By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
Baylor football has the opportunity to continue its 2023 road success with a game against Cincinnati on Saturday. The team has faced a home-field disadvantage, losing six straight games to FBS opponents at McLane Stadium dating back to the 2022 season.
The Bears’ only win in Waco since Oct. 22, 2022, came via a 30-7 victory over FCS-member Long Island on Sept. 16. In its only road game, the squad put together the largest comeback in school history, defeating UCF 36-35 on Sept. 30 in Orlando, Fla.
Head coach Dave Aranda said the home woes are “unacceptable” and that the team is looking for ways to improve in Waco. The Bears (2-4, 1-2 Big 12) are coming off an idle week after getting dismantled 39-14 by Texas Tech on Oct. 7 at McLane Stadium.
Aranda said the coaching staff emphasized execution and doing so in a “violent manner” during the off week.
“I know this is a repeated thing, but taking in what we’ve done in practice and applying it into the game, especially when it matters most,” Aranda said. “Those, the execution, the edge that’s needed to play the game the way it needs to be played when it matters most is the focus.”
Both Aranda and the athletes have talked about how strong practices have been going into Saturday games, but the squad hasn’t found desirable results. Another issue that’s been mentioned is how the team starts games.
Baylor has been outscored 111-32 in the first half of its five games against FBS opponents, and four of those five contests have come at home. Seventh-year senior safety Bryson Jackson said starting strong against the Bearcats (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) is crucial.
“We need our leaders to step up on this team and to feed that energy throughout the group on Saturday,” Jackson said. “And when we go out there, we just have to play relentless, man. … We’ve displayed that before, and if we can do that for four quarters, we’re going to be special.”
Cincinnati is on a four-game losing streak, and its most recent loss came when Iowa State won 30-10 last Saturday in the Queen City. The Bearcats also mirrored the Bears with a home loss to a Group of Five opponent. Baylor lost its season opener to Texas State, a Sun Belt program, 42-31, on Sept. 2. Cincinnati fell to Miami of Ohio 31-24 on Sept. 16.
Redshirt junior quarterback Blake Shapen said the Bears have to buckle down and get a win at all costs. Shapen said it’s been hard to battle this season’s frustrations.
“It’s kind of deflating whenever something like that happens. We come out and you get a big win against UCF, a spectacular win, [a] comeback win, and then you come out and just don’t play very well the next week,” Shapen said. “It’s tough. It’s part of the peaks and valleys of it all. So it’s just how we respond this week that matters.”
Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between Baylor and Cincinnati, both overall and as conference foes. UC was one of the four new schools to join the Big 12 this season, and the Bearcats are still seeking their first win in league play.
Now at the midway point, the Bears need to finish the year 4-2 to be bowl-eligible. Baylor has made it to a bowl game in 11 of the last 13 seasons, including the last two years. Aranda said he believes in this team’s ability to get six wins.
“It’s, for sure, frustrating to know that you’re not performing at the level that you know you can,” Aranda said. “And when you see it in spurts and you don’t see it when it matters, that hurts. What do you do with that? And how do you move on from that? I think that’s been a big part of this year.
“And I just feel, in trying to continue to pour into our people and get them to see the strength of the team and what the team is capable of doing, I think will pay off. And I feel like we’re on that trend.”
Baylor is set to face Cincinnati at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. The contest can be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Injury room
- Aranda didn’t give any updates on specific players, but he said his squad “will be the healthiest we’ve been in a while” on Saturday.
