Player's Club: 'We Have to Stay Level-Headed, Humble and Ready to Work'
After back-to-back conference wins, there’s palpable momentum surrounding the Baylor football program for the first time in over two years.
In their latest take-down of Oklahoma State, the Bears put together another strong performance, dominating on offense and making timely stops on defense. Despite starting Big 12 play with two gut-wrenching losses against Colorado and BYU, Baylor stayed confident, knowing how thin the margin between defeat and victory was.
“We understood that when we were losing games, we were only a couple of plays away from [winning], and when we were winning games, we were only a couple of plays away from [losing],” linebacker Keaton Thomas (RSo.) told the media on Tuesday. “We can't get too high, and we can't get too low. We have to stay level-headed, humble and ready to work every day.”
For the first time since 2021, the Bears totaled over 500 yards of offense in consecutive games. Against the Pokes, Baylor’s run game stole the show, totaling 343 yards on the ground. All three running backs — Dawson Pendergrass (So.), Bryson Washington (RFr.) and Richard Reese (Jr.) — had at least 50 rushing yards and over 4.5 yards per carry.
“The mindset we have throughout the week is getting downhill,” Washington said. “Coach Hall has been telling us every time we get the ball, ‘Go score. Finish in the endzone.’ It’s a little [thing], but you can tell it’s making a difference in our [running back] room.”
Success in the ground game wouldn’t be possible if not for the improvements of the offensive line in recent weeks. After a sub-par start to the season up front, things have clicked for the O-line. The 343 rushing yards were the most by Baylor’s offense since 2021 against Texas Southern (419).
“After the first couple of games, we weren't running the ball well,” right guard Omar Aigbedion (Jr.) told the media on Tuesday. “Our offensive line had to do some soul-searching and more self-evaluation over the bye week. We did that. Since then, we've been rolling and plan to keep that going.”
“It’s been really good to see,” Washington said of the offensive line’s improvement. “ I feel like they’re continuing to grow their relationship with each other, and it’s clicking on all cylinders for the offense.”
Now, the focus shifts to Saturday, when rival TCU will come to Waco. The Horned Frogs are riding high off consecutive close wins against Utah and Texas Tech and have won four straight games over Baylor and eight of the last nine.
“That's something I've been talking to the team about,” Aigbedion said. “Even though I haven't played in this [rivalry], we should definitely have a chip on our shoulder. We haven't won in five years, and then we've won once in 10 years. That's pretty embarrassing when it comes to a rivalry aspect. This year, we're looking to change that.”
The mindset going into the matchup is the same as it is any other week, but there’s a little added motivation, according to Washington.
“There’s extra focus with it being a rivalry game,” he said. “But it’s the same as going into any other week. We’re locked in and focused on getting better every play and each drive.”
To add to the hype, the Bears will don their anthracite uniforms on Saturday night, and the fans in attendance are encouraged to wear black. Earlier in the season, Baylor debuted the new uniforms against Air Force and walked away with a 31-3 win.
“You can feel that the fans love it when we’re wearing black,” Washington said. “The Air Force game was a different environment for me; I had never felt that before. It felt good. We needed it.”
“I get pretty pumped for every game, but I think the black jerseys are probably my favorite,” Aigbedion added. “Every game is important to win, but especially in a rivalry game and at home, you don't want to lose at home in front of your own fans.”
“That's my favorite uniform; that Air Force night was phenomenal, so I'm excited for this one,” Thomas said with a big smile. “We need [a big crowd]; we love the energy and can feel it. You don't hear too much on the field, but just knowing that you have a good number of people in your presence, like people who care and show up to the games, that's awesome.”
As for what to expect from the Horned Frogs, they have a high-flying offense and are near the top of the conference in every passing statistic. In order for the Bears to break the losing streak to their rival, they will need to shut down quarterback Josh Hoover (So.) and some of TCU’s talented, veteran wide receivers.
“They have a lot of elite guys and an elite receiver group, and it’s going to be our job to stop them this week if we want to win this game,” Thomas said. “We have to come out strong, start fast and hinder the receivers. If we do that, I think we have a really good chance of winning this game.”
The Bears (4-4, 2-3) will face off against TCU (5-3, 3-2) on Saturday, Nov. 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN2. The 2013 and 2014 Big 12 championship teams will be honored during the game.