By Grant Morrison | Sports Writer
Sports are hard to predict. There are countless variables in any given competition: you can look at position matchups, head-to-head history, statistical backgrounds, projections, season trends, strengths and even the weaknesses of each team.
Other factors are much more difficult to quantify. Momentum, grit and energy are vital elements of sports that can’t exactly be measured. They are, however, things fans can help with.
Coming off of two disappointing football seasons, and with a less-than-inspiring start to the 2024 campaign, many fans have been quick to abandon ship on Baylor football. In the Bears’ most recent home loss to No. 22 BYU, one look at the stands showed more blue and white than green and gold. When the Baylor’s rough start gave them an early 21-0 deficit, chants of “B-Y-U” echoed through McLane Stadium.
To put it bluntly, it was humiliating. Not so much the score, but the fan presence. To be nearly outnumbered by fans of a school 1,260 miles away is simply inexcusable. Home field advantage is real, and not something to be taken for granted. It’s also something Baylor has struggled with for the last few seasons. Baylor has not won a home game against a Power Four opponent since Oct. 22, 2022 against Kansas.
These problems go hand-in-hand. As fans, it might seem hard to buy into a program that has repeatedly underperformed as of late. But as much as the fans need something to cheer for, the players need something to fight for.
Going into the BYU game, Baylor was 2-2. It was the Bears’ home conference opener, an 11 a.m. kickoff, a gold-out theme, and an opportunity to knock off a ranked conference opponent at home. Yes, the team was coming off a heartbreaking loss in overtime to Colorado, but it took a miracle Hail Mary pass for the Buffaloes to win that game. The home game was a perfect opportunity to show up and show out for the green and gold.
Instead, fans stayed home. From the looks of it, Cougars fans were massively over represented, and only 39,583 people were in attendance. For a stadium that seats 50,000, that is woefully inadequate.
Would a full stadium of home fans have made the difference in that game? It’s impossible to say. But coming back from a 21-0 and 31-14 deficits is a lot easier when the crowd has your back, rather than leaving by halftime.
There are only so many ways fans can impact a game. Fans aren’t calling the plays, they aren’t training the team in practice, they aren’t running drills, and fans don’t get to fire or hire a new staff. But despite your feelings about particular coaches, strategies, or circumstances, this is the team that represents our school. As members of the Baylor line, it’s our responsibility to do our part.
This season is far from over. While Baylor faces a couple of difficult challenges on the road, including a ranked matchup against No. 16 Iowa State in Ames and a road trip to Texas Tech, they’ll be back home on Oct. 26 for a Homecoming duel with Oklahoma State. At that point, there’s a chance Baylor could be 2-5, or it could be 4-3. But no matter what Baylor’s record is, it’s the players that are going out onto the field. They are your classmates, peers, who put their bodies on the line to make plays and bring home wins. It’s a fan’s duty to be there for them when they do.
So far, Baylor hasn’t been able to play four quarters of good football. Had only a handful of unlucky plays gone the other way, this team would be 4-1 with a ranked win and a 2-0 record in Big 12 play. The Bears were messy in the third quarter against Tarleton State, started from behind at Utah, couldn’t hold on to the ball in the first half against Air Force, fell apart in the final minutes against Colorado and found themselves in a 21-0 hole less than fifteen minutes into the BYU game.
These moral victories won’t show up on the stat sheets or the conference rankings, but they show this team’s potential and ability. From the stands, fans can’t catch the go-ahead touchdown or make the game-ending interception. But what they can do is scream so loud it drowns out the other team’s play calls. Go ahead and raise those Bear claws high enough to throw off the opposing kicker. Fans can be there, rain or shine, win or lose.
So stop Tweeting, Snapping, Facebooking or YikYaking about what needs to change at home, and let’s start changing it ourselves.
