Baylor Confidence Meter: How I'm Feeling About the Trending Positions Against Louisiana Tech

Baylor looks to finish strong in non-conference play in a matchup against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs this Saturday.

Sep 12, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Edward Griffin (14) throws a pass against the Prairie View A&M Panthers during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Baylor defeated Prairie View A&M 44-3 in Week Two, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. Here's how I feel about some of the trending positions, where the Bears look good and where they still need to improve.

Quarterback: 8/10

Sep 12, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Nate Bennett (12) throws a pass against the Prairie View A&M Panthers during the second half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With DJ Lagway still recovering from his injury, Nate Bennett will be starting again this week for Baylor. My confidence in him as a starter has grown a bit considering he's gotten rid of all the first-game nerves. On top of that, he looked comfortable on the field and threw for just over 300 yards this past week.

Something to look out for is how good Louisiana Tech has been at forcing turnovers, as they intercepted LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt three times in their matchup last Saturday. That will be something Bennett will have to avoid in this game after throwing two interceptions against Prairie View A&M.

Offensive Line: 6.5/10

Sep 12, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears offensive lineman Logan Moore (77) in action against the Prairie View A&M Panthers during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This group has to improve, especially with tougher competition just around the corner. I'm not too concerned with the pass blocking of this unit but more so with the run blocking.

Baylor wants to be able to run the ball and gain yards even when the defense knows they're running the ball. Coach Aranda recently emphasized that and made it clear that this offensive line still has some work to do before they can confidently do so.

Although Baylor rushed for over 200 yards against Prairie View A&M, they will be facing much better defenses throughout the remainder of the season.

Lastly, the penalties will have to be cleaned up. Asher Hale had four false starts and a holding penalty this past week, which can't happen against better competition.

Joe Klanderman's Defense: 10/10

Sep 12, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; Prairie View A&M Panthers running back KyYon Harris (26) is tackled by Baylor Bears defensive lineman Traevon Mitchell (91) during the first half at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With how well this entire defense has looked so far, I am fully confident in how they'll play against the Bulldogs.

Louisiana Tech was only able to pick up 139 yards on offense, including -4 rushing yards, against LSU on Saturday, and I am expecting this Baylor defense to give them more issues in this matchup.

The Bears' defense only gave up a total of 110 yards on offense to Prairie View A&M, with 36 of them coming on the ground and 74 through the air.

The Bulldogs will have a tough time moving the ball against this Baylor defense, especially if they can't find a way to get the rushing attack going.

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