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Baylor Bears (2000: 2-9) The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I-A teams, be sure to order the 2001 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
Coach and programBaylor second-year coach Kevin Steele is fighting tanks with spit wads. Baylor's athletic department budget of $18.5 million a year is last in the Big 12. By comparison, Texas' budget is $42.2 million while Nebraska's is $41.2 million.Still, Baylor tries to do its best. Over the last decade, it has improved the athletic department facilities at functional Floyd Casey Stadium. And in the last year, Baylor more than doubled the size of its weight and training rooms. Also, the Bears will dress in a new 8,000-square foot locker room featuring the same lockers NFL players use. But what impresses fans are victories. And while the Bears doubled their win total last season (from one to two), the progress was minimal. The offense imploded in October. During a three-week stretch, the Bears lost to Texas Tech, 28-0, to Texas A&M, 24-0, and to Nebraska, 56-0. The Bears had 568 yards of total offense in those three games. Statistically, the Bears finished last in the Big 12 in scoring offense, scoring defense, turnover margin, total offense, total defense and first downs. One of the major problems facing Steele is getting his players to believe they can win again. In particular, the Bears have lost 21 consecutive Big 12 games. Overall in Big 12 play they are 3-37. "We are on track because there are so many positive things happening within this program," Steele said. "We're not where we need to be depth-wise, but we're becoming a more broad-based talented football team. We now have a sense of competition at almost every position. "The toughest part of the rebuilding process is behind us." That's a statement of incredible confidence. Steele and his team will try to prove that statement to be correct over the next few seasons.
OffenseBaylor was last in Division I-A in total offense last season. A big reason for the inability to move the ball was the fact that the Bears averaged just 2.2 yards per rushing attempt.Unfortunately for Baylor, one of the key losses from last year's offensive unit is running back Darrell Bush. A plugger, Bush led the Bears with 517 yards. Bush closed out his career as the fourth-leading career rusher in Baylor history with 2,249 yards on 503 attempts. The two main ball carriers for 2001 probably will be junior Chedrick Ricks (5-8, 200) and sophomore Jonathan Golden (6-0, 208). Both are tailbacks who played last year as Bush's backups. In his first game as Baylor's quarterback, Greg Cicero directed the Bears to a 20-7 victory over North Texas, completing 17-of-28 passes for 213 yards. He ran an offense that had just two penalties, an eye-catching statistic for a season opener. Then, in the first quarter of game two against Minnesota, Cicero broke his collarbone. Baylor would try four other quarterbacks, but none were able to run the offense like Cicero. A 6-4, 213-pound junior, Cicero has recovered from his injury. He participated in spring drills, during which he tried to master the Bears' spread offense. Baylor hopes to copy the success achieved at Tulane and Clemson with the spread attack. The Bears' coaching staff spent a week at Clemson and also talked with new West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez to learn the best ways to implement the new offense. There is potential at the receiver position, but with Baylor going to a spread offense, there's got to be more bodies so that when the Bears go to four receiver looks, they've got legitimate targets on the field. Junior Reggie Newhouse (6-1, 197), the son of former Dallas Cowboys fullback Robert Newhouse, was Baylor's top receiver last season. He became the first Baylor receiver in 17 years to catch at least 40 passes in a season. He averaged 15.7 yards on 40 catches and four touchdowns.
Defense and special teamsSteele believes he has more talent and depth on defense and he's particularly pleased with how his defensive line is developing.Two junior college recruits and a prep school signee should shore up the defensive line -- junior A.C. Collier (6-3, 235) from Tyler (Texas) Junior College; freshman Jason Geter (6-5, 306) from Georgia Military; and junior Shaun Jackson (6-3, 238) from Grossmont (Calif.) Community College. Sophomore linebacker John Garrett (6-1, 235), a 2000 signing day coup, had an impressive season as a freshman. He played in all 11 games, starting five. He had 54 tackles, including six tackles for losses. Sophomores Eric Giddens (5-11, 189) and Bobby Hart (5-11, 183) are projected as the starters at the corners. Giddens played in 10 games last season as a redshirt freshman, with four starts. He finished with 36 tackles and two interceptions. Hart played in all 11 games as a freshman, with two starts. He totaled 22 tackles. Baylor must replace its top two kickoff returners in Martin Dorsett and Elijah Burkins. Davis and Ricks have experience returning kickoffs. Hart, who returned 18 punts for an 8.4-yard average, is expected to continue in that role.
Bottom lineSteele is pushing a large rock up a steep hill. Ending the Big 12 losing streak could help elevate the program, but even that won't be easy. Of the Bears' eight conference foes, the first six -- Iowa State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma -- all appeared in bowl games last season.The Bears need to keep their front line players healthy. They need young players to develop quickly. They need Cicero to give the offense direction. They need Newhouse and others to make big plays. And they need to steal a few victories (games with Minnesota, Texas Tech, Missouri and Oklahoma State are the most eligible for pilfering). That's a lot to ask. |
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