvement. Both of those are kind of combining for the turnovers that we’re seeing. I think a week ago, out of the pocket, I’m no longer a thrower, I’m a runner, he’s got to secure the football. This one, I’m trying to decide, am I still a thrower, am I turning into a runner, those decisions being quicker. There’s a pause and a hold and wait, and the ball comes out. So, I think those are two separate things and we’re going to work to improve both of those. As far as some of the picks, there’s times in his past where we’re either pushing late in the fourth quarter or we’re trying to get back in the thing, or the ball is thrown to a guy and he has it, and it bounces off of him and bounces to the other guy, not letting that cloud things. Really focusing and taking the emotion out of it. That’s what we’re seeing – here’s what we’re doing, here’s what we can improve on, I think that’s the approach we’re going to take. I know out of everybody, it hits Blake the hardest. And I know he’s going to work really hard to improve on it.

(The difference in the 3rd quarter and being able to put together that drive in the 4th) Yeah, I think it was just finish. I think at one point, if you were to go from the 20 to the 20 or whatever it was, it’s five yards a play, six yards a play, whatever it was. The time’s coming off the clock, and you could sense that Kansas was tired and they were kind of pushing against it and having to get subs in. And you could feel the wilting, or the initial part of it, which is all good. That’s all the stuff that you want, you just want to be able to finish a drive. And I think it comes down to focus and mindset. Those are things that we had at the start and those are things that we lost at the finish. I take that upon myself, I have to do a better job of that. And we will.

(Did you ask for a review of the mark on the Shapen sneak) We did. They said they replayed it and it was confirmed.

(You recall a guy going from fourth-quarter garbage-time snaps in the 1st game to starting and getting over 200 yards offense in the 7th game) One of the things that impresses me with Richard. We have chapel, and we do it on Monday, because we’re off on Sundays. He’s a musician, so he’s up there in the front. Coach Wetzel will generally have his guitar and he’ll do the singing. Richard is there playing bass, and the whole team is singing songs. And he does it with just no emotion at all, on his face. I think there’s a humbleness about him and there’s just a matter-of-factness about him. And I think when you put both of those things together, then you can see the journey that he’s had from where he started to where he is now. And I think if he can keep that humbleness about him, which I’m sure he will, and he can continue to have a learner’s mindset and really apply it, sky’s the limit for him. We’re way excited that he’s on our side.

Dillon Doyle
(Getting off to a fast start) Coming off the loss last Thursday, when we had three days off, everyone had the chance to relax and think about all the things that we can do better. And when you’re sitting alone, you’re uncomfortable, because you’re like, ‘I’m not doing the things that I’m supposed to be doing,’ whether that’s team-wise or individually. That was definitely a motivation going into this week. I felt like we had our best week of practice and definitely excited with what we put on tape in the first half. With that being said, we didn’t feel like we had a very good third quarter. Definitely some things there that we need to look at and improve upon if we want to go where we want to go. Just knowing that, trying not to get too high off of this win, because Kansas is a good football team. They had an unbelievable start to the year and we respected them quite a bit coming in here. Just knowing that we have a lot of big games ahead of us, and the work isn’t done, obviously. We’re 4-3, I think, just got to keep moving forward and keep working.

(Jackers and robbers) I’m not sure if you guys have heard the whole story, I’m sure you have. The difference between theft and robbery is committing violence with the taken of what is someone else’s. That’s kind of what we take pride in is the violent defensive side of the ball. I think you definitely saw that with some of the crossing routes and the safeties hitting that hard. Really proud of the physicality that they played with. And also, the receivers are coming this way and they’re coming from that way, and the receivers have got to turn around, and the ball’s right here to be poked at. So, that’s obviously a big opportunity to take the ball with some violence there. I think we took advantage of that, especially at the end of the first half. Proud of that, proud of how those guys are progressing on the back end, because I see the work that they put in week to week, and just proud to see that show up on Saturdays. We feel like we have really good weeks of practice and sometimes that doesn’t show up on Saturdays. It showed up today.

(Difference in second half) I’m not sure yet. We have to look at the tape to see what we have going on. I don’t think it’s a mindset thing because we go out for the second half and everybody’s like hooting and hollering in the locker room. We talk about having a lot of energy and having real energy. Sometimes we’ve had some fake energy, and that’s just kind of like hey we have to be here. But I feel like everybody wanted to be there, especially at the start of the third quarter. Everybody wanted to be there at the start of the game and the start of the third quarter. Some things didn’t go our way. I think we had some turnovers and I think we let up some big plays, and that’s going to happen, especially when you play some playmakers like Kansas has. Really the biggest thing is just looking at technically what happened, what the guys are seeing and making sure their eyes are in the right spot and they’re taking care of their assignment.

