Baylor upsets No. 14 Iowa State in defining win for Dave Aranda, 31-29
WACO, Texas — Baylor (4-0) made a statement on its home turf against No. 14 Iowa State (2-2) in a defining win for Dave Aranda, 31-29.
That. Was. Awesome. Dare I say perfect? No. Dare I say easy? No. Dare I even say smooth? No. But it was awesome. That was an unnerving gut check for a full 60 minutes, but Aranda and the Bears found a way to topple a top-15 team and two former Heisman hopefuls.
From a 2-7 record last season and a 42-3 loss to cap the year to a 4-0 record with a win over Iowa State to start this campaign, it’s hard not to recognize what Aranda is putting together. Apart from my typical jest and antics in postgame recaps, it’s worth taking time to notice how improbable this win was with a new quarterback, new offensive coordinator and renovated o-line coming into the year.
Hats off to this team. Most talking heads had Baylor next to Kansas in the Big 12 cellar before the year, and here they are making noise.
The first half was a weird dream. Apart from an Iowa State touchdown with ease on possession one, a fantom roughing the passer call and a couple of weird facemask penalties, the first 30 minutes was a breeze. You may now be saying, “But wait, Drake, you can’t just omit that stuff from the first half?” And you’d be exactly right. I couldn’t omit it, and neither could Baylor.
In a war clearly won by the Bears, Aranda’s squad only led 21-13 at the break due to five penalties for 70 yards and an 18:30 to 11:30 differential in time of possession. The offense was churning and the defense was meeting par, but there was never comfortable separation. Granted some calls could be questioned, the good guys could’ve been up by far more than one possession at the break.
The second half was an absolute grind. It was no longer a football game, it was a war of attrition. Both teams built trenches and scoring was tough to come by. Iowa State seemed to control most of the half with Baylor’s defense waning, but all that mattered was keeping the Cyclones from a three-yard gain on Purdy’s last play.
Iowa State didn’t make many mistakes, but their final one was fatal — a Purdy interception on the potential game-tying two-point conversion. Baylor sealed the book. 31-29.
Baylor fans — party.