Hungry for a Win: Baylor Goes 'Back to Drawing Board' Ahead of Matchup against No. 17 SMU
Second Chances and Silent Struggles: The Unseen Battle & Comeback of Kendrick Simpkins
When asked about how the Bears can improve upon a disappointing 38-24 season-opening home loss to Auburn, sixth-year senior safety Kendrick Simpkins kept it simple.
“You have that bad taste in your mouth, so you go back to the drawing board and see what you can improve upon and not feel bad and get the truth out of it,” Simpkins said to the media on Tuesday morning. “Whatever was bad was bad. Whatever is good is good. Just get back to the drawing board and get back to practice to figure things out.”
Inside the locker room, the vibes remain high, despite the loss. Head coach Dave Aranda has continued to preach to his team that they are very talented and that wins will come soon, but the Bears don’t have a layup this weekend to get back on track. Instead, Baylor, in desperate need of a win, will travel to Dallas to face No. 17 SMU, a College Football Playoff team from a season ago.
“The confidence hasn’t left,” Simpkins said. “The confidence is there. We’re not more so looking at the opponent or the ranking; we just need a win, and we’re hungry for a win right now. It’s very important, and it’d be a very huge win for this program and for the team.”
Senior wide receiver Kobe Prentice added, “I think we can be a good team. Even though we lost, we showed a lot of potential as a team of what we could be moving forward.”
Aranda’s defense took most of the scrutiny following the loss to Auburn, in which the Bears made a litany of mistakes, including numerous missed tackles and busted assignments, while surrendering 307 yards on the ground for a staggering 5.9 yards per carry. Aranda and Simpkins both agree that the issues are fixable, but it starts with "accountability."
“When [mistakes] come up, be accountable for that,” Simpkins said. “That was my fault for not speaking up and not letting the coach say, ‘Who was this or what happened on this play?’ If a person knows they messed up, say, ‘Hey. I’m the one who messed up. I’ll get my stuff together.’”
On the other side of the ball, the Bears showed flashes of how dynamic their offense can be this fall with five different players catching at least two passes — Kole Wilson, Michael Trigg, Ashtyn Hawkins and Josh Cameron — as well as Prentice, who hauled in a 33-yard touchdown.
“It was great,” Simpkins said of seeing the wide receivers show out. “We’ve been practicing against those guys all offseason. They helped us get better, but it was good to see them going and putting out their hard work that they’ve been doing all offseason.”
Prentice isn’t one to lack confidence and believes the group can reach another level if they continue to clean things up as the season goes on.
“We all knew going into the game what we could do,” Prentice said. “I think all the receivers could agree that we could have done even more as a whole, whether it’s blocking or catching more balls. Nobody’s really complacent about the performance that we had. Obviously, we had a little bit of success, but I feel like we haven’t really seen what we can be yet.”
Texas State transfer Kole Wilson had arguably the most impressive performance from the pass catchers and burst onto the scene, catching eight passes for 134 yards. Wilson’s lightning-quick speed and big-play ability, however, didn’t come as a shock to his teammates.
“Not surprised at all,” Prentice said. “He’s done that since he first got here in the spring. We already know what Kole can do, and he could do even more. He’ll tell you himself. He played great, and I expect him to keep playing the same way, if not better.”
Speaking of breakout players, Aranda provided good news about Baylor’s secondary in his weekly press conference, noting that safety Carl Williams IV has returned to practice and is expected to make his season debut on Saturday against the Mustangs.
Williams IV missed five games last fall with a knee injury and suffered several setbacks across the spring and fall camp, but is considered one of the best players on the defense when healthy, according to the coaching staff.
“Carl’s a great person and a great player,” Simpkins said. “I was in his shoes last year, so I know the things he was going through. He’s a hard worker, and he’s going to be okay. I’m glad to have him back.”
With Williams IV back in the fold, the Bears still remain unsure if star defensive lineman Jackie Marshall will be able to play as he rehabs from a high-ankle sprain suffered during the Auburn game. With or without Marshall, Baylor’s defense will have its hands full again this week to prepare for SMU’s quarterback, Kevin Jennings, who is dynamic as both a passer and a rusher.
The Bears struggled immensely with Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold’s scrambling abilities, as he posted 137 rushing yards on 16 carries. Simpkins, however, says that Jennings is a much different runner than Arnold and that Auburn’s RPO-heavy offense can help them get ready for what they’ll see across the rest of the season.
“They’re two very different runners, but it will for sure help us out and give us more things to put in to stop the run,” Simpkins said. “Auburn does a lot of RPO stuff that’s kind of tricky, so it’ll go far and help us in the long run.”
Aranda and the Bears (0-1) will look to rebound against No. 17 SMU (1-0) at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. The game will be televised on the CW Channel.
More Baylor Football Reading:
- The Noise Meter: What's Real and What's Not For Baylor After Week 1?
- Second Chances and Silent Struggles: The Unseen Battle & Comeback of Kendrick Simpkins
- Aranda Stresses Belief Amid Tough Start: 'We're a Good Team. We Have a Lot of Talent'
- The Monday Truth Session: Big Game Failures, Offensive Fire Power, Struggles in Trenches
- Between the Lines: Kole Wilson, Dave Aranda's Defense and McLane Stadium Atmosphere
