Baylor’s bowl hopes on the rise
It took just one quarter for Baylor to rescue its bowl game hopes for this season.
Following a rough 44-point loss at West Virginia, Baylor was faced with the task of winning two of its final four games in order to get bowl eligible — all against programs that defeated the Bears last season.
Oklahoma State then jumped ahead of Baylor by 10 points late in the third quarter on Saturday in Waco.
That’s when Baylor coach Matt Rhule inserted sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer into the game and everything turned around.
On Brewer’s first snap, he handed to running back John Lovett, who sprinted 75 yards to the house.
Brewer kept the Bears’ offense moving throughout the fourth quarter. His two touchdown passes, including the six-yard game-winner to Denzel Mims with seven seconds remaining, lifted Baylor to a 35-31 victory.
All of a sudden, Bears fans realized their team is just one win away from becoming bowl eligible. Though a low standard for many programs, Baylor winning six games and going bowling would signify a fantastic turnaround from a 1-11 season in 2017.
That’s what’s on fans’ minds and perhaps the Baylor players as well. But Rhule maintains it’s not his focus.
“I am so simple with the way that I look at it,” Rhule said during his Monday press conference. “I think that if we take it away from just blocking and tackling and constantly focused on external things we won’t be ready for what is in front of us.”
That’s the Iowa State Cyclones.
Baylor travels to Iowa State for an afternoon kickoff on Saturday. Although the Bears lead the all-time series and Iowa State has more often than not found itself near the bottom of the Big 12 standings, the Cyclones are in the middle of one of their intermittent upswings.
Iowa State has won four-straight since freshman Brock Purdy took over at quarterback.
“He has a sensational arm,” Rhule said about Purdy. “He puts the ball right on the money. He is extremely athletic, and Iowa State has now input a quarterback run package which always adds another element.”
Additionally, the Cyclones have built their defense around slowing down prolific Big 12 offenses and they’re enjoying plenty of success in that category. Iowa State held both West Virginia and Texas Tech to fewer than 20 offensive points (the Red Raiders needed special teams and defensive TDs to put up 31).
So Baylor has a steep challenge in Ames, Iowa, this weekend. But not to worry, Bears fans believe there will still be time to get win number six down the stretch.