After Saturday’s 16-13 overtime loss to Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, the Baylor Bears began the process of putting their first loss of the season behind them.

The Bears (3-1, 0-1 Big 12) were off to their first 3-0 start since 1996, but Texas A&M was too much for Baylor to handle.

“Overall, we played well,” said Baylor coach Guy Morriss. “We played extremely hard.”

Baylor struggled in the red zone, turning the ball over on downs, losing a fumble and missing two field goals.

“We made some mistakes that really hurt us in the clutch,” Morriss said. “We just couldn’t make a play when we needed one.

“We’ve got some things we need to get ironed out before going to play Iowa State.”

Although the offense struggled at times on Saturday the defense shined again. The Bears are now ranked No. 16 in the nation in scoring defense.

“The defense kept us in [the game] and gave us a chance to win it,” Morriss said.

Baylor led until A&M converted two fourth-down conversions on a last-ditch drive, culminating in a game-tying 25-yard field goal with 56 seconds to play in regulation.

Baylor took a lead after kicking a field goal in the first overtime period, but it took just three plays for the Aggies to find the end zone for the 16-13 victory.

Iowa State suffered a similar fate in their contest with Nebraska. The Cyclones held a 13-10 fourth-quarter lead, and later, a 20-13 lead in overtime before falling 27-20 in double overtime.

The Baylor defense frustrated Texas A&M’s dual-threat quarterback Reggie McNeal all day, holding him to just 133 yards.

A defensive performance against the pass like that could lead to success against an Iowa State team that comes into the game dead last in the Big 12 for rushing offense with their third-string tailback scheduled to start.

Morriss also said because his team got to play McNeal the week before facing Iowa State’s Bret Meyer will be a benefit.

“[Meyer and McNeal] are very similar in style and athleticism,” he said. “It definitely helps to play them [back-to-back].”

One of the advantages Morriss sees in his team is the play of running back Paul Mosely.

Mosely rushed for 133 yards on 22 carries to help lead the Baylor offense.

“Paul Mosely has played as we expect him to play,” Morriss said. “He’s becoming a complete back and he’s rounding out into a fine football player.”

The contest in Ames will mark the 38th conference road game the Bears have played in since joining the Big 12. Baylor owns a 0-37 record in those Big 12 road contests.

Morriss said he knows, however, that the Cyclones will be ready to play and it will be up to his team to answer the challenge.

“Knowing Dan [McCarney] he’ll have [Iowa State] fired up and ready to play when we get into town,” he said.

“I think whoever can rebound the fastest [from last week] and have a good week of practice will win the game on Saturday.”