No. 22 Oklahoma (6-3, 5-3) at Baylor (2-6, 2-6)
Site: McLane Stadium, Waco
Time/Day: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
TV/Radio: ESPN/ESPN Central Texas
Betting Line: Oklahoma State -5
Series: Oklahoma State leads, 20-18
Maybe a little after 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Baylor football can exhale because it crossed the finish line.
Of course, this finish line is ending sooner than first-year head coach Dave Aranda would have wanted. But the fact in a pandemic year where there were so many stops and starts and questions as to whether the season would even begin much less finish is a victory of some sorts.
Baylor was scheduled to play 10 games. It’s going to play nine. And even playing that ninth had a little drama coming into it when several Baylor coaches tested positive for COVID-19 and the facility was closed.
Through it all, the Bears expect to complete the roller coaster season at McLane Stadium against Oklahoma State.
Story lines for this season have already been cemente. Baylor’s offense struggled for any kind of consistency. Its running game was statistically the worst in the Big 12. Its passing game could never really stretch a defense.
However, the defense kept this team in every game despite losing its leader – WLB Terrel Bernard – to a shoulder injury midway through it. It forced turnovers and made opposing quarterbacks suffer through their worst day.
“The mental toll has been a little rough with the losses,’’ senior star Jalen Pitre said. “But being out there being able to compete against our Big 12 opponents has been very fun, and the thing you look forward to. I would say it’s been a little rough but we’re grateful to be able to go out every week and play against these teams and get the opportunity to showcase our talents. The fun is definitely outweighing the mental toll.”
There’s nothing to play for in this game except for taking some momentum into the offseason and a third consecutive win over the Cowboys.
Here are some elements to look for
>Baylor’s running game is obviously pretty chaotic at this point at 92.9 per game. For their sake, the Bears are hoping both Qualan Jones (undisclosed) and Trestan Ebner (ankle) will return. Jonah White said earlier in the week he was fine after hurting his wrist last week against Oklahoma.
>It could be another opportunity for freshman Drake Dabney to make an impression. He shined at Iowa State and was productive at Texas Tech. If Ben Sims (right foot) doesn’t play, Dabney seems to be well enough so that he could return. Dabney is the future at that position for this program.
>Baylor QB Charlie Brewer is never one to never show emotions. But one wonders what he is thinking as he makes what could be his final appearance at McLane. The senior signal caller, like every other player in college football, will not lose a year of eligibility due to the pandemic. Brewer hasn’t said anything publicly on whether he will return to Baylor in 2021.
>For all of the issues the running game has endured this year, it hasn’t cost its team with turnovers. Baylor’s offense has fumbled only three times this year and not lost one. The only fumble Baylor lost was when Ebner muffed a punt against Kansas State on Nov. 28.
Notable
>Baylor lost two games to cancellation (Louisiana Tech, Houston), had to re-schedule one Oklahoma State (from Oct. 17 to Dec. 12) and will play more games in December (two) than it did in September (one).
Keys to the Game
>Wake up – The level of interest Oklahoma State has for this game should be pretty telling in the first quarter. The Cowboys were eliminated from Big 12 title game contention last week. Without running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace up in the air, OSU may come in flat. Plus, the Cowboys’ defense has been pretty flat in the last three weeks.
>Don’t miss it – Baylor missed some scoring chances early last week against Oklahoma that resulted in two John Mayers missed field goals and Brewer throwing an interception in the OU red zone. Should the Bears put themselves in position to score on several occasions, they have to finish.
>Enter the Sand(ers) man – While that is a great song from the heavy metal band Metallica, it’s a play on words to the Baylor defense getting after Oklahoma State starting QB Spencer Sanders. He’s talented. However, he is prone to making mistakes. If Baylor can frustrate the league’s best in Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler and Iowa State’s Brock Purdy, it will be interesting to see what they have for Sanders.
>Ahead of the chains – What that means is that Baylor has to win first down with positive plays that are netting consistently three yards. It will make the rest of the sequence much more manageable. A 2nd-and-8 or worse is going to make things hard for this offense.
Prediction
Maybe Baylor looks at this game against the Cowboys as its bowl. I really believe this team is motivated to play well. Let’s be honest, the Bears have had a shot in the four games leading up to Oklahoma last week. But even in the face of the loss in Norman, OK there is the moral victory of knowing they shut down one of college football’s best offenses. I might be overselling Oklahoma State’s desire to play and win this game. If you’re a competitor and there’s a game on the schedule you play it and try to win it. But there is such a thing of trending in the right and wrong direction. OSU is trending in the wrong direction. Baylor is trending in the right direction. I’m going to throw caution into the wind and claim 2020 concludes the right way.
Baylor 23, Oklahoma State 20
