3 Keys to a Baylor Football Win Against Arizona State
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Wins aren't going to come easy from this point out for Baylor. A road game against Arizona State is a tall task for the Bears, who have yet to put it all together.
Baylor football concluded their three-game homestand with a win against Colorado; attention now turns to the Sun Devils. Where the Bears will play the nightcap game in Tempe, Arizona.
Pressure Boley
The Sun Devils have a high-caliber offense, largely thanks to the arm of junior quarterback Cutter Boley. Through four games, Boley has thrown 736 yards and nine touchdowns with only two picks.
He has only been sacked four times on the season, but he doesn't like to run the ball. When under pressure against Texas A&M in the 4th, Boley coughed up a pair of interceptions that were both taken all the way back by the Aggie defense.
Tied for 4th nationally in sacks with 15, Baylor has the talent on the defensive line to get home, keeping Boley off balance. It could be a long game for the Bears' secondary if the D-line can't force him out of the pocket.
Lagway runs the ball
Lagway tucked and ran the football just one time against Colorado in his return after injury. If he is a one-dimensional player against the Sun Devils, the Bears are going to continue having a hard time getting the offense rolling out of the gate.
It gets a lot harder for Baylor to move the ball down the field when Lagway isn't a threat to sneak the ball for a first down. Understandably, you have to protect him from further injury, but if he can't run, maybe he shouldn't be playing.
Three touchdowns
Are 21 points too much to ask of the offense? Hopefully not, because however ugly the defense has looked at times, it has done its job, giving up less than 20 points in every game to start the season.
The Bears scored 24 against ASU in last season's edition of the matchup, where Baylor's star receiver Josh Cameron had a pair of uncharacteristic fumbles that hurt the offense. It was a low-scoring affair for three quarters before both teams logged two touchdowns in the fourth.
No need to complicate things; if the Bears can get three touchdowns, they will give themselves a very good chance to win on Saturday.
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Bennett is an undergrad student at Baylor University, studying journalism on the sports track. He is from the DFW area and grew up playing and watching sports, which inspired him to pursue sports writing.
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