By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
The Topper
>Scott Drew’s program will not have any official visitors this weekend. But there is continued good news on the progress of guard Langston Love.
Recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in September, 2021 which caused him to miss the 2021-22 season, Love was cleared a couple of months ago to resumes basketball activities. He is able to do certain things on the court. Baylor coaches are being cautious with him with the season a little more than two months away.
However, there is the belief that once the season starts Nov. 7 against Mississippi Valley State, Love should be ready to go without any limitations.
>
>Punter Issac Power has been awarded the No. 1 jersey number. It was remaining single digit that had not been awarded.
Couple of 2023 commit notables
>Because he had to last week, League City Clear Falls linebacker Corey Kelly played some safety. “I was doing the same stuff just 10 yards off the ball they were running a lot,’’ Kelly said. “I work matching the backs tempo all the time, so it was easy.’’
>The good news Arlington Lamar offensive lineman Isaiah Robinson’s knee injury is that there are no torn ligaments. He had his kneecap pop out which was re-inserted. He will need about a month for rehab. Robinson suffered the injury last week against Waxahachie.
>Franklin RB Bryson Washington could have played last week against Mexia. But given that it was a team Franklin was expected to beat handily and did (77-13), Franklin coaches want to sit him with a tweak ankle injury. If this was late in the year or playoffs, Washington would have been on the field.
>Temple LB Taurean York has made 19 total tackles. But seven of those have been for negative plays between TFL (4) and sacks (3).
Baylor players talk BYU
Baylor defensive back Mark Milton and wide receiver Gavin Holmes met with the media earlier in the week to discuss getting ready for Saturday night’s game at BYU.
Mark Milton
(First road trip) First off, I’d like to give thanks to God because without him, I wouldn't be here. But, the first road trip, I think a lot of guys are excited. Just to be able … we've been playing a lot of our games at home from last season, but, going out there and staying together, I mean, BYU has a really good fan base, but it's not about what they do. It's about what we do. So making sure we don't listen to the outside noise. We just worry about what we’re doing. I think we'll be fine. It will be good. Everybody's excited. Definitely the young guys.
(Preparation) So, the preparation this week, up front, we're not as young as we are in the backfield. So up front, it's kind of like, we're gonna make them have to run it. So in the backfield, we're like, ’Alright, we're gonna take away the throw game.’ I think they're still gonna challenge us vertically, which is okay, but upfront, I think we have a lot of vets, a lot of older guys that'll be able to hold their water and make sure that we demolish the run game, because on the back end, we got something up our sleeve for that.
(BYU QB Jaren Hall) He's an extremely smart player, he knows where he wants to put the ball when he wants to put the ball and, he doesn't, like put it out there to get interceptions or anything.I mean, he places it where he knows he'll get a catch. He doesn't gamble with it too much, but he will throw the ball to number 12 [BYU star receiver Puka Nacua] And we got something for that.
(Last year’s BYU success motivate you?) We look at last year and we take it into consideration, and we go ‘OK, so what did we do wrong?’ When you look at it, and you see the passes that were completed, it wasn't too much of ‘Oh, they were just more athletic than us etc, etc.’ It was more on our half of ‘okay, we were beating ourselves, we're not attacking the ball like we should, we weren't doing what we were doing in practice.’ So from what they did last year to what we know they're gonna do this year we just take that in consideration when we practice and we making sure that we go and attack the ball like we know we can.
(DB/WR matchups, gonna make a statement?) Oh, yeah, I think even though we have young guys and we have some vets, I think even the young guys, as you can see, as you saw when we played Albany, it didn't matter who we threw in it was like it was a lot of people in that ’can do’ category that we have now that Coach Roberts talks about a lot and like I said last week when we played Albany, they just kind of showed that, okay, ones twos threes, the drop off isn't insane. So I think we’ll be good on the back end because it's a lot of guys have stepped up that we needed to step up and even more, so I think we'll be good.
(How important is it to have that depth) The depth, it’s a blessing, because if you know you’ve got depth, you should always play green, but you could play even faster. Because I can play three, four snaps, and then if I need to get a rest, our backup is going to come in, and he’s not really a backup. He could really start, and we’re covered. And once he gets tired, boom, we come back in, so you always have fresh legs cycling in and it makes you play extremely faster.
