By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Recruiting tidbits
>First things first, if Baylor pursues a QB for the 2020 class, it won’t former Allen and Ole Miss QB Grant Tisdale, who went into the NCAA Transfer Portal last week. At one time during the 2019 recruiting campaign, Tisdale and the Baylor coaches had built a pretty good relationship. Not happening from what we understand.
>Baylor continues to gain some momentum with 4-star DR Alfred Collins. Discussions have picked up between the Cedar Creek standout and the staff. It’s to the point where Collins is now seriously considering using his last official visit to Baylor in December. He said he has to discuss it with his family. For now, the coaching staff really would like for him to come for one of the last two home games Nov. 16 against Oklahoma or Nov. 23 against Texas. Collins said he will be at one of them.
>Baton Rouge (LA) Thrive Academy DE Alven Johnson is scheduled to visit Baylor when the Bears play Oklahoma Nov. 16. And at this point, Johnson is trying to do everything academically so he can graduate in December and arrive at Baylor in January.
>Despite the recent offer from Texas, Baylor shouldn’t have any worries about Lamar Consolidated 2020 RB Taye McWilliams being a flight risk. A person close to the recruitment said, “Nothing! Coach Rhule and his staff have done an amazing job with him.’’ McWilliams is also expected to graduate in December.
>Baylor is hopeful Lancaster 2020 RB Kevontre Bradford will take an official visit in December. Things are trending that way but not a done deal. There are things left to be resolved. Regardless of whether Bradford visits, it doesn’t mean Baylor surges to the front. There is some serious competition including Ohio State and Wisconsin. According to Rivals FutureCast, Wisconsin is the favorite.
Baylor Players talk TCU
As the Bears prepared for the Horned Frogs, Ross Masticsik, Chris Platt and J.T. Woods met with the media earlier in the week.
Ross Matiscik, LS, Sr.
(did you have to get back into shape to play at linebacker) It was definitely, first of all, physical shape. Getting in shape, just running around, playing shape, is the best way to describe it. And then secondly, the mental part of it. Learning the playbook, learning the X’s and O’s. So, I just spent some time in the film room and met with the coaches and got that figured out.
(pulling out close games) I think we just find a way to get it done. Everything that we do counts, whether it be the first quarter or the fourth quarter. When all three phases of our game, either offense, defense or special teams, one of them is going to find a way to help us out, as you saw last week with the big block, also the big field goal. So, just find a way to get it done.
(experience helps) I think so. The last three years with Coach Rhule, we’ve played a lot of tough games, haven’t been much blowouts. Even this year, we’ve played a lot of close games, which were battle-tested we say.
(had to move you to LB) I played both this year, and then this year I was just snapping and then played linebacker after we were a little shallow over there.
(have to twist your arm) No, I just saw that they were moving some offensive guys over there to help out the team. And I was like, ‘Hey, I’ve done it before, why not?’ This is my senior year, those are my brothers, I don’t want to have any regrets. I don’t want to be the reason something happens, so I just said, ‘Let’s go!’
(come easier this time) It did, a lot easier. Knowing the defense last year, it’s pretty similar. Obviously we’re a three-man front versus four-man front, but a lot of the terminology is the same, and I learned it pretty well the first time. So, it was pretty easy to jump back into it.
(struggle to get back into playing shape) Yeah, it was. A lot of my movement was very vertical, and now it’s horizontal. Getting into shape was the biggest thing, honestly. Just kind of playing into shape. The first few practices, I got winded really easily, but after that I got in shape, and now it’s coming a little faster to me now.
(in the middle) That’s what I played last year, middle linebacker.
(pay attention to the CFP ranking release) Not really, honestly. I had a big test this morning, and I was studying for it. So, I didn’t really pay any attention to that as well.
I saw we were 12th, is that right?
(facing a rival like TCU this week to keep your attention) I would say so. We all know we have a pretty tough stretch coming up these next four games. But right now, we’re about going 1-0 and just beating TCU. The last four years I’ve been here, we’ve never beaten TCU. So, I’m looking forward to heading up to Fort Worth and competing with my brothers and going 1-0 this week.
(don’t look at the records, see it as a trap game) That, to me, to the team, is all distractions. It’s just another week, trying to go 1-0 this week. We’ve gotten to this point by taking it one game at a time. Yeah, it’s TCU, I don’t know what their record is, but just one week at a time. Go out there and play our brand of football, and it should take care of itself.
