Baylor football aiming to build some momentum against Texas Tech

Two struggling teams are looking to get out of the basement of the Big 12 in 2020. Will Baylor football gain some momentum?

Although one of the more underrated rivalries in the conference, Baylor and Texas Tech has provided some sparks, when both teams have been good. One of the more notable matchups came in 2013 when both teams played inside AT&T Stadium in a top-10 showdown.

Or last season when they played for the first time in a home and home format since 2008, Baylor won a double-overtime thriller against Texas Tech, with current 49ers running back Jamychal Hasty scoring the rushing touchdown to win it for the top-15 Bears.

Both of these teams are in desperate need of a win, so they can get out of the basement of the conference. For Baylor, it has been a completely different season, compared to last year. After a strong start against Kansas, the Bears have dropped four straight, all by less than 11 points.

Recently, the Bears lost a heartbreaker to Iowa State in Ames with Charlie Brewer threw an interception on the last drive in a 38-31 loss.

There were some signs of positivity from the Bears in that game. Baylor has not been good on offense. The Bears jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and led at half, 21-10. However, the third quarter was a mess and they couldn’t put it back together in time.

Worse news came on Monday, as coach Dave Aranda announced that starting linebacker Terrel Bernard and starting running back Squirl Williams would miss the rest of the season. Bernard lead the team in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks. Squirl is a redshirt freshman, who was leading the rushing game, with 197 yards and two touchdowns.

For Texas Tech, they had their own struggles on offense with their loss in Fort Worth to TCU, 34-18. The Red Raiders only had 77 rushing yards and quarterback Henry Colombi was a serviceable 56 percent on his throws.

The former starter Alan Bowman has been benched and the Utah State Transfer in Colombi has come in and played just about as well as Bowman did. Colombi has thrown for north of 900 yards, eight touchdowns, to four interceptions. Sophomore wide receiver Erik Ezukanma has been a nice surprise and leads the Red Raiders with 490 yards and four touchdowns. However, the biggest issues resides on the defensive end.

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The Red Raiders have been notorious for having below average defense and that seems to be trend once again in 2020. The Red Raiders have given up 40.1 points per game (114th in the NCAA) and only had three interceptions for the whole season.

The biggest playmaker on this defense is linebacker Riko Jeffries, who leads the team in tackles and tackles for loss. Maybe the most all-around best player is Zach McPhearson. He is fourth on the team in tackles, and has been excellent in pass coverage. McPhearson has two interceptions, on four pass deflections. The senior captain has also recovered two fumbles in the process.

This seems to be one of those normal, high-scoring Big 12 games where each team hits 40-plus points. However, with how inept both offenses are, it’s highly unlikely either team will.

Here’s how to watch the game between the Bears and Red Raiders

Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: Jones AT&T Stadium
TV: FOX Sports 1
Stream: FOX Sports Go or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Baylor absolutely has to find a running game. The Bears have shown zero life of a good running game, whether it be seniors John Lovett and Trestan Ebner, or the freshman Williams. Baylor becomes too predictable on offense, throwing short-intermediate passes and a lack of explosiveness in the backfield.

Texas Tech is a defense that will give up yards and they will give up their fair share of points. However, to have a complete game, the Bears have to be able to run the ball well. The Bears have not rushed for over 100 yards since the opener against Kansas. They do so against Texas Tech, they will win this game.

For Texas Tech, they absolutely have to create turnovers in this game. Outside of McPhearson, the Red Raiders only have one turnover on the entire season. That was an interception from Alex Hogan. Charlie Brewer over the span of his career is pretty solid with protective the football. However, he has made some bone-headed decision that can cost him.

Stealing possessions is something Baylor did well and what basically kept them in the game last week as it created four turnovers. Texas Tech needs to do the same here.

Prediction

Baylor had their best offensive day last week in a long time and they showed flashes of what they can do well. Texas Tech’s tackling and lack of turnovers is going to be a big issue in this game. Brewer throws for a few red zone touchdowns and rushes for another.

The Bears do just enough as they get their first win in well over a month, taking down the Red Raiders for a third year in a row.

Final Score: Baylor 27, Texas Tech 24