(Complementary football in first half) Yeah, I think a really good example of that would be any time our offense turns the ball over on our own side of the field, in the first half we get a stop and we give up a field goal. Second half, we turn the ball over and they score immediately in four plays. So that’s a big part of complementary football. A big thing in football is if the offense turns the ball over, go put the fire out. The fire fighter doesn’t care where the fire is. He doesn’t care how big the fire is, he has to go save people. He has to go do his job regardless of the adversity at hand. So that’s a big defensive thing, if the offense turns the ball over, it’s not on them, it’s a team game, so go put the fire out. It’s your job to go take care of business. It doesn’t matter if they turn the ball over on the one-yard line. I think we took care of that, but we have to continue to work toward that as we work into some other games.

(Defensive message throughout the week) I mean our biggest message was just do your 1/11th. Trust the guys around you to do their job so you can do your job. I think defense is a bit of a puzzle in the sense that everybody has to change a little bit so that everybody can get their job done and the full picture can look the way we want it to look. Sometimes it’s fitting into a puzzle piece that you may not want to. When it comes to hey you may want to jump outside of a block to go try to make the big play and have your named call and have people write articles about you. But sometimes you’ve got to play inside, so the safety can come down and fly in and make the big hit. Even if it’s a gain of one or two, you did your job. The safety can trust you and you can trust the safety. That was a big thing we looked at after the West Virginia game was just doing your 1/11th because if we want to continue to grow and continue to win games we have to fill all 11 puzzle pieces.

(56 yards rushing for KU) We had played a lot of four-down really throughout the year up until now, and I’m not sure Kansas was expecting the three-down looks that we gave them. So that was a big advantage to us. That was kind of a curveball that we threw them. That was because they had so much QB run game. We didn’t expect Jalon Daniels to play, and we knew Bean was more of a runner, and so we got into some three-down stuff that makes it a little bit better on the backers to fit, and we can bring a safety down, and allow the pieces to fit a little easier when they start crossing the tight ends and they start running power read and triple option and all those things. Option football is really hard to play defensively from a standpoint of everybody has to do their job because they have so many options obviously, hence the name. Sometimes if even all the jobs don’t get done, the defense takes care of it through speed and aggression, like solve all your problems with aggression, and we kind of did that some of that a little bit today. Part of that is mindset, part of it was scheme and I’m obviously really glad we had that scheme in place. I think coach Ron Roberts did a great job of getting us ready for that, and we watched clip after clip of split zone and bluff and tackle art and power read. I mean it’s play after play of tough fits. If Kansas continues to do that offensively, I think they’re going to be really successful in this conference. A lot of what we see is run zone game, and that’s traditionally easy to fit as backers because you just play the gap in front of you, play the open gap. When those gaps start moving and guys start moving, it makes it quite a bit more difficult, especially if you play three-down or four-down as we like to do as a multiple defense. We were really focused on doing our jobs, and I think we were really happy with the result.

(Getting extra yards at fullback) We don’t do a ton of tackling in practice, which is kind of like hey stay low, which I think I can do a better job of. The biggest thing when I go on offense is to make sure I capitalize on the opportunity for the guys around me. I went in on the goal line today and we had just been on an 80-yard drive or something like that, and the offensive line is panting and sweating and they’re like get us out of here basically. We’ve got to finish, we’ve got to finish. So basically just doing my job for their sake because if I do my job pretty well, then hopefully we can be off the field soon.

Ben Sims
(Richard Reese) Honestly, I just think he did his own Richard Reese things. Since he started playing against Albany, we knew he was special. He shows it in practice every week. What he did today wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for him.

(Reese last TD exhale moment) A little bit. So going into that last drive, Coach Grimes is like this is going to end two ways. Either the game is going to end and we have the ball or we’re going to go celebrate in the end zone after we score a touchdown. So I told he manifested the entire drive. It was a relief and gave our defense a chance to go out and stop them.

(Bad third quarter) I think for starters, we started off with really good complementary football. Our defense made two really good stops on their first two drives and we were able to capitalize on both of those. In the second half, a couple of different things may have happened. Offensively, we weren’t doing the things we should have. We got stopped on fourth-and-one. It comes back to complementary football. The defense does something well and then the offense does something back. Then you just have really good football being played.

(Who stepped up in huddle in second half) I believe myself, Blake, Coach Grimes, Coach Mateos, all the coaches, Coach Aranda is petty vocal. It’s cool. But we’ve got to be who we are, capitalizing, playing in front of the sticks. Not making any foolish mistakes or penalties, just playing as a good offense. That good energy we had in the first half we kind of lost in the third quarter. We were able to catch some of that in the fourth. At the same time, we need to have that energy the entire time.