(not knowing which QB to prepare for) Last year, they came down here and beat us with their third- or fourth-string quarterback. So, we’re just getting prepared the same way we normally would, as if the starter was going to play, because you can’t take anything for granted, as we saw last year. So, we’re just preparing the same way and getting ready to play them a tough game.
(the message after not playing your best against West Virginia) We definitely had some talk in the locker room. But, at the end of the day, we went 1-0 that week and we won the game. I would just say we got our issues fixed and we’re heading to TCU looking to get another win.
(on playing special teams) I’m also on kickoff (coverage).
(why are you so good at blocking kicks) Because everything counts. Iron sharpens iron, and every day we go out there and compete against each other. If you come out here and watch our field goal period, we’re going full-go at each other on a Tuesday. They’re trying to block a kick, and I’m trying to make sure it doesn’t get blocked. I don’t know if a lot of teams emphasize blocking kicks as much as we do, or running to the ball as much as we do, or getting turnovers as much as we do. So, everything counts. You just have to take it one play at a time, and on that play you’ve just got to make sure you do your job and do it the best you can do.
(on Clay Johnston helping the linebackers) Clay, he’s had his surgery, so he’s been out of town, but he’s a big support guy for us. He’s around the building all the time doing his rehab. He’s one of our leaders, he’s one of my best friends. Just seeing him around the building, and him sticking around here, even though he’s not going to be able to play or anything like that, just having him around just brings us all up a little bit. If he’s willing to be here, and how much he would wish to be on the field with us, we’ve just got to do all we can to play for him.
(on Hasty blowing up the West Virginia kickoff return guy) That kid can do everything. What can’t he do? In practice, he’s probably one of our biggest effort guys. You see him sprinting all over the field. So, when he blew that guy up, it was no surprise that it was him, No. 6. Just let him do his thing and let him play football.
Chris Platt, WR, Sr.
(TCU rivalry buzz) With the students yeah, but we just treat it like every other game. The most important game of the year is the next one. My freshman, sophomore year, I was definitely listening to the buzz around campus and letting it get to me and stuff. But now I’m just treating it like every other game.
It is special because I was granted this year. To be able to go through that 1-11 season and to be where we are right now, it’s just very fun to be part of. I honestly saw it during our 1-11 season, the fight the young guys back then had even though we were losing and the way they wanted to win, I could tell from the next year until now this team is going to be special.
(Offensive improvement after WVU) We were definitely disappointed, but we’re getting it fixed right now and I know Tecklenburg and DeLeone and Coach Rhule are getting on the O-line. All we’ve got to worry about is what we can do at our position. I know really down the stretch we’re going to get this thing well put together.
(playing against a Gary Patterson-coached defense) Through my years, it’s very tough. I know he’s a very defensive-minded coach, and their defense is really good, but they also have a very good offense as well. They’re a real complete team.
(TCU has good DBs) Yes, most definitely. I know through my years, they’ve always been a good matchup for us.
(been on a team that beat TCU) Not when I played, but when I was a redshirt freshman, yes. (61-58)
(played in the Cold Bowl in 2015) I played there, too. That was horrible.
(how far back does that 61-58 game seem) It feels like a very long time ago, it really does, but that game is going to stick out the most to me for years to come. Only because of the adversity that we hit early in the third quarter, going down by three touchdowns. And just being able to be on the sidelines, like listening to people, like, ‘We’re going to come back, we’re going to win this game.’ And we pulled it off. It was just something very special.
(does this feel like that kind of high again) I don’t like to compare, but I’d like to say it’s very special, it’s up there.
(what makes this team so good in close games) Really, I go back to the 1-11 season, there were a lot of games that we were really close to winning. And even last year. We’ve been battle-tested a lot, we’ve been in a lot of close games for the past three years. So, we already know what that’s like, and we’re just going to continue grinding, no matter what the score is.
JT Woods, S, Soph.
TCU is a very, very good team. Offensively they have a lot of threats and two running backs that are very good. They have a lot of speed outside and a freshman quarterback who doesn’t make a lot of freshman mistakes. They’re very dynamic on offense.
(Duggan might be hurt) Last year they didn’t have their starting quarterback but they still went out and beat us. They have enough talent to go out and play with whoever goes at quarterback.
We know they’re a threat and they could beat us on any given day. They’re very talented. They can put whoever they need at quarterback. They’ve got Jalen Reagor doing the wildcat, so they could probably do wildcat the whole game and still give us a run for our money.
It’s not more serious than any other game.
