By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
Baylor football knows it can’t overlook FCS Long Island this weekend. The Bears (0-2) opened the year as 26.5-point favorites against Texas State and wound up losing 42-31 at home. Baylor then squandered a 10-point second-half lead against No. 12 Utah, losing 20-13 last Saturday at McLane Stadium.
Head coach Dave Aranda said he and his team are in no position to expect a win and that “everything has to be earned.”
“You really can’t expect anything — and especially with some guys that are playing that are seeing considerable minutes and haven’t been in wars yet, haven’t been scarred, haven’t bled, haven’t any of that,” Aranda said.
The Bears have lost six-straight games dating back to the 2022 season, as their last win came at Oklahoma, 38-35, on Nov. 5, 2022. Baylor will play Long Island (0-2) for the first time ever on Saturday, and both teams are looking for their first win of the season.
Despite the lack of recent success, junior wide receiver Hal Presley said the team has to narrow its attention on the Sharks. Presley said there’s a long season ahead and that it’s a week-by-week emphasis.
“I feel like when you start focusing too far ahead, that’s when you get out of whack,” Presley said. “So we’re focusing just on this game that’s ahead and beating them.”
The matchup marks the Bears’ final tune-up of the season before conference play begins on Sept. 23 against No. 4 Texas in Waco. Baylor’s defense made strides in week two, as it held the Utes to 377 total yards of offense. The Bobcats amassed 441 yards in week one.
The Bears’ offense also had to adjust to the play of redshirt sophomore quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who filled in for redshirt junior quarterback Blake Shapen (MCL injury). Robertson totaled 218 yards through the air on 12 of 28 passes, and he scored a 4-yard rushing TD. Robertson and the offense cooled off in a big way though, as they were outscored 17-0 in the final 19:05.
Aranda said the second-half collapse was frustrating and that it adds some pressure. He said getting the first victory of 2023 is more important than ever.
“I feel like everyone in the program needs a win,” Aranda said. “I think I can feel everyone in this room needs a win … and our aim is to do that. For me, [I’m] probably less focused on that and more focused on [how] today we can’t be looking ahead. Today we can’t be thinking this is going to be a win.”
Long Island also enters the weekend matchup on a two-game losing streak, coming off road losses to Ohio, 27-10, and Bryant, 21-10. This is also the last game before league (North East Conference) play for the Sharks. Long Island is averaging 129 yards on the ground and 175 yards passing. Defensively, LIU is holding opponents to 24 points per game on 351 yards of total offense.
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Treven Ma’ae said the team isn’t focusing on what Long Island does well or what they don’t excel at. Rather, Ma’ae said the attention lies among the team itself.
“At the end of the day, what matters most to us is doing the best we can do,” Ma’ae said. “Going into it with that mentality of whatever they do, we have to do what we do better.”
Injury room:
- Shapen is out for this week and questionable for next week, per Aranda.
- Aranda said redshirt sophomore safety Devin Lemear (dislocated elbow) is also out this week and questionable next week against the Longhorns.
- Redshirt senior outside linebacker Garmon Randolph is expected to be back this week following an ankle injury, according to Aranda.
- Aranda said redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jerrell Boykins Jr. is cleared for practice this week and that he should be ready to play this weekend.
