Baylor Bears Football Season Preview

Art Briles may only be 15-22 in his first three years for the Baylor Bears, but fans in Waco have been pumped with how the atmosphere has changed. No longer are these the “Bad News Bears”; instead they are an exciting team filled with highlight reel plays on both sides of the ball.

They are coming off a solid 7-6 season and despite getting blown out by Illinois 38-14 in their bowl game, most experts (Phil Steele, Lindy’s, Athlon’s) have them bowling once again in 2011. Remember, the Bears have lost not one but two first rounders to the NFL Draft in offensive guard Danny Watkins and defensive tackle Phil Taylor.

Most Athletic in America

The main reason there is excitement is because superstar record-setting quarterback Robert Griffin, also known as “RG III”, is back after throwing for the most yards in program history (6,073). He threw for 3,501 yards and 22 TDs while completing 67% of his passes last season.

This was obviously not the same guy that came off a torn ACL in 2009 because he would not have been able to run for 635 yards and 8 TDs. Griffin is an absolute athletic freak that carries this team on his back more than any player in America

Touched by a Duck

Griffin will be without one of his best players in running back Jay Finley (1218 yds & 12 TDs). Because of his loss, the Baylor backfield was not expected to be as experienced or talented.

However, the recent development of former Oregon runner Lache Seastrunk (5’9”, 188 pound freshman) has changed things. He was the third best back coming out of high school according to Phil Steele and was the 40th best overall prospect according to ESPN. He has a ton of speed and would make the Bears' backfield one of the more explosive ones in the Big 12.

The former Duck is expected to be able to play right away due to transferring because of family health concerns. Also, Jarred Salubi will be filling in for Finley as will Terrance Ganaway (6’0”, 240-pounds) who is more of a goal-line/bulldozing fullback.

Offensive Fireworks

Griffin is a decent bet to come close to leading the team in rushing since he loves to take off when pressure comes his way.  Luckily for Griffin and the Bears, the receiving corp is absolutely loaded according to Briles.

All Big-12 performer Kendall Wright (78 catches, 952 yards, 7 TDs) has become a stud and will need to live up with Josh Gordon (42 catches, 714 yards, 7 TDs) getting dismissed from the team. Wright is a yards-after-catch machine that will receive plenty of help from his teammates.

Terrance Williams (43 catches, 484 yards, 4 TDs) and Lanear Sampson (42 catches, 390 yards) are both capable, talented receivers who have gotten the job done before.

Also looking to make an impact will be tight end transfer (Stanford) Jordan Najvar who at 6’6”, 260 pounds is a huge target that will punish Big 12 defensive backs and linebackers if the receivers and Griffin do their job. Stretching the field will not be a problem for these Bears as they have all the weapons to get open for Griffin.

Defensive Letdown

Baylor’s run defense was pretty abysmal last year, ranking 79th and giving up an average of 170 yards per game. The loss of Phil Taylor may not be costly because Tevin Elliott will look to wreak havoc as the top pass rusher on the team. Everybody but Taylor returns so the line should see improved numbers.

The linebackers corp was fairly weak in 2010, and with Brody Trahan switching from quarterback to linebacker and Elliot Coffey moving from outside to inside, the Bears are just trying their best players on the field at all times. This is among the worst corps in the Big 12, and if injuries occur then this unit will only get worse.

The secondary ranked 114th a season ago, giving up 265 yards per game. With only one starter back the numbers may not improve all that much. Chance Casey is a solid cover corner and the safety duo of Sam Holl and Mike Hicks has the potential to be the best in a while in Waco.

Still, the depth at corner is weak and they are just physical, big, or athletic enough to get the job done against receivers that are All-Americans in the Big 12. 

Schedule Outlook

The Bears easily have the toughest schedule in the Big 12 and have a top five difficulty of any team in the nation. TCU, Oklahoma, OK ST and Texas A&M are all ranked inside the top twelve save TCU. Texas and Missouri are tough home games that can come down to the wire if the offense finds a way to hang 30 points.

The season opener against Gary Patterson’s Horned Frogs will be a tough one even though it is a home opener in front of a national TV audience on a Friday night via ESPN. It would be one hell of a victory if they could pull it off against a speedy, physical, loaded defensive team that is losing their all-time leader in Andy Dalton.

 

Drama's Forecast

Regardless if they win or lose the opener, they will be favored in their next four games against Stephen F. Austin, Rice, Kansas State and Iowa State. The offense will go bonkers in those games and I will be surprised if Griffin does not account for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in those cupcake games.

The Big12 may have lost Colorado and Nebraska, but it is far from an inferior BCS conference since Oklahoma is the preseason No. 1 team and the Aggies and Pokes are both legit BCS contenders.

Some believe the Longhorns will be ranked sooner than later and the Missouri Tigers have been a proven commodity the past few years under Gary Pinkel. Even if they cannot knock off any of those teams, a 6-6 season is more than likely to occur. If the Bears can win their first bowl game since 1992, they are a lock to have one of the most successful seasons in school history.  

Predicted Finish: 8-5, 4-5

Predicted Bowl: Insight Bowl 

Predicted order of finish in Big 12: Fifth