Baylor Preview: Defense

Yesterday, we broke down a dangerous Baylor offense. Today, we turn our attention to a Baylor defense that will likely look to replicate what Iowa State did to the Longhorns a week ago in Ames.

Defensive Line

Baylor has two very good players along the defensive line in James Lockhart and James Lynch. Lynch leads the team in sacks with 8.5 sacks and is extremely impressive rushing the passer. Lockhart is solid as a pass rusher as well, so Denzel Okafor and Sam Cosmi will likely have their hands full for much of the game.

Linebacker

The Bears suffered a huge loss earlier in the season when middle linebacker Clay Johnston went down with a season ending injury. Fortunately for Baylor, their other linebackers have picked up the slack in Johnston’s absence. Blake Lynch has seemingly been at Baylor forever and has finally found a home at linebacker after playing receiver earlier in his career. Sophomore Terrel Bernard has stepped into the middle linebacker role after Johnston’s injury and leads the team in tackles with 83. 

Defensive Back

The Bears will flood the field with a lot of athletic defensive backs. Jameson Houston may be their most talented corner, but Raleigh Texada has experience and plays extremely well at times. Chris Miller and Grayland Arnold played well against Oklahoma and do a nice job of limiting big plays on the backend. 

If Collin Johnson is out again, the Longhorns will be forced to rely heavily on Devin Duvernay in the passing game. Baylor does have a tendency to let guys roam the middle of the field at times, so it might be a good day to feed #6.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, this will be one of the best defenses Texas plays this year. The Bears held a very good Oklahoma offense in check for much of the game before they just ran out of gas. If Texas’ run game performs anywhere close to how they performed against Iowa State, the Longhorns are in trouble. Sam Ehlinger will likely have to carry the Texas offense considering how stout the Baylor defensive front is, but may end up being a blessing in disguise considering the success Texas has found throwing the ball.