The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from Baylor's Week of Football

After months of anticipation and promising buildup, the optimism and hopes surrounding Baylor Football were not just dashed — but crushed — in game one of the season, and quite suddenly, the future looks a lot different in more ways than one. 

The nauseating 42-31 loss to Texas State on Saturday night marked another low in what has become a downward spiral since last fall. 

As a result, it’s become time for some tough conversations at the top, or else the Bears risk returning to the bottom of the Big 12 and college football. 

Here’s a look at The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly from Baylor’s season-opening loss at home.

THE GOOD

Football Season: What a joy to have college football back on TV the last few days. Despite Saturday night’s outcome in Waco, it was incredible to sit back and take in the atmosphere, plus all the other chaos, duels, and storylines around the country before and after. There’s still hope and plenty of time for the Bears to make their mark positively this season. But it was generally great to have the sport, the pageantry, and the insanity back. 

The QBs: All things considered, a couple of the bright spots were how the quarterbacks stepped up, performed, and handled adversity. In Blake Shapen’s case, he’s got nothing to prove toughness-wise, and one could argue he ultimately showed a little too much. He outright won the job this offseason and, by all indications, had done everything asked to improve as a leader. And some of that leadership was on full display against Texas State as he tried to tough it out. For Robertson, he was unexpectedly handed the keys and thrown straight into the race. Naturally, he made some mistakes, but there should be confidence in him moving forward, given some of the throws, decisions, and maneuverability seen in his debut.  

Field Goals: Isaiah Hankins kept the Bears from a shutout in the first quarter. He was 3-4 after missing a 57-yard attempt before the half. The kicks weren’t always pretty, but they were mostly effective, although the decision to kick a FG late in the third felt like a white flag at the time. Still, based on what we saw offensively, Hankins might be far more important to the scoreboard than previously expected. 

Receiving:  We saw several receivers get involved, making more challenging catches with some yards after action. There were still some issues. For example, Monaray Baldwin’s late deflection turned a pivotal touchdown catch into a game-sealing interception for the Bobcats. But there’s some ability with that group if the quarterback can get time. 

Drake Dabney: Speaking of receiving, TE Drake Dabney led the way, crossed the 100-yard mark, and found the endzone twice. Regarding individual performances, his was one of the brightest spots on Saturday. Although, there was more for the taking.

THE BAD 

Missed Opportunities: Dabney’s big night should have also included a touchdown run or pass to Sawyer Robertson, but alas, an overthrow squandered a perfect play call and one of the Bears’ best-remaining hopes for a comeback. Instead of 35-28, settling for a FG kept it a two-score game. Even then, later on, Monaray Baldwin should have snagged a short touchdown catch to make it 42-38, but instead, a non-catch turned into a costly turnover. The first offensive drive, a false start eventually led to an FG rather than an early TD. The list goes on. 

Bad Timing: The timing for this upset and continued downward trajectory couldn’t be worse. After earning a golden opportunity two years ago with the Big 12 Championship, it’s been all downhill since. Now, every in-state competitor is on the upswing, upgrading, and already operating at a top level. Texas possesses every advantage known to man but will soon add being in the SEC to that list. A&M is already there but now gets Texas and OU back as rivals. SMU just joined the ACC in a significant level-up, TCU just won a CFP game and made the Natty, Houston is now in the Big 12, and Texas Tech is over the moon with Joey McGuire and future investments. And that’s just Texas schools. The landscape has never been fiercer. 

Shapen Injury: By the time you read this, we could have some clarification on Shapen’s MCL injury, but whether or not he’s forced to miss time, the whole situation sucks. Seeing his leg wrapped up like a mummy and gutting through obvious pain was rough, hoping to will a victory out of thin air. The student section seemed to get a “We Want Sawyer” chant, which started too early, too often, and unfairly.  

Hot Seat: To me, it would take a disastrous year for Aranda to find himself officially on the hot seat. But it’s time to start having the conversations and looking to the reality of the future. I hate that, but it’s the only alternative for Baylor to prevent fading into obscurity at a time when college football is evolving and cannibalizing itself. The 2021 season was excellent, but it was also a long time ago, and it doesn’t matter now. And most recently, the Bears have lost five straight dating back to last year, each uniquely painful. 

THE UGLY 

Worse than Liberty: Given the circumstances, this loss was far more disappointing and disturbing regarding the program’s direction. 

Offensive Line: They got whooped and embarrassed. Some adjustments were expected after losing an inexperienced but somewhat underperforming group of veterans. Still, this initial showing by Eric Mateos’ latest crew was so much worse than ever anticipated in game one. Texas State has a lot of former D1 players, but they bullied the Bears in every conceivable way, nowhere more so than upfront. Blake Shapen had little time and took too much punishment, and the run game was practically non-existent. Their struggles were clear as day and  

Defense: The change in defense from Ron Roberts to Matt Powledge was well-publicized and documented. And Aranda’s defensive expertise goes without saying. But this defense isn’t better than when we saw them struggling to stop Air Force. Give some credit to Bobcats QB TJ Finley, who had one heck of a game and the Texas State offense, but Powledge’s unit couldn’t get stops all night until it was too late. The defense is a work in progress, but there’s a severe lack of playmakers, disruption, and speed based on first viewing.

Now What?: I had someone who is a casual but regular Baylor observer tell me: “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting that.” I imagine that accurately describes many others’ thoughts, including my own. I still have no clue what to expect moving forward, but the heat is now on, and more results like that will bring Baylor Football closer to a necessary overhaul.