Top players from Baylor football's loss to Cincinnati
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Coming off a very tough loss to TCU, the Baylor Bears really needed a win against a tough Cincinnati team to get their season back on schedule. A Cincinnati team that was ranked within the top 25, and one of the toughest teams to play in their home stadium, the Bears had their work cut out for them and needed to play almost perfectly on both sides of the ball in order to come away with a victory. Well, to put things into perspective, with 16 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter, the Baylor Bears were down 24 to 0. While the Bears were able to score before halftime, both sides of the ball were not where they needed to be and resulting in a blowout loss to the Bearcats, with a final score of 20-41.
With that being said, there were still some standouts on both sides of the ball. Similar to last week, below we are going to highlight some of the true game changers that resulted in the final score we witnessed on Saturday.
1. Brendan Sorsby
Going into this game, I had predicted that quarterback Brendan Sorsby was going to have himself a very special day against this Baylor defense. While I also expected the Bears would find a way to turn over Sorsby (which did not occur), the prediction that Sorsby would be the superior quarterback was certainly true. Sorsby finished the day with 111 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns to go along with 85 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown, certainly tearing up the Baylor defense.
2. Michael Turner
In a game where not much seemed to go well for Baylor, running back Michael Turner was a bright spot. Statistically speaking, Turner was quite productive on the day, finishing with 90 rushing yards on 14 attempts, which averages to 6.4 rushing yards per attempt. While Bryson Washington has garnered much of the attention during the season, Turner has put together some great performances in the last couple of games for the Bears, and could be a bright spot for them moving forward into next season.
3. Cincinnati Special Teams
When games are close and come down to the wire, normally, the small details are what separate the good teams from the great teams. During the beginning of the second half of the game, Baylor had managed to put together a couple of good drives and made the game a one-possession endeavor in the fourth quarter. However, the Bears proceeded to give up a rushing touchdown to Brendan Sorsby before the Cincinnati Special Teams unit forced a turnover on the ensuing kickoff, ultimately closing the door on any form of a Baylor comeback. Small details like that separated the good team from the better team on Saturday, and were one of many reasons for the Bearcats' victory.
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Josh started covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Prior to Baylor Bears on SI, he worked as an intern for TheMichiganInsider at 247Sports. Josh graduated from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, with a bachelor’s degree in economics, where his passion for collegiate athletics continued to grow after attending his first game in The Big House. Combining his analytical background and his affinity for collegiate sports, Josh enjoys providing his unique perspective on the shifting dynamic equilibrium of the collegiate athletics landscape. When not watching sports, Josh enjoys cooking a nice meal, running, and traveling to new places with his friends and family.