(Reagor) We’ve definitely got to keep him contained because if he bounces it on the outside he can definitely get his speed going and hurt us a little bit. So we have to keep him contained, keep him in between the tackles when he goes on jet sweeps and all that stuff. We have to stay over the top of him and not let him get to his max velocity.
(Buzz around campus for TCU) As the season has been progressing, students have definitely been getting into football a little more which is cool. But we don’t really take too much detail and look into that. Each week we go 1-0. Fans are going to be up and down all the time, we know that. So we don’t really put any pressure on that.
(Chris Miller out) It doesn’t really help. We love Chris to death, and it hurts my heart that he doesn’t get to be out there playing. He just plays at a speed that’s so unique to the game of football. Unfortunately, they’re doing a lot of safety things as the game goes on and getting more dangerous. So they’re starting to crack down on all the things that can harm people, so he’s getting called for some things. It doesn’t really help that he’s been missing games. But like I said before, twos have to play like ones. So me, McVea and Christian (Morgan) we’ve been trying to step up and seamlessly make that transition go as cleanly as possible.
(Morgan stepping up) I definitely think he’s ready. He’s my roommate. I’ve been with him since he came in early. I definitely know he’s ready for the opportunity. He’s just waiting his name to get called on.
(Winning close games) Definitely I say the defense starts to buckle down as the game goes on and we start to learn a little bit more of what they’re doing because what you see in the first and second quarter you see in the third and fourth quarter. So we get a little familiar with the offense. And then offensively, they just start to draw up some things and dial up a lot, and they start putting some points on the board. What helped us last week, the defense had a fourth quarter shutout. As long as you keep having fourth quarter shutouts, then we’re going to be able to keep having good games.
(Special teams) It was kind of like a wow moment (WVU kickoff return for TD) because we stress special teams a lot, and coaches went to a whole ‘nother level. I think it’s interesting to see how much further we can go into more detail that we can go on special teams because I thought we were pretty detailed but obviously we weren’t detailed enough.
(Blocked kicks) What you do in practice you do in the games, and they stress special teams just like any other period. They do one-on-one special teams like blocking kicks, they do all that. So everybody really dials it up. When we do special teams, it’s not like a blow off period. It’s just as serious as any other period.
Exactly how you watch film and break down an offense, we do with special teams. We break down their kickoff team, their kickoff return team, their punt team, their punt return team, everything.
It definitely can swing the momentum a lot, especially when teams are riding on just putting points on the board, thinking they can get an easy three and block it. Then the offense drives the ball and puts seven on the board, it doesn’t get any better than that.
(Learn from ISU game) I think the paradigm shift happened at Oklahoma State. We were down going into halftime, and we just kind of realized that we were worried about winning. It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about going out and having fun and playing the football we know we can play. So we started to do that in the second half against Oklahoma State, and now we’ve just kind of been learning that if you’re worried about things other than football that can hurt you.
It’s always nice to be the underdog. No one really expected us to be 8-0 right now, so we don’t really take anything for granted because last year we had some losses and we know what that feeling is like. We just try to play each week 1-0 like we’ve been doing this year. We know what it feels like, so we don’t want to go back to that.
Every game we had last year dictates the games we’ve had this year. We’ve definitely been reviewing our mistakes and making sure those mistakes don’t happen again.
(CFP rankings) I saw we were 12 on Twitter. But once again, 1-0 each week. Rankings don’t really matter because they can change on any given day. It doesn’t even matter what you do that week. Someone else can have a performance and you get bumped down or up. We’re focused on TCU this week, 1-0.
(Hasty) I don’t know too many people who will go run a 60 or 70-yard touchdown and then go full speed on kickoff and knock somebody’s head off. He’s definitely a leader, more than vocally but by example and it stands out in practice, it stands out on the field and in the weight room. He spends so much time in the weight room. He and Henry Black I’m pretty sure they have a competition or something going because they always spend extra time in there. He’s just someone you look up to on all aspects of football, not just on the field but off the field and in the film room and the classroom, everything.
Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports ranks the Big 12 based on how the season is progressing. Agree or disagree, here they are.
1. Baylor – Bears need to snap 4-game losing streak to the Horned Frogs
2. Oklahoma – Heisman Trophy talk for QB Jalen Hurts dims
3. Kansas State – Chris Klieman making a case for Big 12 coach of the year
4. Oklahoma State – Gundy has more time to retool offense without Tylan Wallace
5. Iowa State – Cyclones struggle allowing opposing offensive explosive plays
6. TCU – Max Duggan is here? Max Duggan is not here?
7. Texas – Longhorns getting healthier on defense
8. Texas Tech – Red Raiders have lost two of the last three conference games on final play
9. West Virginia – Can this team actually score more than 14 points?
10. Kansas – Bye week to determine how defense can make improvements
Big 12 Weekend
A look at Saturday’s action from the opening week of the conference. Rankings are from the College Football Rankings. TV is listed. Kansas and Oklahoma State have byes.
