No. 22 BYU and Baylor meet both looking to move past drastically different Big 12 openers

WACO, Texas (AP) — BYU coach Kalani Sitake and Baylor’s Dave Aranda had similar tasks this week after drastically different results heading into another Big 12 game.

Both must ensure that their teams, who meet on Saturday, go beyond what happened in their opening league matches.

For the Bears (2-2, 0-1 Big 12), it was an overtime defeat against Colorado after a “Hail Mary” during the last regulation play, then a fumble in overtime that made Aranda an advisor as much as a coach.

“When you’re open, you sit down, you bleed a little bit, and it’s important to get back up and fight again,” Aranda said. “We are a resilient group. Guys fight for what they believe in. I know they believe in us.

The No. 22 Cougars (4-0, 1-0) were unranked before scoring touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams for the first time since 1996 in a 38-9 win at home against the No. 22 Cougars (4-0, 1-0). 13 Kansas State, one of the league’s preseason favorites. They scored 17 points in the final 2 1/2 minutes of the first half, then turned an interception just after halftime into a TD before a 90-yard punt return for a score.

“Looking at the landscape of college football, teams have big wins and it has this everlasting effect even the next week,” Sitake said. “We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Allow FGs, not touchdowns

BYU has faced two Power Conference teams so far, and neither has scored a touchdown against the Cougars.

K-State got into the red zone three times and only got three field goals. That was after BYU won 18-15 against ACC newcomer SMU, which was held to five field goals following a nine-game home winning streak when the Mustangs averaged more than 53 points per game.

The Cougars have allowed just 12.8 points and 269 total yards per game this season.

Martin still missing

Cougars running back LJ Martin, their leading rusher as a rookie last season, will miss his third straight game since suffering an apparent leg injury in the first half at SMU on September 6.

BYU has an open date after the Baylor game.

“I think we’re counting on him taking advantage of the extra time we have and hopefully getting it back by Game 6,” Sitake said. “We have to make the best decision and take advantage of the extra healing time for him.”

Freshman Sione Moa led the Cougars against Kansas State with 76 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

On opposite sides

Right tackle Campbell Barrington is in his second year as a starter since transferring from BYU to Baylor to play there last season with his older brother Clark, who also had been with the Cougars.

BYU backup quarterback Gerry Bohanon was Baylor’s starter three years ago at Waco, when he threw for 231 yards and a touchdown for the Bears in a 38-24 victory.

Bohanon lost Baylor’s starting job during 2022 spring practices. He then transferred to South Florida and started seven games before suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery, and missed all last season before joining BYU this year.

Blake Shapen, who supplanted Bohanon and was Baylor’s starter the last two years, transferred to Mississippi State and was the Bulldogs’ starter before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury during their first SEC game last week.

Additional Points

The Cougars were 2-7 in conference play in their Big 12 debut and will look to match that win total in their second championship game this season. … Baylor has lost nine straight games to Top 25 teams since the end of 2021, when their Sugar Bowl victory over Mississippi moved them to 5-1 against ranked teams that season.

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