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Baylor leads Iowa State 7-0 at halftime.
Here are some bullets on the first half:
This is an Iowa State offense that put up 72 points last week. @BUFootball defense getting it done, holding Cyclones to 159 yards and zero points through the first 24 minutes. Still scoreless here.@SicEm
— Jerry Hill (@ViewFromHill) September 28, 2019
*The defense played superbly-They held Iowa State scoreless in the first half. Clay Johnston was everywhere. Jalen Pitre made a strong appearance—he has three more games to play, if he wants to keep his redshirt—and the Bears did a nice job limiting Iowa State’s running backs with only three defensive linemen. Seven offensive drives for Iowa State. Zero points. The defense has come a long way since last year.
*Blocked kick! Baylor blocked a 49 yard field goal before halftime, and Blake Lynch ran it back deep. The Bears blocked in the back, but who cares? A scoreless half for Baylor.
*Jordan Williams- He had the best interception I’ve seen in years:
Jordan Williams with the interception to save this country: pic.twitter.com/0L2pKG2rK1
— Kendall (@kendallkaut) September 28, 2019
*The offense was horrendous in the first quarter+-Outside of Charlie Brewer’s 46 yard pass to Denzel Mims, the Bears gained 19 yards in the quarter (credit to John Werner for that stat). They had a 19 second three-and-out. The offensive line was demolished, and the Bears had little faith in the running game. They started the second quarter with two three-and-outs. Absolutely brutal. Chris Platt had an easy drop, then he failed to make a semi-challenging catch too.
*Denzel Mims is still the man- Baylor scored before halftime on a fade to him in the end zone. He also had a nice 46 yard gain to start the game. He’s Iowa State’s focus, but sometimes you can’t stop a man.
Denzel Mims says always go for it: pic.twitter.com/6pZkZbGHkB
— Kendall (@kendallkaut) September 28, 2019
*Baylor should be hesitant to kick field goals-The Bears opened the game with a missed 37 yard attempt. After Mims dropped a slant, Baylor elected to kick on 4th and 5. On 4th and 5, Matt Rhule elected to go for it rather than kick a 35 yard field goal. The Bears converted on 4th and 5 and scored a touchdown.
*Injury concerns-Bravion Roy left with an injury in the first half. He returned in the second quarter. With the Bears switching to three down linemen before the season because of injuries, losing Roy is terrifying. Cole Maxwell left the game with an injury in the second quarter.