It's a good thing Matt Rhule has been given a seven-year contract by Baylor. He might need it. In a low-key but nevertheless surprising upset, Baylor fell to Liberty of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in Waco, Texas. The Bears closed as 32.5-point favorites heading into the game but lost by three, 48-45.
The win marks Liberty's fifth win all-time against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school -- the Flames' previous wins came against Georgia State in 2015, Appalachian State in 2014, Ball State in 2010 and Eastern Michigan 1989 -- but the first against a Power Five team.
Liberty's athletic director, by the way, is Ian McCaw, who held the same position at Baylor during the schools' sexual assault scandal.
Liberty was led by quarterback Stephen Calvert, who goes by the appropriate nickname "Buckshot." He compiled 447 yards passing and three touchdowns in the win. The amount of offense Liberty was able to put up speaks to just how painfully young and thin Baylor's defense is this season. The Bears' two-deep is made up of an awful lot of freshmen and sophomores. And if the defense is going to struggle against a FCS team, one has to think Big 12 conference play is going to be a nightmare as well.
Baylor still has plenty of skill and speed, but the inability to win in the trenches and make a stop -- Liberty scored on four straight second-half possessions -- could make for a long season.
