The Players Club: Cincinnati Edition

Welcome to the Players Club. This week features the voices and words of QB Blake Shapen and S Bryson Jackson, no strangers to adversity in their careers, and two of the seasoned veterans expected to help lead the way as the second and final leg of the 2023 season gets underway on Saturday in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

JUST WIN

When we last saw these Bears, they were on the receiving end of a shockingly one-sided home loss at the hands of Texas Tech. Capping off a rough 2-4 start and six straight weeks of games, not to mention fall practices, the bye week seemed perfectly timed for players, coaches, and fans alike to clear heads, heal up bodies, and cool down some emotions. 

"The break was good just to kind of get some time off, but same time figure out things that we need to grow and get better in as an offense and as a whole team," Shapen said on Tuesday.  

The Tech loss was incredibly disappointing, given the heroics the week prior and the missed opportunity to build momentum, especially at McLane. But dwelling on the loss serves no purpose. Instead, that result will hopefully be a valuable experience that aids their growth over the six remaining guaranteed games. 

"It's kind of deflating whenever something like that happens. You come out and you get a big win at UCF, a spectacular win, comeback win and then you come out and just don't play very well the next week, it's tough. It's part of the peaks and valleys of it all, so it's just how we respond this week that matters."

The first-time-ever aspect of this Saturday's matchup adds some uniqueness, but the real intrigue comes with this game serving as a de facto battle to avoid the bottom of the Big 12 standings. Both teams enter 2-4 overall, but the Bears at 1-2 have the sole conference win over UCF. Meanwhile, the Bearcats still seek their first-ever Big 12 victory following a miserable 0-3 start to league play. 

"If you look at Cincinnati, they're kind of in the same spot we are right now as record-wise, so we're both hungry for a win. So they're going to come out and give it their all and we're going to come out and give it our all too, so it's going to be a good game. Just being able to scratch the things that's happened in the past and keep moving forward is going to be key," the redshirt junior from Louisiana said. 

Given Baylor's struggles at home, one might be inclined to believe a road trip could be beneficial right now, but Shapen doesn't necessarily see it that way. Instead, he knows there's only one cure for what ails the Bears, and it has nothing to do with location.

"I think at this point, it doesn't really matter. I mean, we just got to figure out how to win football games moving forward. So I don't think that really matters for us. But I think we just need to worry about winning games, no matter if it's home or away."

JOSH WHITE 

Baylor's defense suffered a blow two weeks ago when Dave Aranda announced starting linebacker Mike Smith would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. 

Aranda had some positive words regarding Smith and his potential for personal growth in light of the setback. But in the meantime, it's next man up. And when it comes to the position, Josh White is someone whose name and number will be in the mix more often moving forward. 

And if the junior from Houston ever needs a confidence boost, he doesn't need to look any further than teammate Bryson Jackson. 

"Josh White, one, is a dog and Josh White, two, he works his tail off each and every day. He does it in the film room, he attacks it. And when his number was called, to step up in that position, 100% confidence in that guy," Jackson said this week. 

Against Texas Tech, White had a career-high six tackles playing defense and special teams, and now has 12 total on the year. White's had a slow buildup in green and gold, and prior to that purple and gold, but now the time for opportunity has arrived. Also, his team needs him. 

"He's definitely going to bring that piece to our defense come Saturday. And he's going be a dog about it, and he's going to feed the guys around him," Jackson added. "He plays 110 miles per hour every play, and on special teams, he's the first one down there, running 22-23 mph as a linebacker. That's something special. So, this team's got confidence in Josh, and I can't wait to see what he does this Saturday."

STAYING POSITIVE 

Wallowing in previous defeats will do this team no good. And the time off has had its benefits. For one, on the health front. According to Jackson, they also returned more to their fall camp mindset and fundamentals of starting fast and finishing strong during practices. 

"When we go out there, we just got to play relentless man, we gotta go out there and play for each other, play together and just pound the rock from the start. And we've displayed that before. And if we could do that for four quarters, we're going to be special.” 

It's hard not to think positively when listening to the 7th-year veteran, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Tuesday and has a naturally uplifting personality. But the age factor makes for some good comedy, too. 

"Oh, yeah, it's tons of jokes all day. Old man, Unc, I've gotten Social Security, all types of stuff, man. But it's definitely been fun. I've laughed about it. It's been a good time,” Jackson said. 

For Shapen, leadership is a crucial item in his story, and he knows the importance of his role better than ever. As QB1, people are watching, most of all during the tough times. 

"I think being able to come out each and every day, give it my all, no matter what, inspire people around me, whether that's through my play, or whether that's just showing them my excitement through how much I care about the game. And hopefully, that catches a few guys and spreads throughout the whole team," Shapen said of leading by example. 

"Going out there every single day. And giving everybody everything I got is all I can do and that's all anybody can do. So we just got to stay positive, keep moving."

The first six games haven't been ideal, but there are six more chances to recover or reset the narrative. 

"No one's given up or anything like that, so everybody still brings the same energy every day."