(Having Blake back) It's great. He's our quarterback, right? So having him there, having him being vocal, being confident, doing Blake things, it was good.

(Kicking yourself over the drop) It was a drop. ... Good question. For me, that was a really hard moment, because in my mind I don't drop balls like that. I don't let myself get in situations like that. So it was frustrating. Coach Grimes always says whenever you make a mistake, we're going to come back to you. For him to tell me that, it means a lot.

(On the closing drive) It felt good. We really didn't have a choice. When you're looking at it everything looks like a choice at the time, but that was not a choice. We had to do that. But as far as your question, it feels good. And with an offensive line and a couple of tight ends and a strong back all working as one, there's no other feeling like it.

A bit of an oddity as 2023 commit Bryson Washington (Franklin) faces 2024 commit Jadon Porter (Lorena) Friday. They could be on the field at the same time. Washington does play some defense when it calls for it. This might be a time for that.

Also Isaiah Robinson hurt his knee again. The same one he dislocated. Unsure what his status is.

Commitment Update

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher

The Topper
If you missed the podcast, just a reminder that the game day coverage vs. Kansas will look a little different. With family in town and Stephen tied into something a MCC, we have a plan to keep you right up to date.

Michael Haag Baylor Lariat Sports Editor will be doing the game story. Clairatt will man the Game Thread in my place. I encourage you all to be as active as you were for West Virginia.

Stephen has lined up a replacement for photos. There will not be a postgame podcast like we’ve done through the first six games. However, I will record the game and go through it so I will have my Baylor Breakdown on Sunday.

Nothing should be impacting from me later in the afternoon/evening posting the postgame interview transcripts.

Appreciate everybody understanding this.

MBB: Unofficial visitor
Lancaster 2025 6-7 PF Amari Reed took an unofficial visit to Baylor earlier this week.
Baylor getting off to the right start. He's more in eval mode. He's on the verge of claiming more attention should his 22-23 season goes the way he thinks it will.

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Notable Kansas visitors
Baylor plays at home for the first time in three weeks. It’s the fourth home game of the year with two more remaining. Subject to change, these recruits have told SicEmSports they plan to attend the game. The 11:00 a.m. kickoff didn't help.

2023
Isaiah Robinson, OL, Arlington Lamar (Baylor commit; Not 100 but thinks he will)
Cory Huff, DB, Aldine Nimitz (Baylor commit)
LeVar Thornton, DB, Keller Timber Creek (Baylor commit)
Dawson Pendergrass, RB, Mineola (Baylor commit)
Taurean York, LB, Temple (Baylor commit)

2024
Jadon Porter, WR, Lorena, (Baylor commit)
Markus Boswell, LB, Lake Travis (Baylor interest)
Payton Pierce, LB, Lucas Lovejoy (Baylor offer)
Caleb Hackleman, OL, Texarkana Pleasant Grove (Baylor offer)
Trey Owens, QB, Cy-Fair (Baylor offer)
Zion Carter, DE, McKinney North (Baylor interest)
Selman Bridges, DB, Lake Belton (Baylor offer)
Edward Smith, DE, Pearland Dawson (Baylor offer0

2025
Adrian Wilson, WR, Pflugerville Weiss (Baylor offer)
Brody Whatley, DE, Monroe Neville (Baylor offer)
Kelden Ryan, QB, Keller Central (Baylor offer)

Boswell hoping for honor
Lake Travis 2024 linebacker Markus Boswell is coming on these days. While he picked up his first offer from Colorado in September, other schools are starting to take notice.

Baylor is one of them. Boswell is expected to attend Saturday’s game against Kansas.

“I first did their camp last year at WR and started building the relationship with them,’’ he said. “This year they came to watch me in the spring playing LB and got invited to both summer camps. I really love the coaching staff and what they run there along with it being an amazing school. I surely hope they offer soon.’’

Boswell has been to watch other games at Notre Dame and Tulane. So his reputation is starting to make its way out there.

Boswell is making his presence felt. He’s second on the Cavaliers’ defense in tackles with 34. There’s more to see, of course. But he just trying to make the case.

“What stands out for me are the coaches, just being around them and seeing how they coached me during the camps,’’ Buckley said. “I also have a friend who’s brother is an equipment manger there and he just loves it. Coach Aranda does an amazing job with his staff developing players which is very important to me. I also want to be a pre-med student and there medical program is well respected.”

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On Kelden Ryan
This will be the third trip for Kelden Ryan to visit Baylor within the calendar year. This was his plan for the last month. He’s going through the ups and downs as first-year starting quarterback.