(Only one turnover, no interceptions versus Albany) We started this thing called ‘Jackers and Robbers.’ We realized that we had a great game, but what can we improve on? We only had one turnover. So, with that being said, in practice we’re ripping at the ball, making sure we’re attacking the ball. It’s the little things. Even if the play is almost over, boom, punch out the ball. And it’s complementary football. Because now that we’re punching out the ball, the offense is making sure they secure the ball. So, it’s like it’s give and take on both ends. But yeah, we’re really trying to at least take three each game.
(What did that mean to you see Gavin Holmes come back from the knee injuries and have that big punt return) Oh, man, since I was a freshman till now, I’ve seen him get hurt, I’ve seen him come back from it. I’ve seen his mindset. After he had the surgery, I saw him in the locker room, and I told him, ‘Hey, if you ever need something, let me know.’ Because I know you get down in the dumps whenever stuff like that happens . . . definitely if it’s not like your first or second, it’s happened so many times. And to be able to see him go and play his first game that I’ve seen him, he scored, and I was like, “YES!” I was at a loss for words because I knew how much it meant to him, I know how much it meant to the team and I knew how much it meant to his parents. So, it was a blessing. A lot of people would have given up, but he didn’t. I prayed for him after the game because I was so happy to see him do that.
(What did it mean to you to get a single digit, knowing that it’s more for the off-the-field stuff) To get the single digit, for me it was really an honor and a blessing. To know that the coaches picked the single digits basically means you’re the standard. And what Coach always says is the hardest part of being the standard is you are the standard. So, in that case, when he told me that he was rewarding me with a single digit, it made me feel good, because I know it hasn’t always been easy. I try my best, but these past couple of years haven’t always been just rainbows and fairy tales. I’ve gotten down, and I’ve been up and I’ve been down. To see that the hard work that I’ve put in to show them that I’m bought in is reciprocated, it made me feel good. Definitely when I got to tell my parents.
Gavin Holmes
(Feel like the team’s ready for the first road test) Yeah, we’ve been training for this all spring, summer, fall camp. We knew that we’ve got a lot of tough road games this year. So, like I said, Coach has been putting us in situations to prepare for that. I definitely think we’re ready, for sure.
(Pumping in crowd noise during practice) Yeah, just because we know it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be different, it’s our first big road test. They’re going to be juiced up, it’s going to be loud. But, we can’t let the outside noise get into our circle and what we’re trying to do. So, that’s just what we’re preparing for right now.
(Getting yourself ready to go into the storms) We talk a lot about bringing our energy, especially at practice, just because when we’re out there, all we’re going to have is ourselves, our sidelines. Like Coach says, it’s going to be us and then a couple of our parents up in the stands. Everybody else is going to be for the other team. We just talk about bringing our own energy so we don’t have to feed off any other energy. We can create our own and take that on these road games.
(How much energy is there going into this game) Oh yeah, we know it’s a big game. But like we say, every game is a big game because we’re playing in it. So, we’re excited for this opportunity. I think it’s definitely going to be a big test for us, but I think we’re excited and we’re embracing the opportunity, for sure.
(See from BYU) They’re a very well-coached team, they’re very disciplined, they’re always in the right spots, they don’t have too many beat-themselves kinds of mistakes. Like Coach says, it’s going to be our standard versus theirs, so we’re going to have go in there and play very disciplined, sound football, because know that’s what they’re going to do. And we beat them last year, so they’re going to be coming with everything they’ve got. So, we’ve got to give them everything that we’ve got. So, we’re excited for it.
(Will this be one of the most physical teams you face) Yeah, we think so. Like I said, they’re very sound, they’re very disciplined, they’re where they need to be. They’re bruisers, they’re physical, but we’re embracing that because we’re physical, too, and ready to go in there and prove that we’re just as good if not better than we were last year.
(Going from playing UAlbany to a top-25 matchup) We’re looking at this like every other game. We’re just going to prepare. We’re going to go out there and play our football, no matter who we’re playing. Coach always says, we’ll play anybody anywhere anytime, any condition, any place. So, we’re just going in there to play our game of football.
