LUBBOCK, Texas — 60,705 fans packed into Jones AT&T Stadium as the Baylor Bears faced off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday Night in Lubbock.
A sold-out crowd on a black-out game was supposed to bring an electric atmosphere. Heck, Patrick Mahomes was even being added to the Tech Ring of Honor, but Baylor players didn't seem to be bothered.
“I remember just seeing them leaving early, even when they stood a chance," linebacker Matt Jones said. "Seeing them leave early, I guess you could call them some fake fans, it was just nice.”
RELATED: Baylor defeats Texas Tech, 45-17
The Bears leader noticed the crowd that thinned out quite a bit from the beginning of the game to halfway through the fourth quarter. The Bears prepped all week for a chaotic atmosphere, blasting music and sound effects at practice.
“I thought BYU was more electric more intensifying," Jones said. "I didn’t think their fans really brought it like we were expecting, I think we had high expectations with the crowd and how it could be a distraction but I don’t think they distracted us one bit.”
The Bears 45-17 beatdown was a likely reason for a quiet crowd and energy that didn't match the expectations the Bears had. Dave Aranda said his team did exactly what they needed to do.
"I think when you execute, you silence the crowd and that’s really the own way the crowd gets silenced, you can wish it goes away or talk louder, or yell maybe, but the only way the crowd goes away is to execute and it ain’t really about the crowd, but what we do and what we control," Aranda said.
The Bears have now won two road games and improved to 3-2 in Big 12 play. They'll hit the road again next week and travel to Norman where the two will battle it out.
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