The 2025 signal caller from Keller Central has thrown for 1,035 yards completed, 56 percent of his passes. Needless to say, the Chargers have struggled to a 1-6 record. Ryan has thrown four touchdowns against give INTs.

However, he is this team’s leading rusher with 340 yards. Ryan is one of those on-the-cusp QBs with 12 offers.

“The coaching staff at Baylor is awesome, one of the best in the country, and they play good football,’’ Ryan said. “I think it’s a great school for academics and athletics.”

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Baylor Players talk Kansas
Tight end Ben Sims and nose tackle Apu Ika gave their impressions of what happened against West Virginia and looking ahead to Homecoming against Kansas.

TE Ben Sims
(What do you guys need to do to get back on track?)
There's a lot of little things I guess that could go into it. It goes back to doing simple better, being more intentional in our practices. Like, taking everything seriously because the things that you do in practice show up in the game. So, really going back and looking at practice and it turns out that you do the exact same thing in the game. So, just the intentionality of what we're doing every day.

(Bringing new tricks out of the bag, was that fun?)
Yeah, that's always fun. Us as an offense, we have our identity. But at the same time, we like to have fun with what we do. So, throwing in a changeup every now and again that complements our fastball is always fun.

(Confidence in Kyron)
Kyron’s got the same abilities. I mean, he – like y’all saw in the game. He came in and didn't skip a beat. So, the confidence that the offense has in Kyron is second-to-none. We're ready for him to play if he needs to.

(Back on a normal week, anything to that?)
Okay, so it was weird. Last week, every day that normally would have been that day in a normal game week … It was a Wednesday practice on a Monday, and I kept thinking we had class or something. It was the weirdest thing. My days were off by two the whole week. So, it feels good to be back on track, I guess.

(Is there anything to that?)
Yeah, just back to normal. My class schedule is pretty simple. I take some online classes, so it felt the same for me. But I'm sure for other guys it felt different. But it was weird having a two-day difference in my head for a couple days.

(What do you see from this Kansas team?)
I mean, you see a team that's a really good team. They're really good defensively. They fight hard. Nothing but good things to say about them.

(Have to remind yourself that this isn’t last year’s KU team, or do you see that on tape?)
I mean, I feel like that's – ever since I've been here at least – we go into Kansas historically, maybe not the best team, but we tell ourselves every year that this is not the same Kansas team as it was the year before. And I think that keeps guys focused and I think it holds a lot of truth. So, I think going into it with the mentality that they’re the best team in the Big 12 might be necessary.

(You both are going into this week on a two-game losing streak, will there be added hunger?)
I mean, absolutely. No one likes to lose two straight. Losing two straight is obviously difficult and hard. And you start kind of looking in the mirror more and questioning things. But it's just coming back to doing simple better and being more intentional and doing the right things. What you do off the field is just as important as what you do on the field. And it's really about getting back on track.

(Homecoming here, big deal for y’all?)
Um, sure, yeah. There's always so much going on around the facility. I feel like Homecoming is just a thing that we get on top of everything. So, [I’m] happy it’s Homecoming, glad there's gonna be a lot of people here. I guess we're still focused on football.

(Until Blake got hurt, was he playing his best football?)
Yeah, I felt like Blake was hitting his stride and I think that holds true for the entire offense. I feel like we’re starting to put up good numbers and we're starting to do the right things and starting to clean up the mistakes as far as penalties and maybe some execution stuff. But yeah, Blake is playing his tail off, so props to him.

Apu Ika
Aranda said there was issues of players trusting. How do you get where you can trust the players around you) It’s repetitive, but practice. We are a young team, especially on the back end, on the defensive side of the ball. But, I feel like just in practice, we’ve got to practice faster. Practice making the plays that we need made on Saturday. So, I feel like we just need to put ourselves in the positions and work as a defense.

(Seen from Kansas) It’s not the same team as last year. And we’ve run into some trouble like that throughout the season. It’s going to be like that for the rest of the season. A lot of these teams that we see now aren’t the same team that we saw last year. Same as us, we’re not the same team that we were last year, too. Definitely have to make some adjustments and practice hard.

(Doing in practice to address the tackling issue) I guess just putting ourselves in more stressful situations. We’ve kind of started with just changing the practice schedule, in general. Feels like as the season has been going on, people have just been going through the motions. So, when we’re put in those stressful situations in the games, we don’t know how to handle it. It’s obviously something we need to address in practice. Put ourselves in those positions that we’re going to be in on Saturday, not something that we’re just running through just to get the period over with.