No. 12 Baylor (8-0, 5-0) at TCU (4-4, 2-3); 11:00 a.m., Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (FS1)
Series: TCU leads, 55-52-7
Notable: The Bears play this game in pretty good health with the exception of Sr. NT Bravvion Roy who is questionable. Of course, TCU has its own issues with Fr. QB Max Duggan who is dealing with a finger problem. The availability of both of these key players is probably going to be known during pregame warmups.
Texas Tech (3-5, 1-4) at West Virginia (3-5, 1-4); 11:00 a.m., Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV (ESPN2)
Series: West Virginia leads, 6-2
Notable: It’s getting to the point where these two need to have big Novembers in order to become bowl eligible. The problem is West Virginia’s offense isn’t moving the ball. Texas Tech’s offense is pretty much middle of the pack in several occasions. The Red Raiders are not good at stopping the run at 176 yards per game (8th in the Big 12). But the Mountaineers are last at running it at 79 ypg.
No. 16 Kansas State (6-2, 3-2) at Texas (5-3, 3-2); 2:30 p.m., Darrell K. Royal, Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin (ESPN)
Series: Kansas State leads, 10-9
Notable: Texas figures to get some of its key people back in defensive backs B.J. Foster, Darmavion Overshown and Caden Sterns. That’s going to help a secondary that has been pretty brutal all year. Texas’ pass defense is last at 305.4 ypg. While KSU QB Skylar Thompson isn’t anything great (107-177, 1336 yards 7TDs) he takes care of the ball. He’s only thrown one interception thus far.
Iowa State (5-3, 3-2) at No. 9 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1); 7:00 p.m., Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK (FOX)
Series: Oklahoma leads, 75-6-2
Notable: The last time these two teams met in Norman, the Cyclones pulled off the shocking upset. Statistically, this game features the top two passers in the Big 12. ISU’s Brock Purdy leads with 2,567 yards. OU’s Jalen Hurts is at 2,469. Hurts leads the conference in total off 3,270 yards because he has rushed for 800 more. But the Sooners really haven’t found a consistent lead running back.
Baylor 2019 Redshirt Tracker
The NCAA’s redshirt rule, which is in its second year, is giving coaches more flexibility on how to develop their young players and even save some of their older players.
Players can play up to a maximum of four games without losing any eligibility. Baylor’s 2019 class has reached the two-thirds mark of the season. Without including postseason, those who haven’t played can play in these last four games against TCU, Oklahoma, Texas and TCU and keep their eligibility.
We catch you up on who has played and how many games. This will include the Junior College transfers because they are eligible for the redshirt as well.
Paul Matavao-Poialii, OL – (2) SFA, UTSA
Garmon Randolph, DE – (2) SFA, West Virginia
Noah Rauschenberg, PK – (3) SFA, UTSA, Texas Tech
Isaiah Howard, DT – At New Jersey prep school; expected to enroll in January
Davis DiVall, OL – Has not appeared in a game
Peyton Powell, DB/QB – Entered in the NCAA transfer portal
Blade Bedier, OL – Has appeared in the first eight games
Sam Snyder, TE – (1) UTSA
Niadre Zouzoua, DE – (7) SFA, UTSA, Rice, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State
Jonah White, RB – (1) UTSA
Gabe Hall, DT – (7) SFA, UTSA, Rice, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas Tech
Yusuf Terry, WR – (1) SFA
Logan Compton, TE/DE – No longer a member of the Baylor FB program
Matt Jones, LB – (2) SFA, UTSA
Brandon White, DB – (1) SFA
Solo Turner, LB – (1) SFA
Will Williams, S – (4) SFA, UTSA, Rice, Iowa State
Tyrone Brown, LB – Has not appeared in a game; had offseason foot surgery
Elijah Ellis, OL – Has not appeared in a game
Jacob Zeno, QB – Has not appeared in game; dealing with injuries
Qualan Jones, RB – (2) SFA, UTSA
Hakeem Vance, S – Has not appeared in a game
T.J Franklin, DL – (5) SFA, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia
Jaylen Ellis, WR – Has not appeared in a game
Publisher
Recruiting tidbits
>First things first, if Baylor pursues a QB for the 2020 class, it won’t former Allen and Ole Miss QB Grant Tisdale, who went into the NCAA Transfer Portal last week. At one time during the 2019 recruiting campaign, Tisdale and the Baylor coaches had built a pretty good relationship. Not happening from what we understand.