(Carryover from the Albany game, feel you’re in a good spot offensively) Yeah, I think we’re in a great spot offensively. It was fun to go out there and get the first-game jitters out. The season started, all the butterflies, especially for the young guys, so I think it was good for everybody to get out there and get reps, because we know this is a completely different team. But like I said, we’re preparing the same, just like we did for Albany. We’re practicing hard, watching film, doing all that stuff, we can go out there and play our game of football.
(Long road back, what was that return like. Did you know you were going to go after making the first guy miss) Yeah, I had a feeling, because initially the guys were shading right, they were all filling right. He cross-kicked it, so I knew I was going to have space. And like I said, once I made that first guy miss, it just kind of opened up and I did my thing. And it was a really incredible performance.
(What was that feeling like) Yeah, it was great. I’ll never forget it, it was just fun. I missed being in the end zone. It was special, my family was there. Just to get the embrace and the love from my teammates and my coaches when I came off, it meant the world to me.
(What have you seen from the running game and the impact they made) Oh yeah. Coach Aranda made a big emphasis on, it’s going to be a lot about running the ball and stopping the run, because that’s what they like to do. They like to pound the ball so that then they can play-action, take their shots over the top. And we take pride in the run game, especially as receivers, because we know that we play a huge part in that. Like today, we had a very blocking-focused day, just because we know it’s going to be a grudge match like that. And for us to get involved and for us to get our opportunities, we’re going to have to block for the running backs. So, that’s something that we’ve taken pride in.
(Has Apu talked much about going back to Utah) I haven’t really talked to him. He’s just asking everybody for tickets, so I’m sure he’s got a lot of people coming to the game. But yeah, I’m sure it’s really exciting for him.
(Coach said you still have things to fix in the punt return game) There’s always things. Even I, there were some judgment calls that I could have made better. It was the first game, first time out there, so there’s always stuff that we can improve on. We always watch the film, and we see that a frontline guy could block better here, or I could do a better job of judging the ball here, making the right decision, whether to fair-catch it or not. So yeah, I think there’s always things for us to improve on.
(Was that first fair catch a mistake) No. After that, there were a couple that I could have fair caught, but I was a little greedy. I wanted to return it. So, yeah.
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. Baylor – First true road test for QB Blake Shapen
2. Oklahoma – Venables honeymoon continues against Kent State
3. Oklahoma State – Maybe QB Spencer Sanders has taken it to another level
4. Texas— Good or bad, they will be a headline after they meet the Crimson Tide
5. Kansas State – Offense may do a little more against Missouri
6. Iowa State – Looking for redemption at Iowa
7. TCU – Can QB Max Duggan effectively run the offense with Chandler Morris out?
8. West Virginia – Neal Brown appeals to the fan base
9. Texas Tech – Already adversity with the starting QB out
10. Kansas – Maybe a little energy after scoring 56 points in the opener
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.
No. 1/1 Alabama (1-0) at RV/No. 22 Texas (1-0); 11:00 a.m., Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin (FOX)
Series: Texas leads, 7-1-1
Notable: The last time these teams met was for the National Championship in 2010. Alabama won, 37-21, and kickstarted its run. Texas soon tailed off into mediocrity.
Missouri (1-0) at Kansas State (1-0); 11:00 a.m., Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, KS (ESPN2)
Series: Missouri leads, 60-32-5
Notable: These two haven’t seen each other since the Tigers were in the Big 12.
Iowa State (1-0) at Iowa (1-0); 3:00 p.m., Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (BTN)
Series: Iowa leads, 46-22
Notable: The annual battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy.
Houston (1-0) at Texas Tech (1-0); 3:00 p.m., AT&T Jones Stadium, Lubbock (FS1)
Series: Houston leads, 18-14-1
Notable: Donovan Smith takes over at QB for the Red Raiders for Tyler Shough (shoulder).
Kansas (1-0) at West Virginia (1-0); 5:00 p.m., Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV (ESPN+)
Series: West Virginia leads, 10-1
Notable: A pretty big game for the Mountaineers who just gave away last week at Pitt.
Kent State (0-1) at No. 7/7 Oklahoma (1-0); Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK (ESPN+)
Series: First meeting
Notable: OU QB Dillon Gabriel got off to a solid start last week thrown for 233 yards.