(Been here long enough to have an appreciation of playing at McLane) Oh yeah, for sure. Just playing in general. I’m a little older now, so I look at the game a little bit differently. I’m kind of starting to get to that point in my career where the number of guaranteed snaps is coming down. So, I’ve just been really trying to emphasize taking in everything, the wins and losses, the good practices and the bad practices. It’s just all part of it. I’m just glad to be here.

(On Christian Morgan, what he brings to the defense) He’s another old head. Especially in the back end, we don’t have a lot of old heads in the back end. He kind of reminds me of an Energizer bunny. When things are going one way, and things seem like they are, out of nowhere there’s just something out of the ordinary and just ‘Bang!’ and brings energy, something that sticks out like a sore thumb. That’s him. That’s him in our defense. And he’s been putting together some good days at practice and putting together some good film on tape. I’m so excited to see what’s in store for him throughout the rest of the season.

(Jack Fish have any new stuff coming out soon) Jack Fish is worried about Saturday and Kansas.

(Do you actually have singles, or is it just on your social media) I do, actually. I have a couple singles out, just under Jack Fish on Apple Music, Spotify. Working on some stuff, but like I said, worried about Kansas.

(Jackfish) Just to clarify, that’s my name in English. That’s why I go by Jackfish. That’s like my rapper name, just to clarify any misunderstandings.

(Atmosphere at practice) It’s great. Everyone is excited to be back. It’s another day to get better, so that’s always exciting.

(What does team need to do to get better) I feel like we’ve got to play faster, get back to playing green. I feel like during practice when the lights aren’t on and the pressure isn’t felt, it’s easy to play fast. We’ve just got to do it when the lights come on.

(Defensive line play) We’ve just got to get better. The D-linemen are one of the older position groups on the team, so we’ve obviously got to get a little more from us.

(Shaking off loss and learning from it) It’s 50-50. Obviously, it’s something you can use as a learning point but as a turning point as well. Learn from the things that happened, but at the end of the day what happened happened. Like I said, today is a new day to get better.

(Where does improvement need to start) Practice, that’s where it starts for everyone. How you practice is how you play. I feel like that’s something we need to get better at, loving practice, practicing faster, love practicing with our teammates.

(Dillon Doyle) I feel like he brings a confidence. We view him as the quarterback of our defense. At mike linebacker, he’s the one who’s calling out everything up front. He’s the one who gives us our plays. So when we’re out there, communication breeds confidence. That’s what he’s out there to do.

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 – Texas Monthly calls Sonny Dykes the King of Texas
2. Kansas State – RB Deuce Vaughn averaging 110 yards per game
3. Oklahoma State – Watching Spencer Sanders’ health
4. Texas — Longhorns with a telling matchup in Stillwater, OK
5. Baylor – Season may hinge on Homecoming with Kansas
6. Kansas – Jalon Daniels is the lingering issuer
7. West Virginia – Given up for dead, Mountaineers respond
8. Texas Tech – QB carousel on Saturday
9. Oklahoma – Bizarre last two weeks for the Sooners
10. Iowa State – Been a really tough way open conference play


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. Oklahoma and Iowa State have byes.

Kansas (5-2, 2-2) at Baylor (3-3, 1-2); 11:00 a.m., McLane Stadium, Waco (ESPN2)
Series: Baylor leads, 17-4
Notable: QB health is the headline. Baylor should have Blake Shapen (concussion) back. Kansas likely won’t with Jalon Daniels (shoulder).

West Virginia (3-3, 1-2) at Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2); 2:00 p.m., AT&T Jones Stadium, Lubbock (FS1)
Series: West Virginia leads, 6-5
Notable: Mountaineers have actually won three out of their last four while the Red Raiders have lost three out of their last four. Homecoming on the South Plains.

No. 20 Texas (5-2, 2-1) at No. 11 Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-1); 2:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (ABC)
Series: Texas leads, 26-10
Notable: Pretty much an elimination game for either one of these teams. Oklahoma State more so because it already lost to TCU. Cowboys have won five of the last seven meetings.

No. 17 Kansas State (5-1, 3-0) at No. 8 TCU (6-0, 3-0); 7:00 p.m., Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (FS1)
Series: Kansas State leads, 8-7
Notable: Battle of co-conference leaders. The winner has control of its Big 12 future. Wildcats should be fully healthy following their bye. TCU QB Max Duggan is second in the Big 12 in total offense per game (309).

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher

Kansas (5-2, 2-2) at Baylor (3-3, 1-2)
Site: McLane Stadium, Waco
Time/Day: 11:00 a.m. Saturday
TV/Radio: ESPN2/ESPN Central Texas
Betting Line: Baylor –10
Series: Baylor leads, 17-4

That sigh of relief expressed throughout Waco during the middle of the week was the collective Baylor community after it was learned starting quarterback Blake Shapen was preparing to play Saturday against Kansas.

