Tech looks to stack success against Baylor
Game Details
Where: McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas
When: 7:00 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7
Watch it on: ESPN2
All-time series: Baylor leads, 39-38
What to know: Baylor
Head Coach: Dave Aranda
2023 record: 2-3
Conference standings: 8th (Big 12)
Texas Tech is a week removed from a major victory over Houston to get established in the Big 12 win column. No time to rest on that win however, as the Red Raiders are set to hit the road to take on Baylor. The Bears have won four of the last five meetings between the two, including both contests that took place in Waco.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Red Raiders’ head coach Joey McGuire. The second-year lead man has already faced his former side, in what was one of the more forgettable games of his tenure a season ago. Saturday night’s game will be McGuire’s first back at McLane Stadium, where he served as associate head coach under Matt Rhule and Dave Aranda, the latter of which is still in charge of the Baylor program. Aranda, a 2002 graduate of Texas Tech, is in his fourth season at the helm with the Bears. His time leading Baylor has seen its fair share of ups and downs, the highest coming with the team’s Big 12 championship win in his second season in 2021.
Baylor has been navigating across rocky terrain through five games of the 2023 schedule. A letdown against Texas State in the season opener left the Bears battered and bruised in more ways than one, with starting quarterback Blake Shapen injuring his knee in the loss. The Bears collapsed against Utah and two weeks later were outmatched against Texas. The mood has shifted in Waco however, with Baylor pulling off an improbable comeback a week ago against UCF. With Shapen back in the lineup, the Bears were reinvigorated and have confidence heading into this week’s rivalry showdown.
ONES TO WATCH: BAYLOR
After missing three weeks with a knee problem, Shapen is back in the driver’s seat and was a catalyst in the Bears’ rally last week. Shapen does not do it all alone, however. The electric sophomore running back Richard Reese is still prevalent in the Baylor offense. Reese put up one of the best games of his freshman campaign against the Red Raiders, with his deadly outside zone run making way for three touchdowns against Tech. The Bears’ leading receiver, Monaray Baldwin, will be a formidable threat on the outside. Baldwin had his best game of the season so far against the Knights with seven receptions, 150 yards (66 YAC), and a touchdown.
Defensively, Aranda will be looking to replace starting linebacker Mike Smith, who tore his ACL against UCF. Stepping into his place will be Josh White, who was once the No. 8 recruit in Texas. Linebacker Matt Jones, originally of Odessa, is another name to watch being Baylor’s leading tackler. Jones had two sacks against Texas, and a 3.5 TFL performance highlighted his game against UCF.
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