Baylor Hosts TCU in Blackout at McLane Stadium on Saturday

[Ingram, Brent]

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Oct. 28, 2024

Baylor Hosts TCU in Blackout at McLane Stadium on Saturday
Pair of Hot Teams Face off at McLane on Saturday Night

For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu>  or Max Calderone; 254-265-1639, max_calderone at baylor.edu<mailto:max_calderone at baylor.edu> or Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720,  josie_hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:josie_hutton at baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas -- Baylor football will face off with TCU on Saturday at 7 p.m. in a blackout at McLane Stadium.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2, with Mike Couzens (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Stormy Bounantony (sideline) on the call. The game will also be broadcast live on the Baylor Sports Media Network, with the Voice of the Bears, John Morris (play-by-play), and BU greats J.J. Joe (analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline) on the call.

Baylor (4-4, 2-3 Big 12 Conference) will matchup with a streaking TCU (5-3, 3-2 Big 12) team. The two teams are fresh off a pair of wins, including beatings of Texas Tech, with the Bears topping Oklahoma State last weekend and TCU also owning a win over Utah.

SCOUTING THE FROGS
• TCU enters the matchup fresh off its homecoming clash with Texas Tech on Saturday in Fort Worth. rallying from down 31-17 to post a 35-34 win over the reeling Red Raiders. The Frogs have opened the year with consecutive wins at Stanford and vs. Long Island, before falling at home vs. UCF and suffering a 66-42 loss at SMU. TCU bounced back with a win at Kansas, fell vs. Houston and picked up a big win at Utah on Oct. 19.
• TCU averages 32.5 points per game and allows 28.3, while averaging a strong 435.5 yards per game, with 333 passing and 102.5 rushing. Defensively, TCU allows 339.9 yards per game, with 173.8 through the air and 166.1 rushing. TCU ranks fifth in the nation in passing offense and 16th in passing defense.
• QB Josh Hoover is in his second year as a starter and has thrown for 19 TDs and eight interceptions on 205-of-309 passing for 2,614 yards. Hoover ranks eighth in the nation in passing TDs, fifth in passing yards and sixth in passing yards per game. RB Cam Cook has 97 rushes for 368  yards and six TDs, while standout WR Jack Bech has caught 46 balls for 825 yards and seven TDs. Johnny Hodges has a team-high 58 tackles, while Namdi Obiazor has 53 tackles, 6.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks.
• TCU is coached by Sonny Dykes, who is in his third year as the head coach for the Frogs after spending the four years as the head coach at SMU. Dykes went 30-18 at SMU, including a 25-10 mark over his last three seasons, helping direct the Mustangs to 465.9 yards per game offensively in 2021, 13th-best in the nation. Dykes previously served as the head coach at Cal for four years (2013-16), and three years at Louisiana Tech (2010-12). He served as an assistant at Arizona, under Mike Stoops, Texas Tech, under Mike Leach, and Kentucky, under Air Raid inventor Hal Mumme. Dykes and Baylor Coach Dave Aranda served on the same staff at Texas Tech, where Dykes was the receivers coach while Aranda was a graduate assistant from 2000-02.
• Andy Avalos is in his first season as the defensive coordinator at TCU after previously serving three years as the head coach at Boise State, where he was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2022 with a 10-4 record. He previously served as the defensive coordinator at Oregon (2019-20) and Boise State (2016-18), in addition to time on the staff at Colorado (2006-08), Sacramento State (2011) and Nebraska-Kearney (2009-10).
• Kendal Briles, the son of former Baylor head coach Art Briles, is in his second season as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator, after spending the three years in the same role at Arkansas. Kendal was on the Baylor staff for nine years.
• A.J. Ricker is the third-year co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach who previously spent two years at SMU, following time at Kansas (2018), and serving as offensive analyst at Oklahoma State (2017) and Houston (2018), also coaching the offensive line at Missouri (2014-15). Malcom Kelly serves as the assistant head coach, a role he has had since March of 2019, after coaching two seasons at Houston as a GA and analyst (2017-18).

CONNECTING THE TEAMS
• Baylor at TCU have several connections, most notably that BU head coach Dave Aranda and TCU head coach Sonny Dykes served on the same Mike Leach staff at Texas Tech from 2000-02. TCU OC Kendal Briles spent nearly a decade on the Baylor staff working for his father, Art, serving as the inside receivers coach from 2008-11, receivers coach from 2012-14 and as the offensive coordinator from 2015-16. TCU CB coach Carlton Buckels was on the Baylor staff from 2011-16. Assistant AD for Football Human Performance Kaz Kazadi worked on the strength staff at Baylor from 2008-16.
• TCU senior tight end Drake Dabney played his first four years for the Bears and in 2023 set the single-season tight end school record with 552 receiving yards, totaling five TDs. In his year at TCU he has nine catches for 68 yards.

LAST MEETING IN THE SERIES
• Baylor suffered a loss at TCU to complete its road schedule in 2023 with a 2-2 mark.
• TCU got 412 yards and two TDs passing from Josh Hoover, who added a rushing TD, with Emani Bailey rushing for two scores and 52 yards.
• Baylor saw Dominic Richardson catch a TD from Blake Shapen, Richardson’s first TD as a Bear, and rush for 71 yards. Shapen threw and rushed for a score, completing 20 of 30 passes. TE Drake Dabney broke the BU single-season record for receiving yards with a four catch, 77-yard game.
• Linebacker Matt Jones totaled 11 tackles to lead the defense.

BEARS RUN THROUGH COWBOYS IN HOMECOMING WIN
• Baylor kept a furious run attack going in its second consecutive win, running over Oklahoma State in a homecoming win at McLane Stadium.
• The Bears rolled to 565 yards of total offense, including 343 on the ground while averaging nine yards per carry in the win. It marked the second consecutive game with 500+ yards of total offense, a first since 2021, and the most rushing yards vs. a Big 12 foe since 2016.
• The teams traded 17 points in the first half but the Bears came out with a third-quarter TD drive with just over eight minutes left to take a 24-17 lead, later holding an OSU drive to a field goal as the lead was cut to four. The Bears responded with a 41-yard TD scamper from QB Sawyer Robertson for an 11-point lead and after an 11-play, 75-yard drive from the Boys, Baylor answered with a 75-yard scoring drive on just four plays, finished off with a Dawson Pendergrass run to take a 38-28 lead with 3:06 left in the game.
• Pendergrass had six carries for 142 yards and a TD, averaging 23.7 yards per carry. Bryson Washington chipped in 17 carries for 78 yards and Robertson had eight carries for 73 yards. Richard Reese added six carries for 52 yards. Robertson threw for 222 yards and three scores, finding Ashtyn Hawkins, Hal Presley and Matthew Klopfenstein for scores. Hawkins had four catches for 74 yards. Kicker Isaiah Hawkins, who on Friday, alongside his wife, welcomed his first child into the world, nailed one kick from 30 yards out in the first quarter.

INSTANT CLASSIC IN WACO IN 2022
• The two teams squared off in an instant classic in 2022 in Waco, with the No. 4 Horned Frogs, kicking a walk-off field goal in a fire-drill situation to secure the win and remain unbeaten, eventually earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.
• Baylor held a 28-26 lead in the closing seconds of the game but Max Duggan completed two passes for 28 yards and had a key 12-yard scramble to get TCU into position for a Griffin Kell 40-yard field goal as time expired to post the 29-26 win.
• The Bears took leads at 7-0, 14-7 and 28-20. The eight-point lead with 9:47 left then saw Baylor stop a game-tying two-point conversion attempt, holding a 28-26 lead with 2:07 left. Baylor could not secure a first down, allowing TCU to regain the ball with 94 seconds left, driving 46 yards on nine plays to post the win.
• Baylor rushed for 232 yards and threw for 269, totaling 501 yards of total offense. QB Blake Shapen was 21 of 30 for 269 yards and a score, while Craig Williams rushed 19 times for 112 yards. Monaray Baldwin had six grabs for 123 yards and Kelsey Johnson caught a TD. Devin Lemear chipped in a career-high nine tackles.

BAYLOR HONORS THE 2013, 2014 BIG 12 CHAMPS VS. TCU
• A pair of 11-2 and Big 12 Conference Championship teams will be celebrated during the 2024 Baylor Football season, as the Bears plan to recognize student-athletes from the 2013 and 2014 teams.
• “We are thrilled to warmly recognize the 2013 and 2014 teams to McLane Stadium,” Baylor Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades said. “The historic success of these teams holds great significance for Baylor fans, and their championship seasons have created lasting memories for Bears across many generations. By recognizing them collectively, we are able to richly celebrate their remarkable achievements alongside their beloved friends and family.”
• The 2013 team went 11-2, including an 8-1 mark in league play, earning a No. 13 national ranking and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. Baylor posted three wins in non-conference play and opened the year with nine straight wins, including a 71-7 win over Iowa State on Homecoming, a 41-12 win over Oklahoma and a 63-34 rout of Texas Tech in Arlington.
• In 2014, the Bears went 11-2 and 8-1 in Big 12 play, earning a berth in the Cotton Bowl and a No. 7 final ranking by the Associated Press. Baylor opened the year with six straight wins, before a lone regular-season blemish at West Virginia, soaring to No. 4 in the national polls. The Bears posted wins at Iowa State and Texas, a 61-58 thriller vs. TCU, and wins over Kansas – on Homecoming – Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Kansas State.
• Both teams posted eventual wins over TCU during their seasons, which will add to the celebration opportunity on Nov. 2. Baylor bested TCU in Fort Worth 41-38 in 2013, and posted a thrilling 61-58 win over the Frogs in 2014 in Waco. The teams each sported top-five offensive attacks, with the 2014 squad leading the nation in points per game (52.4) and yards per game (618.8).