Arizona State (1-0) at No. 11/10 Oklahoma State (1-0); 6:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (ESPN2)
Series: Arizona State leads, 2-1
Notable: Cowboys looking to rebound defensively after last week. Sun Devils picked 10th in the PAC 12 preseason poll.
Tarleton State (1-0) at TCU (1-0); 7:00 p.m., Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (ESPN+)
Series: First meeting
Notable: Sonny Dykes home debut as TCU head coach. Tarleton moving up to D1 status.
No 8/9 Baylor (1-0) at No. 21/25 BYU (1-0); 9:15 p.m., LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT (ESPN)
Series: Baylor leads, 2-1
Notable: BU owns a 124-60-2 record as a ranked team, are 59-190-6 against ranked foes and are 26-33-1 as a ranked team against a ranked team.
Baylor NFL Pros
There are 23 former Bears on NFL rosters as the season began on Thursday. Former Bear linebacker Terrel Bernard did not record anything statistically in the Buffalo’s 31-10 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion LA Rams.
Here’s the list of who is where.
Houston Texans
Grayland Arnold (2016-19)
Drew Estrada (2021)
Jalen Pitre (2017-21)
Jon Weeks (2004-07)
Miami Dolphins
Kalon Barnes (2018-21)
Xavien Howard (2013-15)
Buffalo Bills
Terrel Bernard (2018-21)
Las Vegas Raiders
Andrew Billings (2013-15)
Washington Commanders
Will Bradley-King (2020)
Chicago Bears
Trestan Ebner (2017-21)
Seattle Seahawks
Kyle Fuller (2013-16)
Tennessee Titans
Josh Gordon (2009-10)
Xavier Newman-Johnson (2017-20)
Jacksonville Jaguars
JaMycal Hasty (2016-19)
Ross Matiscik (2016-19)
Cincinnati Bengals
Clay Johnston (2016-19)
Minnesota Vikings
James Lynch (2017-19)
New York Jets
Denzel Mims (2016-19)
Carolina Panthers
Bravvion Roy (2016-19)
Sam Tecklenburg (2016-19)
New England Patriots
Tyquan Thornton (2018-21)
Los Angeles Chargers
JT Woods (2018-21)
Publisher
The Topper
>Scott Drew’s program will not have any official visitors this weekend. But there is continued good news on the progress of guard Langston Love.
Recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in September, 2021 which caused him to miss the 2021-22 season, Love was cleared a couple of months ago to resumes basketball activities. He is able to do certain things on the court. Baylor coaches are being cautious with him with the season a little more than two months away.
However, there is the belief that once the season starts Nov. 7 against Mississippi Valley State, Love should be ready to go without any limitations.
>
>Punter Issac Power has been awarded the No. 1 jersey number. It was remaining single digit that had not been awarded.
Couple of 2023 commit notables
>Because he had to last week, League City Clear Falls linebacker Corey Kelly played some safety. “I was doing the same stuff just 10 yards off the ball they were running a lot,’’ Kelly said. “I work matching the backs tempo all the time, so it was easy.’’
>The good news Arlington Lamar offensive lineman Isaiah Robinson’s knee injury is that there are no torn ligaments. He had his kneecap pop out which was re-inserted. He will need about a month for rehab. Robinson suffered the injury last week against Waxahachie.
>Franklin RB Bryson Washington could have played last week against Mexia. But given that it was a team Franklin was expected to beat handily and did (77-13), Franklin coaches want to sit him with a tweak ankle injury. If this was late in the year or playoffs, Washington would have been on the field.
>Temple LB Taurean York has made 19 total tackles. But seven of those have been for negative plays between TFL (4) and sacks (3).
Baylor players talk BYU
Baylor defensive back Mark Milton and wide receiver Gavin Holmes met with the media earlier in the week to discuss getting ready for Saturday night’s game at BYU.
Mark Milton
(First road trip) First off, I’d like to give thanks to God because without him, I wouldn't be here. But, the first road trip, I think a lot of guys are excited. Just to be able … we've been playing a lot of our games at home from last season, but, going out there and staying together, I mean, BYU has a really good fan base, but it's not about what they do. It's about what we do. So making sure we don't listen to the outside noise. We just worry about what we’re doing. I think we'll be fine. It will be good. Everybody's excited. Definitely the young guys.
