© Brett Rojo, USA TODAY
'Respect All, Fear None': Baylor DB Devin Neal Not Taking Texas State for Granted
The Baylor Bears took the country by surprise last season, winning the Big 12 and the Sugar Bowl after starting the season unranked.
But the Bears and coach Dave Aranda didn't exactly come out of the gates looking like a program-wrecking team.
A season-opening 29-20 win over the Texas State Bobcats, who ended up finishing the season 4-8 in the Sun Belt, didn't appear that impressive after Week 1 of last year.
Fast-forward to Sunday, and Baylor was trying to catch some sleep after a 26-20 late-night loss on the road at No. 21 BYU.
The motivation for a bounce-back win is already burning bright after being on the wrong end of a matchup between ranked opponents.
Now, as Baylor welcomes Texas State to Waco this time around, the Bears will get a chance to show Saturday that they’re capable of slaughtering inferior competition.
But ask safety Devin Neal how he feels about the matchup, and he’ll get honest in a way that a championship-winning team should.
"When it comes to every opponent, we respect all and fear none,” Neal said. “Every opponent that comes to play us is another opponent and you gotta give them your respect.”
The spread (-30) heavily favors Baylor, as the Bobcats are a team that the 17th-ranked Bears should easily handle at McLane Stadium.
Texas State is also a football program that has only existed since 2012 and has one winning season mixed in between a 37-85 all-time record.
Think this matters to Neal? Think again.
“You can't see the team logo, you can't see the name, cause when you disrespect your opponent is when you have your worst games, and we want to respect our opponents,” he said.
The junior safety has totaled 36 tackles in his three-year career and rallied his first-career sack in the loss to BYU.
He’ll aim to keep this momentum up when Baylor hosts Texas State on Saturday at 11 a.m. C.T.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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