In the Web: What "They" are saying about Baylor in Week 8
After dropping the past two games to West Virginia and Oklahoma State, Saturday’s game against Kansas has all but become a must-win for Baylor. The Bears' offense was humming against the Mountaineers until starting quarterback Blake Shapen was knocked out of the game in the third quarter.
Baylor fans should be pleased to hear that Shapen is ok, and will be available to start against the Jayhawks on homecoming, but running back Craig “Sqwirl” Williams is out.
Kansas will likely be without their star quarterback Jalon Daniels as well, which helped favor Baylor when the opening lines were released by Vegas.
While the numbers are in favor of Baylor for the victory on the field, the odds favor Kansas on the point spread per Heartland College Sports.
LOCK OF THE WEEK: KANSAS (+9.5) VS. BAYLOR
The Kansas Jayhawks are the lone team in the country that remains undefeated against the spread in 2022 with a 6-0-1 record after closing as a 10-point underdog at Oklahoma last week. Now, Kansas is floating around that same number against Baylor on the road. I think Kansas has the pieces to win this game outright, but I’m going to take Baylor to win the game. However, it isn’t going to be by double digits; I’m thinking its going to come down to a field goal in the end. Give me Kansas and the points for my Lock of the Week.
The Bears find themselves outside of the AP and Coaches polls once again this week, but their backloaded schedule will provide plenty of opportunities to defeat ranked opponents. Baylor did come in at No. 19 in the Kelly Ford “Most Deserved” ranking.
Kelly Ford also has Baylor predicted to finish fifth in the Big 12 standings this season.
One criticism that looms over Baylor’s offense this season is the lack of explosive plays. The thought coming into the season was that Blake Shapen won the starting job of Gerry Bohanon because he could stretch the field, but that has yet to become a consistent component in Baylor’s offense.
Unfortunately for the Bears, those explosive plays were there against West Virginia, but the inexplicable turnovers and poor defensive play cost them that game.
Baylor’s defense has been very disappointing this season, especially against West Virginia. The defensive line that was hyped up all offseason can’t get pressure on opposing quarterbacks and the secondary is atrocious.
The nose tackle position was supposed to be the backbone of the defense as well with Siaki Ika, Chidi Ogbonnaya, and Jaxon Player, but they seem nonexistent most of the time. Ika has only accounted for 14 tackles (5 solo), 1TFL, and 1QBH.
Despite the down year for the redshirt junior, he sits as the No. 37 draft prospect on Pro Football Focus midseason top 50 board.
37. DI SIAKI IKA, BAYLOR (RS JUNIOR)
Ika is a hulking 6-foot-4, 358-pound nose tackle. He’s one of the rare athletes at that size who can still affect the passer. Ika has racked up 42 pressures since the start of the 2021 season.
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