By Michael Haag | Sports Writer
Baylor football (6-1, 3-1) has a home matchup against Big 12 foe, the University of Texas at Austin. The Longhorns (4-3, 2-2) have had a rocky season, but look to turn things around against the Bears in order to get back on the winning side. The Bears are looking to maintain pace, as they sit third in the conference standings, behind only Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. With this big matchup set for 11 a.m. Saturday morning at McLane Stadium, students on campus are feeling like this is the year the Bears will take down the Longhorns.
Argyle freshman Nathan King said that he feels good about the matchup versus Texas. He also said that playing the Longhorns at home will be a big factor, as Baylor is undefeated at McLane Stadium, including two wins against ranked opponents.
“I feel good. I think we’re going to beat UT, horns down,” King said. “I think the energy [in McLane] is going to be a lot more hyped up [than normal].”
San Diego, Calif., senior Maddie Fossler agreed, saying that she is confident in the team. She thinks that the support that’s shown at Baylor home games will be a major factor in the outcome of the game.
“I’m pretty confident, I think we’re going to win,” Fossler said. “[I’m] feeling good. I think we have a lot of support. There’s a lot of excitement for this game.”
King said that an important player for the Bears has to be junior quarterback Gerry Bohanon. He said he expects Bohanon to make great plays and help take the Bears to a victory.
“That’s tough, [but] I think Gerry [Bohanon] is going to pull through for us,” King said. “I think he is going to have some good passes and I think it’s just going to be good overall. Our offense is looking good so far, ever since that OSU game.”
Looking forward a bit, Baylor has another major conference home game against OU. Fossler said that she isn’t as confident in a win for that game, but believes that it will be an important game for the Bears moving forward in their season.
“Yeah, definitely not as confident in that one,” Fossler said. “But hopeful and optimistic that we’ll just continue to grow as a team.”
King was also hesitant, saying the game against OU will be difficult. He’s still hopeful, also saying that maybe ESPN Gameday will come to Waco since it has the potential to be a highly-ranked matchup.
“That’s a tough one, not going to lie, but I mean as far as we’re looking I think we have a chance,” King said. “Maybe that’ll be an [ESPN] Gameday game, that would be good.”
Although it is dependent on how other conference teams finish out the season, Baylor has a chance to compete for a Big 12 championship. Fossler thinks that Baylor has shown what they are capable of in years past, and has all the tools to get it done again. She also said that she really wants to see them win.
“I think we have a shot [to win the Big 12],” Fossler said. “I mean, why not? We have really proven ourselves in athletics before so I’m confident and definitely want to win.”
Baylor students are confident and looking to take down their long-standing conference rival. The game will kickoff at 11 a.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.
