5 takeaways from Baylor-Texas State: Bears struggle to respond vs. history-making Bobcats

Texas State did the unthinkable by storming into McLane Stadium and rolling over the Baylor Bears, 42-31, Saturday night in Waco.

Here are five takeaways from Baylor’s dreadful loss to Texas State:

Unfathomable loss

It’s hard to put into words how wild of a loss this is for Baylor. The Bears haven’t lost to Texas State in nine previous matches dating to 1909. It’s the Bobcats’ first win over a power conference opponent, a sign their big-splash hire, G.J. Kinne from Incarnate Word, is paying off.

Kinne, who was born in Mesquite, has deep ties to Baylor. His dad, who was on the staff of the Mesquite team that won the 2001 Class 5A Division I state title, was a Baylor assistant and played linebacker there from 1986 to 1989. Kinne’s younger brother, Landry, is a redshirt junior wide receiver on the Bears’ current roster.

In terms of the green and gold, head coach Dave Aranda always talks about edge, “playing green,” or showing energy on the field. The Bears had none of that Saturday, and Texas State took full advantage. Not only did Kinne’s high-powered offense put up 42 points on Baylor, but it also amassed over 400 yards and had a Big 12 defense looking lost in the sauce.

This is a huge wake-up call for a Bears squad that’s looking to bounce back from their disappointing 6-7 season a year ago. Only issue is, Baylor will host No. 14 Utah next week. The Utes are two-time defending Pac-12 champs and will likely have their Heisman-contending quarterback, Cam Rising, back.

Big issues up front

Four false starts in the first quarter aren’t going to cut it. Tacking on another in the second had Baylor fans ready to yank their hair out. It was clear that there were going to be lots of new faces up front for the 2023 season, but five false starts in the first half were not on my bingo card.

The penalties came as a surprise — even with the new group — given that Eric Mateos is a highly respected O-line coach and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes used to coach the position. Mistakes are expected in the first game of the season, but not to that degree.

Whether it’s chemistry or just needing more reps together on the field, it needs to get cleaned up quickly.

Dominant Dom

It’s hard to find anything positive out of a game like this, but Oklahoma State transfer Dominic Richardson was a serious bright spot. Richardson stepped in and dominated the workload out of the backfield. Sophomore sensation Richard Reese was nowhere to be found, not getting nearly the same carries or yardage that he saw last year.

Given the offensive line woes of Saturday’s contest, Richardson’s success can only bode well moving forward. He finished with 80 yards on 16 attempts. If Reese can get back to the level he was at in 2022, they’ll be a dominant tandem in the Big 12.

‘We want Sawyer’

Ask and you shall receive.

Bears fans weren’t too thrilled to see the offense score six points in the first quarter against Texas State. Baylor entered the contest as 26.5-point favorites, so people were expecting a blowout to begin early. That obviously wasn’t the case, and the students let quarterback Blake Shapen hear it.

“We want Sawyer!” chants filled the student section and even spread across the stadium as the offense continued to struggle in the first half.

Granted, Shapen wasn’t the main reason for the rough showing, but when he started limping in the third quarter, he left the game and n came redshirt sophomore quarterback Sawyer Robertson, a highly touted transfer from Mississippi State.

Robertson stepped in and made some plays, but the damage had already been done. It’ll be fascinating to see what develops moving forward for Baylor under center.

Not Shapen’s fault

Shapen didn’t play poorly. It was hard to operate with conservative playcalling in the first half and behind a lackluster offensive line that wasn’t on the same page.

Shapen had a strong outing, going 21-for-31 with 304 yards and two TDs with no picks. When he had the time for a play to develop, he was effective. But when the Bobcats were screaming through the middle, it made Shapen, who was visibly injured, and the offense struggle. It starts with the five guys up front in order to help turn this ship around. Otherwise, it’ll be a long year.

Twitter/X: @MichaelHaag_

Find more Baylor coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.