# 2020 Baylor Bears football team

The 2020 Baylor Bears football team represented Baylor University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, as a member of the Big 12 Conference and were led by first-year head coach Dave Aranda in the Bears' 122nd overall season.

## Offseason
### Position key

| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB |
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E |
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K |
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB |
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB |
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |

### Offseason departures

One Baylor player with remaining eligibility, James Lynch, declared early for the 2020 NFL draft. In addition, 18 seniors from the 2019 team graduated.

### Recruiting

College recruiting information (2020) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Anthony Anyanwu DE | Sachse, Texas | Sachse High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 229 lb (104 kg) | Jun 19, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Jahade Barron CB | Pflugerville, Texas | Connally High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 22, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Gavin Byers OT | Colleyville, Texas | Colleyville Heritage High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 287 lb (130 kg) | Mar 26, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Drake Dabney TE | Cypress, Texas | Cypress Ranch High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Dec 17, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Will Garner OLB | Spring, Texas | Klein High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | Mar 24, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Mike Harris S | Phenix City, Alabama | Central High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Mose Jeffery G | Longview, Texas | Kilgore College | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 330 lb (150 kg) | Aug 15, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Seth Jones WR | Pearland, Texas | Shadow Creek High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 3, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Micah Mazzccua OT | Baltimore, Maryland | St. Frances Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 318 lb (144 kg) | Jan 19, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| AJ McCarthy CB | Brownwood, Texas | Brownwood High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Taye McWilliams RB | Rosenberg, Texas | Lamar Consolidated High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 204 lb (93 kg) | Mar 28, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Brooks Miller S | West Monroe, Louisiana | West Monroe High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jun 24, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Devin Neal CB | Lexington, Kentucky | Frederick Douglass High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Dec 15, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Chateau Reed S | Lawton, Oklahoma | Lawton High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Blake Shapen QB | Shreveport, Louisiana | Evangel Christian Academy | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Feb 2, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| James Sylvester DE | Newton, Texas | Newton High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 25, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Alfahiym Walcott CB | El Dorado, Kansas | Butler County Community College | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 60 247Sports: 54 ESPN: 57 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020. "ESPN commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020. "247Sports commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 8, 2020. |||||||

### 2020 NFL Draft
#### Team players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL team |
| 2 | 59 | Denzel Mims | WR | New York Jets |
| 4 | 130 | James Lynch | DT | Minnesota Vikings |
| 6 | 184 | Bravvion Roy | DT | Carolina Panthers |
| 7 | 234 | Clay Johnston | LB | Los Angeles Rams |

## Preseason
### Big 12 media poll

The Big 12 media days were held on July 21–22, 2020 in a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Big 12 media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Oklahoma | 80 |
| 2 | Oklahoma State | 6 |
| 3 | Texas | 4 |
| 4 | Iowa State | |
| 5 | Baylor | |
| 6 | TCU | |
| 7 | Kansas State | |
| 8 | West Virginia | |
| 9 | Texas Tech | |
| 10 | Kansas | |

## Schedule
### Spring game

The Bears planned to hold spring practices in March and April 2020. The Baylor football spring "Green and Gold game" was to take place in Waco, TX on April 18, 2020. The team's spring practices as well as the spring game were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Regular season

Baylor initially released its 2020 schedule on October 21, 2019. An updated Big 12 schedule was released on August 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the updated schedule, the Bears will host one non-conference games against Louisiana Tech. Baylor will host Kansas, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Kansas State and travel to West Virginia, Texas, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma in regular season conference play. On September 8, the Louisiana Tech game was postponed indefinitely. On September 12, a new game against Houston was announced in its place. On September 18, Baylor announced that the Houston versus Baylor game would be postponed due to Baylor not meeting the Big 12 Conference COVID-19 game cancellation thresholds.
The Bears had games against Ole Miss and Incarnate Word, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 26 | 6:30 p.m. | Kansas | McLane StadiumWaco, TX | ESPNU | W 47–14 | 11,667 |
| October 3 | 11:00 a.m. | at West Virginia | Milan Puskar StadiumMorgantown, WV | ABC | L 21–27 $^{2OT}$ | 978 |
| October 24 | 2:30 p.m. | at Texas | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, TX (rivalry) | ESPN | L 16–27 | 18,202 |
| October 31 | 2:30 p.m. | TCU | McLane StadiumWaco, TX (rivalry) | ESPN2 | L 23–33 | 11,667 |
| November 7 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 17 Iowa State | Jack Trice StadiumAmes, IA | FS1 | L 31–38 | 13,535 |
| November 14 | 3:00 p.m. | at Texas Tech | Jones AT&T StadiumLubbock, TX (rivalry) | FS1 | L 23–24 | 12,914 |
| November 28 | 6:00 p.m. | Kansas State | McLane StadiumWaco, TX | ESPN2 | W 32–31 | 11,667 |
| December 5 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 11 Oklahoma | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | FOX | L 14–27 | 22,700 |
| December 12 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 22 Oklahoma State | McLane StadiumWaco, TX | ESPN | L 3–42 | 11,667 |
| Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Coaching staff

