April 30, 2008

2008 Baylor Football Preview

Briles' Bears Conclude Spring Practice

A new era in Baylor football was ushered in Nov. 28, 2007, when Art Briles was introduced as the Bears' 25th head coach. A native Texan who has spent his entire life in the Lone Star state, Briles came to Waco following a highly successful five-year tenure as head coach at the University of Houston where he guided the Cougars to four bowl games and a 34-28 record.

The Bears completed spring workouts April 5 with a controlled scrimmage and Briles was pleased with what his team accomplished during its 15 practices.

"Our spring went well," Briles said. "We had a lot of personnel to look at and a lot of schemes to get in on both sides of the ball. But our guys did a great job. They're a hungry football team, they're an eager football team and we're anxious to get them on the field in the fall. We think we had a real productive spring."

Baylor returns 48 lettermen, including 17 starters from last year's team which went 3-9 overall and 0-8 in the Big 12. All-told, the Bears return nine starters on offense, six on defense as well as their first-team place-kicker and punter.

"Like I've said from Day 1, the first thing we have to do is earn respect," Briles said. "When people talk about Baylor football, it needs to be in a respectful manner. Then we have got to be credible on the field. We've got to put our wares out there on the field, turn them loose, and it needs to be a productive system that's out there. So that's the stages that we're at and that's what we're working on."

Baylor opens its 2008 season Aug. 30 at home against 2007 Meineke Bowl champion Wake Forest.

2008 Baylor Outlook

Offensively, the Bears return nine starters from last year's unit which averaged 351.2 yards per game, Baylor's highest mark since 1995 (383.3 ypg). Baylor must replace running back Brandon Whitaker, who led the Bears in both rushing (40.7 ypg) and receiving (58-425), as well as offensive guard Chad Smith, a two-year starter along the o-line.

Most of the attention during sping pratice was focused on the quarterback battle between senior Kirby Freeman, a transfer from Miami, Fla., who has one season of eligibility remaining, junior Blake Szymanski, a 10-game starter for the Bears a year ago, and true freshman Robert Griffin, who graduated from Copperas Cove [Texas] High School in December 2007 and went through spring ball with the Bears. The trio emerged from spring ball sharing the top line on the depth chart and figure to be pushed by incoming junior college transfer Jeremy Sanders during fall camp.

"They're all really good. We can win with them," Briles said of the quarterbacks. "I thought all the quarterbacks played really well. I'm proud of the way they led through the spring. All three of those guys are good players, really good players."

Baylor's offensive line, which allowed just 21 sacks last year (the program's fewest since 1995), returns four starters--fifth-year senior Jason Smith at right tackle, fifth-year senior Dan Gay at left tackle, as well as a pair of juniors who started every game a year ago in center J.D. Walton and right guard James Barnard. Jason Smith has more career starts (27) than any returning Baylor player on either side of the ball.

"The o-line's got to be a strength for us from an offensive standpoint, because however good they are up front is however good we're going to be offensively," Briles said. "Those guys (Jason Smith, J.D. Walton and Dan Gay) are going to be the heart and soul of our offense, because as they go, we go as an offense. We've got some guys that should be all-conference and maybe even All-Americans in some instances."

At running back, sophomore Jay Finley emerged from spring ball No. 1 on the depth chart with fifth-year senior Jacoby Jones and senior Ray Sims, a converted safety, sharing the No. 2 line. Finley and Jones averaged 17.2 ypg and 27.4 ypg, respectively a year ago, while Sims returns to a position he played in high school.

"I thought Jay (Finley) and Jacoby (Jones) ran extremely tough," Briles said. "And that's what we need. Jacoby was hurt early, so he just came on there at the end. But they both fought hard for yards, protected the ball. So that's a good sign. Ray (Sims) will be in the mix. Ray's a tough guy, too. He's got good feet. We'll be fine there."

