Key Matchups In Baylor's Week 8 Battle Against the Jayhawks

Baylor scored just six points last week against TCU and fell to 4-2 last Saturday, and now they face a Kansas team that has won just one of their last four games. Baylor has a decently easy three-game stretch and is looking to get to five or six wins before the rough stretch ahead in order to be bowl-eligible. Here are a few matchups that fans should look at come this Saturday against the Jayhawks.

Re-establishing the Baylor Ground Game vs. Kansas Front Seven

Baylor struggled greatly in the run game against TCU, totaling just 66 yards on 27 carries last week, a season-low. This was completely out of the norm for the Bears, who have been, for the most part, decently successful at running the ball.

Kansas, on the other hand, has one of the worst run defenses in the country, allowing over 174 rushing yards a game this year. I think this is a great opportunity to get the run game back and moving for Baylor, and it should be the primary focus come game day. Get Pendergrass the ball early, and get Lagway in the mix with some option run and rpo's to keep this front seven on their toes the entire game.

Baylor's Front Seven vs. Kansas Playmakers

Kansas is looking to come into this game and outscore the Bears with the sufficient offense they've had so far this year. During early preseason, Kansas was decently hyped to be pretty solid. After a new head coach signing, 33 new players from the portal, and massive upgrades in stadium and facilities, their season hasn't gone how most fans were expecting it to go.

Baylor allowed TCU to throw the ball all over the field for 294 total passing yards last week; they will need to stop Kansas's heavy offense if they want to come out with a win. Players like Garrick Ponder and Travion Burnes need to get consistent pressure and close off long opportunities for Isaiah Marshall to get the ball out to their playmakers and make things difficult for the Jayhawks' offense.

DJ Lagway and the Perimeter Weapons vs. Kansas Secondary

Baylor looks to wipe away a pretty miserable day against the Horned Frogs, where sophomore DJ Lagway had a season-low PFF grade of just 39.5. If they want any shot at having a successful season, it's not going to come from offensive performances like last week's. Lagway looked stoic in the pocket and needs to loosen up and open up opportunities if they want to see more success in the passing game.

Kansas is definitely the team to get that right with. They are allowing over 389 yards total per game so far this year. If there's a time for Lagway to get things right, it should be against the Jayhawks on Saturday. Whether it's quick throws to Miller and Louis Brown, or pounding the rock and floating out a deep ball to Gavin Freeman, something needs to spark this offense because if they can't find rhythm against a struggling defense like Kansas, it could be a long season with the tough ranked conference opponents coming up in the future.