>Baylor continues to gain some momentum with 4-star DR Alfred Collins. Discussions have picked up between the Cedar Creek standout and the staff. It’s to the point where Collins is now seriously considering using his last official visit to Baylor in December. He said he has to discuss it with his family. For now, the coaching staff really would like for him to come for one of the last two home games Nov. 16 against Oklahoma or Nov. 23 against Texas. Collins said he will be at one of them.
>Baton Rouge (LA) Thrive Academy DE Alven Johnson is scheduled to visit Baylor when the Bears play Oklahoma Nov. 16. And at this point, Johnson is trying to do everything academically so he can graduate in December and arrive at Baylor in January.
>Despite the recent offer from Texas, Baylor shouldn’t have any worries about Lamar Consolidated 2020 RB Taye McWilliams being a flight risk. A person close to the recruitment said, “Nothing! Coach Rhule and his staff have done an amazing job with him.’’ McWilliams is also expected to graduate in December.
>Baylor is hopeful Lancaster 2020 RB Kevontre Bradford will take an official visit in December. Things are trending that way but not a done deal. There are things left to be resolved. Regardless of whether Bradford visits, it doesn’t mean Baylor surges to the front. There is some serious competition including Ohio State and Wisconsin. According to Rivals FutureCast, Wisconsin is the favorite.
Baylor Players talk TCU
As the Bears prepared for the Horned Frogs, Ross Masticsik, Chris Platt and J.T. Woods met with the media earlier in the week.
Ross Matiscik, LS, Sr.
(did you have to get back into shape to play at linebacker) It was definitely, first of all, physical shape. Getting in shape, just running around, playing shape, is the best way to describe it. And then secondly, the mental part of it. Learning the playbook, learning the X’s and O’s. So, I just spent some time in the film room and met with the coaches and got that figured out.
(pulling out close games) I think we just find a way to get it done. Everything that we do counts, whether it be the first quarter or the fourth quarter. When all three phases of our game, either offense, defense or special teams, one of them is going to find a way to help us out, as you saw last week with the big block, also the big field goal. So, just find a way to get it done.
(experience helps) I think so. The last three years with Coach Rhule, we’ve played a lot of tough games, haven’t been much blowouts. Even this year, we’ve played a lot of close games, which were battle-tested we say.
(had to move you to LB) I played both this year, and then this year I was just snapping and then played linebacker after we were a little shallow over there.
(have to twist your arm) No, I just saw that they were moving some offensive guys over there to help out the team. And I was like, ‘Hey, I’ve done it before, why not?’ This is my senior year, those are my brothers, I don’t want to have any regrets. I don’t want to be the reason something happens, so I just said, ‘Let’s go!’
(come easier this time) It did, a lot easier. Knowing the defense last year, it’s pretty similar. Obviously we’re a three-man front versus four-man front, but a lot of the terminology is the same, and I learned it pretty well the first time. So, it was pretty easy to jump back into it.
(struggle to get back into playing shape) Yeah, it was. A lot of my movement was very vertical, and now it’s horizontal. Getting into shape was the biggest thing, honestly. Just kind of playing into shape. The first few practices, I got winded really easily, but after that I got in shape, and now it’s coming a little faster to me now.
(in the middle) That’s what I played last year, middle linebacker.
(pay attention to the CFP ranking release) Not really, honestly. I had a big test this morning, and I was studying for it. So, I didn’t really pay any attention to that as well.
I saw we were 12th, is that right?
(facing a rival like TCU this week to keep your attention) I would say so. We all know we have a pretty tough stretch coming up these next four games. But right now, we’re about going 1-0 and just beating TCU. The last four years I’ve been here, we’ve never beaten TCU. So, I’m looking forward to heading up to Fort Worth and competing with my brothers and going 1-0 this week.
(don’t look at the records, see it as a trap game) That, to me, to the team, is all distractions. It’s just another week, trying to go 1-0 this week. We’ve gotten to this point by taking it one game at a time. Yeah, it’s TCU, I don’t know what their record is, but just one week at a time. Go out there and play our brand of football, and it should take care of itself.
