Starved for points, Houston bracing for high-scoring Baylor

Eligible for a bowl game thanks to his team's four-game winning streak, Baylor coach Dave Aranda was informed he will return in 2025.

The Bears are vying to keep those good vibes going into their next Big 12 test at Houston on Saturday.

Baylor (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) outgunned West Virginia 49-35 last week to continue its turnaround from a 2-4 start. That same day, a school spokesperson said Aranda -- whose Bears went 6-7 and 3-9 in the two seasons since winning the 2021 Big 12 title and the Sugar Bowl -- will return next season.

"I feel like they've had my back the whole way," Aranda said Monday of the endorsement.

Sawyer Robertson threw for a career-high 329 yards and three touchdowns against West Virginia. Bryson Washington racked up 123 rushing yards, five receptions for 59 yards and four total touchdowns -- his second straight game with four.

"There's some good energy and confidence right now with the team," Aranda said. "For sure, they see the challenge ahead with a really strong Houston team, I want to say defensively particularly. Their front is probably the best that we've played or that we're gonna play."

Averaging 45.8 points per game during its winning streak, the Bears are trying to tighten things up defensively. They've allowed a hefty 33 points per game in the same stretch.

But the Bears might get a breather with Houston ranked second-to-last in the FBS in scoring at 14.0 points per game.

The Cougars (4-6, 3-4) fell 27-3 to Arizona last Friday and now must win out to become bowl-eligible. That means beating both Baylor and BYU, which is No. 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings after losing to Kansas.

"I don't talk about it much," Houston coach Willie Fritz said. "I just want to play as good as we can against Baylor. That's all I'm worried about. ... This is a really good team that's on a good roll right now. They're playing excellent on offense."

To illustrate the struggles of Houston's passing game, Zeon Chriss' 191 passing yards in the loss to Arizona marked the Cougars' second-best team total since Sept. 14. On three occasions, Houston has failed to hit 100 passing yards.

Baylor and Houston played last year for the first time since 1995. Houston won on the road, 25-24, after converting a two-point conversion on its first possession of overtime.

--Field Level Media