(Preparation) So, the preparation this week, up front, we're not as young as we are in the backfield. So up front, it's kind of like, we're gonna make them have to run it. So in the backfield, we're like, ’Alright, we're gonna take away the throw game.’ I think they're still gonna challenge us vertically, which is okay, but upfront, I think we have a lot of vets, a lot of older guys that'll be able to hold their water and make sure that we demolish the run game, because on the back end, we got something up our sleeve for that.
(BYU QB Jaren Hall) He's an extremely smart player, he knows where he wants to put the ball when he wants to put the ball and, he doesn't, like put it out there to get interceptions or anything.I mean, he places it where he knows he'll get a catch. He doesn't gamble with it too much, but he will throw the ball to number 12 [BYU star receiver Puka Nacua] And we got something for that.
(Last year’s BYU success motivate you?) We look at last year and we take it into consideration, and we go ‘OK, so what did we do wrong?’ When you look at it, and you see the passes that were completed, it wasn't too much of ‘Oh, they were just more athletic than us etc, etc.’ It was more on our half of ‘okay, we were beating ourselves, we're not attacking the ball like we should, we weren't doing what we were doing in practice.’ So from what they did last year to what we know they're gonna do this year we just take that in consideration when we practice and we making sure that we go and attack the ball like we know we can.
(DB/WR matchups, gonna make a statement?) Oh, yeah, I think even though we have young guys and we have some vets, I think even the young guys, as you can see, as you saw when we played Albany, it didn't matter who we threw in it was like it was a lot of people in that ’can do’ category that we have now that Coach Roberts talks about a lot and like I said last week when we played Albany, they just kind of showed that, okay, ones twos threes, the drop off isn't insane. So I think we’ll be good on the back end because it's a lot of guys have stepped up that we needed to step up and even more, so I think we'll be good.
(How important is it to have that depth) The depth, it’s a blessing, because if you know you’ve got depth, you should always play green, but you could play even faster. Because I can play three, four snaps, and then if I need to get a rest, our backup is going to come in, and he’s not really a backup. He could really start, and we’re covered. And once he gets tired, boom, we come back in, so you always have fresh legs cycling in and it makes you play extremely faster.
(Only one turnover, no interceptions versus Albany) We started this thing called ‘Jackers and Robbers.’ We realized that we had a great game, but what can we improve on? We only had one turnover. So, with that being said, in practice we’re ripping at the ball, making sure we’re attacking the ball. It’s the little things. Even if the play is almost over, boom, punch out the ball. And it’s complementary football. Because now that we’re punching out the ball, the offense is making sure they secure the ball. So, it’s like it’s give and take on both ends. But yeah, we’re really trying to at least take three each game.
(What did that mean to you see Gavin Holmes come back from the knee injuries and have that big punt return) Oh, man, since I was a freshman till now, I’ve seen him get hurt, I’ve seen him come back from it. I’ve seen his mindset. After he had the surgery, I saw him in the locker room, and I told him, ‘Hey, if you ever need something, let me know.’ Because I know you get down in the dumps whenever stuff like that happens . . . definitely if it’s not like your first or second, it’s happened so many times. And to be able to see him go and play his first game that I’ve seen him, he scored, and I was like, “YES!” I was at a loss for words because I knew how much it meant to him, I know how much it meant to the team and I knew how much it meant to his parents. So, it was a blessing. A lot of people would have given up, but he didn’t. I prayed for him after the game because I was so happy to see him do that.
(What did it mean to you to get a single digit, knowing that it’s more for the off-the-field stuff) To get the single digit, for me it was really an honor and a blessing. To know that the coaches picked the single digits basically means you’re the standard. And what Coach always says is the hardest part of being the standard is you are the standard. So, in that case, when he told me that he was rewarding me with a single digit, it made me feel good, because I know it hasn’t always been easy. I try my best, but these past couple of years haven’t always been just rainbows and fairy tales. I’ve gotten down, and I’ve been up and I’ve been down. To see that the hard work that I’ve put in to show them that I’m bought in is reciprocated, it made me feel good. Definitely when I got to tell my parents.
Gavin Holmes
(Feel like the team’s ready for the first road test) Yeah, we’ve been training for this all spring, summer, fall camp. We knew that we’ve got a lot of tough road games this year. So, like I said, Coach has been putting us in situations to prepare for that. I definitely think we’re ready, for sure.