(not knowing which QB to prepare for) Last year, they came down here and beat us with their third- or fourth-string quarterback. So, we’re just getting prepared the same way we normally would, as if the starter was going to play, because you can’t take anything for granted, as we saw last year. So, we’re just preparing the same way and getting ready to play them a tough game.
(the message after not playing your best against West Virginia) We definitely had some talk in the locker room. But, at the end of the day, we went 1-0 that week and we won the game. I would just say we got our issues fixed and we’re heading to TCU looking to get another win.
(on playing special teams) I’m also on kickoff (coverage).
(why are you so good at blocking kicks) Because everything counts. Iron sharpens iron, and every day we go out there and compete against each other. If you come out here and watch our field goal period, we’re going full-go at each other on a Tuesday. They’re trying to block a kick, and I’m trying to make sure it doesn’t get blocked. I don’t know if a lot of teams emphasize blocking kicks as much as we do, or running to the ball as much as we do, or getting turnovers as much as we do. So, everything counts. You just have to take it one play at a time, and on that play you’ve just got to make sure you do your job and do it the best you can do.
(on Clay Johnston helping the linebackers) Clay, he’s had his surgery, so he’s been out of town, but he’s a big support guy for us. He’s around the building all the time doing his rehab. He’s one of our leaders, he’s one of my best friends. Just seeing him around the building, and him sticking around here, even though he’s not going to be able to play or anything like that, just having him around just brings us all up a little bit. If he’s willing to be here, and how much he would wish to be on the field with us, we’ve just got to do all we can to play for him.
(on Hasty blowing up the West Virginia kickoff return guy) That kid can do everything. What can’t he do? In practice, he’s probably one of our biggest effort guys. You see him sprinting all over the field. So, when he blew that guy up, it was no surprise that it was him, No. 6. Just let him do his thing and let him play football.
Chris Platt, WR, Sr.
(TCU rivalry buzz) With the students yeah, but we just treat it like every other game. The most important game of the year is the next one. My freshman, sophomore year, I was definitely listening to the buzz around campus and letting it get to me and stuff. But now I’m just treating it like every other game.
It is special because I was granted this year. To be able to go through that 1-11 season and to be where we are right now, it’s just very fun to be part of. I honestly saw it during our 1-11 season, the fight the young guys back then had even though we were losing and the way they wanted to win, I could tell from the next year until now this team is going to be special.
(Offensive improvement after WVU) We were definitely disappointed, but we’re getting it fixed right now and I know Tecklenburg and DeLeone and Coach Rhule are getting on the O-line. All we’ve got to worry about is what we can do at our position. I know really down the stretch we’re going to get this thing well put together.
(playing against a Gary Patterson-coached defense) Through my years, it’s very tough. I know he’s a very defensive-minded coach, and their defense is really good, but they also have a very good offense as well. They’re a real complete team.
(TCU has good DBs) Yes, most definitely. I know through my years, they’ve always been a good matchup for us.
(been on a team that beat TCU) Not when I played, but when I was a redshirt freshman, yes. (61-58)
(played in the Cold Bowl in 2015) I played there, too. That was horrible.
(how far back does that 61-58 game seem) It feels like a very long time ago, it really does, but that game is going to stick out the most to me for years to come. Only because of the adversity that we hit early in the third quarter, going down by three touchdowns. And just being able to be on the sidelines, like listening to people, like, ‘We’re going to come back, we’re going to win this game.’ And we pulled it off. It was just something very special.
(does this feel like that kind of high again) I don’t like to compare, but I’d like to say it’s very special, it’s up there.
(what makes this team so good in close games) Really, I go back to the 1-11 season, there were a lot of games that we were really close to winning. And even last year. We’ve been battle-tested a lot, we’ve been in a lot of close games for the past three years. So, we already know what that’s like, and we’re just going to continue grinding, no matter what the score is.
JT Woods, S, Soph.
TCU is a very, very good team. Offensively they have a lot of threats and two running backs that are very good. They have a lot of speed outside and a freshman quarterback who doesn’t make a lot of freshman mistakes. They’re very dynamic on offense.
(Duggan might be hurt) Last year they didn’t have their starting quarterback but they still went out and beat us. They have enough talent to go out and play with whoever goes at quarterback.
We know they’re a threat and they could beat us on any given day. They’re very talented. They can put whoever they need at quarterback. They’ve got Jalen Reagor doing the wildcat, so they could probably do wildcat the whole game and still give us a run for our money.
It’s not more serious than any other game.
