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

The Bears limp into the bye week after Texas Tech's successful raid of McLane Stadium on Saturday. Here's a look at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly as Baylor Football now sits at 2-4. 

THE GOOD 

Monaray Baldwin: The Shoemaker star delivered big numbers again, with his second-straight game of 100+ yards and one score. The ear-piercing eruption from the home crowd during his touchdown run might have been the loudest moment of the night as it briefly broke up the deafening silence of disappointment. Baldwin is a stud and handled himself well in the postgame media session. That wasn't a fun game to talk about, but he did his best and laid it all out there when it came to his thoughts on this team's struggles. 

A Notable First: Sticking with KISD, former Ellison High star, and true freshman Brendan Bett notched the first sack, tackle and tackle for loss of his Baylor career.

Another One: The Bears don't have anyone on the roster that resonates nationally, really, but Monaray Baldwin is undoubtedly in the conversation for top star and, at minimum, belongs in the star group. Blake Shapen belongs in that group, as well. And Caden Jenkins has quickly entered the chat as the true freshman hauled his second interception in as many weeks. His knack for giving this team a jolt is a unique trait. Credit also to Devyn Bobby for forcing a fumble that Garmon Randolph recovered. 

Break in Action: I don't want the season to be over. Now, at the midway point, it's gone by way too fast already. We've seen six straight weekends of action, with five home games and only a couple of wins, including one for the record books. Given the ride's bumpy nature so far, I'm not complaining about having one weekend to breathe, take it easy, and regroup, and I imagine the players and coaches can relate. 

NFL Bears: Two of Baylor's best in recent memory combined for a big play on Sunday, although the Texans would fall 21-19 against Atlanta. Pitre and Arnold are in a great situation with Demeco Ryans in Houston. 

THE BAD 

Lopsided Rivalry Loss: TCU is always the most hated, but Texas Tech resides near the top, even more so in a post-Texas and Oklahoma world. That hatred predates the Joey McGuire era, but that's another current wrinkle fueling the rivalry fire. One that won't burn out so long as he's the top dog in Lubbock. Baylor got their licks last year, and Tech returned the favor on Saturday night. Losing is one thing, but it was an ugly showing and massively disappointing when, with all due respect, the opponent didn't appear to be exceptionally better at this stage. Tech showed otherwise to their credit. From Baylor's point of view, it was a nightmare 180 from a year ago and a step back. 

The Details: A kickoff out of bounds following a big score is maddening. But that was just one of many miscues in the loss. The lack of time for Shapen to operate was numero uno, but questionable playcalling, missed tackles, and missed assignments continued to hurt. The Bears fared well penalty-wise, but more is needed to counter or overcome other issues. 

Efficiency: Texas Tech was 10-18 on third down, while Baylor was 4-15. Tech was 1-2 on fourth down, while the Bears were 1-6. The biggest reason for the lack of execution is… 

THE UGLY 

The O-Line: There's no need to explain, but that was exceptionally bad on Saturday, as evidenced by the punishment delivered to Shapen and the complete absence of any real running game or late down efficiency. Your QB1 taking that type of beating is unsustainable, and that type of rushing performance is unbelievably disappointing. 

The Followup: Although the UCF win sits easily atop best memories from the first half of the year, it loses some luster, as the magic in Orlando was a mirage. On Saturday, it was clear, based on both Baylor and UCF's performances, that the fourth quarter-ish miracle was a product of a lot of things, including luck, and a horrifically bad Knights rush defense, but it was not an indicator of a much-improved football team or massive turnaround in the making. 

Home Games: Beating Kansas last October was the last FBS home win for this program. Long Island was the only other victory in that time, and let's face it, that was rather dull itself. The fans have tried to do their part in showing up, voicing ideas, and finding ways to remain entertained when the product isn't entertaining. You can have LED light shows and blackout crowds with the hottest music and iciest uniforms while drones and fireworks light up the sky, but none of it will matter if you keep losing.