(Pumping in crowd noise during practice) Yeah, just because we know it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be different, it’s our first big road test. They’re going to be juiced up, it’s going to be loud. But, we can’t let the outside noise get into our circle and what we’re trying to do. So, that’s just what we’re preparing for right now.
(Getting yourself ready to go into the storms) We talk a lot about bringing our energy, especially at practice, just because when we’re out there, all we’re going to have is ourselves, our sidelines. Like Coach says, it’s going to be us and then a couple of our parents up in the stands. Everybody else is going to be for the other team. We just talk about bringing our own energy so we don’t have to feed off any other energy. We can create our own and take that on these road games.
(How much energy is there going into this game) Oh yeah, we know it’s a big game. But like we say, every game is a big game because we’re playing in it. So, we’re excited for this opportunity. I think it’s definitely going to be a big test for us, but I think we’re excited and we’re embracing the opportunity, for sure.
(See from BYU) They’re a very well-coached team, they’re very disciplined, they’re always in the right spots, they don’t have too many beat-themselves kinds of mistakes. Like Coach says, it’s going to be our standard versus theirs, so we’re going to have go in there and play very disciplined, sound football, because know that’s what they’re going to do. And we beat them last year, so they’re going to be coming with everything they’ve got. So, we’ve got to give them everything that we’ve got. So, we’re excited for it.
(Will this be one of the most physical teams you face) Yeah, we think so. Like I said, they’re very sound, they’re very disciplined, they’re where they need to be. They’re bruisers, they’re physical, but we’re embracing that because we’re physical, too, and ready to go in there and prove that we’re just as good if not better than we were last year.
(Going from playing UAlbany to a top-25 matchup) We’re looking at this like every other game. We’re just going to prepare. We’re going to go out there and play our football, no matter who we’re playing. Coach always says, we’ll play anybody anywhere anytime, any condition, any place. So, we’re just going in there to play our game of football.
(Carryover from the Albany game, feel you’re in a good spot offensively) Yeah, I think we’re in a great spot offensively. It was fun to go out there and get the first-game jitters out. The season started, all the butterflies, especially for the young guys, so I think it was good for everybody to get out there and get reps, because we know this is a completely different team. But like I said, we’re preparing the same, just like we did for Albany. We’re practicing hard, watching film, doing all that stuff, we can go out there and play our game of football.
(Long road back, what was that return like. Did you know you were going to go after making the first guy miss) Yeah, I had a feeling, because initially the guys were shading right, they were all filling right. He cross-kicked it, so I knew I was going to have space. And like I said, once I made that first guy miss, it just kind of opened up and I did my thing. And it was a really incredible performance.
(What was that feeling like) Yeah, it was great. I’ll never forget it, it was just fun. I missed being in the end zone. It was special, my family was there. Just to get the embrace and the love from my teammates and my coaches when I came off, it meant the world to me.
(What have you seen from the running game and the impact they made) Oh yeah. Coach Aranda made a big emphasis on, it’s going to be a lot about running the ball and stopping the run, because that’s what they like to do. They like to pound the ball so that then they can play-action, take their shots over the top. And we take pride in the run game, especially as receivers, because we know that we play a huge part in that. Like today, we had a very blocking-focused day, just because we know it’s going to be a grudge match like that. And for us to get involved and for us to get our opportunities, we’re going to have to block for the running backs. So, that’s something that we’ve taken pride in.
(Has Apu talked much about going back to Utah) I haven’t really talked to him. He’s just asking everybody for tickets, so I’m sure he’s got a lot of people coming to the game. But yeah, I’m sure it’s really exciting for him.
(Coach said you still have things to fix in the punt return game) There’s always things. Even I, there were some judgment calls that I could have made better. It was the first game, first time out there, so there’s always stuff that we can improve on. We always watch the film, and we see that a frontline guy could block better here, or I could do a better job of judging the ball here, making the right decision, whether to fair-catch it or not. So yeah, I think there’s always things for us to improve on.
(Was that first fair catch a mistake) No. After that, there were a couple that I could have fair caught, but I was a little greedy. I wanted to return it. So, yeah.
