Baylor QB Blake Shapen OUT vs. Texas; Who Will Start?

The Baylor Bears announced their starting quarterback against the No. 3 Texas Longhorns.
Baylor QB Blake Shapen OUT vs. Texas; Who Will Start?
Baylor QB Blake Shapen OUT vs. Texas; Who Will Start? /
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Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda announced Monday that quarterback Sawyer Robertson would remain their starter against the No. 3 Texas Longhorns Saturday.

Blake Shapen went down with an MCL injury during the fourth quarter of Baylor's season opener against the Texas State Bobcats, giving way to Robertson to start each of the last two of the Bears' games.

"Blake is still probably a week out and so not anticipating or expecting Blake in this game," Aranda said.

Blake Shapen
© Raymond Carlin III, USA TODAY

In three games this season, Robertson is 28-for-62 with 444 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Aranda said he felt Robertson was trying to be "too perfect" while "trying to not lose the game."

"The challenge with so much of this is to keep the outside on the outside and just to focus on what's on the inside," Aranda said. "I feel like I failed him in that respect. To clear the air with it and get focused on what's right in front of him, I think gives him a great chance to be competitive and go after it and all that."

Robertson's competitiveness extends beyond the football field, Aranda said.

"We have a ping pong table in our player's lounge," Aranda said. "The specialists — our snappers and our holders — are kind of bullies of the ping pong table, and so they whoop up on anyone that comes. But, Sawyer whoops up on them and calls them out. Then, there's the Pop-A-Shot and he wants to compete. The boy competes versus anybody with anything."

Aranda is confident in Robertson heading into his third-career start this Saturday against Texas and said the transfer from Mississippi State is "ready for another bite at the apple."


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