| Coach | Title | Year at Baylor | Previous job |
| Dave Aranda | Head Coach | 1st | LSU (DC) |
| Joey McGuire | Assoc. HC/OLB | 4th | Cedar Hill High School (HC) |
| Larry Fedora | OC/QB | 1st | North Carolina (HC) |
| Ron Roberts | DC/ILB | 1st | Louisiana (DC) |
| Jorge Munoz | PGC/WR | 1st | LSU (offensive analyst) |
| Shawn Bell | TE | 4th | Cedar Ridge High School (HC) |
| Dennis Johnson | DL | 1st | LSU (DL) |
| Justin Johnson | RB | 1st | Houston (RB) |
| Matt Powledge | S/ST | 1st | Louisiana (OLB/ST) |
| Brian Stewart | CB | 1st | Detroit Lions (DB) |
| Joe Wickline | OL | 1st | West Virginia (OL) |

## Game summaries
### Vs. Kansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kansas | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Baylor | 7 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 47 |
at McLane Stadium • Waco, TX
* Date: Saturday, September 26, 2020
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Fair • Temperature: 85°F
* Game attendance: 11,667
* Referee: Kevin Mar
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer
* Pregame line: Baylor −17.5
| Statistics | KAN | BAY |
| First downs | 20 | 24 |
| Total yards | 328 | 352 |
| Rushes/yards | 43/169 | 43/203 |
| Passing yards | 159 | 149 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–33–0 | 16–24–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:30 | 28:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kansas | Passing | Jalon Daniels | 19–33, 159 yards |
| Kansas | Rushing | Pooka Williams Jr. | 14 carries, 76 yards, 2 TD |
| Kansas | Receiving | Kwamie Lassiter II | 6 receptions, 65 yards |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 15–23, 142 yards, 1 TD |
| Baylor | Rushing | John Lovett | 17 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD |
| Baylor | Receiving | Trestan Ebner | 2 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD |

### At West Virginia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Baylor | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| West Virginia | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
at Milan Puskar Stadium • Morgantown, WV
* Date: Saturday, October 3, 2020
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: partly cloudy • Temperature: 57°F
* Game attendance: 978
* Referee: Scott Campbell
* TV announcers (ABC): Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Rocky Boiman
* Pregame line: Baylor −1.0
| Statistics | BAY | WVU |
| First downs | 15 | 18 |
| Total yards | 256 | 345 |
| Rushes/yards | 33/27 | 39/134 |
| Passing yards | 229 | 211 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–38–2 | 30–42–2 |
| Time of possession | 28:07 | 31:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 23–38, 229 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Baylor | Rushing | John Lovett | 14 carries, 23 yards |
| Baylor | Receiving | R.J. Sneed | 6 receptions, 48 yards, 1 TD |
| West Virginia | Passing | Jarret Doege | 30–42, 211 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| West Virginia | Rushing | Leddie Brown | 27 carries, 93 yards, 2 TD |
| West Virginia | Receiving | Sam James | 8 reception, 66 yards |

### At Texas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Baylor | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
| Texas | 0 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX
* Date: Saturday, October 24, 2020
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 62 °F (17 °C), Wind: 4 mph (6.4 km/h)
* Game attendance: 18,202
* Referee: Kevin Mar
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek
* Pregame line: Texas −11.0
| Statistics | BAY | TEX |
| First downs | 22 | 19 |
| Total yards | 316 | 429 |
| Rushes/yards | 21/64 | 47/159 |
| Passing yards | 252 | 270 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 31–44–0 | 15–23–1 |
| Time of possession | 27:53 | 32:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 30–43, 256 yards, 2 TD |
| Baylor | Rushing | John Lovett | 4 carries, 21 yards |
| Baylor | Receiving | R.J. Sneed | 4 receptions, 62 yards |
| Texas | Passing | Sam Ehlinger | 15–23, 270 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Texas | Rushing | Keaontay Ingram | 16 carries, 57 yards |
| Texas | Receiving | Tarik Black | 1 reception, 72 yards |

### Vs. TCU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| TCU | 20 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 33 |
| Baylor | 0 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 23 |
at McLane Stadium • Waco, TX
* Date: Saturday, October 31, 2020
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: clear • Temperature: 70°F
* Game attendance: 11,667
* Referee: Michael Vandervelde
* TV: ESPN2
* Pregame line: TCU −2.5
| Statistics | TCU | BAY |
| First downs | 20 | 15 |
| Total yards | 385 | 278 |
| Rushes/yards | 44/247 | 33/75 |
| Passing yards | 138 | 203 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–23–0 | 17–37–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:23 | 28:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| TCU | Passing | Max Duggan | 14–23, 138 yards, 1 TD |
| TCU | Rushing | Darwin Barlow | 16 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD |
| TCU | Receiving | Quentin Johnston | 3 receptions, 64 yards |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 17–37, 203 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Baylor | Rushing | Craig Williams | 10 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD |
| Baylor | Receiving | Yusuf Terry | 2 receptions, 43 yards |