The Bears also return eight of their top nine receivers from a year ago, including four of five players who caught at least 30 balls in 2007--TE Justin Akers (43-426), TE Brad Taylor (35-465), IR Thomas White (34-475) and WR David Gettis (31-407).

"We had a couple injuries with Ernest (Smith) and Mikail (Baker), so those guys didn't get to finish the spring, which hurt them a little bit," Briles said. "They were learning how to play fast. And that's the thing we stressed was playing fast, playing fast. And they're getting that. I thought David Gettis improved tremendously through the spring. I thought he became more polished at the end of spring. And those other guys were productive."

After playing a 4-2-5 defense the past five years, Baylor has switched to a 4-3 look in 2008 with the arrival of new defensive coordinator Brian Norwood from Penn State. The Bears return six starters from a year ago, including their top two tacklers in junior FS Jordan Lake and junior LB Joe Pawelek, who had 120 and 99 tackles, respectively, a year ago.

"I thought their effort and attitude was outstanding," Briles said of the Bears' defenders. "We're still tinkering with a few positions and making sure we've got the right guys in the right spots. But that will take care of itself."

Three of Baylor's returning defensive starters are along the line in senior DT Vincent Rhodes, NT Trey Bryant and DE Jason Lamb, a trio who started every game in 2007. DE Leon Freeman, who led the 2007 Bears in tackles for loss with 9.5 stops behind the line, is the odds on favorite to start opposite Lamb.

"We need for all those guys up front to be men," Briles said. "They've just got to man up, because we don't have a lot of depth there. But if I was a player, I'd be happy, because it would mean I'd get to play a lot. So they've got to man up and play and they've got to prepare their bodies and get themselves ready for football-related war. But Jason (Lamb) had a great spring. Jason's a big body that has got quick twitch. Vincent Rhodes needs to be the most dominant d-lineman Baylor's had in the last decade. That's the way he needs to approach his season. Trey Bryant is a guy that could be a difference-maker for us. A big guy that's quick twitch."

Pawelek leads a young but talented linebacking corps that must replace two-year starter Nick Moore. Junior Antonio Jones and sophomores Antonio Johnson, a converted defensive end, Chris Francis and Earl Patin, a pair of All-Big 12 freshman selections a year ago, help make this one of the squad's deepest positions.

"I think they need to be a force defensively," Briles said of the Baylor linebackers. "I think we've got great depth. It should be the strength of our defense. We're two-deep. I think we've got six guys that can play."

Baylor lost its two starting cornerbacks a year ago, Josh Bell and Alton Widemon, to graduation. Fifth-year senior Dwain Crawford played rover a year ago and ranked No. 8 on the squad in tackles (48) despite misssing three gamesdue to injury, but he's moved to cornerback for his final Green & Gold campaign. Sophomore Krys Buerck, who made six starts at wide receiver a year ago, moved to corner prior to spring practice and came out No. 1 on the depth chart opposite Crawford.

Lake, a consensus second-team All-Big 12 pick in 2007 missed all of spring practice recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, which gave senior Jake La Mar, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection a year ago at rover, an opportunity at safety and he shares the top line on the depth chart with Lake. Junior Jeremy Williams, who started four games a year ago at outside safety, is listed No. 1 opposite Lake and La Mar.

"In the secondary, our objective is to rate our top five guys and get them on the field," said Briles. "That's our objective, regardless of position. Safety, corner, nickel back, whatever. Strong safety, free safety. Who's the five best? Let's get them on the field. And that's what we're trying to get to. I think those guys had a good spring."

Sophomore Derek Epperson, who averaged 39.1 yards per punt as a true freshman en route to a spot on The Sporting News' Big 12 All-Freshman team, returns for his second year as Baylor's punter, while sophomore Shea Brewster, who split the Bears' place-kicking chores a year ago as a true freshman, is also back.