RUSH OFFENSE CORNER TURNED
• Baylor’s rush offense struggled early in the year as the Bears adapted to a new offensive scheme, broke in a youthful group at tailback and offensive line, and faced a stout collection of opposing defenses. Over the last two games, Baylor has broken out, rushing for 598 yards in wins at Texas Tech and vs. Oklahoma State.
• Baylor rushed for 343 yards in the win over Oklahoma State and 255 yards in the rout at Texas Tech, totaling five TDs over the two-game stretch and 8.42 yards per carry.

STUDENT GOVERNMENTS CALL THE GAME THE BLUEBONNET BATTLE
• In 2023, the student governments of Baylor and TCU have banded together to create a new name for the Baylor-TCU football game, dubbing it the Bluebonnet Battle.
• The athletics department leadership from both schools were active in discussions with the Big 12 Conference regarding the new scheduling matrix with the growth of the league, working in an effort to maintain the game as an annual protected rivalry. The league announced that the game would be one of just four protected games in the league scheduling model.
• The game will be played for the 120th time on Saturday, marking the most-played game in the state of Texas.
• From the SGAs press release announcing the game: The Bluebonnet Battle trophy will be a circular battle shield, hand forged in steel by Baylor alumnus Bryant Stanton of Stanton Studios in Waco, Texas. The face of the shield will feature the logos of both universities, the outline of the State of Texas, adorned with Bluebonnets on either side and boldly displaying the rivalry’s official name. It will be two-and-a-half feet wide and rest in a mesquite wooden base adorned with the lone star of Texas.

B-WASH EMERGING
• Redshirt freshman tailback Bryson Washington is having a breakout season in 2024. After sitting out the first two games of the year with an injury - and missing most of 2023 with an injury - Washington has emerged as an elite running back threat.
• A native of Franklin, Texas, Washington leads the team with 70 carries and 384 yards, including three TDs. He has become a threat in the pass game as well, catching 13 balls for 121 yards. Washington, a 6-foot, 203-pound bruiser had a two-TD game at Texas Tech in a rout, rushing for 116 yards on just 10 carries.
• Washington had a decorated prep career at Franklin High School, where he led his club t 32 straight wins and consecutive 3A State Championships. A four-year starter, he had over 2,000 yards and 30 TDs as a senior.

SERIES HISTORY
• TCU leads the all-time series, 59-53-7 with Baylor.
• TCU has won four straight in the series.
• The meeting will be the 120th all-time meeting in the series, the most-played rivalry game in the state of Texas.

SAWDOG ON FIRE
• Baylor junior Sawyer Robertson has been one of the top performing quarterbacks in the nation since taking over the job in week 3.
• He ranks eighth nationally and first in the Big 12 in QB rating and sixth among QBs with at least 200 plays.
• A native of Lubbock, Robertson had a thrilling homecoming to his native land in week 8, throwing a career-high five TD passes in a rout of the Red Raiders, 59-32. He was named to the Davey O’Brien Trophy QB of the Year Midseason Watch List, tabbed Big 12 Player of the Week, and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week following the beatdown in Lubbock.
• Over his last seven starts - dating back to the season finale vs. West Virginia last year - Roberts has charted QBR totals of 80+ in five games. Healthy for the first time in that WVU game in 2023, Robertson threw for 215 yards and a score on 17-of-19 passing for 215 yards, with 15 carries for 33 yards, with an 80.0 QBR.

SIXTH-BEST STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE IN NCAA
• Baylor ranks sixth in the nation in terms of strength of schedule. The NCAA’s calculation on this stat includes same division competition and for example, does not include the result of the team that played Baylor.

UP NEXT
• Baylor will hit the road to face West Virginia in Morgantown on Nov. 16.

- BaylorBears.com -


--
Brent Ingram | Associate AD for Communications
Baseball Sport Program Administrator
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 210-845-8651

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