Gameday Thread: Baylor (0-0) vs. ACU (0-0)

BAYLOR (0-0) vs. ACU (0-0)

McLane Stadium | 7 p.m CT | FSN

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Storylines of the Week

Can Baylor win its first home game in almost two years?

The crowd is going to be on edge the whole way until Baylor pulls away. I expect there will be some nerves at first but can the Bears overcome them and end the streak? The team needs to get out to a quick start in order to make that a much easier situation. The other way to ease the nerves is a dominant performance by the defense. If Baylor can rattle Abilene Christian early and often the nerves will turn into excitement. The crowd will be able to get into it, the players will be able to just play their game, and the coaches will be able to open up the playbook. The key after that is just becoming a better team each and every snap and with the fans behind them the execution will be exciting to see.

Who will be the starting quarterback?

Charlie Brewer won the Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year in the Big 12 and there is a ton of excitement around seeing what he can do in year two. He showed flashes a year ago of brilliant accuracy, solid mobility, and an impressive feel for the game. But Coach Rhule was not just going to hand him the job so he brought in Jalan McClendon, a graduate transfer from North Carolina State, to push him. McClendon has put in an impressive amount of preparation and showed the staff he is ready to play. These two have battled all fall camp and finally on Saturday we will all find out who won the job.

Quote of the Week

"They’ve worked so hard, our players have prepared so far, and they’ve gone against each other. We practiced Saturday night till 11:30 at night, in the stadium. A lot of times on that Saturday practice before the first game, they don’t want to get hurt and they hold back. It was our best practice. The GPS monitors said it was the second-fastest practice, and that’s at the end of camp. So, they should be confident. Now, that’s humbled confidence. As Coach (Tom) Coughlin said, ‘We have to be humble enough to prepare and confident enough to perform’ against a good football team." — Matt Rhule

Statistic of the Week

Baylor junior running back JaMycal Hasty, noted as the starting running back for the season opener, is set to earn the fourth start of his career against ACU. The junior has collected 1,068 total yards in his two-year career. 

With 937 career rushing yards, including a career high 623 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2016, Hasty will have the opportunity to pass 1,000-career rushing yards on Saturady against the Wildcats. Hasty will need to reach 63 yards in the contest to reach the mark. 

Hasty is second on the team in career rushing yards behind senior Jalen Hurd. Hurd, who transferred to Baylor from Tennesee, has 2,638 rushing yards in his three-year career. However, Hurd transitioned from running back to receiver when he transferred to Baylor prior to the start of the 2017 season.

Key Baylor Players

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports The Quarterbacks Regardless of the starter, Charlie Brewer and Jalan McClendon will both get plenty of snaps on Saturday against ACU. McClendon has shown tremendous talent in fall camp, but he will need to do it in the game to become the full-time starter over Brewer.

Colt Barber Safety Chris Miller Noted as one of the starters at safety, Miller has the athleticism to be a very good defender in the Big 12. The key is being able to play assignment football and being disciplined. This contest against ACU will be a great opportunity to see if he can do it.

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Nose Tackle Bravvion Roy Everyone expects senior Ira Lewis to be consistenty, but he needs an interior lineman to emerge to be as consistent as he is. Roy has had a strong fall camp and now it's time to do it in a game for the junior.