Know Your Foe: Baylor Bears
Record: 1-1 (0-0 Big 12)
2024 record: 8-5
Last week: W vs SMU, 48-45
Head coach: Dave Aranda (6th season)
Last meeting: Samford L, 50-12 (2002)
Betting: Baylor -47.5, O/U 58.5
TV: ESPN+
Kick off time: 11:00am CT
Fun Fact: Samford President Beck Taylor received his undergraduate degree from Baylor.
Well what now? Samford fell to 0-2 this past Saturday after the 40-13 home loss to The Citadel. Samford loses to The Citadel in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2015-2016 seasons. For another week, Samford allows a defensive and a special teams touchdown to their opponent.
The Samford offense did much better moving the ball against the other Bulldogs finishing with 452 yards of total offense. However five turnovers with one occurring at The Citadel’s two-yard line and the other at The Citadel’s 19-yard line. Samford QB Quincy Crittendon threw for 324 yards but had three interceptions.Crittendon had already thrown three interceptions twice in his career before The Citadel.
Samford just trailed 10-6 at halftime but The Citadel outscored Samford 30-7 in the second half to secure the win. The Citadel’s defensive touchdown happened in the third quarter following the fumble by Samford WR Preston Bird that was returned for six. Then a Samford fake field goal backfired horribly as The Citadel returned a fumble on that fake for six. The fake field goal completely took the air out of the Samford crowd as 0-2 imminent.
Backup QB Brady Stober split first team reps with incumbent starter QB Quincy Crittendon throughout the week. However, Stober just played the final drive of the game and drove Samford all the way down to The Citadel one-yard line as time expired.
Just after two weeks has us and Samford fans alike asking each other, “Gosh where are the wins?” West Georgia and The Citadel were supposed to be the wins with both games being at Bobby Bowden Field before this Baylor game upcoming.
Oh yes that is right just as Samford is 0-2 here comes the Baylor Bears out of the Big 12. Baylor is one of two “buy” games for Samford this season as they head to Texas A&M in the final week of the season. Baylor is coming off of a wild comeback win in double overtime against in-state rival SMU. Baylor lost to Auburn at home in week one.
There are a few connections between Samford and Baylor. Samford President Beck Taylor got his undergraduate degree from Baylor. He later was a professor there after getting his graduate degree at Purdue. Samford head coach Chris Hatcher played at Valdosta State with Baylor OL coach Mason Miller. Then Baylor head coach Dave Aranda spent a year at Delta State in 2007 and played against Hatcher’s Valdosta State team.
In his weekly press conference, Dave Aranda said that Samford is a team “looking to find some success.”
Baylor on the field is led by one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Sawyer Robertson. Robertson, previously at Mississippi State, had 440 passing yards and four touchdown performance in the win over SMU. The Baylor defense has struggled in the first two weeks of the season so Robertson has had to play great for them to win. He definitely did that against SMU.
Robertson threw for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2024. He will look to test the Samford secondary early and often on Saturday.
RB Bryson Washington leads Baylor in rushing as he had 115 yards and two touchdowns against Baylor. Washington has and will get the bulk of the carries as Baylor lost RB Dawson Pendergrass in fall camp who was competing for carries behind Washington. Robertson has five main targets to throw too as those five guys all have over 100 receiving yards in two games.
TE Michael Trigg, who was big in their Auburn opener, left the game against SMU after the first half with a shoulder injury. It remains to be seen whether Trigg will play on Saturday. WR Josh Cameron had 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns last week on nine catches. WR Ashtyn Hawkins had 10 catches with 145 receiving yards.
WR Kobe Prentice, formerly at Alabama, also had two touchdowns against SMU including one in the season opener against Auburn. So Baylor has plenty of weapons that Samford should look out for even if Michael Trigg is out.
Moving over to the defense is where Baylor has struggled. In week one, Auburn QB Jackson Arnold ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns. SMU ran for 163 yards last week attacking the Baylor front seven. The Baylor defense ranks 132nd in the country in EPA per game on the ground and 127th in EPA per rush in the FBS.
Samford hasn’t exactly been able to run the ball so far. The Bulldogs have ran for 196 yards in two games on just 1.9 yards per attempt.
Baylor LB Keaton Thomas leads the Bears in solo and total tackles with 26 and is the unquestioned leader for this defense. Thomas was named to the Butkus Award watch list in the preseason. He also led Baylor in tackles a season ago. S Devyn Bobby is second in total tackles with 14. S DJ Coleman and S Jacob Redding are tied for third in total tackles with 11.
Baylor is also a team looking to find some success on defense. So what positive takeaways can Samford take from a game such like this? That is the main question as Samford is a 47.5 point underdog in Waco.
Samford was able to find the endzone once against Florida last season and twice in 2023 against Auburn.
Minus a major miracle, Samford will start 0-3 for the first time since 1985. Samford finished 2-8 that season. The goal for Samford should be to find the endzone at least once and leave Waco with zero injuries. Samford comes back to FCS play next weekend with a road game at Western Carolina.
To quote Dave Aranda, Samford will come out “guns a blazing” and that is how Samford can find a way to make some noise early. Can they dig up the magic of the 2022 Florida game and somehow find success?