### At Iowa State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Baylor | 14 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
| Iowa State | 0 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 38 |
at Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA
* Date: Saturday, November 7, 2020
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: clear • Temperature: 66°F
* Game attendance: 13,535
* Referee: Scott Campbell
* TV: FS1
* Pregame line: Iowa State −14.0
| Statistics | BAY | ISU |
| First downs | 17 | 23 |
| Total yards | 366 | 362 |
| Rushes/yards | 27/71 | 41/198 |
| Passing yards | 295 | 164 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 22–33–2 | 15–24–3 |
| Time of possession | 26:55 | 33:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 22–33, 295 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Baylor | Rushing | Charlie Brewer | 10 carries, 29 yards |
| Baylor | Receiving | R.J. Sneed | 6 receptions, 93 yards, 1 TD |
| Iowa State | Passing | Brock Purdy | 15–24, 164 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT |
| Iowa State | Rushing | Breece Hall | 31 carries, 133 yards, 2 TD |
| Iowa State | Receiving | Charlie Kolar | 3 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD |

### At Texas Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Baylor | 7 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
| Texas Tech | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 24 |
at Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, TX
* Date: Thursday, November 14, 2020
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: windy• Temperature: 78°F
* Game attendance: 12,914
* Referee: David Alvarez
* TV: FS1
* Pregame line: Baylor −1.0
| Statistics | BAY | TTU |
| First downs | 20 | 19 |
| Total yards | 360 | 381 |
| Rushes/yards | 48/207 | 39/124 |
| Passing yards | 153 | 257 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–26–1 | 23–38–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:27 | 26:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 17–26, 153 yards, 1 INT |
| Baylor | Rushing | Qualan Jones | 21 carries, 86 yards |
| Baylor | Receiving | R.J. Sneed | 4 receptions, 58 yards |
| Texas Tech | Passing | Alan Bowman | 14–23, 181 yards, 1 INT |
| Texas Tech | Rushing | SaRodorick Thompson | 13 carries, 69 yards |
| Texas Tech | Receiving | KeSean Carter | 7 receptions, 64 yards |

### Vs. Kansas State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kansas State | 14 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| Baylor | 6 | 0 | 9 | 17 | 32 |
at McLane Stadium • Waco, TX
* Date: Saturday, November 28, 2020
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: rain • Temperature: 55°F
* Game attendance: 11,667
* Referee: Kevin Mar
* TV: ESPN2
* Pregame line: Baylor −5.0
| Statistics | KSU | BAY |
| First downs | 14 | 21 |
| Total yards | 344 | 420 |
| Rushes/yards | 35/256 | 36/71 |
| Passing yards | 88 | 349 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–18–2 | 31–39–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:42 | 34:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kansas State | Passing | Will Howard | 9–18, 88 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Kansas State | Rushing | Deuce Vaughn | 19 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD |
| Kansas State | Receiving | Briley Moore | 2 receptions, 55 yards |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 31–39, 349 yards, 2 TD |
| Baylor | Rushing | Charlie Brewer | 23 carries, 56 yards, 2 TD |
| Baylor | Receiving | R.J. Sneed | 6 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD |

### At Oklahoma

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Baylor | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK
* Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: clear • Temperature: 46°F
* Game attendance: 22,700
* Referee: Brandon Cruse
* TV: FOX
* Pregame line: Oklahoma −23.0
| Statistics | BAY | OKLA |
| First downs | 19 | 16 |
| Total yards | 288 | 269 |
| Rushes/yards | 26/25 | 31/76 |
| Passing yards | 263 | 193 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 30–56–2 | 20–28–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:50 | 30:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 30–56, 263 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Baylor | Rushing | Jonah White | 3 carries, 18 yards |
| Baylor | Receiving | Jonah White | 9 receptions, 63 yards |
| Oklahoma | Passing | Spencer Rattler | 20–28, 193 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Oklahoma | Rushing | Rhamondre Stevenson | 15 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD |
| Oklahoma | Receiving | Theo Wease | 5 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD |

### Vs. Oklahoma State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oklahoma State | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Baylor | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
at McLane Stadium • Waco, TX
* Date: Saturday, December 12, 2020
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: fair • Temperature: 57°F
* Game attendance: 11,667
* Referee: Brad van Vark
* TV: ESPNU
* Pregame line: Oklahoma State -6.0
| Statistics | OKST | BAY |
| First downs | 27 | 12 |
| Total yards | 608 | 156 |
| Rushes/yards | 47/261 | 31/70 |
| Passing yards | 347 | 86 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–30–2 | 18–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:45 | 26:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oklahoma State | Passing | Spencer Sanders | 20–30, 347 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Oklahoma State | Rushing | Dominic Richardson | 23 carries, 169 yards, 3 TD |
| Oklahoma State | Receiving | Dillon Stoner | 8 receptions, 247 yards, 3 TD |
| Baylor | Passing | Charlie Brewer | 13–26, 68 yards |
| Baylor | Rushing | Taye McWilliams | 5 carries, 33 yards |
| Baylor | Receiving | Qualan Jones | 8 receptions, 37 yards |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV* | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | RV | RV* | 24 | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |