By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
It’s put-up or shut-up time for Baylor football.
With three games left on their schedule, the Bears have to win out in order to become bowl-eligible for the third-straight season. Baylor is 1-6 at home this season and 2-0 on the road. Its path to potentially extending its season starts with a contest at No. 25 Kansas State at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.
“Know it’s going to be a physical game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere. And it’s going to be a game that challenges us in running the ball and stopping the run,” head coach Dave Aranda said. “And those are areas that have been a struggle for us, so we welcome the challenge.”
CFBGraphs’ weekly breakdown gave the Wildcats (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) nearly a 95% chance of winning Saturday’s matchup. By comparison, that’s more lopsided than the predictions for Baylor’s (3-6, 2-4 Big 12) games against UCF or then-No. 3 Texas.
BAYLOR @ KANSAS STATE pic.twitter.com/Ja1s86ZcxK
— parker fleming (@statsowar) November 7, 2023
The Bears are coming off a 25-24 overtime loss to Houston, as the Cougars scored a game-winning 2-point conversion. Fifth-year senior defensive lineman TJ Franklin said the team can’t dwell on that loss and that it needs to put it in the rearview mirror.
“I mean, you could be sad or upset or disappointed in the moment, but that will affect the next week of prep if you let it,” Franklin said. “So you just got to flush it and allow the team to lean on each other and just be good for each other, be there for each other.”
Kansas State, the defending Big 12 champion, is coming off an overtime loss of its own. The Wildcats fell 33-30 at then-No. 7 Texas, as they went for a game-winning touchdown rather than tying the game with a field goal.
Redshirt junior quarterback Blake Shapen said the Bears’ offense has to start fast to keep up with a Kansas State squad that ranks as one of the best teams in the conference. The Wildcats are averaging the 12th-most rushing yards per game in the country (204.2) and have scored touchdowns on 79.5% of their red zone drives this season, which rank fourth nationally.
Meanwhile, Baylor has scored touchdowns on 16 of 39 (41%) red zone trips.
“That’s been one of the things we’ve had to grow all year is scoring points when you get in the red zone,” Shapen said. “We tend to shoot ourselves in the foot too many times.”
On top of the red zone woes, the Bears have struggled to start games strong. Baylor has been outscored 142-65 in first halves against FBS opponents in 2023. Aranda said the team has been switching up the approach to try to fix that and he’s confident moving forward.
“I think the ability to start fast — whether it’s been the individual drills that we’ve done, or it’s been just the pregame or the pre-day actions that we’ve taken — I think we’re on the right track with that,” Aranda said. “We have to be able to finish it off and get a win. And so we’ll continue to build on those practices.”
Kickoff between Baylor and Kansas State is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Injury room:
- Junior wide receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. (head injury) is probable to play, according to Aranda.
- Aranda said junior offensive lineman Campbell Barrington (head injury) is probable to play as well.
