Gameday Thread: Baylor vs. Texas Tech (AT&T Stadium)

BAYLOR (1-8) vs. TEXAS TECH (4-5)

AT&T Stadium | 11 a.m. CT | Fox Sports

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Bears look to build on momentum

Baylor secured their first victory of the season and of the Matt Rhule era last Saturday over the Kansas Jayhawks and now are headed to Arlington to face Texas Tech with hopes of pulling out their second in a row.

If the Bears indeed leave AT&T Stadium with a victory it will be the first time the program has won consecutive games since week five and week seven of the 2016 season when the Bears defeated Iowa State and Kansas. The two wins were the final stretch of a seven-game win streak and 16 of their last 19 games dating back to 2015.

While the Bears cannot become bowl eligible for an eighth consecutive season, a strong close to the season would be a huge boost to the recruiting efforts of the Bears who currently hold verbal pledges from 19 2018 prospects.

Baylor has won five of their last six contests against Texas Tech but lost the most recent of the series in 2016, 54-35. Then freshman Zach Smith threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns while running back Terence Williams rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

SIDENOTE STORYLINE

Texas Tech playing for Kingsbury's job?

As Matt Rhule settles into the final three games of his first season in Waco, Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury is feeling his seat get warm as the Red Raiders have dropped five of their last six including a heartbreaking overtime loss to Kansas State last weekend when Tech led by eight points in the final minutes. The stretch came after Tech opened the season with wins over Arizona State and Houston and began the season 4-1.

The loss to KSU was the second time in Big 12 play Tech has blown a fourth-quarter lead in Big 12 play. Back on Oct. 14, the Red Raiders held a double-digit lead over West Virginia only to see the lead evaporate in the final quarter, dropping the contest 46-35 in Morgantown after giving up 22 points in the final 15 minutes. In that six-game stretch Tech has claimed only single victory over Kansas and has also lost to Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

Sitting at 4-5 in 2017, Kingsbury has posted a 28-31 overall record in his time in Lubbock and reached a bowl game twice in 2013 and 2015. With three games remaining this season against Baylor, TCU and Texas, missing a bowl game for a second-straight season and falling apart after another promising start could be the final straw for Kingsbury.

MATT RHULE QUOTE OF THE WEEK

On team earning first victory of 2017 season...

“It was a ton of fun. Those guys have worked so hard and we’ve had to put things in perspective so many times in the locker room. We still had to put things in perspective after the game, because great teams ask what’s next and move forward. But it was good for them to have a chance to celebrate and be happy. I just liked the way they finished the game. I didn’t want a team that, when we finally got up and had a chance to win, would celebrate too early or be careless or sloppy or make the other team look bad or not be respectful. I just like the way our guys handled it at the end of the game. We found a way to keep them out of the end zone. We got our fourth quarter shutout. We ran for 65 yards in the fourth quarter. We got the touchdown to Ish [Wainright]. We won the game, shook their hands, said a prayer, went and saw our fans, and went to the locker room. The nice thing was that the way we handled things when we lost was the same way we handled things when we won. But to get in the locker room and see the happy looks on their faces, and to go in on Monday morning and have the team meeting and call out award winners, which we only do when we win, was really nice. Offensive scout team player of the week was Obim Okeke, and defensive scout team player of the week was James Lockhart, and they might not get a ton of time to play right now, with Lockhart sitting out, but all those guys understand it was a team win. It was all the guys on the scout team. It was all the guys that signaled during the game. It was everyone. That was fun.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jim Black Charlie Brewer Charlie Brewer will get his second start of the season against Texas Tech and the freshman will need to be prepared to help the Bears keep pace with the high-flying offense from Lubbock. If Brewer can keep his pace from last week, the Bears should be in good position.

Jim Black Verkedric Vaughns Baylor's safeties have been a weak link throughout the season but junior Verkedric Vaughns has begun to emerge as the season progresses. The success of Baylor's defense will depend on how well the secondary holds up, but a big game from Vaughns would be a big help.

Jim Black Denzel Mims As important as the defense is, "keeping up" is just as important as the Red Raiders will get their yards and points. Sophomore Denzel Mims will need to be helped out on the outside, but Baylor's leading receiver needs to make Tech's defense question their defensive alignments.

Jim Black Offensive Line The best defense is a good offense and Baylor's offensive line can be the deciding point if they can create running lanes for Baylor's running backs. If the Bears can dominate at the LOS and control the clock, the less time Tech's offense will spend on the field in Arlington.