Baylor looking for more than just a victory
On the eve of Saturday’s Allstate Sugar Bowl, another appearance in the game has become a chance to rewrite a bit of Baylor history.
Two seasons ago, Baylor put together an impressive feel-good season with an unsatisfying end. The Bears lost the Big 12 championship game in overtime to Oklahoma and then were overpowered in the Sugar Bowl by Georgia.
Call it a redemption tour or unfinished business or a sign of progress.
Whatever the label, No. 7 Baylor (11-2) figures it is already half there with the Big 12 championship victory over Oklahoma State.
Next up: a meeting with No. 8 Ole Miss (10-2) at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
“It gives us the chance to redeem ourselves.” Baylor running back Trestan Ebner said. “We happened to make it back to the same bowl game that we lost, and we want the chance to redeem ourselves and make history in Waco.”
There’s a host of possibilities that Baylor can achieve:
• A victory would give Baylor 12 wins, a school record.
• One-time linebacker Abram Smith is second on Baylor’s single-season rushing yards list with 1,429 and needs 119 yards to break the program record of 1,547 set by Terrance Ganaway in 2011.
• Baylor is seeking its fifth victory over a ranked opponent, which would pass the 1974 team.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda confirmed Friday that quarterback Gerry Bohanon would start after missing two games with a hamstring injury. Receiver Drew Estrada also will play, Aranda said, despite a lingering ankle injury that has forced him to wear a walking boot. Aranda said he did not anticipate any players being unavailable because of COVID-19.
“I think being able to go and win the Big 12 championship game and then have an opportunity to end the thing right this time in the Sugar Bowl has been a good experience for everybody,” linebacker Terrel Bernard said. “It would show the growth that we’ve had the last couple of years if we’re able to go out there an end it on the right side now.”
It hasn’t been a straightline turnaround for Baylor by any stretch this season, not after a 2-7 finish in Aranda’s first season.
Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, who goes back 20 years with Aranda and took the Baylor job without knowing the pay, outlined the struggle.
“It’s just tough to go through that, to have people to believe,” Roberts said.
First-year offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes wasn’t certain about how things might turn out after arriving from BYU. Neither was his wife, who noted the offense had a long way to go after a spring scrimmage. Then Sheri Grimes asked her husband a question.
“Are you sure we ought to actually do this addition on the house?” she said.
Of course, Mississippi has plenty of incentive. It can set a school record with its 11th victory. Quarterback Matt Corral, widely projected as a first-round NFL draft pick, decided to play in the game instead of opting out. He’s accounted for nearly 4,000 yards of total offense and 31 touchdowns.
“When I look at Matt Corral, I just see a competitor,” Aranda said. “I see a winner. I see someone who wills his team. In today’s age, a guy his caliber, staying with it, and playing in this game, I think, speaks a lot.”
Linebacker Dillon Doyle channeled some Kenny Rogers in pointing out that all the what-ifs don’t matter if Baylor can’t handle Mississippi.
“You talk about Big 12 title, you talk about playing in the Sugar Bowl, but we try not to count our money while we’re sitting at the table,” Doyle said. “We got a huge game coming up right here. We’re playing one of the best QBS in the upcoming draft, and we’re just trying to show our culture and show our people on live TV when it comes to Saturday night. …
“We’re really excited to show who we are as a program.”