Quick Look: No. 11 Baylor Bears

It’s Revivalry Week, and TCU limps into Saturday’s matchup with the Baylor Bears hoping to pull off the upset and ruin Baylor’s College Football Playoff hopes.

Will it be a tall task? Absolutely, especially with the growing possibility that TCU will be starting a 4th string quarterback.

But crazier things have happened in college football. Let’s get ready.

Baylor’s Season To Date

(8-0, 5-0)

The Bears are the only remaining undefeated team in the Big 12, boasting wins over Iowa State, Kansas State (in Manhattan), and Oklahoma State (in Stillwater), but the Bears are entering their arguably toughest stretch of schedule.

They travel to TCU this Saturday, before hosting Oklahoma and Texas in Waco the next two weeks.

The Bears sit just outside the top 10 in the AP Poll at No. 11, and a win Saturday should bump them up into that upper echelon of 2019 teams.

But nothing is guaranteed in a rivalry game. Nothing.

The Offense

Since his freshman year Charlie Brewer has had the skill set to be a successful QB in the Big 12. Now, as a junior, he’s really starting to open things up through great timing, reads, and his accuracy. Brewer is completing 67% of his passes in 2019, and has thrown for 2,143 yards and 14 touchdowns, to just three interceptions.

His abilities with his legs make him yet another dual-threat QB the Frogs have to deal with. Brewer has run for just 170 yards this season, but he’s a major goal line threat. He leads the Bears in rushing touchdowns on the season with six. Beyond Brewer, John Lovett and JaMycal Hasty split time in the backfield that gains yards at over six yards per carry.

Meanwhile, Baylor’s receiving corps is led by Denzel Mims and Tyquan Thornton. Mims is a legitimate No. 1 receiver and while he’s not the biggest threat TCU has faced at receiver this season, he’s entirely capable of going off for 100+ yards and two touchdowns.

The Defense

Baylor’s defense has been stout this season, and currently sits atop the Big 12 in scoring defense (18.5 points per game), second in rushing defense, third in total defense, and fourth in passing defense.

Clay Johnston had been incredible from the linebacker position, leading the team in tackles while being disruptive in the passing game as well as behind the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, he went down with a season-ending injury against Texas Tech. John Lynch, former TCU commit who decommitted before selecting Baylor late in the process, leads the Bears with 11.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks this season.

Prediction

TCU hasn’t lost to Baylor since 2014, which is actually the last time these two teams play if you ask most Baylor fans. But, I think the deck is stacked against a TCU squad this season that’s facing significant injuries, inconsistencies on both sides of the ball, and some general frustrations about how the season has gone.

Baylor 24, TCU 20