Claire-Marie Scott details the meaning behind Saturday’s matchup against Oklahoma State.
Although the Bears (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) snapped a nine-game losing streak against Big 12 opponents with their 59-35 win over Texas Tech out of the bye week, the green and gold will have another gnarly losing streak to snap against the Cowboys (3-4, 0-4 Big 12). Since the 2021 Big 12 Championship season, Baylor has only won one game against an in-conference foe at home – a 35-23 homecoming win over Kansas on Oct. 22, 2022.
With renewed confidence from scoring the most points in a game against an FBS opponent under head coach Dave Aranda, the team is looking to build on the momentum.
“You’d love for people to be excited about Baylor football, and we’re really working hard for that to happen,” Aranda said. “With the confidence piece, once you’ve done it, we can do it again. I’m hopeful that that happens, and that happens fast because I think our fans deserve it, our kids deserve it. We’re going to have to go and earn it.”
When the Bears gear up on Saturday, it will be the fourth homecoming game they’ve played in this year. The green and gold fell to then-No. 11 Utah on Big 12 Homecoming and Colorado on its school and Big 12 Homecoming celebration. But riding high on a homecoming upset over the Red Raiders, the Bears have a shot to push their record back up to .500 and sit just two games away from clenching bowl game eligibility.
“Getting that type of win in their home stadium for their homecoming, it was a great win. It showed us that we’re a great team,” sophomore safety Carl Williams said. “We’re a winning team. No matter what the record says or what is happening, we feel like we’re a winning team. We just want to show that on Saturday and keep progressing.”
In the previous two games, one of the biggest keys to success has been Baylor’s ability to prevent sacks. Redshirt junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson hasn’t been sacked in the last nine quarters the Bears have played. The strength in the trenches led to redshirt junior left guard Ryan Lengyel and redshirt sophomore center Colton Price being named to the Pro Football Focus Week 8 Big 12 Team of the Week.
Not only did the offensive line prevent a sack against Texas Tech, but it also opened gaps for the team to accumulate 255 rushing yards, the most for the Bears in a single game against an FBS opponent since Nov. 5, 2022, in a 38-35 win at Oklahoma (281 rushing yards).
“This past game really elevated our run game, which is what we’ve been looking for to open up our pass game more,” Lengyel said. “So, going into this week, we’re trying to wash it all away, not get too high, not get too low, and kind of carry what we did into this next game.”
While Baylor’s win over Texas Tech heightened expectations and rewrote current record books, the team is still trying to make up for a slow start to conference play. All four of Baylor’s losses this year have come to teams who are a combined 23-5, making a homecoming clash against another team in a similar position even more important.
“It’s a breather, but I think all the others are still hurting. And I think that’s what’s keeping us going right now is that we know how good our record could be right now, but it’s not. The ball just flipped the other way,” Lengyel said. “We’re going to try and correct our record as best we can.”
The Cowboys are coming off a 38-35 loss to No. 11 BYU and are still searching for a win in conference play. Led by junior running back Ollie Gordon II, the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and redshirt senior quarterback Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State is averaging the 4th lowest-scoring offense in Big 12 play (22.0 points per game).
In addition to a middling offense, the Cowboys have allowed 35.0 points per game against Big 12 schools, while the Bears have averaged the Big 12’s worst 37.5 points allowed. With star power on the opposing sidelines, Aranda has “simplified” the game plan to ensure his team gets the simple things right, a strategy that led to success against Texas Tech.
“We’ve played some tempo teams to this point, and they’re the fastest of all of them in terms of seconds between plays or seconds that are left before the ball is snapped,” Aranda said. “I think they’re trying to find their footing in the throw game [and] that’s affecting the running game a little bit. They started off really fast and strong this last week out, and it was a scary team.”
In full homecoming spirit, the green and gold will don their alternate Sailor Bear logos on their helmets. Since the University’s rebranding in 2019, the Sailor Bear has been a traditional staple, including a floating parade balloon. Baylor will also debut a stripe-out theme on game day, where each section is assigned a color to wear to the game.
“All the players, we love the Sailor Bears, especially guys that have been here. We love wearing the Sailor Bear. We know what it means to this community, what it means to this school,” Lengyel said. “And we love being able to take the stickers home at the end of the game.”
Baylor has a 50-44-4 all-time record on homecoming and has won 11 of its last 13 matchups during the celebration weekend. The Bears have faced the Cowboys twice on homecoming, going 1-1, with the lone win being a 35-31 win in 2018. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium and will be broadcast exclusively on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
