Halftime thoughts from Baylor's abysmal start vs. Cincinnati
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The Baylor Bears walked into a hornets nest on Homecoming weekend in Cincinnati. The stadium is packed, and the student section brought the noise. Communication is going to be of utmost importance in this game.
The first drive of the game for Cincinnati had a questionable pass interference call on 2nd-and-10, to jumpstart their offense. After that down, Cincinnati had their way with the Baylor defense; capping an 11-play, 81-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run from Tawee Walker.
The Bears went 6-and-out on their first possession, quickly giving the ball back to the Bearcats. Cincinnati continued to gain chunk after chunk - scoring a touchdown on a 10-play, 66-yard drive. The drive was finished off with a 5-yard touchdown rush by Evan Pryor.
After going 3-and-out themselves, Baylor was able to force Cincinnati to punt. The Bears, however, would not capitalize on the advantage; and turned the ball over on downs - after a miscommunication on 4th-and-3.
Cincinnati would add a field goal, after Baylor missed a golden opportunity at an interception on a tipped ball.
Baylor - desperately needing to score - would find that hope dashed when wide receiver, Ashtyn Hawkins, fumbled after a 4-yard pass from Sawyer Robertson. The Bearcats would capitalize on the turnover with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brendan Sorsby to Cyrus Allen.
Baylor finally got on the board with 16 seconds left in the first half. Sawyer Robertson found Michael Trigg for a 6-yard touchdown pass. Baylor then went for the 2-point conversion, but the attempt was unsuccessful on a Robertson quarterback draw.
The Baylor Bears, yet again, look hopeless on defense; and unfortunately for them, the offense looks the same. I can’t see them making a legitimate comeback in this game.
Where to go from here?
Baylor needed a big win, and while there is a whole half to still play, it looks clear the Bears aren't going to get one on Saturday. If Baylor does lose, the Bears drop to .500 on the season and with fans already unhappy with the state of the program, the flames only get hotter for Dave Aranda's seat.
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Dan is a contributor for Baylor Bears On SI. He is a doting husband, and fun-loving father of 6. Dan created a sports podcast and blog with a friend in 2012, where we toured MLB ballparks and talked about our experiences at the games. Dan has a deep love for sports and storytelling; and is getting back into the Sports Media world.