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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

With an emphasis on keeping players healthy, the Baylor football team went through limited scrimmage situations and capped off Thursday's session with the first-team units going against the scout team.

"That was one of the big concerns today," head coach Jim Grobe said after Thursday's scrimmage at McLane Stadium. "We wanted to get some work; it's not time to call it off yet. But, we wanted to make sure in our last scrimmage that we got a chance to look at some of the things we might see against Northwestern State and get started on that. The game day organization stuff was the most important thing today, besides keeping everybody healthy."

Senior quarterback Seth Russell was particularly sharp, completing 6-of-8 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown. He engineered a pair of scoring drives, with Terence Williams capping the first with a five-yard TD run and then Pooh Stricklin hauling in a 42-yard TD pass from Russell.

Other than the scout team work at the end, there were a total of just 41 plays, with the first-, second- and third-team units racking up a total of 233 yards. Getting a better push from the offensive line, Williams, JaMycal Hasty and Shock Linwood combined for 64 yards on 14 carries.

"We had been through so much hot weather with those big guys, and they had gotten very few days to rest," Grobe said. "We were really gassing those guys out, because they were getting all the reps. I think what you're starting to see now is some fresh legs. They have a little more energy now, and with that they're going to think a little better and move their feet a little better."

If junior college transfer Tyrae Simmons will "keep coming on," Grobe said, "if we can keep those guys healthy, we'll just roll them around. Other than (center) Kyle Fuller, we'll roll the rest of the guards and tackles around. And we should be fine, as long as we stay healthy."

Fourth-year junior center Sean Muir returned from a concussion this week and went through his first scrimmage action.

"With concussions, you don't get to come back unless you're ready to go," Grobe said. "They're really careful about that now, as they should be. So, he had missed an awful lot of time. But we need him to come back and help us. I thought he was doing really good up until the time he got hurt. So, we'll see how he works his way back in. But, it's good to have him back."

Also getting back to full speed is junior KD Cannon, who hauled in two catches for 47 yards to lead all receivers.

"The past couple days, he's caught the ball pretty well," Grobe said. "Obviously, he needs more work. But, it's exciting see him back in there."

With junior nickel back Travon Blanchard undergoing minor knee surgery the day before, senior Patrick Levels filled in with the No. 1 defense and finished with three tackles. Aiavion Edwards led the defense with five stops, while sophomore defensive tackle Ira Lewis had a sack and fumble recovery.

Grobe said Blanchard will likely miss the first couple games after getting his torn meniscus repaired. "But you never know, kids heal at different rates," the coach said.

"I will say that Phil Bennett, our defensive coordinator, had his knee worked on and was practicing the next day," Grobe said. "So, if that tells you anything, I think Trigger (Blanchard) better get going, because the coaches look like they're a little tougher than he is."

With the Sept. 2 season opener against Northwestern State now just eight days away, the players and coaches are ready to kick it off and play.

"Coaches are just like players," Grobe said. "For the first couple weeks, everything's exciting, everything's fun, we're looking forward to getting out there and coaching. And (the players) are looking forward to competing. But after a while, you keep seeing the same colored jersey on the other side of the ball. It gets old after a while. Coaches are the same way. We're all ready to start playing other people."