Baylor vs. Texas State — GAME DAY — Notes, Links, Weather Forecast, Prediction

It’s officially Week 1 for the 2021 Baylor Bears, which means the start of season 2 of the Dave Aranda Era! The Bears take the field tonight at 6 PM CT on ESPN+, and though it’s been a little bit since I’ve done one of these, I did my best at compiling all the info I could find below.

OPPONENT: Texas State Bobcats
ODB GAME HUB: Baylor Bears @ Texas State Bobcats 2021
OURDAILYPODCAST: Season Prediction Show
BAYLORBEARS.COM PREVIEW: Here
GAME NOTES (INCLUDING DEPTH CHART): Here
SB NATION BLOG: N/A
SPREAD: Baylor -14 (Open: Baylor -10)
TV COVERAGE: ESPN+, 6:00 p.m. CST Saturday
UNIFORM: APPEARS to be ___, white, white (helmet is unconfirmed, as far as I can tell).

WEATHER FORECAST: Partly cloudy, high of 98°, winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph (Wunderground puts game time temp at 95°, so START HYDRATING NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY)

Weather Report:

I want to highlight this again and call it out. It is going to be HOT in San Marcos today and relatively humid, so if you are going to this game, you have to make sure to stay hydrated. Just ask Iowa State what the heat can do if you aren’t prepared. The game-time temperature is 95 degrees with a ‘feels like” of 98, and then it will start going down after that. But be prepared if you are out there tailgatin’ and imbibin’ and having a good time. Thankfully, it looks like rain shouldn’t be an issue.

Game Notes/Thoughts:

I did not get a chance to do a full-blown preview or prediction this week but plan to going forward if I can make it work. For this game, obviously the key will be Gerry Bohanon’s first start at QB after 3 seasons backing up Charlie Brewer and playing sparingly except in injury situations. Bohanon should be an immediate weapon in the running game, but the passing could still be a work-in-progress. And a lot of that is going to revolve around how the offensive line performs, even against a “lesser” opponent. With that in mind, here are my keys:

• Protect the QB: Shocking, I know, but even if Bohanon is a NFL linebacker-sized robot, we need to keep him upright and protected. I guarantee the one thing every Baylor fan wants to see in this game is deep shots to Tyquan Thornton and friends, and that will almost necessarily require solid protection. We should know a lot more about how our offensive could perform this season after seeing our line in action. To my knowledge we should have all of our starters available right now.
• Run the Ball: It’s the debut for Baylor’s new wide zone offense under Jeff Grimes, which others have tried to outline far more capably than I. But suffice to say that it’s different from what we’ve run before, and different means time to adjust. Baylor has solid running backs in Trestan Ebner and Abram Smith (as starters) with depth behind them, so we should be able to move the ball on the ground. If we are not, it’s a serious red flag.
• Rush the Passer: With Aranda and Roberts calling the defensive plays, Siaki Ika anchoring the middle and occupying blockers, and Terrel Bernard and Jalen Pitre blitzing, the sky is the limit for Baylor’s pass rush this season. This defense could be ridiculously good.

There are going to be kinks to work out in the second season for Dave Aranda and co., overall, and the first season under Jeff Grimes on offense. I do not expect that we are going to come out and blow the doors off anyone immediately, though I’d love to be surprised.

My Prediction: Baylor 38, Texas State 17.

LINKS, LINKS, LINKS, LINKS, LINKS, LINKS

I can’t do this as easily as I used to be able to since the clipper tool has apparently met it’s end, but I’ll try. Things change in ten years, ok?

Winners and Whiners, Baylor vs. Texas State Preview: Never heard of this site before, but ok.

Yahoo! focuses on Gerry Bohanon’s patience:

Bohanon: “I wanted to absorb as much as I can, learn as much football as I could and take as much as I could from Charlie. That way, I would be ready when my time does come,” said Bohanon, who has already earned a degree at Baylor. “The process is my thing.“

USAToday says Baylor 31, Texas State 20: A little strange for them to be somewhat concerned about a favorite that is -600 on the money line, but ok.

BaylorBears.com: 5 Keys to Today’s Game.

Baylor.edu: New commercial dropping during the game today!

TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS

(FROM YESTERDAY):

I’m going to be out for most of the day in the most magic kingdom on Earth, but I’ll be back later. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do in here!