Baylor’s matchup with Louisiana Tech brings a familiar question back to the front: who’s taking the snaps?
For the second week in a row, the Bears head into a game with uncertainty at quarterback, and DJ Lagway is again expected to sit. That would leave Nate Bennett to make his second career start when Baylor hosts the Bulldogs on Saturday. Louisiana Tech is in the same boat, with Blake Baker out and Trey Kukuk expected to start in his place.
That makes this a game built around the supporting cast, and Baylor’s outlook still points in a strong direction. The Bears are 1-1 after opening the season with a 44-3 win over Prairie View A&M and coming within a few feet of beating Auburn. Louisiana Tech is also 1-1, and it pushed LSU for a half last weekend before fading.
The Bears have handled the Bulldogs well historically, too, owning a 5-1 all-time record in the series. This will be the first meeting between the schools since 1996.
Baylor on SI sees the Bears controlling things, even if the start isn’t perfectly clean. One prediction noted that Bennett may lean early and often on Gavin Freeman, while the ground game could be the real separator. Another projected that Bennett could throw an interception or two against a Louisiana Tech defense that showed some fight against LSU, but that Baylor’s run game would take over behind Pendergrass and Turner, each expected to go for 50-plus yards.
The Bulldogs do bring some legitimate challenges. According to SP+, Louisiana Tech’s defense is only 16 spots behind Baylor’s.
In their lone FBS game so far, the Bulldogs did a good job slowing the passing attack and intercepted LSU signal-caller Sam Leavitt three times. The tradeoff was brutal, though, as Leavitt and the Tigers piled up four rushing touchdowns.
That’s the blueprint Baylor can lean on here. The Bears can use Dawson Pendergrass and Caden Knighten to carry the offense and keep Bennett out of too many obvious passing situations. If Baylor gets the run game rolling, the Bulldogs may be forced into a more one-dimensional offense, which would give the Bears’ corners and safeties more chances to jump routes and make plays.
There is some belief that Baylor could separate early and make the second half a chance to get younger players live reps. One prediction had the Bears starting a little slowly before taking over after halftime, while another suggested the game could be effectively over by then. With Baylor fresh off a comfortable win and the home crowd expected to turn Waco into a sea of gold, the Bears will try to come out fast and avoid giving Louisiana Tech any opening.
Even with the quarterback situation still unsettled, the expectation is that Baylor has enough to handle its business. The offense may look different depending on whether Lagway is cleared in time, but the outcome is not expected to change much. The bigger questions are whether Gavin Freeman can deliver another big receiving day, whether a Baylor back can finally break through for a long touchdown or a 100-yard performance, and whether the Bears can keep the penalties and turnovers down.
The confidence level in a Baylor win is high. The Bulldogs have enough to make the Bears work for it, but the overall read is that Baylor should come away with the result and move to 2-1.
In Other News...
Baylor Win Brought A New QB Question Fans Didn't Expect
Baylors 36-19 win over Louisiana Tech gave the Bears plenty to like, especially on a night when backup quarterback Nate Bennett stepped in and made the offense look steady and productive. He threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns, added a rushing score, and helped Baylor keep control while freshman Ryelan Morris supplied valuable late-game carries. The defense also did its part, forcing a fumble and coming up with a stop on fourth down when the Bulldogs tried to answer.
Still, the broader picture after the game is a little murkier than the final score suggested. Baylor is already dealing with the loss of Devonte Tezino, and the run defense remains an issue that needs work, which means the Bears have some real concerns to sort through even after a solid showing. Add in Bennetts performance, and the win leaves Baylor with a new quarterback question it probably did not expect to be asking this soon. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor's Quarterback Picture Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Nate Bennett gave Baylor exactly what it needed in a 36-19 win over Louisiana Tech, and he did it in just his second straight start. The quarterback was efficient from the jump, completing 21 of 24 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground, a performance that helped keep the Bears in control throughout the afternoon.
Baylor also got a defensive showing that should not get lost in the shuffle. The Bears held Louisiana Tech to 19 points and 362 total yards, a strong enough effort to make this the first time since 2019 that they have allowed fewer than 20 points through their first three games. With Bennett settling in and the defense stacking results, Baylors quarterback situation suddenly looks a whole lot more compelling. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Exposed A Baylor Problem That Could Decide Two Games
Texas Techs recent showing against Houston offered a clear look at the kind of challenge Baylor is about to face in the Big XII, and it was the sort of game that can expose more than one weakness at once. For the Bears, the matchup problem is not just about one opponent or one scheme. It is about how well they handle a team that can create stress from multiple spots on the floor, while also staying sharp enough to avoid being dragged into a game that turns on matchups and reaction time.
Baylors own path now runs through both Texas Tech and Houston later in the season, with home and road meetings that will ask different questions each time. The Bears will need a clean plan for Techs multi-position threats, and they will also have to make life difficult for Houston quarterback Conner Weigman by keeping pressure on him throughout the night. Those are separate tests, but they point to the same issue Baylor has to solve if it wants to keep its conference hopes on track. [Read more 🡒]