Baylor Football is 4-2 at the midway point of the season and feeling “good”?
BY CRAIG SMOAK | 365 Sports
Things haven’t always looked pretty, and the Bears enter their first break weathered from six straight games to start the season, but riding higher in the saddle after back-to-back wins in league play.
A Win is A Win
I waited all year for football to arrive, so from that standpoint, I’m not trying to rush into the offseason, no matter how exciting or bland, ugly or chef’s kiss this season becomes. It certainly hasn’t been boring so far. The Bears have played a rollercoaster brand of football, making it hard to tell just how good this team really is in the big picture. Wherever you stand, they’re 4-2 overall, 2-1 in the league and with everything out in front of them, including two weeks to prepare for rival TCU. Based on what we’ve seen of this team and the league as a whole, a 10-2 record is a realistic possibility, as is a 4-8 finish.
Michael Trigg
At the halfway point, he’s on a beeline to All-American status as the top tight end in the country, albeit not without some competition. The sky is the limit on this season for Trigg, so long as he knows no one wins a marathon at the halfway point. Baylor’s NFL Draft prospects have been nonexistent over the last two seasons, but Trigg gives the school a guaranteed selection next April, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Hopefully, it’s after he’s earned the Mackey Award.
Kobe Prentice
This part of the article is quickly becoming a weekly feature. Prentice’s 17 receptions-to-6 TD ratio is rare and special. Six games, six touchdowns. A score against every opponent, except for Arizona State. Whether or not Prentice finds the endzone has quickly become one of my favorite bingo card-like boxes to check each Saturday this season.
Defense
It is what it is, as opponents achieving career-best marks against this Baylor defense is a trend that may not change the rest of this season. The latest example saw Avery Johnson throwing for a career-highs in passing yards and total yards. This fanbase should be no strangers to a prolific offense sometimes dragged down by defensive woes, but it’s not like the offense was perfect either. Hold on tight.
Jacob Redding
When all hope was on the verge of being lost, Jacob Redding’s lead-grabbing 66-yard pick-six flipped everything on its head. It’s very cool to see him honored as the Burlsworth Walk-On of the Week. College football is quickly changing right before our eyes, but the story of a walk-on making a game-changing play is the type of classic trope that made me fall in love with this sport over 20 years ago. Redding’s previous interception this season was also critical in taking points off the board for SMU, and we know how both these games turned out.
Cooper Lanz
I have doubts that Kansas State’s 56-yard FG attempt would have gone through the uprights as the clock ran out, but I’m glad we’ll never know, thanks to Lanz, who managed to get a paw on the ball and secure a critical Baylor home victory.
Chris Kleiman
An unheralded supporting role in Baylor’s win came courtesy of K-State’s head coach and his decision-making. The vibes in Manhattan have felt off since undisclosed personal issues arose late last year and led to speculation about his health, family and future. Klieman’s a great coach with drawbacks, like anyone else, but things seem weird, and losses piling up only exacerbate the situation. If anything were to happen, now or anytime in the near future, former Wildcats star QB and current Texas A&M OC Colin Klein is call number one, without question.
Connor Hawkins
53 yards for the win? Stones, clutch, all the fun buzz words. A great college kicker is worth a couple of wins a year**.
** – A total guess, but it feels right
Bye Week
I love the dual bye weeks in college football the last two seasons. Sure, there are weeks where you’d love to keep it rolling, but after six straight games since late-August, including road trips to Dallas and, the break comes as good a time as any.
From Auburn to Atlanta?
I didn’t love the announcement that next year’s Baylor-Auburn road game would be moving from Alabama to a neutral-site game in Atlanta, all in the name of millions in NIL dollar possibilities for Tigers players. It’s another sign of the rapid professionalization of college sports, which shows few signs of slowing down. That part, everyone can choose to take or leave. But in general, I think it sucks for the regular Baylor and college football fan who was hoping to visit Auburn as a destination trip. Now, instead of seeing a legendary venue in Jordan-Hare, it’s another corporate NFL stadium. Ultimately, football is football, but this isn’t the home-and-home experience most fans had in mind. But it is today’s college football.