Not too long ago, the toughest questions Baylor football coaches faced were those that brought up the Bears’ weak nonconference schedule.
Then the tough questions became much darker as a Title IX scandal that came along with multiple sexual assault charges tarnished the program.
Interim Baylor coach Jim Grobe has had to field many questions about the program’s culture. Perhaps the upside of that is no one has asked him about the continuing lack of interesting or challenging September games for the Bears.
This week, Baylor faces SMU, which some in Texas regard as a rise in competition. While it is a step up from an FCS foe, it’s uncertain how big a step. The Mustangs went 2-10 under first-year head coach Chad Morris last season. The Ponies began this season on Saturday by pulling away from a rebuilding North Texas team in the third quarter for an unimpressive 34-21 win.
If Baylor has to play its starters past the midway point of the third quarter, it will be regarded as a bad sign for the Bears going forward.
The big item of interest will be Baylor running back Shock Linwood’s quest to become the school’s career rushing leader. Linwood rushed for 97 yards on nine carries against Northwestern State and needs 107 more to pass former Bear and Pittsburgh Steeler Walter Abercrombie.
Abercrombie finished his Baylor career with 3,665 yards from 1978-81.
Barring injury, Linwood is going to pass Abercrombie and keep going, perhaps adding another 1,000 yards to the Baylor career mark.
After watching Linwood in a game for the first time as the Bears head coach, Grobe was impressed.
“What I really liked about Shock was his energy,” Grobe said. “When he got on the field you could just tell he was ready to roll. The extra yardage he got the other night was fun to see.”
Grobe is very likely in for a lot more fun the next couple of weeks.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Shock Linwood will be the star in the second game of the season as he has Baylor’s career rushing mark in his sights. The 107 yards he needs to surpass Walter Abercrombie are well within his capability versus SMU.
–QB Seth Russell hit two different tight ends for touchdowns as well as wide receivers KD Cannon and Pooh Stricklin in the opener. He’ll have a chance to put up bigger passing numbers later in the season, but he’s off to a good start.
–LB Taylor Young played about as much as the rest of his first-string teammates, which is to say not much, but he made the most of his time. Young posted five solo tackles, including a sack and 2.5 other tackles for losses totaling 21 yards.