Baylor doesn’t have long to sit with what happened in Atlanta. Auburn is in the rearview, and now the Bears get a chance to reset at home with a game that calls for control from the opening snap.
Prairie View A&M comes to McLane Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m., and the clearest path to a comfortable night starts up front. If Baylor’s linemen dictate the line of scrimmage on both sides, the rest of the plan gets a lot simpler.
On defense, that means getting after Prairie View quarterback Tevin Carter and forcing the Panthers into long-yardage situations. Hosea Wheeler and the rest of that front can make life miserable if they consistently get home.
On offense, it’s the same idea with a different payoff. DJ Lagway needs clean pockets, and Dawson Pendergrass needs room to work. If the offensive line opens things up, Baylor should be able to move the ball without much resistance.
Ball security is the other major point. Baylor dug itself into a hole with two early turnovers against Auburn, and that kind of start can’t happen here.
The Bears should be able to win the turnover battle, but that only matters if Lagway protects the football and keeps his throws sharp. Prairie View is athletic enough to punish sloppy play, so Baylor can’t afford to hand them anything.
The bigger picture is simple: this needs to be over early. Baylor should be aiming to land the first big blows, build a lead before halftime and remove any doubt by the time the third quarter starts. A game like last season’s home win over Samford is the template, when Baylor led 35-7 at halftime and then emptied the bench while the clock ran out in the second half.
If the Bears handle business the way they should, Prairie View won’t have much left to play for once the fourth quarter arrives.
In Other News...
Baylor WBB Just Added A Frontcourt Piece Big 12 Rivals Will Notice
Baylor womens basketball added another notable frontcourt name to its future plans, with head coach Nicki Collen announcing the signing of Kate Koval for the 2026-27 roster. Koval arrives with a track record that should fit right into the Bears inside game, having already logged meaningful stretches at LSU and Notre Dame and shown the kind of production that can change the feel of a game around the rim.
For a Baylor program coming off a successful 2025-26 campaign, the move signals that Collen is still keeping an eye on how to stay physically imposing in the Big 12. Koval has flashed double-double potential and real shot-blocking ability, the sort of frontcourt profile that can give opponents problems before a season even starts, and her addition gives Baylor another piece worth watching as the next roster takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Must Answer One Big Offensive Question This Week
Baylor heads into its meeting with Prairie View A&M with a different look under center, as junior Nate Bennett is set to take the lead while the Bears adjust their offensive plan. The emphasis figures to tilt toward the ground game, a sensible move with the staff leaning into what it can control while also using the week to keep building rhythm around a new quarterback setup.
On the other side, Prairie View A&M brings a problem Baylor cannot ignore in Tevin Carter, who gives the Panthers a dual-threat element the Bears will have to account for on every snap. The game also comes with a community-minded backdrop, with Baylor folding in fan engagement events around the matchup, but the bigger football question is whether the Bears can stay balanced enough to keep their offense on schedule while handling Carters playmaking. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Home Opener Suddenly Carries One Big Concern On Offense
Baylors 2026 home opener against Prairie View A&M was supposed to be a straightforward chance to settle in at home, but the availability report has already changed the tone around the game. Senior safety Jacob Redding is out for the entire season with a torn ACL, and the Bears will also be without starting quarterback DJ Lagway because of an ankle injury, leaving Nate Bennett to make the start under center.
The absences dont stop there, either, with multiple other players listed as unavailable. For a team trying to use its first home game to build rhythm, the immediate concern is how the offense holds together without its starter and how quickly the Bears can sort through the depth chart before the opener puts the pressure on. [Read more 🡒]