Baylor Bears Calling For 'Huge Atmosphere' at McLane Stadium vs. Kansas State
Since dropping their third game of the season last month when they lost at West Virginia, the Baylor Bears have essentially been playing playoff football the last three games to stay in the Big 12 title picture. Now, their players believe they need a playoff atmosphere Saturday against the Kansas State Wildcats to avoid letting their Arlington dreams slip away.
The Bears have entered some hostile environments already this year with mixed results, a double-overtime loss in front of a sold-out crowd at BYU and, just two weeks ago, silencing a packed Jones AT&T Stadium when they dismantled Texas Tech.
After withstanding those atmospheres and a sold-out crowd at Oklahoma last weekend, they are ready to have the fans on their side to make an impact.
“We need as many fans as we can get out to the game,” quarterback Blake Shapen said. “It’s going to be a night game, it’s going to be a big game, and we need everyone there."
It's Baylor's first home night game in the Big 12 in two years and the first of which Shapen has played in. After he struggled at BYU, he barely had to lift a finger in the win over the Red Raiders or the Sooners, letting the rushing attack silence the crowds.
Desperate to come together and create an atmosphere they feel the game deserves, students and fans have united on social media to make the game a blackout, which the university has not sanctioned since 2015. Whether an email from Baylor Athletics goes out or not, the theme has generated plenty of buzz.
Some players, including Bears kickoff specialist Noah Rauschenberg, are in favor of the idea, hoping it will spark an atmosphere McLane Stadium has yet to see this year.
“We love playing at McLane and we want our fans to come out strong,” Rauschenberg said. “It’s going to be a huge atmosphere and we expect a lot, we hope they can make a huge difference.”
The Bears host the No. 23 Wildcats all but needing a win to stay alive in the race for the Big 12 championship, and it doesn't get any easier after Saturday, as they host No. 4 TCU and travel to No. 18 Texas in consecutive weeks.
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