Baylor’s path to an upset over No. 10 BYU starts with the kind of clean, urgent football that has been missing in stretches this season. The Bears have three games left in the regular season and still control their own destiny, but there’s no room for a sluggish opening or a sloppy stretch against a ranked opponent that has already shown it belongs in the Big 12 conversation.
One of the biggest swing points is Baylor’s red zone production, especially from Tony Livingston and the tight ends. They’ve become reliable finishers near the goal line, but that success has mostly come once the field shrinks. Tight ends coach Jarrett Anderson wants more than that.
“They need to catch the ball out in open field and actually get in the end zone without landing in the end zone,” tight end coach Jarrett Anderson said. “I said, ‘Have we caught a ball yet that’s got us where we actually had to run five yards to get in the end zone?’
But I mean, we’ve got different things that are set up. If it’s man coverage, you have to create space on your own.”
If that group can turn its size into a real threat between the 20s, it gives DJ Lagway another layer to work with and makes the offense harder to defend.
The other issue is how Baylor comes out of the gate. The Bears trailed Iowa State by 10 in the second quarter, and that kind of start would be a steep climb against BYU. Baylor has actually started better on the road than at home, and that trend has to hold in Provo, Utah.
“It’s got to be in the players’ souls,” Klanderman said. “They have to believe that.
It’s one thing to say that. It’s another thing for those guys to go out there and believe that.”
Then there’s the discipline piece. Penalties and mistakes can hurt any team, but Baylor’s margin for error is especially thin here. The Bears were much cleaner against Iowa State, taking just one accepted penalty, and Klanderman made it clear that kind of focus has to stick.
“So our margin for error is going to be small,” Klanderman said. “You can’t have mental breakdowns. You can’t have physical lapses because of lack of effort.”
For Baylor to have a shot, it has to force BYU to play a full four quarters. If the Bears stay sharp, stay energized and avoid giving away easy yards, they can stay in the fight.
In Other News...
BYU Faces A Huge Big 12 Test With Its Offense Under Pressure
Baylor heads to Provo on Nov. 14 for a Big 12 game that carries real weight in the conference race, with both teams sitting tied in the standings and the stakes rising for anyone still thinking about a championship path. BYU enters as a 7.5-point favorite at LaVell Edwards Stadium, but the Bears have enough of their own to make this more than a road trip, especially with interim coach Joe Klanderman trying to keep the group steady and quarterback DJ Lagway at the center of it all.
BYUs side of the matchup has its own pressure points, starting with quarterback Bear Bachmeier and the uncertainty around running back LJ Martins health. For Baylor, the opening is obvious: if the Bears can make the Cougars uncomfortable and keep the game from turning into a clean BYU script, they can turn a tough road spot into a meaningful conference statement. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Season Suddenly Feels Very Different Under Joe Klanderman
With three weeks left in the regular season, Baylors season has suddenly taken on a different shape under interim coach Joe Klanderman. The Bears have won two straight, locked up bowl eligibility and kept themselves alive in the Big 12 championship race, a turnaround that has given the program a much more meaningful finish than it seemed likely to have not long ago.
The league around them only adds to the intrigue. Utah remains unbeaten and on track for the conference title game, while the Big 12s depth is showing in the College Football Playoff rankings, which feature six league teams in the Top 25. There has also been plenty of movement elsewhere, from Drew Mestemakers record-setting day for Oklahoma State against Kansas State to the uncertainty now hanging over TCU, and Baylor is suddenly part of a crowded, volatile race that still has room to shift again. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Freeman Is Chasing Something Baylor Receivers Rarely Reach
Gavin Freemans first season at Baylor has already put him in rare company, and now it has earned him a place among the sports most notable walk-on success stories. Freeman was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, an award that honors players who began their careers without a scholarship and has become a marker of persistence as much as production. He was selected from a field of 65 nominees, a reminder of how far his rise has come in a short time.
For Baylor, Freemans emergence is the kind of development that can reshape a receiver room. He has been among the national leaders in receptions and receiving yards in his debut season with the Bears, a level of production that does not come around often for a player whose path started as a walk-on. The award race is still moving forward, but Freeman has already put himself in position to chase something Baylor receivers rarely reach. [Read more 🡒]