Longhorns Country Staff Predictions: Texas Longhorns vs. Baylor Bears
Following their disappointing loss to Oklahoma State before the bye week, Texas Longhorns will look to get back on track this Saturday when they head to Waco to take on the No. 16 Baylor Bears.
The Bears, who finished 2-7 in 2020, have made an extremely impressive turnaround in 2021, sitting at 6-1 on the season, and 3-1 in the Big 12
Saturday will market the 111th meeting between the two teams, with the Longhorns leading the series 79-27-4. Texas won the most recent matchup in 2020, taking down the Bears 27-16 in Austin.
Texas is 31-17-2 all-time in Waco. This will mark Steve Sarkisian's second time facing Baylor as a head coach, and he will be looking for his first when against the Bears.
Now it's time for the Longhorns Country staff to make their game predictions for when Texas returns to DKR against Oklahoma State
Make sure to check out LonghornsCountry.com's entire preview series of the Bears program before the Longhorns head to McLane Stadium on Saturday.
Matt Galatzan - Managing Editor/Publisher
Texas has struggled to finish in recent weeks, and the offense has been abysmal in the second half. They cannot afford for that to happen against Baylor in Waco. The Bears are balanced on offense and tough on defense and do not allow for much margin of error.
Texas should drop to .500 here, but something tells me they find a way.
Texas 31 Baylor 27
Cole Thompson - Columnist/Editor
I said at the start of the year that Texas would finish 10-2. The two losses? Oklahoma State and an upset by Baylor. Boy, did we all undersell the Bears in 2021.
Jeff Grimes' offense is averaging 472 yards per outing. They lead the Big 12 in rushing and have a four-man combination of Gerry Bonahan, Abram Smith, Trestan Ebner, and Taye McWilliams. Defensively, they allow just 18.7 points per outing.
Somehow, I just don't see Steve Sarkisian pulling it off in the second half. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well, you already did. I won't fall for it a third time in McLane Stadium.
Baylor 31, Texas 21
Tomer Barazani- Staff Writer
Baylor plays a very similar style of defense that Texas saw against Oklahoma State which means the Texas offense may be in a for a long day. Baylor is the most disciplined team Texas will face, as they rarely commit penalties. If Texas wants to win they will have to get the football to playmakers Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy.
Nevertheless, it will be a close game heading into the fourth quarter. A type of game that Texas has struggled to come out of on top.
Baylor 30, Texas 27
Zach Dimmitt- Staff Writer
Surprisingly, it was the Texas offense that faltered in the 32-24 loss to Oklahoma State two weekends ago. The inability to sustain drives cost the team the victory in the end as the defense was forced to endure long drives from the Cowboy offense.
A matchup in a rowdy environment in Waco against No. 16 Baylor this Saturday comes at a critical point in the Longhorns season. Texas is more than capable of avoiding a third straight loss, but an underrated Bears team that is hungry for a Big 12 championship berth seems in prime position to pull off the victory.
Baylor 37, Texas 31
Matthew Postins- Staff Writer
I had a better sense of this game when I made my first prediction in the summer than I do now. Baylor has made strides much faster than I expected this season, and their run defense is key to that. The Bears have done a great job of keeping running backs from controlling the game.
That's key for Texas when you consider that a good portion of their offense is built around running back Bijan Robinson. The problem for Texas hasn't been getting yards and touchdowns early in the game — it's been late in the game. I have to imagine that the Longhorn coaching staff has been hammering that point home for two weeks.
Now, we see if the Longhorns can apply that lesson Saturday because this is going to be a close game.
Texas 31, Baylor 27.
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