Getty Kyle Shurmur and the Vanderbilt Commodores will meet the Baylor Bears in the Texas Bowl.
The Baylor Bears will play the Vanderbilt Commodores in the Texas Bowl on Thursday, at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
The game is scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone, or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
ESPN and ESPN2 are both included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle. You can sign up for a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
Additionally, you can watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet, or streaming device via the ESPN app. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
2018 Texas Bowl Preview
The Bears (6-6) bested Texas Tech in their final game of the 2018 regular season to earn bowl eligibility.
“Of all the games I’ve been a part of, this is probably the most special,” fifth-year offensive lineman Blake Blackmar said, according to the Associated Press. “You think about all the things we’ve been through and everything that could have happened and would have happened. You’ve got to shut all of that out and the most important thing is what we’re going to do next.”
Sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer completed 22 of 30 passes for 308 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in Baylor’s 35-24 victory.
“Excited to have more time with those seniors,” Brewer said, per AP. “I have the utmost respect for those guys that have stuck around here through tougher times than I could ever imagine.”
Those seniors went 10-3 in 2015, 7-6 in 2016, and 1-11 in 2017.
“I can’t understand everything that [the seniors have] been through,” second-year Bears head coach Matt Rhule said, according to the Baylor Lariat. “To come out where it’s a positive story and all the tweets today are happy, all the guys are fired up and excited, they did that. And they earned it. They did that through hard work. If you learn a lesson coming out of our program, it’s that hard work isn’t punishment. If you want something in life you have to earn it. For me, it’s just like a step. We got to 6-6. We got to a bowl game.”
Sophomore running back John Lovett carried 28 times for 125 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Red Raiders.
“We were all able to see the things we did last year and see how close we were to … winning some games and doing a lot of good things,” Blackmar said, per the Lariat. “And we just never quite sealed the deal. We’ve made a ton of progress and big strides. To be able to seal the deal and go to a bowl game now — and, you know, it is really a turning point for the team and, hopefully, for how we’re going to lead Baylor going forward.”
The Bears are playing a Commodores (6-6) squad that had to win its last two games to reach a bowl. They’re led by senior quarterback Kyle Shurmur, who lit up Tennessee in Vandy’s last tilt, going 31-of-35 for 367 yards, three touchdowns, and no picks in a 38-13 shellacking.
“The respect I have for Vanderbilt [and] coach [Derek] Mason, they had to win their last two games to get bowl eligible. They went out and earned this. They’re going to be excited to play,” Rhule said, per the Lariat. “We’re playing one of the best quarterbacks in the country. They know how to play defense. I think all those things will be really good for our team. We need to go out and defend a really good quarterback. We need to see if we can play better up front versus a really good SEC defensive line.”