Keys to the Game: What Baylor Must Do against Air Force

Baylor’s athleticism, especially on defense, should give the Bears (1-0) the advantage over Air Force (1-1) Saturday night at McLane Stadium. Ironically, the Falcons have now been given an opportunity to pull off the upset on national television and increase their stock in the hopes of receiving a Pac-12 invitation. Here are this week’s ‘Keys to the Game.’

1: Play Disciplined Defense 

Anytime you have to play a team that runs the triple option, things can get dicey for a defense if they don’t have discipline. With all of the motions in the backfield, you have to communicate quickly and attack the gaps and hope for the best.

Baylor has been preparing for Air Force — who is averaging 154.5 rushing yards per game in 2024 — since the offseason, and the way the defense has looked so far under Dave Aranda, I feel confident saying the Bears are up for the task.

2: Create Explosive Offensive Plays

It’s been baffling to see the lack of firepower by Baylor’s offense through the first two weeks of the season. While the inconsistent offensive line play can be the easy excuse, with an athletic quarterback like Dequan Finn (6Sr.), that shouldn’t be the case.

The Bears have plenty of talent to work with in their wide receiver room, plus some physical tight ends that can make plays if given the opportunity. Hopefully Baylor can take the top off a few times against Air Force on Saturday.

3: Establish a Rushing Attack 

This goes hand-in-hand with our previous key. The fact that Baylor still can’t find a way to get Richard Reese (Jr.) and Dawson Pendergrass (So.) rolling like a thunder-and-lightning package is ridiculous. Both guys have shown that they have big play capabilities, but they haven’t had the holes to work with. Some of that is on them for not making the right reads, but it does largely fall on the offensive line.

Baylor has yet to have a single player eclipse the century mark in a game this season on the ground. Last week, seven different Bears toted the rock, yet they could only muster up 108-yards on the ground on 40 attempts. Pendergrass broke loose for a 46-yard run, but it was tough sledding outside of that.

Conclusion:

If Baylor doesn’t hyperventilate from what should be an excellent atmosphere, they should win this game with ease. I predicted the Bears to win this game 27-9, with hopes of it becoming the start of a three game winning streak, so we’ll see what happens.

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will air on FS1.