(Reagor) We’ve definitely got to keep him contained because if he bounces it on the outside he can definitely get his speed going and hurt us a little bit. So we have to keep him contained, keep him in between the tackles when he goes on jet sweeps and all that stuff. We have to stay over the top of him and not let him get to his max velocity.
(Buzz around campus for TCU) As the season has been progressing, students have definitely been getting into football a little more which is cool. But we don’t really take too much detail and look into that. Each week we go 1-0. Fans are going to be up and down all the time, we know that. So we don’t really put any pressure on that.
(Chris Miller out) It doesn’t really help. We love Chris to death, and it hurts my heart that he doesn’t get to be out there playing. He just plays at a speed that’s so unique to the game of football. Unfortunately, they’re doing a lot of safety things as the game goes on and getting more dangerous. So they’re starting to crack down on all the things that can harm people, so he’s getting called for some things. It doesn’t really help that he’s been missing games. But like I said before, twos have to play like ones. So me, McVea and Christian (Morgan) we’ve been trying to step up and seamlessly make that transition go as cleanly as possible.
(Morgan stepping up) I definitely think he’s ready. He’s my roommate. I’ve been with him since he came in early. I definitely know he’s ready for the opportunity. He’s just waiting his name to get called on.
(Winning close games) Definitely I say the defense starts to buckle down as the game goes on and we start to learn a little bit more of what they’re doing because what you see in the first and second quarter you see in the third and fourth quarter. So we get a little familiar with the offense. And then offensively, they just start to draw up some things and dial up a lot, and they start putting some points on the board. What helped us last week, the defense had a fourth quarter shutout. As long as you keep having fourth quarter shutouts, then we’re going to be able to keep having good games.
(Special teams) It was kind of like a wow moment (WVU kickoff return for TD) because we stress special teams a lot, and coaches went to a whole ‘nother level. I think it’s interesting to see how much further we can go into more detail that we can go on special teams because I thought we were pretty detailed but obviously we weren’t detailed enough.
(Blocked kicks) What you do in practice you do in the games, and they stress special teams just like any other period. They do one-on-one special teams like blocking kicks, they do all that. So everybody really dials it up. When we do special teams, it’s not like a blow off period. It’s just as serious as any other period.
Exactly how you watch film and break down an offense, we do with special teams. We break down their kickoff team, their kickoff return team, their punt team, their punt return team, everything.
It definitely can swing the momentum a lot, especially when teams are riding on just putting points on the board, thinking they can get an easy three and block it. Then the offense drives the ball and puts seven on the board, it doesn’t get any better than that.
(Learn from ISU game) I think the paradigm shift happened at Oklahoma State. We were down going into halftime, and we just kind of realized that we were worried about winning. It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about going out and having fun and playing the football we know we can play. So we started to do that in the second half against Oklahoma State, and now we’ve just kind of been learning that if you’re worried about things other than football that can hurt you.
It’s always nice to be the underdog. No one really expected us to be 8-0 right now, so we don’t really take anything for granted because last year we had some losses and we know what that feeling is like. We just try to play each week 1-0 like we’ve been doing this year. We know what it feels like, so we don’t want to go back to that.
Every game we had last year dictates the games we’ve had this year. We’ve definitely been reviewing our mistakes and making sure those mistakes don’t happen again.
(CFP rankings) I saw we were 12 on Twitter. But once again, 1-0 each week. Rankings don’t really matter because they can change on any given day. It doesn’t even matter what you do that week. Someone else can have a performance and you get bumped down or up. We’re focused on TCU this week, 1-0.
(Hasty) I don’t know too many people who will go run a 60 or 70-yard touchdown and then go full speed on kickoff and knock somebody’s head off. He’s definitely a leader, more than vocally but by example and it stands out in practice, it stands out on the field and in the weight room. He spends so much time in the weight room. He and Henry Black I’m pretty sure they have a competition or something going because they always spend extra time in there. He’s just someone you look up to on all aspects of football, not just on the field but off the field and in the film room and the classroom, everything.
Big 12 Power Rankings
Each week, SicEmSports ranks the Big 12 based on how the season is progressing. Agree or disagree, here they are.
1. Baylor – Bears need to snap 4-game losing streak to the Horned Frogs
2. Oklahoma – Heisman Trophy talk for QB Jalen Hurts dims
3. Kansas State – Chris Klieman making a case for Big 12 coach of the year
4. Oklahoma State – Gundy has more time to retool offense without Tylan Wallace
5. Iowa State – Cyclones struggle allowing opposing offensive explosive plays
6. TCU – Max Duggan is here? Max Duggan is not here?
7. Texas – Longhorns getting healthier on defense
8. Texas Tech – Red Raiders have lost two of the last three conference games on final play
9. West Virginia – Can this team actually score more than 14 points?
10. Kansas – Bye week to determine how defense can make improvements
Big 12 Weekend
A look at Saturday’s action from the opening week of the conference. Rankings are from the College Football Rankings. TV is listed. Kansas and Oklahoma State have byes.
