3 Predictions for Baylor Football vs. Prairie View A&M
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Baylor has what many may call a 'get right game' ahead of them against the visiting Prairie View A&M (1-1). Baylor needs to get back on track after the devastation that lingers from the Auburn game.
'Getting right' will likely require more than just a win. The Bears are heavily favored, and fans are in search of an old-fashioned blowout.
The full staff made predictions here, but these three predictions will go over more specific outcomes of the home opener:
Lagway doesn't play, but the Bears still dominate
Quarterback Lagway suffered a high ankle sprain against Auburn and will be withheld from the game in favor of backup Nate Bennett.
"[Bennett] has maturity and the confidence in who he is," offensive coordinator Jake Spavital said. "He's got great arm talent, and I've always told him, 'Never lose that confidence of how well you can throw the football,' and I've just seen the maturity of him going through progressions."
Coaches seem to have faith in both backups, Nate Bennett and Edward Griffin, who are returners to the program, along with newcomer Quinn Murphy.
I also trust Bennett to take advantage of his first career start and take the Bears to a handsome lead early and hand the snaps off to Griffin or Murphy late in the game.
The defensive line logs another 5+ sack game
Baylor's defensive line in 2025 was pitiful last season (only 12 sacks), and it was a breath of fresh air to see the unit rack up almost half of that in the first game of the season. It made the entire defense dramatically better.
I am expecting similar results from the lineman against Prairie View; they did it against the slippery Auburn quarterback, Byrum Brown, and they can surely do it against the Panthers.
The offense runs through Pendergrass, Knighten
When a team doesn't have their starting QB, it is all the more important to have experienced running backs that can carry the load on offense.
Dawson Pendergrass brings that experience. He had a phenomenal game against Auburn, constantly breaking tackles and running for 88 yards against a talented Tiger defense.
Expect the tandem of Pendergrass and Caden Knighten to get a lot of touches through the course of the game, pushing the ball down the field and making their quarterback's job easy.
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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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