"I feel real good about the kicking game," Briles said. "I thought (Shea) Brewster had a great spring and (Derek) Epperson did a great job. And then our snapper, Carter (Brunelle). Those guys performed at the level they have to perform at."

When fall camp opens in August, Briles expects to see a different looking football team.

"I think they'll be entirely different August 1 than they were April 1," he said. "I expect them to be stronger and carry their body weight better, so that they can add weight but good body weight. And then mentally and physically be a machine. They've got to make their body a machine and let their mind control it."

Coaching Staff Features New Faces

Eight of Baylor's nine assistant coaches are new to the program, as linebackers coach Larry Hoefer is the lone returnee from the previous staff.

While head coach Art Briles calls his own plays, his offensive staff includes co-coordinators Randy Clements (line) and Philip Montgomery (quarterbacks/running backs), both of whohom served on Briles' staff at Houston. Dino Babers coaches the outside receivers and serves as recruiting coordinator, while Kendal Briles directs the inside receivers.

Defensive coordinator Brian Norwood, who joined the Baylor staff after spending the past seven years working as an assistant on Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno's Penn State staff, will lead a staff that includes Chris Achuff (tackles), Kim McCloud (cornerbacks), Theo Young (ends) and Hoefer.

Trading Places

Notable position changes that took place during spring ball included the movement of senior John David Weed (from quarterback to inside receiver), junior Mikail Baker (from wide receiver to inside receiver), sophomore Krys Buerck (from wide receiver to cornerback), sophomore Antonio Johnson (from defensive end to linebacker), sophomore V.J. McElroy (from cornerback to inside receiver), junior Sam Sledge (from offensive line to defensive line), redshirt freshman Matt Singletary (from defensive end to inside receiver), senior Ray Sims (from outside safety to running back), senior Dwain Crawford (from rover to cornerback) and redshirt freshman Elliot Coffey (from safety to linebacker). Nine of those 10 are listed either first or second on the post-spring depth chart with five players--Weed, Baker, Buerck, Johnson and Crawford--listed No. 1 at their new positions.

Another Tough Schedule On Tap For 2008 Bears

After playing eight of 12 games a year ago against teams that went on to earn bowl invitations, Baylor will face eight bowl teams in 2008, including six of its eight Big 12 opponents. Over the last five seasons, 32 of the Bears' 40 Big 12 Conference games have been against teams that ended their season in a bowl game.

Baylor's 12 2008 opponents combined for a 91-69 (.569) record a year ago and eight received bowl bids--Wake Forest (Meinike champion), UConn (Meinike), Oklahoma (Fiesta), Oklahoma State (Insight champion), Missouri (Cotton champion), Texas (Holiday champion), Texas A&M (Alamo) and Texas Tech (Gator champion). Baylor's eight 2008 Big 12 foes went 64-40 (.615) a year ago and recorded four of the league's five bowl wins.

The Bears open the Art Briles-era with three consecutive home games as Wake Forest (Aug. 30), Northwestern State (Sept. 6) and Washington State (Sept. 13) visit Floyd Casey Stadium before Baylor completes non-conference play with a Sept. 19 game at UConn that will be televised nationally on ESPN2. All-told, Baylor will play seven home games at Floyd Casey Stadium, as it opens Big 12 play with home contests against Oklahoma (Oct. 4) and Iowa State (Oct. 11), followed by home tilts against Missouri (Nov. 1) and Texas A&M (Nov. 15). The Bears' league road games are at Oklahoma State (Oct. 18), Nebraska (Oct. 25), Texas (Nov. 8) and Texas Tech (Nov. 29).

Baylor plays three consecutive home games to open a season for the first time since 1992 and enjoys a seven-game home slate for just the sixth time since Floyd Casey Stadium opened its gates in 1950.

Maximum Protection

Baylor returns four starters from an offensive line which yielded just 21 sacks a year ago (on a school-record 561 pass attempts), the program's fewest since 1995. Three times last year the o-line did not allow a sack in a game and it went consecutive games (at Texas A&M, Colorado) without allowing a sack for the first time since a three-game run late in the 1995 campaign (at Miami, at SMU, Rice).

