A pair of programs from the Lone Star State clash on the gridiron in a Big 12 battle that has big implications for each side. The Baylor Bears are on the road as they make the in-state trip to clash with the Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday night. Baylor snapped a two-game skid as they managed to take down Kansas 35-23 at home last Saturday as a 10.5-point favorite. Texas Tech snapped a two-game slide of their own as they put the boots to West Virginia, rolling to a 48-10 home win as a five-point favorite last Saturday. In the all-time series between the teams, the Red Raiders own a narrow 39-38-1 advantage though Baylor picked up a 27-24 home victory in the most recent matchup on November 27, 2021.
Baylor had dropped two straight, losing at home to Oklahoma State and then falling at West Virginia, before getting back on track by earning the victory over Kansas. The Bears improved to 4-3 on the season and they stand tied for fifth in the Big 12 with a 2-2 conference record. Against Kansas, Baylor scored a pair of touchdowns in 50 seconds to take a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game and maintained the lead the rest of the way. The Bears were up 14-3 after the opening quarter and 28-3 at the half only to see Kansas rally. Baylor saw the lead trimmed to 28-23 with 6:29 to play before going on a seven-play, 69-yard drive that was capped by Richard Reese’s two-yard touchdown with 2:37 to go to secure the win. The Bears held a 437-288 edge in total offense, rolled up a 28-11 advantage in first downs and dominated time of possession by a 40:10 to 19:50 margin. That helped offset that Baylor turned the ball over three times while forcing two in the game.
For the year, Baylor is 50th in the nation in passing offense as they average 261 yards per game through the air. The Bears stand 27th in rushing offense of the 131 FBS teams to take the field this year with an average of 197.3 yards per game. Baylor is 19th in the FBS in scoring offense with 37.4 points per game while the team stands 58th in scoring defense as they allow 24.1 points per contest. Blake Shapen is 128 of 188 for 1,608 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He adds 27 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Kyron Drones is 14 of 23 for 219 yards with one touchdown and one interception while adding 47 yards plus two scores on the ground. The ground game has been solid for third-year coach Dave Aranda. Richard Reese leads the team with 116 carries for 643 yards and nine scores this season. Qualan Jones (48 carries, 277 yards, four T D), Craig Williams (43 carries, 209 yards, two TD) and Taye McWilliams (18 carries, 67 yards) have also been effective in the run game. Ben Sims leads the team with 25 receptions for 193 yards and a pair of scores on the season. Gavin Holmes (17 receptions, team-high 393 yards, three TD), Monaray Baldwin (16 grabs, 332 yards, four TD), Hal Presley (18 catches, 230 yards, two TD) and Drake Dabney (14 receptions, 161 yards) have gone over the 150-yard mark in receiving yards. Isaiah Hankins has hit eight of nine extra point attempts but missed his lone field goal attempt on the season. John Mayers is 24 of 26 on extra point attempts and four of four on field goal attempts with a long of 44.