No. 17 Baylor will look to work on its execution and get back on the winning track when it hosts Texas State on Saturday afternoon in Waco, Texas.
It’s the ninth all-time meeting between the programs separated by 130 miles in central Texas, and Baylor holds a perfect 8-0 record against the Bobcats.
The Bears (1-1) dropped from ninth in the AP Top 25 after a 26-20 double-overtime loss at now-No. 12 BYU last Saturday. Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen was just 18-of-28 passing for 137 yards and one touchdown. He threw incomplete on fourth down in the second overtime after BYU had taken the lead with a TD on its prior possession.
Baylor finished with 152 yards rushing but Shapen was sacked four times in the loss, which snapped a six-game winning streak dating back to last season, a run that was the longest in the nation. The Bears also had their run of consecutive games with a forced turnover ended at 23 contests.
Baylor committed 14 penalties for 117 yards, including two false starts in the second overtime, and missed a field goal in the first OT.
“I’m disappointed in our lack of discipline,” said Baylor coach Dave Aranda, who is now 6-1 in September as the Bears’ coach. “Fourteen penalties are way, way too much. It’s one thing to play a real good opponent. But we can’t be playing them and us.”
The Bears also had to play the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter and the two overtimes without linebacker Dillon Doyle because of a targeting penalty. Under NCAA rules, Doyle will miss the first half of Saturday’s game.
“It’s ‘What’s next?’ How can we fix it?” Baylor cornerback Mark Milton said. “Making sure we’re mature about it and making sure that we go back, watch the film. And we understand the mistakes that were made.”
Texas State (1-1) heads north up I-35 after it rebounded from a Week 1 loss on the road to Nevada with a decisive 41-12 win at home over Florida International over the weekend. Calvin Hill ran for a career-high 195 yards on 28 carries in the victory, as the Bobcats rushed for 226 yards after amassing just 1 yard on the ground in their opener.
The victory also gave head coach Jake Spavital his first win in a home opener in his four seasons in San Marcos.
“Overall, a great team win. Something that we’ve been working for a long time,” Spatival said. “(Against Nevada) I thought we got punched in the mouth and there was a lot of tough conversations and these kids responded. That’s what we talk about all the time about showing back up and getting back to work, regardless of what happened just keep swinging.”
The defense was also a key in the win over FIU, allowing just 313 yards of total offense, recording three sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and intercepting two passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown by cornerback Kordell Rodgers. Texas State had three interceptions during its entire 2021 campaign.
–Field Level Media