From 1998 through 2006, Baylor quarterbacks were sacked 328 times in 113 games (2.9 per game), allowing at least 25 sacks each season and a high of 52 sacks in a 12-game 2002 schedule. In 2007, the Bears allowed only 1.8 sacks per game. More impressively, the Bears' quarterbacks were sacked once every 11.3 pass attempts from 1998 through 2006; but in 2007, they were sacked once every 26.7 pass attempts.

A pair of fifth-year senior tackles who began their Baylor careers at different positions, Jason Smith and Dan Gay, anchor the Bears' line on the left and right side, respectively. Junior center J.D. Walton and junior right guard James Barnard also return after both started every game a year ago. Gay, Walton and Barnard all started every game along the line a year ago for the Bears, while Smith drew seven starts despite battling a knee injury and has more career starts (27) than any active Baylor player on either side of the ball.

Let's Go To The Lake

Junior free safety Jordan Lake, a consensus second-team All-Big 12 performer as a sophomore in 2007, missed all of spring practice while recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, but he's expected to be full-speed when fall camp opens in August and should contend for All-America honors in his final two seasons at Baylor. Lake registered six double-digit tackle games a year ago and finished the season with 120 total tackles, the most by a Baylor player since Maurice Lane's 129 tackles in 2003.

He ranked third in the Big 12 (No. 1 among defensive backs) and No. 30 nationally with 10.0 tackles per game a year ago. Lake had a hand in six of the 19 turnovers the Baylor defense created a year ago, as he picked off a pair of passes, recovered two fumbles and forced a pair of fumbles in 12 starts.

Pawelek Looks To Build On Outstanding Underclass Years

After establishing himself as one of the Big 12's top linebackers as a freshman and sophomore, junior Joe Pawelek is also a Baylor All-America candidate both in the classroom and on the field. Pawelek earned second-team All-Big 12 honors from several media outlets as a sophomore when he ranked second on the team in tackles with 99 stops. Pawelek also added 8.0 tackles behind the line to rank second on the squad.

With 22 career starts to his credit, Pawelek has the most starts of any returning Baylor defender and the second-most (along with Dan Gay) among any BU returnee. In just two seasons, he's totaled 185 tackles in 24 games and needs just 132 stops to crack the Bears' all-time top 10; 33 assisted stops to reach Baylor's top 10 in that category, too.

Baylor Notepad

Junior QB Blake Szymanski established Baylor single-season records for touchdown passes (22), pass attempts (461), completions (264), passing yards (2,844), total-offense attempts (522), total-offense yards (2,942) and touchdowns responsible for (23) in 11 games (10 starts) a year ago ... Baylor had five receivers register at least 30 receptions in the same season for the first time ever and four of those players return in 2008 ... Sixteen different Bears tallied at least one reception a year ago ... Senior IR Thomas White led Baylor in scoring with 48 points a year ago, the first time a non-kicker led the Bears in that category since 2002 and the first time a receiver led the club since 2001 ... Baylor averaged 36.7 points in its three wins a year ago and just 12.0 points in its nine setbacks ... On the flip side, the Bears yielded just 21.7 points in their three wins and 42.1 in their setbacks ... Baylor has won 14 of its last 19 games when scoring 24 or more points ... Baylor averaged 351.2 total-offense yards per game a year ago, its highest mark since 1995, and established school season records for passing yards (3,281), completions (309), attempts (561), while ranking No. 2 in both touchdown passes (23) and passing yards per game (273.4) ... Baylor returns six of its top 10 tacklers from a year ago, including three of its top five in junior FS Jordan Lake (No. 1, 120), junior LB Joe Pawelek (No. 2, 99) and senior FS Jake La Mar (No. 5, 67).