On his Wednesday coaches radio show, head coach Dave Aranda said that Shapen had been with the team. Then the details emerged as Shapen had been practicing. Of course, there’s always going to be that anxiousness until Baylor’s offense goes on the field for the first time so everyone can be reassured.

But in a game like this against the upstart Jayhawks, Baylor needs its top signal caller because a season’s fortunes could be riding on this outcome.

The Bears have lost both of their October games and are looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2020. They have surrendered 79 combined points in those setbacks. They are on the verge of falling out of the Big 12 championship race.

For the second half of this season, every game is a must win if the Bears are going to somehow be in this Dec. 3 conversation.

Yet looking ahead isn’t the best idea. It’s proper to just look ahead to the Jayhawks who aren’t playing like the Jayhawks of the past several years.

“I worry about being so outcome focused at the start of all of it,’’ Aranda said. “Because that is probably something I didn't have a handle on in the beginning and got us to where we're at in this place anyways. And so, to get back on what we have to do today, what we have to do this afternoon. What we have to do with this meeting, with this walkthrough, with this practice, is really where the focus needs to be.”

Baylor will not have running back Sqwirl Williams (concussion) available along with Taye McWilliams (concussion) who has been out since BYU. It’s unclear if offensive lineman Khalil Keith (knee) is ready to go.

Kansas QB Jalon Daniels (shoulder) is not expected to play. Jason Bean who came on in relief against TCU and played against Oklahoma starts.


Here are some things to look for
>With Shapen’s apparent return, it will only be answered when the game starts and flows as to what the staff wants to do with him. It may be business as usual. Perhaps it’s a bit scaled down to let the running game lead the way. If anything, it might be a case where there will be no QB designed runs or if there is no choice but to run, then don’t slide or get out of bounds pronto. However, there shouldn’t be any limits in the passing game. Shapen has thrown for more than 300 yards in the last two.

>The running game shouldn’t look a lot different. But no Sqwirl (concussion) means one less option. Richard Reese and Qualan Jones likely will get the bulk of the carries. Mix in a fly sweep to Monaray Baldwin and perhaps Jordan Jenkins earns a couple of carries if need be.

>Special teams play has been a problem from the last two games. And it’s coming from different forms between poor kickoff coverage to kicks getting blocked. When the opponent is scoring non-offensive points (16 in the last two games) and other mistakes are leading to other scores, those are areas that must be addressed.

>Baylor’s frustrations over the last two games is not because of penalties. The Bears have been good there for the last four games. Officials have thrown only 12 flags against them since BYU and just four between Oklahoma State and West Virginia.


Notable
The Bears are 49-43-4 all-time on homecoming and have won three consecutive and 10 of their last 11 homecoming matchups.


Keys to the Game
Football 101 – It comes down to this team simply doing a better job tackling from the defensive front to the secondary. Baylor had issues all night against West Virginia with yards after first contact. Attention to detail, reading a ball carrier/receiver’s hips rather than his eyes all come into play.

Rush, rush – The defensive line needs to have a reversal of fortune. The rushing yards per game jumped from 96 to 116 (Baylor is now third in the Big 12) from West Virginia. However, the lack of a pass rush has been the issue all season. Opposing QBs are too comfortable looking at all of their reads. Baylor is last in the Big 12 in sacks (10) and fifth in pass defense (233.2).

Don’t beat yourself – It really comes down to not allowing any non-offensive scores or big plays that set up short scoring drives, making sure the special teams play is a 180 of what it has been from the previous two games and taking care of the football. Baylor also has committed five turnovers in the last two games. That’s not complimentary football.

OL rebirth – Last week at West Virginia (35-169, 4.8 ypc) was a change for the better. Running backs had holes. The offensive line held its own facing a solid West Virginia front. Against a Kansas defense that ranks eighth in the league against the run (145.7), the Bears should have some success ripping off chunks here and there. It has every chance to look like the RVO that we saw in 2021.


Prediction
There’s likely to have been a lot of soul searching within the walls of this program to decide how it wants to approach the second half of the season. Preseason expectations have not been met. And while Baylor has lost two close games on the road at West Virginia and on the road at BYU, the issues have all contributed to being what the Bears are…3-3.

They should come out ready to play well in this. No one wants to lose Homecoming. This could be a high-scoring game because of how well Kansas moves it – even with Bean at QB – and how well Baylor can move it.

It’s going to come down to getting the right stops to turn momentum in Baylor’s favor.



Baylor 38, Kansas 27

Long way to go here. But your hat in the ring early.
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The tradition continues…

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UPDATE: So everything I have collected Thursday morning leads to Blake Shapen starting this game on Saturday. My understanding is that Shapen has practiced the last two days with no issues. Seems like business as usual.

