Prior to this upcoming football season when we were preparing our content schedule for the website, we were trying to come up with some unique features to help grow our coverage of Baylor. One idea was to dive into what the opposing staff had to say about the Bears each week prior to their game, which is exactly what I’m about to do.
Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne is a rising star in the industry and has plenty of family ties to Baylor. His father and sister are alums, his dad played and coached football for the Bears, and his little brother Landry is currently a walk-on receiver. Earlier this week, Kinne joined 365 Sports, where he discussed his ties in Waco.
“It’s a situation where you get the job and look and you play Baylor week one, that’s pretty cool. My Dad went to Baylor, my sister graduated from Baylor and I obviously have respect for Landry and the whole Baylor organization,” said Kinne. “Landry and I haven’t really talked since fall camp started, so it will be good to see him out there on game day and shake his hand before and after the game.”
Another topic that Kinne discussed was the decision to not name a starting quarterback just yet. The two quarterbacks competing for the starting position are Arkansas transfer Malik Hornsby and LSU/Auburn transfer TJ Finley.
During his weekly press conference, Kinne was asked once more about the decision to not name a starter once the local media received their two-deep roster.
“It’s important for Baylor to prepare for both quarterbacks. They have two different skill sets and our offense will look different when those guys are out there,” said Kinne. “I feel like it’s a competitive advantage for us, so I want to keep that.”
One of the more intriguing matchups on Saturday will be how the youthful Baylor secondary matches up with Texas State receiving core. The Bobcats are going to stretch the field and use tempo to try and keep the Bears on their heels.
Baylor should have the advantage in the trenches, but they must be disciplined and try to force some turnovers and get off the field in third-down situations. Kinne has high praise for what the Bears do defensively, especially under the tutelage of the defensive wizard Dave Aranda and new defensive coordinator Matt Powledge.
“They are very big and physical and a lot of them have played a lot of meaningful football. You also have two great minds running the show in Coach Aranda and Coach Powledge,” said Kinne. “We’ve tried to watch as much film as possible and it’s going to be a huge challenge for us, but I think we’re up for it.”
One of the biggest question marks regarding Baylor internally and externally this season is the progression of starting quarterback Blake Shapen. After a lackluster performance last season — that wasn’t solely all his fault — can Shapen take the next step this season and throw Baylor to some victories?
Kinne was asked about the play of Shapen and what he expects to see from him on Saturday.
“I’ve seen him play and I know he has a big-time arm, but he needed some more weapons around him,” said Kinne. “When he has playmakers around him he definitely plays better, just look at the year before last. If I were them, I would try to get him going early with some easy throws to get him into a rhythm, especially with Utah coming up next week.”
Earlier this week, Dave Aranda praised the offensive system that Kinne has been able to develop throughout his short tenure as a head coach. Kinne was asked if he watched the clip of Aranda’s evaluation and he responded with the same mutual respect for Aranda.
“I’m a big fan of Coach Aranda and how intentionally and cerebral he is. They are going to have a great game plan for us,” said Kinne. “They are going to want to come out and play fast as well. Some guys run their defense no matter what and others game plan to specific opponents and I’m expecting him to have something unique for us.”
The Bears and Bobcats are set to kick things off at 6:00 p.m. at McLane Stadium on Saturday with the game available on ESPN + for folks who aren’t able to attend in person.
