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

The Bears are back in the win column, and the non-conference is over. 

Here's a look at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from Long Island week. 

THE GOOD 

Winner, Winner: I enjoyed a weekend where Baylor Football won a game. And I don't care how the job got done, and I don't care who the opponent was. This program and fanbase needed a win, period. Of course, it didn't feel as good or bring about the natural high of a thrilling marquee victory, but it's an important first win of the year for various reasons. That losing streak was only going to become more of an albatross. And for many new faces, this marked their first win as Bears. So, congrats. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed a long overdue chicken dinner. 

Dawson Pendergrass: The true frosh provided a much-needed spark, and the attitude he ran with was a breath of fresh air. With Dominic Richardson out of the lineup, the Bears need others to step up, and Pendergrass did that on Saturday with a list of firsts, including his first touchdown and 100-yard game. Although LIU pales in comparison to the competition starting this week, the East Texas standout will factor in and seems up for the challenge. For their sake, he needs to be. 

Run Game: On a day where the ground game stretched its legs and went to work as the main focus, Pendergrass had the most significant showing, but Richard Reese added a couple of scores in an encouraging sign. We also saw several reps for another true freshman in Bryson Washington, and yes, even Jordan Jenkins appeared late as he ripped off a fun 16-yard run. The Bears look like they'll live or die by the run game, so long as Robertson's hobbled and Shapen's out. In that regard, and in general, it was good to see a strong day on the ground. 

Rain Break: Depending on your viewpoint, the lengthy rain delay was a minor to significant inconvenience, but this prolonged wait benefitted the team in the long run. They didn't look like a dramatically different collection of talent in the second half, but they did display some life, intention, and urgency.

Other Stuff: Byron Vaughns notched two sacks, freshman corner Carl Williams IV grabbed his first career interception, the offensive line made some progress, and Drake Dabney found the endzone again, to name a few. 

THE BAD 

Not Explosive: Point to whatever reasons you'd like for why, but Baylor, especially its offense, is severely lacking in star power and big play ability. There are very few, if any, fireworks. Everything seems like a grind, and they won't overpower the league's defenses. 

Monaray Baldwin: Part of the reason for a lack of electricity is because one of their potential sparks is dormant this season. Outside of Aranda mentioning Baldwin improving on some school work, I am trying to figure out what's happening here. But the lack of production and overall weird senses indicate a puzzling situation. Baldwin has had opportunities that didn't connect, but he's mostly an afterthought or non-factor thus far in a year where he's a guy that could be leading the way. Something seems off here, and hopefully, there's more clarity soon. The Bears need playmakers, and Baldwin was expected to be at the front of the line. 

THE UGLY 

First Half Energy: I was expecting the Bears to come out rowdy and ready to rock in front of their home crowd, and instead, we saw an uninspired and unenthusiastic performance in the first half. The late touchdown by LIU tainted what was shaping into a relatively stress-free and easy victory. It was just so wholly unimpressive. The fact that Aranda was addressing a lack of energy again is beyond a red flag. There is no pulse or emotions like I saw all over a dozen other teams I watched on Saturday. Some also struggled and played with fire, but this has become a weekly issue for the Bears. It cant jus

Passing Game: I think this needs little explanation or elaboration. Whether it's Robertson's ankle, the blocking, the receivers, the defense, whatever, that was one of the uglier displays of passing offense we've seen in some time and absolutely will not cut it in conference play, especially given the uncertainty in other areas. 

The Big 12 Stinks: This could also be good from the Baylor perspective. More winnable games, potentially. But seriously, what an ugly start to the season for the conference, following embarrassing losses for Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Cincinnati, plus K-State's first loss. The farewell tours are shaping up nicely for OU and Texas, although I still thoroughly anticipate them each getting bit at least once beyond Red River. BYU and Kansas are still unbeaten, but neither seems built to last wire to wire. There's a lot of football left, but the league is off to a rough start. OU and Texas must be stopped.