After coming within inches of a Week 1 victory against Auburn, Baylor will look to bounce back as it hosts Prairie View A&M on Saturday night in Waco, Texas.
Baylor (0-1) fell 17-16 in Atlanta last weekend after Tigers safety Eric Winters tackled tight end Matthew Klopfenstein just short of the goal line on a late two-point conversion attempt.
Despite tallying 436 total yards and piecing together several long drives, Baylor’s offense struggled to convert in the red zone.
“I want to be able to score when we’re consistently moving the ball,” Bears coach Dave Aranda said Monday. “We’re talking about these long drives, where we were able to … move it this way, and we stall out and don’t get points.
“I’d like to see us sustain the drives and eventually score on our drives by running the football.”
Baylor running back Dawson Pendergrass could play a bigger role moving forward. The senior rushed for 88 yards on 25 carries against Auburn. Unlocking Pendergrass and Baylor’s dormant ground game could help them convert red-zone trips into touchdowns.
Quarterback DJ Lagway will look for a cleaner game after a tough Baylor debut. He started out with a lost fumble and an interception on his first two drives before spraining his ankle in the first half. The Florida transfer stayed in the game and completed 27 of 54 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns.
Prairie View A&M (1-1) is coming off a 52-14 rout of Texas Southern on Sunday. The Panthers, who compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, are meeting Baylor of the Big 12 for the first time.
“I’m excited for our guys to compete at a high level,” Prairie View A&M coach Tremaine Jackson said on YouTube’s “Smoak Show.”
“I think what they do schematically is awesome. Watching them play against Auburn, both on the TV copy and the coaches’ copy, I think they’re much improved than what they were a year ago.”
The Panthers were picked to finish first in the SWAC’s West division, led by strong quarterback play from senior Tevin Carter. Carter threw for 217 yards against Texas Southern, passing for four scores and rushing for another.
