Up to this point in the season, things were relatively calm surrounding Baylor, but after Saturday night’s debacle in Boulder, the media-feeding frenzy around the Bears came to life. You couldn’t have scripted a more compelling series of events, as Colorado had not one but two Hail Mary opportunities against Baylor to take the game to overtime.
After a blown defensive assignment by Baylor, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (Sr.) hit LaJohntay Wester (Sr.) in the end zone to keep the game alive after regulation. The Bears had defenders just blatantly standing idle in the end zone watching the throw unfold, while they could have come up to make a play on the ball or not lined up as deep in the first place.
It’s one of those plays that everyone has an opinion on, and rightfully so, which is exactly what social media thrives on. One person who was particularly baffled was former Rice quarterback and current college football analyst Taylor McHargue.
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During the postgame press conference, head coach Dave Aranda addressed the play and said that the defense his team was in during the Hail Mary was known as the ‘Victory Cigar.’ This is one of those moments where Aranda’s blunt honesty would come back to bite him, as the internet had a field day.
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Despite the outcome, Baylor played the best overall game I’ve seen from them in at least two years. At the end of the day, Colorado’s stars rose to the occasion, while Baylor’s lack of alpha dogs with a killer instinct reared its ugly head.
Former Baylor Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III touched on both facets of Saturday’s game, first with the praise for the fantastic game played by the Bears and Buffs, and secondly on the fan reactions to calling for Aranda to be fired.
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Baylor (2-2, 0-1) will have an opportunity to get back in the win column this week as they welcome a red-hot BYU (4-0, 1-0) squad to McLane Stadium on Saturday. The Cougars are coming off an impressive 38-9 shellacking of No. 13 Kansas State in Provo, where their defense and special teams were the difference maker.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and will be televised nationally on FS1. Be sure to tune into our 365 Sports pregame show on YouTube and KWTX from 9-10:30 a.m.