Baylor heads into Saturday’s matchup with Prairie View A&M looking for a cleaner, more complete showing after the Auburn game, and the Bears should have a real chance to get there in a few key areas.
The biggest question on offense is who takes the snaps. Lagway is dealing with an ankle sprain, so Nate Bennett has a legitimate shot to start.
Either way, Baylor sounds comfortable with the options it has. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said he feels confident putting any of the quarterbacks out there, and that confidence should carry into a game where the Bears are expected to move the ball.
If Bennett gets the nod, the expectation is still the same: Baylor should be able to advance the ball with relative ease. The real emphasis will be finishing drives with touchdowns in Week Two.
The run game is another area that needs to take a step forward. Baylor struggled to establish it against Auburn, and that has to change if the Bears want the offense to really hum.
Pendergrass and Knighten handled 37 carries for 121 yards last week, a 3.27-yard average that won’t cut it against Prairie View A&M. With a little more room up front, both backs could be in line for a much bigger afternoon.
The receiving group gave Baylor plenty to like against Auburn. Gavin Freeman, Louis Brown IV, and Jadon Porter all made plays when the Bears needed them, combining for 22 catches and 293 receiving yards.
There’s reason to think that production can continue, and some of the other pass-catchers may get more involved too. Dre'lon Miller and Debraun Hampton didn’t do much in Week One, but they could pick up more receptions this week.
On the other side of the ball, the defensive line may have been the most encouraging unit of all in the opener. Baylor finished with five sacks and 11 tackles for loss, a sharp turnaround for a group that tied for last in the Big 12 in sacks last season. If that pressure shows up again on Saturday, Prairie View A&M could have a hard time getting much going against Joe Klanderman’s defense.
In Other News...
Baylors QB Situation Just Changed How Auburns Week 1 Win Feels
DJ Lagways injury is already casting a shadow over Baylors week, and it changes the way that Auburn result looks in hindsight. The quarterback suffered a high-ankle sprain in the game against the Tigers, and while Dave Aranda first framed him as day-to-day, the latest read is more concerning as Baylor turns toward Prairie View A&M.
If Lagway cannot go, Nate Bennett is the expected starter, and that would likely push Baylor toward a heavier dose of the run game. It is an early-season wrinkle the Bears did not need, and it leaves their quarterback picture heading into the next game looking a lot less settled than it did before kickoff against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors 2027 Commits Are Giving Fans Plenty To Watch Already
Baylors 2027 recruiting class is already offering a glimpse of why the Bears are so interested in those players, with several commitments turning in notable Friday night performances across the high school calendar. The roundup touches on the kind of production Baylor fans like to track early in the process: defensive work in the form of tackles and interceptions, plus offensive damage through yards and touchdowns, all while these prospects continue moving through the season with more games still ahead.
For a program that has made recruiting momentum part of its longer-term build, those weekly updates matter because they show whether the early evals are translating under the lights. The story also points ahead to each players next matchup, which gives Baylor supporters another reason to keep one eye on the Bears future while following the present. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Home Opener Feels Bigger Than It Should After Auburn Frustration
The mood around Baylors home opener is a little different than it might have been in an ordinary nonconference week. After a frustrating, close loss to Auburn, the Bears get a chance to reset in front of their own crowd against Prairie View A&M, a program that arrives with real credentials as a SWAC champion and enough quality to keep Baylor from treating this like a pure tune-up. There is still plenty of attention on how the Bears respond, especially with staff predictions pointing toward a much cleaner offensive day if things break the right way.
A big piece of that uncertainty sits with DJ Lagway, whose ankle issue leaves his availability in question and his workload potentially limited even if he goes. That makes this feel less like a straightforward bounce-back spot and more like an early-season test of depth, rhythm and patience for a Baylor team trying to turn the Auburn disappointment into something more productive at home. Prairie View A&M has the kind of coaching and talent base that can make a game interesting longer than expected, so Baylors margin for error may be smaller than the matchup on paper suggests. [Read more 🡒]