All Sooners

Oklahoma Schedule Preview: Meet the Baylor Bears

The Sooners play last year's conference champs in Norman this time around.

Ross Lovelace

As September creeps closer, AllSooners previews every game on the 2022 schedule.

Oklahoma’s 12-game regular season schedule features six home games, five away games and the annual neutral-site Red River Showdown.

After a sneaky trip to Ames, the Sooners return to Norman to take on defending Big 12 champ Baylor.

Baylor Bears

  • Oct. 7, Norman
  • Head Coach: Dave Aranda
  • 2021 record: 12-2, 7-2 Big 12

Key Players

DT Siaki Ika

Ika was a second team All-Big 12 member a season ago and will be a key cog in the Baylor defense. Under Aranda, the Bears have quickly gained the reputation for stout defenses, and the talent is there to keep that trend going.

The Bears will rely on Ika to lead the defensive line, as the former LSU transfer has come on strong in Waco. Last season, he registered 24 tackles, 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss. Look for him to step up in a big way and anchor the entire unit.

LB Dillon Doyle

Doyle is another key member of the Bears' defense coming off of a big 2021 season. The former Iowa transfer has accounted for 145 tackles and two sacks in two seasons.

The hard-hitting linebacker is also a leader on this Baylor team. Doyle is a junior and is  very experienced on the field and was recently chosen by the Bears to attend Big 12 Media Days. At 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, he has great size and physicality to succeed in an Aranda-led defense.

QB Blake Shapen

Aranda pulled the trigger early in naming Shapen the starting quarterback this spring, solidifying what the Bears’ coaching staff thinks of the signal caller’s abilities and letting former starter Gerry Bohanon transfer to South Florida, where this week he was named the Bulls' starter. Shapen dazzled in limited action as a freshman last season and will have a chance to fully shine this fall.

The rising sophomore threw for 596 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions late in the year last season, coming up clutch for the Bears. He also completed an impressive 72 percent of his passes, displaying skilled accuracy. Shapen has a chance to take command of the Baylor offense this season, and years to come.

RB Craig Williams

Williams will step up for the Bears after they graduated experience out of the backfield. He and Shapen will form a new-look duo, hoping to lead Baylor back to the Big 12 Championship.

The sophomore has only played seven games, recording 247 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. He has elite quickness and burst and is guaranteed to make a handful of home run plays.

2022 Oklahoma Schedule

The rundown

Coach Dave Aranda has established consistency in Waco. The Bears are now expected to perform well year in and year out no matter the experience and talent lost. That’s no different this fall. Baylor squeaked by a good amount of teams last season, but just consistently did what it took to win.

“The enthusiasm when you start is going to be there,” Aranda said to Baylor reporters. “It’s mixed in with some wisdom and maybe some expectation, and we’re awfully grateful there’s some high standard in there too. It’s been a good mix that way. There was energy from start to finish. We were flying through stuff and executing stuff. For the first day, it was really good.”

The Bears are once again expected to compete for a Big 12 Championship after a wild last-second win over Oklahoma State in 2021. Being crowned conference champions is a massive deal for Baylor and one that should set their program up for future success.

If Shapen is as talented as he looked at points last season, the Bears are in good shape. The offensive line will look to provide solid protection behind senior experience from Connor Galvin. Look for the defense to not miss a step, while the offense finds its rhythm early on.

“We talk about running into a storm, and we talk about the road games coming up,” Aranda said. “Our ability to take advantage of opportunities in practices is going to give us a chance during the season when the storms hit.”

Published
Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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