Texas Football vs Baylor: Week 9 Schedule, Preview, and Prediction

By Tyler Brett | Oct 28, 2016

Oct 22, 2016; Manhattan, KS, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Shane Buechele (7) passes the ball during a game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

Texas football returns home after another disappointing road performance in Week 8. The Longhorns (3-4) host the No. 8 Baylor Bears (6-0) in a game both teams need for very different reasons. Texas is on the cusp of seeing their season come off the rails and need to protect their home-field advantage to keep that from happening.

Where to Watch

Saturday, October 29, 2:30 PM CT, ABC

What to Watch For

Yes, Baylor is 6-0 and rated in the top 10. However, the Bears are still unproven. Their strength of schedule, as is Baylor tradition, has been one of the weakest in the nation. The Bears currently have the No. 114 rated strength of schedule in FBS. Up to now, their best win came against Oklahoma State, a 35-24 win in Waco September 24. Other than that, Baylor has beat up on four teams with losing records and FCS Northwestern State.

That being said, Baylor is an excellent team. So far this season, they’re averaging 549.2 yards per game on offense and 43.7 points per game. They are getting it done on the ground so far this season. They currently rank No. 1 in the Big 12 in rushing offense, running for 282.8 yards per game. More surprisingly, they currently rank as the No. 1 defense in the Big 12, allowing just 320.3 yards per game this season.

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So far this season, the Baylor offense has been led by Shock Linwood, the No. 3 rusher in the Big 12 this season. In six games, he’s rushed for 500 yards on 77 carries with two rushing touchdowns. In addition, sophomore Terence Williams has been a perfect complement, rushing for 443 yards on 79 carries with seven touchdowns. Defensively, Orion Stewart has been a ball hawk on the back end, leading the Big 12 with four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

Baylor is looking for a season-defining win to legitimize their No. 8 ranking. Despite Texas’ struggles this season, losing four of their last five, a road win over the Horns would be huge for Baylor. For Texas, a win over a top-10 rated team would help get the season back on track to some degree.

Keys to Victory

Get D’Onta Foreman Rolling – Texas is the No. 2 rushing team in the Big 12 thanks to D’Onta Foreman. So far this season, Foreman leads the FBS in rushing with eight straight 100-yard games and is averaging 142.5 yards per game. Baylor has been strong against the pass, allowing a Big 12-low 160.8 yards per game, but rank just fifth against the run. If Texas wants to get their offense on track, it will be on the ground.
Contain Baylor Rushing Attack – So far, Linwood and Williams have been a lethal one-two combination. They are pivotal to the Bears’ attack, pushing Baylor to the No. 1 rushing offense in the Big 12 and No. 7 in FBS. Conversely, Texas has struggled against the run at times this season, allowing multiple rushing touchdowns in all four losses this season. In Texas’ three wins, they’ve allowed just three rushing touchdowns. In four losses, they’ve allowed 11 rushing scores.
Win the Turnover Battle – So far this season, Baylor leads the Big 12, averaging +1 in turnover margin per game. They have created the second most turnovers (14) in the conference through six games. Texas, on the other hand, ranks No. 6 in the Big 12 with 9 turnovers and No. 5 with a zero turnover margin. The Horns need some quick-change opportunities to get an advantage over the Bears.

Prediction

Texas is 3-0 at home this season and have their backs up against the wall. If they can get up for this game against Baylor, they should be able to make it competitive. However, the Bears come to Austin a a four-point favorite with the Horns needing a big-time performance to pull off the upset.

Texas 27, Baylor 31

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