Baylor-WVU, Waco Reicher-Dallas First Baptist highlight Slovacek's I-35 Showdowns

Slovacek's logoTo honor the loyal football fans that travel great distances to support their favorite team, DCTF and our friends from Slovacek’s in West, Texas are proud to present The Slovacek’s I-35 Showdowns of the Week.Baylor (5-0) vs. West Virginia (3-2) 11 a.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but the 77 degrees forecast for kickoff this Saturday in Waco will likely do just fine for Baylor as they look to avenge the loss at West Virginia that very likely kept the Bears out of the inaugural College Football Playoff. A week after their epic comeback win over TCU that became the biggest game of the entire 2014 college football season, the Bears were ambushed in Morgantown by a Mountaineer squad the seized just about every opportunity in a shocking 41-27 upset. If Art Briles’ squad learned a lesson about the difficulty of playing in one of college football’s toughest road environments, they’ll have the opportunity to return the favor when West Virginia rolls into a place where no visiting team has ever emerged victorious. The task of going into Waco to earn a conference win got even more difficult for West Virginia when they lost their defensive leader, safety Karl Joseph, for the season after he was injured in practice. Even without him, though, the Mountaineers are by far the best defense the Bears will have faced so far this year. They’re giving up an average of just 202 aerial yards per game, and have yielded just six passing touchdowns all year – or about a usual half of work for Seth Russell and the Baylor offense. Waco Reicher Catholic (4-2) vs. Dallas First Baptist (4-2) 7:30 p.m. Friday at J.J. Kearns Stadium in Waco Baylor’s next step toward another Big 12 title won’t be the only display of quality private school football in Waco this weekend, as Mark Waggoner’s Cougars play host to Dallas First Baptist in a contest that has major implications on the title race in TAPPS Division III, District 2. Since being shut out in two consecutive September games, the First Baptist offense has been on fire- scoring 61, 53 and 48 points in a three game win streak that has pushed the Saints’ overall record to 4-2. In last week’s victory over McKinney Christian, senior quarterback Miles Thompson led the way with 282 yards passing and three touchdowns through the air and another two running the ball. His favorite target was fellow senior Kelan Smith, with whom he connected seven times for 111 yards and two scores. Reicher comes into the game riding a two-game win streak after breezing by Gainesville State School and a 42-0 road victory over Dallas Covenant last week. In that game, Cougar quarterback threw for 184 yards and two scores while also finding pay dirt on a two-point conversion run. Tailback Brad Bass also added two touchdowns on the ground.