Three Keys to a Baylor Football Statement Win Over Prairie View A&M

Baylor is coming off a heartbreaker in Atlanta against Auburn. All the Bears can do now is focus on the path in front of them, and this weekend calls for a statement win over a small conference team.

The Bears will host the Prairie View A&M Panthers in McLane Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m. Here are three keys to a blowout in favor of the green and gold:

Dominate the trenches

DJ Lagway under pressur — Baylor Bears quarterback DJ Lagway (2) throws the ball under pressure from Auburn Tigers defensive lineman | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The easiest way to keep the pressure off the Bears on both sides of the ball is for the linemen to assert themselves on the line of scrimmage.

As we saw last Saturday, constant quarterback pressure can do wonders for a defense as a whole. If Hosea Wheeler and company can get home on Prairie View quarterback Tevin Carter, it will leave the Panthers with a lot of 3rd and longs to deal with.

If the offensive line can give DJ Lagway all the time he needs and part the sea for Dawson Pendergrass, the offense will cruise down the field.

Win the turnover battle

Baylor interceptio — Nov 29, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears linebacker Keaton Thomas (11) intercepts a pass | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Two early turnovers dug a hole for Baylor against Auburn that the Bears couldn't get out of. That simply cannot be the case against Prairie View; winning the turnover battle signals that the Bears weren't playing sloppy in a game that should be penciled in as a W.

I'm confident the defense can generate turnovers at the rate they did against the Tigers; it is up to Lagway to secure the ball and make sharp passes. The Panthers are athletic and will be looking to capitalize on messy play from the Bears, Baylor will have to keep their guard up.

Score early and often

This game should be just about over when the whistle blows for half time. Punching the Panthers in the mouth early is going to be key for the Bears to run away with the home opener.

I expect this one to go a lot like the Samford home game last season, where Baylor got up on the Bulldogs 35-7 in the first half before running the clock out in the second.

There is no reason that Prairie View should walk out for the second half fired up because they are only down one or two scores. Take care of business early on and roll out the subs by the fourth quarter.

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