BAYLOR 68, NORTHWESTERN STATE 13: Bears Destroy Demons, Improve to 2-1

Robert Griffin truly must be Superman.

Griffin, playing injured after taking a hard hit in the first quarter, helped the Baylor Bears (2-1) destroy the Northwestern State Demons (0-4) in a landslide victory, 68-13, on Saturday evening at Floyd Casey Stadium.

“At first I was just thankful that he was able to get back on the field,” Baylor Head Coach Art Briles said. “I knew the way he got hit that he was bent up a little bit and for him to come back and play showed a lot of guts and determination, which he always shows. He performed tremendously well and got our guys going. We’ll have to wait and see what the final analysis is but we’re just glad he got to get back out there and play tonight.”

Although Griffin’s season-ending injury is now part of today’s breaking news, it was information that Briles and the coaching staff were still unaware of at the conclusion of Saturday’s victory.

“When it happened the pain was a 10, but going back out there it was probably a four or five,” Griffin said. “I knew I had to get back in the game no matter what was wrong with me. Coming off the field I didn’t think I could go back in, but once I got off the field and started jogging I got some stability back and was fine.”

For Griffin, returning to the gridiron was really never a question or a doubt.

“I take pride in being a quarterback and that’s what quarterback’s do,” Griffin said. “Some run away from getting hit and sometimes you have to get hit to make a big play, and that’s just part of being a quarterback. I know that I can’t harp on that and just have to get back out there and lead my team.”

And that’s exactly what he did—garnering 226 yards in the air on 13-of-19 passes for three touchdowns, as the Bears battled back from an early 7-0 deficit and never looked back—chasing daylight in a 68-13 rout.

“The team performed really well,” Griffin said. “The defense played really well, and as an offense we came back and put a lot of points on the board and executed. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, so we were making big plays. The running backs ran well and receivers caught the ball.”

Regardless of Griffin and Makail Baker’s season-ending injuries, the Baylor Bears put on a show for the home crowd on Saturday evening at Floyd Casey Stadium.

“Well in my opinion, it’s hard to define confidence,” Briles said. “Reality and confidence are two different things. You may be confident you’re writing a good story, but someone else may not view it that way. It’s all what is in the eye of the beholder. We understand we didn’t play real way last week and the outcome did not come out in our favor. Having a win tonight got us another win and what we’re going to try to do is go out and win against Kent State next Saturday.”

As Briles said, the Bears return to the gridiron next Saturday, Oct. 3, in a Floyd Casey Stadium match-up with Kent State—in a game slated to kickoff at 6 p.m.

Currently, backup quarterback Blake Szymanski is listed as “day-to-day,” but Briles and the coaching staff are hoping he’ll be ready for Saturday.

“Blake is mature; he is weathered; he is a veteran and he understands,” Briles said the day-after the Bears victory. “When he is on the field we have a pretty good indication of what the outcome is going to be because he pays attention and he is knowledgeable. He can get things done from an offensive standpoint. When he gets on the field we expect good things to happen. He is a good player.”

Following Saturday’s game with Kent State, the Bears begin Big 12 action on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Oklahoma.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]