These details go a little further than what Dave Aranda said below.

I know Kansas has been preparing like Shapen will be starting as well. What looked like a scary situation at West Virginia last week doesn't appear as to be as bad.

You never really know until the offense takes the field on Saturday. But that's where we are at.

****
Sorry this is late. I had a circuit blow at my house tonight where I was off the grid for several hours. But it’s a good sign for Saturday. If he’s taking the reps before the game that’s an indication

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Doesn’t look like Sqwirl will be available

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By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor returns home on Saturday to take on Kansas for Homecoming at McLane Stadium. The Bears are coming off a 43-30 loss at West Virginia last Thursday.

After starting 5-0 and receiving a national ranking, the Jayhawks have dropped their last two games. SicEmSports provides a look at the Jayhawks along with our Q&A with Jayhawk Slant publisher Jon Kirby.

Opponent: Kansas Jayhawks
Head Coach: Lance Leipold (7-12 2nd season; 153-51 16 seasons overall)
2022 Record: 5-2, 2-2
Record vs. Baylor: Baylor leads, 17-4
Returning Starters: 9 offense, 7 defense
Key Returners: B Jalon Daniels, WR Luke Grimm, RB Devin Neal, LB Rich Miller, LB Gavin Potter, DL Kenean Caldwell
Common Denominator: During Baylor’s 12-game winning streak, the Bears have scored 59 points or more four times.
Offensive Formation: Multiple
Defensive Formation: 4-3

About Kansas on Offense: When Daniels was healthy, the Jayhawks were dangerous because of his legs. Now, with Jason Bean starting, they will be run heavy with the back lead by Neal (505 yards, 5 TD). Bean has performed pretty well since he came in the second half against TCU (551 yards, 8 TD, 3 INT). He will get people involved. There are four players with 13 catches or more led by Lawrence Arnold (22-348 3TD). This offense has explosive plays. There are eight receptions that have covered at least 30 yards.

About Kansas on Defense: This unit has had its share of issues. Notice that the Jayhawks have been involved in a lot of shootouts. KU opponents have scored at least 27 points in five of the first seven games. The Jayhawks are ninth in the league in total defense at 439 yards per game and are last in 3rd down defense at 45 percent. What this defense does it create turnovers. It’s created 12 and KU is third in the Big 12 in turnover ratio at +3. They can also get to the QB with 17 sacks led by defensive end Lonnie Phelps (6) and linebacker Craig Young (3). Linebacker Rich Miller (56) and safety Kenny Logan (53) lead the team in tackles,

About Kansas on Special Teams: Jacob Borcila is the PK and while PATs are not the problem (38-38) he’s 50-50 on field goals (3-6) including a miss from (30-39). Reis Vernon has been decent at punter averaging 42 yards per effort including eight inside the 20. Nothing extraordinary on the kickoff and punt returns. Oddly, Kansas has returned just three punts thus far.

Bottom Line: It’s a good story to see the Jayhawks rebound after years of really being the conference’s doormat. There’s no question that they can score. But they also have trouble stopping people. They’re a bend-but-don’t-break approach. Jayhawks have to hope they get the right stops to get wins.

Q&A with Jayhawk Slant Publisher Jon Kirby

1. When the Jayhawks got off to this 5-0 start and a national ranking, did it even catch them by surprise and do you think their performance has dropped despite the losses to TCU and at OU?

I think there are different ways to look at it from that perspective. A lot of the players believed they would be good. I don’t know that they would have bet on a 5-0 start.

Now, the fans on the other hand didn’t see the 5-0 start coming. Some might act like they did, but they didn’t.

I don’t think their performance dropped. I thought they went toe-to-toe with a good TCU team that went down to the wire. The game against Oklahoma was their first time getting back on the road against a team who had lost three straight and were playing like their lives depended on it. Oklahoma was a bad matchup because they were able to spread the KU defense out and go their up-tempo style of offense going.

2. Kansas has made a reported $300 million future investment into its football program. How much teeth is there to it and what could that mean to Lance Leipold's future or making this job attractive to others?

The stadium will get done. I expect some work to start in 2023. It will be different phases and will include the Anderson Family Complex that houses the coaches, players, weight room, etc.

Leipold has been involved in the discussions and I guarantee he will have input on these things.

The stadium renovations have been talked about for years by different administrations, but Travis Goff and Chancellor Doug Girod have come through on something that needed to be done.


3. There doesn't seem to be much dropoff from Jalon Daniels to Jason Bean in terms of productivity. What's been the difference?

I think the biggest thing that turned the offense around was the ability to mix in option and quarterback run game. That caught defenses off balanced and added another element to the offense.

