In the Web: What "They" are saying about Baylor in Week 6

Last Saturday didn’t go as planned for Coach Aranda and the Bears, as they came out lethargic against Oklahoma State at McLane Stadium and fell to the Pokes 36-25. Despite the loss, quarterback Blake Shapen‍ threw for a career-high 345 yards on 28 of 40 passing with two TDs.

One of Shapen’s best throws came late in the third quarter when he connected with Monaray Baldwin‍ on a 70-yard strike to make it 33-25 following a successful two-point conversion. Once he was in the open field, Baldwin turned on the jets and clocked in at over 22MPH.

Coming into the game Baylor was ranked No. 16, but the loss to the Pokes knocked the Bears out of the AP Top 25 after being ranked the entire season.

Baylor has lost both of their games this season against ranked opponents, which has some people feeling like the Bears are overall the 40th-best team in the nation.

Now that Baylor is somewhat behind the eight ball right now when it comes to repeating as Big 12 champions, they still have only one conference loss. At the moment Baylor is predicted to make the Cheez-It Bowl, which is a far cry from last season’s Sugar Bowl appearance.

Heartland College Sports:

CHEEZ-IT BOWL - Baylor vs Pitt - I am not really sure how I would feel about this game, but I do know that it would be a hard-hitting matchup. I still think Baylor can climb up another spot or two on the bowl list but going to play in the Cheez-It Bowl isn’t a terrible thing although I am not really a huge fan of traveling to Orlando.

The Bears entered the season with high expectations across the board, especially on the defensive side of the ball and in the trenches. Baylor has struggled to create turnovers all season and allowed the Pokes to convert on 6 of 13 on third down opportunities and 1 for 1 on fourth down.

While Baylor has struggled with consistency at times this season, one bright spot has been the emergence of freshman RB Richard Reese‍. The Bellville (TX) native ran 17 times for 85 yards and a score against Oklahoma State. On the season, he rushed for a team-high seven touchdowns of the year, which leads all NCAA freshmen.

His success on the field helped pave the way for a unique NIL opportunity this week.

Across the landscape of college football this season, a lot of coaching changes have taken place at the Power 5 level. Naturally, these openings led to speculation regarding Coach Aranda and OC Jeff Grimes being top candidates.

Baylor will have this week off before heading to Morgantown next Thursday to battle it out with West Virginia starting at 6:00 p.m. CST. The Bears have yet to win a game on the road against the Mountaineers.

Always get the latest on Baylor Football from SicEm365.com and tune into our pregame show on the 365 Sports YouTube Channel or KWTX on local television in Central Texas!