Immediate takeaways from Baylor's domination over Prairie View A&M
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Baylor doesn't have much to complain about in the home opener; they handled business against a visiting Panthers team that had nothing to lose.
The main storyline was back up quarterback Nate Bennett, who stepped up and did his job in place of DJ Lagway, who suffered a high ankle sprain in week one against Auburn.
Here are the instant takeaways as Baylor rolls past Prairie View A&M (1-2) with 500+ yards and a 44-3 victory in the team's first-ever meeting.
Slow start quickly forgotten
Sloppy defense and injury of defensive lineman Devonte Tezino played a part in an anticlamatic start to the home opener, allowing a short field goal on the first drive from the Panthers, their only scoring drive of the game.
A shaky first drive from backup quarterback Nate Bennett to tie the game didn't exactly electrify McLane Stadium either. But the junior signal caller quickly settled in, connecting with the reliable Gavin Freeman and leaning on his running backs to pick up yardage.
The Bears never looked back after a methodical touchdown run from Caden Knighten, going into halftime up 34-3. A blocked punt, fumble recovery, and long third downs helped the defense allow only 70 total yards in the half and hush the criticism from the early minutes.
The offensive line made Bennett's job easy
Nothing helps a back up quarterback settle in more than a sturdy offensive line. That is exactly what Nate Bennett got tonight. He had all the time in the world in the pocket and got sacked just one time .
The success of Nate Bennett should be greatly attributed to his lineman doing the dirty work. They also carried a lot of the load in the running game, helping Baylor's trio of running backs to a combined 200 yards
The Bears are talented, but need #2
Baylor had some great individual performances and an overall solid showing against Prarie View, but it is clear the Bears are better with DJ Lagway at the helm.
Props to Bennett for being the next man up and taking care of business, but Lagway just has better vision and decision-making than the backup. Bennett's three interceptions were highly questionable and had a pretty low completion percentage (66%) considering all of the time he had to make his reads.
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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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