Baylor heads into its matchup with No. 10 BYU with a simple reality in front of it: there’s no room for a sluggish night. With three games left in the regular season, the Bears still control their own destiny, and the way they’ve played on defense - plus the offensive growth under interim head coach Joe Klanderman - gives them a shot if they can put together a complete performance.
The biggest challenge may be starting fast enough to avoid getting buried early. Baylor trailed Iowa State by 10 points in the second quarter, and that kind of hole is the sort of thing that can snowball quickly against a ranked team like BYU, which has established itself as a Big 12 force. If the Bears want to stay in the fight in Provo, Utah, they can’t spend the opening stretch digging out of trouble.
That urgency has shown up in Baylor’s road play. The Bears have gotten stronger starts away from home than they have on their own turf, and that trend has to hold. Klanderman made it clear the mindset has to travel, too.
“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.”
Clean football is another non-negotiable. Baylor had been fighting penalties and sloppy execution earlier in the season, but it turned in its cleanest game against Iowa State, finishing with just one accepted penalty. That kind of discipline has to stick, because the margin for error against BYU is tiny.
“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.”
There’s also an offensive wrinkle Baylor needs to sharpen if it wants to keep pace. Tony Livingston and the tight ends have become reliable red zone targets, but most of that damage has come near the goal line rather than in the middle of the field. Tight ends coach Jarrett Anderson wants more from that group between the 20s.
"They need to catch the ball out in open field and actually get in the end zone without landing in the end zone," 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 Baylor can turn that size into a true midfield weapon for DJ Lagway, it would give the offense another layer to lean on. But against BYU, the formula is bigger than any one position group. The Bears need energy, discipline and a full four quarters of pressure if they want to make the Cougars earn it.
In Other News...
BYUs Baylor Game Plan Just Got More Complicated Than Fans Hoped
BYUs first injury report for its upcoming game against Baylor added a little more uncertainty to a matchup that already had plenty of moving parts. Running back LJ Martin was listed as probable, while linebacker Isaiah Glasker landed in the questionable category and cornerback Evan Johnson along with tight end Roger Saleapaga were tagged doubtful. On the other side, Baylors report was lighter, with six players listed and starting defensive lineman Devonte Tezino the only notable name among them.
For BYU, the bigger issue is how the absences continue to reshape the depth chart. Several Cougars have already stepped into larger roles because of injuries, and some of the players currently sidelined are expected to miss the game as well. That leaves the Cougars trying to manage both a tricky Big 12 opponent and a roster that is still being stretched in a few key spots, which makes the final availability picture worth watching closely before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Baylor Outlook Just Got Clearer With Key Names In Doubt
BYUs latest availability report offered a useful snapshot of where things stand heading into the Baylor game, and the biggest takeaway is that the Cougars should have running back LJ Martin available. That matters for an offense that can use all the stability it can get, especially with the game approaching and the injury list already shaping up to be a factor.
Will Zundel has been ruled out after getting hurt in the previous game, while cornerback Evan Johnson and tight end Roger Saleapaga are listed as doubtful. Linebacker Isaiah Glasker is also questionable, leaving BYU with a few key spots still unsettled as it works through the final lead-up to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Defense Has Become A Real Concern At The Worst Time
Missed tackles have become too familiar for BYUs defense at exactly the wrong time. After a stretch of recent games in which the Cougars have had trouble bringing ball carriers down cleanly, the issue has shown up in the numbers too, with BYU sitting near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision in tackle success rate. It is the kind of problem that can turn routine plays into drive-extending gains, and it has put a sharper spotlight on a unit trying to steady itself late in the season.
Players and coaches have not tried to hide from it. The focus in practice has shifted toward the basics, with more attention on tackling fundamentals and drills as BYU gets ready for a critical matchup with Baylor. For a team trying to clean up a glaring weakness before one of its most important games, the next few days in practice may matter as much as anything that happens on Saturday. [Read more 🡒]