Sep 273 min read

No. 22 BYU Travels to Meet Baylor Bears in Week 5

The No. 22 BYU Cougars (4-0, 1-0 Big 12 Conference) travel to take on the Baylor Bears (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) at noon EST on Sept. 28 in Waco, Texas. This will be the Cougars' first week ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 poll this year and will look to take advantage of a struggling Bears team.

BYU has seemingly hit its stride, starting 4-0 and upsetting the No. 23 Kansas State Wildcats (3-1, 0-1) in Week 4 in Provo, Utah. Before the Wildcats' loss to the Cougars, they were ranked No. 13 in the country, giving way for the Cougars to be catapulted to the top 25. The Bears have struggled through their first games, picking up losses to Utah and Colorado.

What's at Stake?

For BYU, losing this game would completely stop its hype train. Beating the Wildcats and then turning around to lose to them would be a disaster and could make the conference look bad. The Cougars do not want this to be a fluke, so they are going out on the road and trying to put up a statement win. Most considered BYU to be towards the bottom of the conference but each week, it continue to impress.

For Baylor, there is no doubt that it wants to play spoiler here for BYU. The Bears get the home game and knocking off a ranked opponent would be great for the team's confidence. If they lose, then they may just be exactly what the media thought they were. Before the Cougars' hot streak, this game would have been picked to be close. The Bears need to keep it that way.

Key Players: Baylor Bears

On offense, the Bears will turn to running back Dawson Pendergrass to get the team rolling. Pendergrass is an angry runner and a key in the Bears' scheme. This season, Pendergrass has 157 yards and a touchdown while running the ball. He can also be used in the passing game with 3 receptions for 31 yards. With all the questions at quarterback for the Bears, Pendergrass will have to play well to keep them afloat.

On defense, linebacker Matt Jones will play a huge role. Jones has been a tackling machine with 38 total tackles, 24 solo tackles and a sack. In Week 4, Jones has 9 solo tackles. If he can continue this production, then the Bears have a chance of stopping the BYU offense.

Key Players: BYU Cougars

Cougars QB Jake Retzlaff has had some sort of redeeming season to this point and BYU is counting on it to continue as it stands 4-0. This season, Retzlaff has 990 passing yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. In addition, he has racked up 103 yards rushing. If Retzlaff can take care of the ball for the Cougars, then the Bears should be no issue.

On defense, Utah native linebacker Harrison Taggart has been playing well for the Cougars. He has 25 total tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. When BYU beat Kansas State, Taggart was flying around and grabbed 10 total tackles. The Bears' offense has not been great to this point. If Taggart can continue to make all the right plays, then BYU will likely leave Waco victorious.

Trends to Watch

Baylor looks like it is still a few pieces away from being competitive. Losing this game would just set the Bears back farther, but not many expected them to be great in the Big 12. They will have to resolve their questions at the QB position with Dequan Finn being injured and Sawyer Robertson playing well. If they make the change to Robertson, then this team could show flashes of being better than most thought. But the offense around Finn hasn't looked great.

On the other hand, BYU is trending up tremendously. Nobody expected the Cougars to beat Kansas State or be 4-0 to start the season. If they continue to win, then the Big 12 giants may need to take a good look at the Cougars as a threat. Retzlaff and wide receiver Chase Roberts are on the same page on this offense is rolling. Watch out for BYU.