Inside The Bears

Halftime thoughts: Baylor's defensive woes reared ugly head against Oklahoma State

If the Bears hope to improve to 3-2, Baylor will need its offense to continue playing well.

Trent Knoop

SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Baylor entered the game against Oklahoma State as nearly a three-touchdown favorite. But after the Cowboys fired Mike Gundy, it was clear that Oklahoma State was playing for its old ball coach. The Bears' defense went back to their Week 1 and Week 2 selves with bad fundamentals and that kept Oklahoma State in the game.

Luckily, Baylor's offense was good enough to allow the Bears to lead at half. After 30 minutes, Baylor entered halftime with a 28-20 lead, and here are some quick thoughts on the game.

Oklahoma State pulling out all the stops

Trickery, trickery, and more trickery. After head coach Mikey Gundy was let go, interim head coach Doug Meacham is pulling out plenty of tricks in the bag. The Cowboys got their first TD from a double pass, but that wasn't the only trickery. We saw a WR pass later on and Oklahoma State isn't holding anything back following Gundy's departure. It's clear the team is playing for their former head coach, and Meacham might be coaching for a bigger job ahead.

Bryson Washington is a freight train

Bryson Washington entered Saturday as the No. 2 back in the Big 12, averaging 103 yards per game, and while QB Sawyer Robertson is getting a ton of credit -- as he should -- people can't forget about the former 1,000-yard rusher. Washington was bouncing of tacklers in the first half against the Cowboys, and was a huge part of Baylor's touchdown drives.

It was clear early that the Bears wanted to get their sophomore back rolling and he wasn't going to be denied by poor tackling. Washington carried the ball seven times for 69 and scored once.

Poor defense rears its ugly head

Baylor had appeared to figure things out the past two weeks. Granted, Week 3 came against FCS Samford, but the Bears' defense looked even more improved against Arizona State. In that loss, it was the offense that let down the defense. However, the Baylor defense went back to its old habits in the first half against the Cowboys.

Poor tackling in the open field and not being gap sound hurt Baylor several times in the first 30 minutes on Saturday. Granted, losing starters Travion Barnes, Phoenix Jackson, and LeVar Thornton Jr. does not help anything at all. But with two of those guys being out for the season, Baylor has to get things figured out for when it plays stiffer competition. The offense can only keep the Bears in games for so long.

...Which means the Baylor offense will have to win this game

It's a shootout in Stillwater, which means the Baylor offense will have to win this game for it. The Bears' defense isn't helping matters, and Sawyer Robertson and Bryson Washington will need to carry the load. The Cowboys' defense has no answers for the Bears' offense. The only way Baylor will be stopped in this game is by not executing plays -- but it might be the same way on the opposite side.

The Bears' defense has no answers for Rodney Field and Co, and unless something changes in the second half, we are in store for a good ole Big 12 shootout.

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent is the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI and also serves as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines on SI. His work has additionally been featured on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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