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. Baylor – First true road test for QB Blake Shapen
2. Oklahoma – Venables honeymoon continues against Kent State
3. Oklahoma State – Maybe QB Spencer Sanders has taken it to another level
4. Texas— Good or bad, they will be a headline after they meet the Crimson Tide
5. Kansas State – Offense may do a little more against Missouri
6. Iowa State – Looking for redemption at Iowa
7. TCU – Can QB Max Duggan effectively run the offense with Chandler Morris out?
8. West Virginia – Neal Brown appeals to the fan base
9. Texas Tech – Already adversity with the starting QB out
10. Kansas – Maybe a little energy after scoring 56 points in the opener
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.
No. 1/1 Alabama (1-0) at RV/No. 22 Texas (1-0); 11:00 a.m., Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin (FOX)
Series: Texas leads, 7-1-1
Notable: The last time these teams met was for the National Championship in 2010. Alabama won, 37-21, and kickstarted its run. Texas soon tailed off into mediocrity.
Missouri (1-0) at Kansas State (1-0); 11:00 a.m., Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, KS (ESPN2)
Series: Missouri leads, 60-32-5
Notable: These two haven’t seen each other since the Tigers were in the Big 12.
Iowa State (1-0) at Iowa (1-0); 3:00 p.m., Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA (BTN)
Series: Iowa leads, 46-22
Notable: The annual battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy.
Houston (1-0) at Texas Tech (1-0); 3:00 p.m., AT&T Jones Stadium, Lubbock (FS1)
Series: Houston leads, 18-14-1
Notable: Donovan Smith takes over at QB for the Red Raiders for Tyler Shough (shoulder).
Kansas (1-0) at West Virginia (1-0); 5:00 p.m., Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV (ESPN+)
Series: West Virginia leads, 10-1
Notable: A pretty big game for the Mountaineers who just gave away last week at Pitt.
Kent State (0-1) at No. 7/7 Oklahoma (1-0); Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK (ESPN+)
Series: First meeting
Notable: OU QB Dillon Gabriel got off to a solid start last week thrown for 233 yards.
Arizona State (1-0) at No. 11/10 Oklahoma State (1-0); 6:30 p.m., Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK (ESPN2)
Series: Arizona State leads, 2-1
Notable: Cowboys looking to rebound defensively after last week. Sun Devils picked 10th in the PAC 12 preseason poll.
Tarleton State (1-0) at TCU (1-0); 7:00 p.m., Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth (ESPN+)
Series: First meeting
Notable: Sonny Dykes home debut as TCU head coach. Tarleton moving up to D1 status.
No 8/9 Baylor (1-0) at No. 21/25 BYU (1-0); 9:15 p.m., LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT (ESPN)
Series: Baylor leads, 2-1
Notable: BU owns a 124-60-2 record as a ranked team, are 59-190-6 against ranked foes and are 26-33-1 as a ranked team against a ranked team.
Baylor NFL Pros
There are 23 former Bears on NFL rosters as the season began on Thursday. Former Bear linebacker Terrel Bernard did not record anything statistically in the Buffalo’s 31-10 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion LA Rams.
Here’s the list of who is where.
Houston Texans
Grayland Arnold (2016-19)
Drew Estrada (2021)
Jalen Pitre (2017-21)
Jon Weeks (2004-07)
Miami Dolphins
Kalon Barnes (2018-21)
Xavien Howard (2013-15)
Buffalo Bills
Terrel Bernard (2018-21)
Las Vegas Raiders
Andrew Billings (2013-15)
Washington Commanders
Will Bradley-King (2020)
Chicago Bears
Trestan Ebner (2017-21)
Seattle Seahawks
Kyle Fuller (2013-16)
Tennessee Titans
Josh Gordon (2009-10)
Xavier Newman-Johnson (2017-20)
Jacksonville Jaguars
JaMycal Hasty (2016-19)
Ross Matiscik (2016-19)
Cincinnati Bengals
Clay Johnston (2016-19)
Minnesota Vikings
James Lynch (2017-19)
New York Jets
Denzel Mims (2016-19)
Carolina Panthers
Bravvion Roy (2016-19)
Sam Tecklenburg (2016-19)
New England Patriots
Tyquan Thornton (2018-21)
Los Angeles Chargers
JT Woods (2018-21)
