By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Down 14 with six minutes remaining against No. 21 Cincinnati, Baylor football was in desperate need of a strong offensive drive.
Instead, the Bearcat defense punched the ball out from the arm of senior wide receiver Kole Wilson. He lost the fumble on his own 21-yard line, leading to a touchdown three plays later.
Wilson’s fumble was the second lost fumble on the day for Baylor (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) in its 41-20 loss to Cincinnati (7-1, 5-0 Big 12), joining sixth-year wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins’ in the second quarter.
This has been a familiar sight for the Bears who had lost 14 turnovers heading into Saturday’s game — tied for ninth-most in FBS. Their turnover margin coming into the matchup was 11th-worst at –7.
The Bears’ two fumbles stoop them down to 16 turnovers on the season, with a -9 differential. The giveaways, along with the defense having no answers for Bearcat quarterback Brendan Sorsby, put down any momentum the Bears tried to create while falling behind 24-0 in the second quarter.
Turning the ball over started to become a glaring issue for the Bears in their 48-45 win over SMU in double overtime. Their three turnovers on downs and a muffed punt forced the offense to rally back from down 14 with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The trend continued in their 42-7 victory over Samford. While they ended up winning by 35, they looked underwhelming, turning the ball over four times against an FCS team that is now 1-7.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Josh Cameron’s two fumbles proved to be a difference-maker in Baylor’s three-point loss to Arizona State in the conference opener. The Bears’ back-to-back turnovers kept them behind Kansas State for most of the first half before emerging on top 35-34. Redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson’s three interceptions last week sealed Baylor’s ninth loss to TCU in the rivalry’s last 11 meetings.
This issue has plagued the Bears at both ends of games. Turnovers in the first half have forced them back against Big 12 opponents. They left opportunities to take leads before halftime on the table against Arizona State and Kansas State.
Abruptly ending crucial drives to have an advantage also seemed to kill their confidence throughout the game.
After falling behind or leaving points on the board, Baylor has found itself searching for late-game comebacks and “hero ball” from Robertson and the offense. Because the Bears have been relying on the offense to move the ball downfield quickly to rally, they have become susceptible to putting the rock in harm’s way.
This was put under a spotlight last week in Fort Worth. Down 21 with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Robertson threw back-to-back picks to seemingly put the game on ice. The Bears came back with two touchdowns to come within six of the Horned Frogs, but Robertson threw another interception to seal the TCU victory after recovering an onside kick.
Giving the ball away has killed multiple drives for Baylor in their closely-contested schedule. The Bears have come up empty-handed across most of their games, and those unsuccessful drives have injured their confidence and ability to stay competitive throughout all four quarters.
To find some much-needed success, Baylor will need to continue focusing on protecting the ball with Robertson, his running backs and wide receivers.
Baylor returns to McLane Stadium against UCF Saturday for the homecoming game.
