Competitors want to be in the moment. They want the opportunity to succeed. They don’t fear failure. If it happens, they have the resolve to return to the scene and try again.

For what he doesn’t have in all of his skill sets, there is one thing that Charlie Brewer does have – the will to win.

A quarterback earns the greatest of reputations for not being productive. That’s nice, of course. But they earn because they bring it when it’s on the line.

Track records mean something.

I harp a lot on Brewer’s late-game heroics from 2018 because it matters when a program is learning to win. Iowa State is the latest to be pinned on the wall for Brewer fourth quarter wins.

Down, 21-20 with 3:45 to play, Brewer like he’s always done was calm and cool. He embraced the moment. It never was too big for him.

“You’ve got to [embrace that situation], as a quarterback, absolutely love having the ball in your hands to go win the game,’’ Brewer said. “I try to pride myself on that. I’m the quarterback. To be an effective quarterback, I’ve got to go win the game at the end. Our receivers and o-line did tremendous on that drive. They’re the ones that made that happen.”

A chunk here and a chunk there, he drove the Bears 54 yards in 14 plays. He chewed up 3:24 off the clock. All he had to do was wait for redshirt freshman John Mayers to deliver his first college career field goal from 38 yards with the game on the line.

“Not too many quarterbacks in the country can do what he does,’’ senior defensive end James Lockhart said. “I love Charlie. Outside of what he does on the field, that’s what everyone loves, but in the locker room he’s such a great guy. He’s a good guy to be around, he’s fun to be around. He definitely cares for his teammates. Charlie does a lot for this team on and off the field. So we’re very thankful to have him.”

Mayers did. The Bears win 23-21. Baylor is 4-0 and continues to position itself for the stretch drive in November. I know. I know. There are four games to go before you want to think about November.

This thing about game-winning drives wasn’t a one-season fascination. This is who Brewer is. Expect this to happen in his time at Baylor.

Again. And again. And again.

“So I think that’s really confidence, where Charlie is at his best. He scrambled around some other times in the game, and we weren’t really able to connect on some of those balls. But he was able to get it done there.’’

Add Iowa State 2019 trophy wall. That started in 2018 against Kansas State. It was then followed by Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl. Even in the close rally at Texas that fell short, Brewer returned. That Texas game was followed by Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt.

These extra qualities will define a program and change it from decent to a contender. It’s not about the skill level. It’s not about the height and weight. It’s about the toughness to perform and handle the chaos of the moment.

Baylor is a solid team. It’s not a pretty team. It can sometimes make things harder on itself than it needs to. However, the important thing is that

To a man, Baylor head coach Matt Rhule and the players have said that the two-minute drill is simplified because everything moves faster and it’s not about the gameplan so much as it is about just trying to find a way to move the football and figure out a way to win the game.

Yet, the chaos between the huddle and the sideline cannot be overstated. There are so many things going. The stress on the sideline is palpable. Trying to get plays called or make checks when there is a freak out factor involved can be daunting.

That’s why Brewer is the same person from the opening offensive play to these moments.

It can’t be overstated how important this game was for this program. I called this a Big 12 dark horse elimination game because the winner was basically in a position to contend.

Baylor’s need was paramount with Oklahoma and Texas coming to McLane Stadium in November. Again, we who cover the team can look ahead. The people in the locker room and in the Simpson Building are only focusing on Kansas State.

Baylor’s need was also paramount because when it comes to conference play, it’s critical to win at home. And Baylor has the swing Big 12 schedule in its favor with five home games against four road games.

This game didn’t define the story. What it did do was set the tone for the rest of the fall.

Good thing there’s a quarterback who plays a role in that.