By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor
After facing back-to-back Power-conference teams to open the season, Baylor is set to close its nonconference schedule against FCS Samford Saturday.
Baylor (1-1) will host Samford (0-2) on Family Weekend after beating SMU. Saturday’s game will serve as a final tune-up opportunity for the Bears before jumping into Big 12 play.
“I think the training room yesterday was probably happier than it’s been,” head coach Dave Aranda said Monday. “I think in the meetings today — even in all of the ‘Here’s what we’ve got get fixed’ — there’s kind of a hopefulness and a strong energy about that, too. And I think winning does that.”
Samford opened the season winless at home against West Georgia and The Citadel, losing by a combined margin of 74-16. The Bulldogs have scored one touchdown this season.
Still, this game has been circled on the proverbial calendar. Baylor is still stinging from recent struggles against lower-level programs, including losses to Texas State in the 2023 season opener and to Air Force in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl, and would like a statement win. Aranda said he still reminds his team of the loss to the Bobcats in McLane Stadium.
“It was just a couple years ago, it was the first game of the year, and we played someone, and I don’t know if we respected them as well as we should,” Aranda said. “And there’s been a couple examples in college football so far this year of it. So, you have to respect everybody you play.”
Samford signal-caller Quincy Crittendon has carried the offense in both losing efforts, completing 72.9% of his passes for 478 yards and three interceptions and rushing 27 times for 79 yards. Running back CJ Evans, who scored the team’s lone touchdown against The Citadel, has taken his 14 carries for 54 yards (3.9 per carry).
A major focus for the Bears will be on defense, where the team has posted the nation’s No. 132-ranked scoring defense through two weeks. (There are 136 FBS programs.) Shutting down a Samford offense that has struggled to move the ball consistently would go a long way toward building momentum.
“They’ve played some bigger schools really well in the past,” Aranda said. “And I think they come out all guns firing, so there’s gadgets and tricks and reverses and fakes, you name it. So it’s a lot to prepare for.”
The teams’ coaches go way back. Aranda encountered Samford’s Chris Hatcher in 2007, when Aranda coached at Delta State and Hatcher was at Valdosta State. Delta State won, 35-28.
Baylor has excelled offensively. Redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson leads all Power-conference quarterbacks in passing yards, and sixth-year wideout Ashtyn Hawkins is one yard out of first place on the Big 12 receiving leaderboard. Redshirt junior safety Michael Allen said the game will be an exercise in focus.
“Coach Aranda made a really big emphasis on it in our team meeting this morning to just stay focused and stay driven throughout practice, because we know it’s Samford, it’s not Auburn or anything like that,” Allen said Tuesday. “So for us, we want to focus on [having] tunnel vision. We’re thinking we’re playing Auburn right now.”
The Bears will kick off against Samford at 11 a.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
