Behind Enemy Lines: What Houston is saying about Baylor
The folks in Houston have been longing for an opportunity to face Baylor once again on the gridiron and they will finally have their first opportunity since 1995 when the Coogs fell to the Bears 47-7 in the Astrodome. Both programs would love for this game to have higher stakes than it currently does, but regardless, it’s a must-win for each university.
Earlier this week Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen was asked about the importance of Saturday’s game in Waco.
“I’m excited about this week. I’m excited about Baylor. The month of October was a gauntlet and I’m glad to get to November and I’m excited to move on to Baylor,” said Holgorsen. “This one has history, just like Texas. It’s the 29th matchup between these programs going back to the SWC days and this was a back-and-forth rivalry during that time.”
“It’s just three hours up the road. All of our players know their players. This one is going to be fun and I’m excited about it,” continued Holgorsen. “Every game is essentially a must-win, but for both of these teams, it matters more. I’m honestly just excited for the fan base, both should be excited about this game.”
Baylor fans would probably be more excited for the renewal of this rivalry if they were able to win at home, but that hasn’t been the case this season. The lone win came to a terrible Long Island team that had all the momentum before the game was paused for a weather delay, outside of that it’s been tough sledding.
The one consistent positive for Baylor this season has been the play of starting quarterback Blake Shapen. His absence early on was probably the best thing that could have happened, as everyone got to see how truly important he is for the Bears.
Holgorsen also took note of that and gave high praise to the gunslinger from Shreveport ahead of Saturday’s matchup.
“I think Shapen is a really really good player. His injury earlier this season truly hurt Baylor and now he’s back playing at a high level,” said Holgorsen. “They (Baylor) don’t just utilize his arm, but they find ways to cut him loose and let him make plays with his legs and that’s something that we will need to account for defensively.”
Shapen’s definitely going to need some help from his supporting cast if Baylor plans on beating Houston on Saturday afternoon. The Bears don’t really have an offensive identity at the moment and getting any offensive rhythm established this season has been difficult.
Kickoff between Baylor (3-5, 2-3) and Houston (3-5, 1-4) is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.