Sporting News predicts Baylor, SMU outcome for Saturday
In this story:
After falling to Auburn in Week 1, Baylor might not be in a 'must-win' mode for this Saturday, but the Bears surely don't want to fall to 0-2 on the young season. Dave Aranda has made it known that tackling was an issue against the Tigers and it's something that needs to be corrected for SMU and QB Kevin Jennings.
The Mustangs were a College Football Playoff team in 2024, and Jennings is a dynamic dual-threat QB. The game will be played at SMU, and national college football writer Bill Bender sees the Mustangs coming out on top.
In Bender's weekly column, he has SMU beating Baylor, 35-31, in a shootout.
SMU has lost 13 straight games against Baylor – a streak that needs to end if the Mustangs want to continue a march toward a second straight CFP berth. SMU is 6-1 S/U and 4-3 ATS as a home favorite since last season, and Kevin Jennings will present the Baylor defense that allowed 307 rushing yards to Auburn with problems. Look for SMU to end the streak in style.
Dave Aranda spoke on the challenge of facing Jennings
Auburn QB Jackson Arnold ran for 137 yards and two scores against Baylor. While Jennings could do the same, the SMU QB likes to run around to create throws -- something the Bears will have to watch for. Recently, coach Aranda talked about the differences between Arnold and Jennings.
"I think one of the differences, now it may not be versus us, the quarterback we just played, he was scrambling to run it," Aranda compared Jackson Arnold to Jennings. "So if he saw certain coverage, he ran. Where Kevin, a lot of his runs are to throw it. So he'll keep the drive alive and then he'll make you pay with a ball down the field.
"There's a bunch of, we would play Purdy and he would be this way where he would be scrambling and he'd be running behind the line scrimmage, but behind time and there'd be a defender that was covering a back or a tight end. And the defender would see Purdy run this way and he would come up. And at the same time, the defender would come up and leave his coverage.T he receiver, the tight end would go vertical and it'd be kind of a pop shot there.
"There's a bunch of that on film with the guy that we're playing. And so there has to be plaster rolls in the back end. There has to be use of spies and three-man rushes. We gotta try to flush them certain ways. And so there'll be the whole gamut going in to try to be able to control them. I think he does a great job of identifying coverage and he's a very, very adept passer. He's done a great job maturing through all of it and they've done a great job coaching him because he's impressive to watch."
- Enjoy more Baylor Bears coverage on Baylor Bears On SI -
More News:
Faith, family, and football: The resilient journey of Josh and Andrea Cameron
Can the Baylor Bears bounce back?
Baylor week one defensive report card
Key info to know ahead of Baylor, SMU showdown
X-Factors and key questions for Baylor moving forward
Everything Dave Aranda said on Monday after Auburn loss, previewing SMU
For additional coverage of Baylor University Athletics
Follow us on Facebook: @BaylorBearsOnSI
Follow us on X/Twitter:@BaylorBearsOnSI
Follow us on Instagram: @BaylorBearsOnSI
Subscribe to us on Youtube: @BaylorBearsOnSI
-c6d300a6cd3bbc37e5025fa0d47bc7a7.jpeg "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.
Follow TrentKnoop