That is something Daniels was doing very well. When he stopped doing that it seemed like the production dipped.

Bean is one of the fastest players on the team, if not the fastest. But I don’t know that he runs like Daniels who ran through tackles and got extra yards.

Bean went in at the half against TCU and threw for 260 yards and four touchdowns. So, he has the ability to move the ball.

4. KU runs the ball so well. What makes it click?

Like I said above the quarterback run game along with the option has made defenses guess what is coming next. The familiarity of the wide zone scheme has also helped.

It was something Leipold installed when he got to Kansas. Offensive line coach Scott Fuchs has done a great job molding a solid group up front.

The Jayhawks do have a talented backfield. They have good depth and are missing one of their best backs Daniel Hishaw.

5. Defensively, what has been the trend of that side of the ball.

It has been a bend, don’t break and they have tried to keep everything in front of them. They played well against Iowa State and had several drives where they looked good against TCU.

Oklahoma exposed them because they made them play in space and got their hurry-up offense moving. KU has good depth on the lines, and they have played several players. But Oklahoma played at a pace and style that limited how they could sub. The Sooners ran 100 plays and that’s not how KU wants to play.

6. If the Jayhawks are going to end this 12-game losing streak to the Bears, what are they going to have to do?

The obvious is take care of the ball because the margin of error is so small. Against good Big 12 teams they just can’t give it away. They aren’t good enough to go on the road and lose the turnover battle and win.

One of the things that made them successful is converting a high percentage of third downs. At one point they led the nation in third down percentage and that is because they stayed ahead of the chains. Against Oklahoma they got in more third and longs than they were used to.

Homecoming is coming up. We talk about the tilt with the JayHawks, where the Bears stand going into the middle part of the Big 12 schedule, and pick a few games.




Came in at 26:00

Listen to the podcast here

By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor couldn’t hold an early 10-point lead last Thursday in Milan Puskar Stadium against West Virginia and wound up falling, 43-40. A chip shot 22-yard field goal with 33 seconds to play was the difference.

The Bears are 3-3 and 1-2 as they have two extra days to prepare for Homecoming on Saturday against Kansas (11:00 a.m., ESPN2) at McLane Stadium.

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

Buying: WR Gavin Holmes
How can you not go back to him following his performance? His day – 7-210 1TD – was the most receiving yards for a Bear since the 2016 Cactus Bowl, when KD Cannon went over 200 yards. More importantly, Holmes bounced back from the Oklahoma State nightmare. That shows leadership, setting the example for every player in the locker room to just keep playing and fighting through adversity. Holmes would know all about that given his injury history.

Selling: Defensive Line
Sooner or later, you can’t keep saying to yourself, “Well, let’s wait and see what happens against Team X to know what we really have.’’ It would have to be finding the golden ticket for this to flip the right way. We’re halfway through this season and the front has been arguably the biggest disappointment on this team. Stopping the run has been a hit and miss thing. The biggest problem is that it cannot manufacture a pass rush. When opposing QBs can survey the field as long as they can, that leaves an inexperienced secondary exposed.

Buying: QB Kyron Drones
If the redshirt freshman is preparing to start on Saturday against Kansas, I wouldn’t be too worried. He came in last week and handled a stressful situation well. Drones has a big arm. Even the 2-yard TD pass to Hal Presley had some zip on it. He finished 7-14-1 95 1 TD. The gameplan probably will be simplified. You could expect the running factor to be a part of it. At the very least, you have the question answered if Baylor’s backup QB can do this.

Selling: The little things
Of course, turnovers are not a little thing. They can flip a ballgame. West Virginia scored 14 points off three Baylor turnovers including a fumble return. Then mix in the rare blocked PAT returned for two points and that’s 16 points. Finally, Baylor’s 3rd down defense was really good coming into that game, allowing just 35 percent on attempts. The Mountaineers were 7-of-13 (54 percent).

Buying: Moving forward
If this team can put the consecutive losses to Oklahoma State and West Virginia in the right frame of mind, it should be fine for Kansas. And that may not matter how the starting quarterback situation unfolds for this game. But I will caution that this game is going to test the Bears’ resolve because of this adversity. They need to respond to it. I think this team will. It may not be pretty. All that counts is getting a W.

Some tweets you'll find of note...
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Old Friends
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Getting ready to meet the media in KC
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Shovels in the ground
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His PT dropped off significantly when Big 12 play began. Just one catch and that was a 4-yarder at Iowa State. For the season he was 7-73. Think hopes were higher. Didn’t turn out that way for the sophomore out of Pearland Shadow Creek.

And like Josh Fleeks, they can't officially enter the portal until Dec. 5.

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