By Josh Siatkowski | Staff Writer
A drive north of the Texas border to one of Oklahoma’s 100-plus casinos may no longer be the only remedy for Baylor fans with a gambling itch. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital’s fearless playcalling has made high-stakes betting the new normal in McLane Stadium.
When Baylor opened its season Friday with a 38-24 loss to Auburn, the glaring issue was the 307 yards rushing allowed by Baylor’s defense. But another stat sticks out: the Bears left their offense on the field for an eye-popping seven out of nine fourth downs, including drawing a penalty which wiped one attempt off the board.
The bets paid out at a volatile clip, generating four first downs and three turnovers while ranging from hope-reviving touchdowns to gut-wrenching shortcomings.
For redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson, the fourth-down opportunities are a signal of faith in the offense. While the failed conversions are painful, they didn’t impact his confidence in the aggressive play style.
“Obviously, the two that were close to the end zone sting a little bit, but the faith is great in us, and we know we can get all six of those [conversions],” Robertson said.
The play calls are just part of the scheme for head coach Dave Aranda, and even after attempting seven fourth-down conversions, he said the level of aggression “felt the same.”
“I thought that we had a really good read on what they were going to give us, so it gave us a clear view on what we had to dial up,” Aranda said.
These high-stakes plays are a thrill for fans — depending on how well you can stomach risk, that is. The massive implications of these gutsy decisions are enough to keep the conservative fan up at night. But let’s be real — is there such a thing as the “conservative fan”?
Maybe Baylor loyalists are getting exactly what they want: fast-paced offense with high-stakes snaps; the thrill of a gamble; the excitement of a game-changing play.
Those game-changing plays were plentiful, coming early and often. Spavital, now in his second season at Baylor, wasted no time making his opinion on fourth downs known, electing to go for it early in the first on a fourth-and-1 from Baylor’s own 34-yard line. Redshirt sophomore running back Bryson Washington stomped through the possibility of a consequential early turnover with a confident three-yard carry.
But a goal-line stand by Auburn on the very next drive served as a nasty reminder of the other side of fourth-down bets. After three consecutive unsuccessful handoffs, redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson laid it up to tight end Michael Trigg to no avail, and left Auburn the ball at their own 4-yard line.
Auburn took the ball 96 yards and turned hopes of a 10-0 Baylor lead into a 7-3 deficit at the end of the first quarter. A punt and another turnover on downs later, the Bears were down 17-3 early.
Just four offensive drives into the season, McLane Stadium had felt the entire spectrum of emotions, from irrational exuberance to disappointment to utter dread.
But before fans could completely crumble, a fourth-and-8 touchdown heave to Kobe Prentice shot the mood meter back up. Another fourth-down bet kept the game within reach late in the third, as Robertson dished out a four-yard touchdown pass to true freshman running back Caden Knighten.
Even outside of last chances, Baylor still went big. Robertson completed five passes over 25 yards, four of which did not happen on fourth down. And on the rushing front, 35 of Baylor’s measly 64 yards came from just two plays.
The big plays ultimately weren’t enough for the Bears, though. Auburn nailed the coffin by giving the Bears a taste of their own medicine, as Jackson Arnold ran it in for a final score on fourth-and-1.
As the passion of the crowd moved in unison with the success or failure of a fourth-down try or another big play, one thing became clear: Baylor’s season may hinge on the results of fourth-down exploits and risky business.