No. 12 Baylor (8-0, 5-0) at TCU (4-4, 2-3); 11:00 a.m., Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (FS1)
Series: TCU leads, 55-52-7
Notable: The Bears play this game in pretty good health with the exception of Sr. NT Bravvion Roy who is questionable. Of course, TCU has its own issues with Fr. QB Max Duggan who is dealing with a finger problem. The availability of both of these key players is probably going to be known during pregame warmups.
Texas Tech (3-5, 1-4) at West Virginia (3-5, 1-4); 11:00 a.m., Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV (ESPN2)
Series: West Virginia leads, 6-2
Notable: It’s getting to the point where these two need to have big Novembers in order to become bowl eligible. The problem is West Virginia’s offense isn’t moving the ball. Texas Tech’s offense is pretty much middle of the pack in several occasions. The Red Raiders are not good at stopping the run at 176 yards per game (8th in the Big 12). But the Mountaineers are last at running it at 79 ypg.
No. 16 Kansas State (6-2, 3-2) at Texas (5-3, 3-2); 2:30 p.m., Darrell K. Royal, Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin (ESPN)
Series: Kansas State leads, 10-9
Notable: Texas figures to get some of its key people back in defensive backs B.J. Foster, Darmavion Overshown and Caden Sterns. That’s going to help a secondary that has been pretty brutal all year. Texas’ pass defense is last at 305.4 ypg. While KSU QB Skylar Thompson isn’t anything great (107-177, 1336 yards 7TDs) he takes care of the ball. He’s only thrown one interception thus far.
Iowa State (5-3, 3-2) at No. 9 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1); 7:00 p.m., Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK (FOX)
Series: Oklahoma leads, 75-6-2
Notable: The last time these two teams met in Norman, the Cyclones pulled off the shocking upset. Statistically, this game features the top two passers in the Big 12. ISU’s Brock Purdy leads with 2,567 yards. OU’s Jalen Hurts is at 2,469. Hurts leads the conference in total off 3,270 yards because he has rushed for 800 more. But the Sooners really haven’t found a consistent lead running back.
Baylor 2019 Redshirt Tracker
The NCAA’s redshirt rule, which is in its second year, is giving coaches more flexibility on how to develop their young players and even save some of their older players.
Players can play up to a maximum of four games without losing any eligibility. Baylor’s 2019 class has reached the two-thirds mark of the season. Without including postseason, those who haven’t played can play in these last four games against TCU, Oklahoma, Texas and TCU and keep their eligibility.
We catch you up on who has played and how many games. This will include the Junior College transfers because they are eligible for the redshirt as well.
Paul Matavao-Poialii, OL – (2) SFA, UTSA
Garmon Randolph, DE – (2) SFA, West Virginia
Noah Rauschenberg, PK – (3) SFA, UTSA, Texas Tech
Isaiah Howard, DT – At New Jersey prep school; expected to enroll in January
Davis DiVall, OL – Has not appeared in a game
Peyton Powell, DB/QB – Entered in the NCAA transfer portal
Blade Bedier, OL – Has appeared in the first eight games
Sam Snyder, TE – (1) UTSA
Niadre Zouzoua, DE – (7) SFA, UTSA, Rice, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State
Jonah White, RB – (1) UTSA
Gabe Hall, DT – (7) SFA, UTSA, Rice, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas Tech
Yusuf Terry, WR – (1) SFA
Logan Compton, TE/DE – No longer a member of the Baylor FB program
Matt Jones, LB – (2) SFA, UTSA
Brandon White, DB – (1) SFA
Solo Turner, LB – (1) SFA
Will Williams, S – (4) SFA, UTSA, Rice, Iowa State
Tyrone Brown, LB – Has not appeared in a game; had offseason foot surgery
Elijah Ellis, OL – Has not appeared in a game
Jacob Zeno, QB – Has not appeared in game; dealing with injuries
Qualan Jones, RB – (2) SFA, UTSA
Hakeem Vance, S – Has not appeared in a game
T.J Franklin, DL – (5) SFA, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia
Jaylen Ellis, WR – Has not appeared in a game
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