Initial injury report shows another Baylor starter out against Oklahoma State
Injuries have hit the Baylor football program hard. Through four weeks, the Bears have seen four starters go down for the season. RB Dawson Pendergrass, S Devin Turner, and linebackers Travion Barnes and Phoenix Jackson are all out for the year.
To make matters worse, Baylor is down yet another starter against Oklahoma State. On Wednesday, the Bears released their initial injury report, and starting cornerback LeVar Thornton Jr. is marked as OUT against the Cowboys. Thornton has started every game for Baylor this season.
After seeing 51 and 60 snaps in Week 1 and Week 2, respectively, Thornton saw just 32 snaps in Week 3 against SMU. Last week against ASU, Thornton was on the field for 22 snaps, but head coach Dave Aranda shared that Thornton was in concussion protocol and it wasn't known if he would be playing this weekend.
Full injury report
Outside of Thornton being ruled out, there aren't too many surprises. Defensive lineman Jackie Marshall must be cleared to go, he isn't listed on the report at all. DB Carl Williams remains doubtful for the contest. But Baylor is expecting linemen Cooper Lanz and Devonte Tezino to both play on Saturday.
As far as Oklahoma State -- oh boy. The Cowboys are riddled with injuries and 17 players are already marked as OUT for the contest. Five more players are either questionable or doubtful to play against Baylor.
Who could step up for Baylor
With Thornton being OUT for the game, Baylor will need players like Caldra Williford and Calvin Simpson-Hunt to make an impact on the defensive side of the football. Williford has come on in recent games and is No. 6 on Baylor with a 72.4 coverage grade on PFF. Simpson-Hunt, the Ohio State transfer, has played in just two games this season for the Bears' defense, but he could be relied on more as the season moves on.
As far as linebackers are concerned, with not having either Barnes or Jackson any longer, Baylor will need both Kyland Reed and Jeremy Evans to step up next to Keaton Thomas. According to PFF, Evans is the best tackler on the team with a 80.2 tackling grade.
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