Gameday Thread: Baylor (4-4) welcomes OSU (5-3) for Homecoming

BAYLOR (4-4) vs. Oklahoma State (5-3)

McLane Stadium| 11:00 a.m CT | FS1

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Storylines of the Week

Homecoming Success

Before last season Baylor had won seven straight homecoming games. Now most of those were against bad competition but still the Bears used the crowds momentum and got some decisive victories. The Bears have got to get back to having success in this game because it is the one game every year that you can count on having a big crowd. It is an opportunity to show Baylor students, fans, and alumni how special Baylor is and nothing caps off the day better than a Baylor football win. With packed stadium (hopefully) and Sailor Bear on the helmets this team should be more focused and excited than in any other game this season. That will bode well for the Bears as they try to make it eight wins in the past nine homecoming games.

Sacks, sacks, and more sacks

Baylor has a long way to go along the offensive line but after a bye week and a few extra days off due to the Thursday night game, this will be the most healthy they have been all year. Newman could be back plus Malin and Fruhmorgen should be healthier which would give this team the depth they will need upfront in this football game. Freshman Connor Galvin will be making his second start of his career and the opponent be much easier but he will be at home. This group needs a big week if Baylor wants a shot at winning.

Oklahoma State leads the nation with 30 sacks on the season as they have averaged 4.29 per game. An interesting note is that 22 of the 30 sacks have been from the defensive end position so the Baylor tackles will be stressed big time. This is not a good matchup at all on passing downs as Baylor has given up 26 sacks which ranks 120th in the nation out of 129 teams. 

Quote of the Week

"We are very much looking forward to it. I think we haven't had a tremendous amount of success on the road. The three Big 12 teams we've gone to have been three tough places to play. I think to come back and have it be Homecoming, all the festivities around Homecoming, have it be an early game, I think those are things that our guys will be excited about, to just wake up and go play football. The schedule is what it is and the travel is what it is. The thing that I've tried to get our guys to understand is, we're sitting here at 4-4, we've played three at the time top-10 teams and we haven't been able to get a win against them. Hopefully we recognize that we're battle tested and we've played some good players. We've had some good moments and we've had some bad moments, so you build on the good moments and learn from the bad moments. We need to go out and play the way we're capable of. It won't ever be perfect, but it can certainly be competitive. We can respond to adversity better than we did on Thursday night, and it's nice to do that at home." — Matt Rhule

Statistic of the Week

With sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer in concussion protocol entering the weekend, senior quarterback Jalan McClendon could receive the first start of his career against Oklahoma State on Saturday. 

After taking over for and injured Charlie Brewer in the second quarter against West Virginia, McClendon set career highs in completions (16), attempts (21) and passing yards (183) in the contest. He added 22 rushing yards and a touchdown.

On the season, McClendon has thrown for 542 yards on 68.9 percent passing for 542 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. On the ground McClendon has rushed for 74 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown. 

Players to Watch

Jim Black Denzel Mims After two drops that were critical in the first quarter of the WVU game, Mims will need to make up for it in a big way on Saturday. The weather will be nice and the atmosphere kinder, but Mims will need to step up in a big way.

Jim Black Ira Lewis Oklahoma State found success against Texas with their ability to run the football. If Baylor wants to find a way to stop Oklahoma State, the defensive line will need to be stout. That begins with the senior.

Jim Black Derrek Thomas If the defensive line does their job well the job for Thomas will be a lot easier covering multiple capable OSU wide receivers. Thomas has proven to be the most consistent corner of the bunch and he will need to be steady once again.