By Foster Nicholas | Editor-in-Chief
Redshirt sophomore safety Jacob Redding jumped a pass and hustled 66 yards to the end zone for a pick-six, giving Baylor a 32-31 lead with 4:28 left in the game.
It was the first turnover the Bears’ defense picked up against a Power Four opponent at home since Nov. 30, 2024, and it wiped away a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit.
Two scores later, with five seconds on the clock, the Bears (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) blocked a potential game-winning field goal to knock off Kansas State 35-34 Saturday afternoon at McLane Stadium.
“That’s the perseverance aspect about us,” redshirt junior linebacker Keaton Thomas said. “When our backs are against the wall, I feel like that’s when we’re at our best.”
Excluding Baylor’s 2021 Big 12 Championship run, when the team went 6-0 at home against Big 12 teams, the Bears are 7-14 against Power Four schools at McLane Stadium under head coach Dave Aranda. With Saturday’s win over the Wildcats (2-4, 1-2 Big 12), the Bears are now 2-6 at home in games decided by one score since 2022.
In contrast, Baylor is 5-3 in one-score games on the road since 2022 and has a net neutral turnover differential.
“We’re really trying to win,” Aranda said. “We’ve been in some games like this already; they’re just not pretty games. I wish they looked better, but to have as many guys as we got that love football and love Baylor and want to win and will sacrifice so much to win … is what this team is about.”
Saturday’s win, similar to a four-turnover loss to Arizona State earlier in the season, was nearly defined by missed opportunities. Two first-half punts set up the Bears with prime field position; one resulted in an interception in the end, and the other a fumble mere yards from the red zone.
“We definitely need to execute better earlier in the game,” Thomas said. “That’s something that we need to work on. Nobody wants to be in those positions, but it’s good to know that when we get in those positions, we can execute and ball.”
It took 175 1/2 minutes for Baylor to ultimately record its first takeaway against a Power Conference team at home. And it proved to be enough to walk out of McLane with a win.
Baylor has a turnover differential of -4 in home games against Power Four teams. In each of the past two seasons, despite up-and-down play, Baylor held a positive turnover differential in such games. But with a 4-2 record at the bye, the Bears have found a way to claw out to their best start since 2021.
“One of our defensive things is to attack balls in the air,” Redding said. “That’s something that we’ve been keying on these last few weeks because we haven’t been getting them. Teams win games when they have more possessions, so you got to get the ball back on defense. I think the more we do that, the more games we’ll win.”
Now hitting the halfway point, the Bears will take a week off with a bye before hitting the road to face TCU (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) on Oct. 18 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
