After a Nights Rest

Baylor won 47-10. It wasn't the prettiest or most dominant game, but we did win by 37 points and the game was never in question. This is a far cry from the Texas State game we won 24-17 on a late drive in the fourth quarter for the win.


There are definitely things that we need to improve. The two main things are offensive fluidity and a pass rush. I'm starting to believe that Bell is scared to go deep because he knows he doesn't have a strong arm. I haven't seen any video of the game, but from numerous people that were there, Bell opted not to try for a longer route and would throw it to a safer, shorter option on a number of occassions. I believe this is what Morriss was talking about when he said Bell needed more of a "Gunslinger" mentality.

The pass rush was pathetic. Only 3 sacks on the night, and only 7 TFL. That is what I would expect against a good D1 team, not a D1-AA team. Kansas gave up 217 yards passing and 62 yards rushing to NSU for a total of 279 yards. Baylor gave up fewer passing yards (182 yards), but way more rushing yardage (147 yards).

Our tackles have got to be more of a force. Yes, I know that MT Robinson was sitting out and that would be a big deal if he was a first-day draft prospect, but he's not. He's a solid player, but so are Ford, Shoals, Jenkins, Rhodes, etc. We had plenty of guys that should have been able to not only control the line of scrimmage, but destory it and rebuild it in their backfield every down.

And yes, the T.O.P. was against the defense. And I could give them somewhat of an understanding nod to that at the end of the halves, but at the end of the half they forced two 3 and outs and a 5 play, 13-yard drive that ended in a punt. It was at the BEGINNING of the 2nd half that they allowed to drives totalling 16 plays and 135 yards for 10 points. Did Bradley have the defense running wind sprints in the lockerroom or did he put them through a quick weight-lifting workout to even things up?

And from the reports I've received it had nothing to do with being tired, it was a serious lack of passion. The only people that showed a lot of energy on the day, from what I've heard, were CJ Wilson and Trent Shelton. And shockingly, they both had big games! Imagine if the whole team came to play the way they did... We'd have that 77-0 victory with over 600 yards of offense that everyone is clamoring for. Don't tell me we don't have the team to do it, either.

Shoot. I started this entry with the intent of it being a positive one. We got the win, we got a big margin, we got some playing time for younger players, and we did it without three starters. The focus should be better next week against Washington State, the offense and defense both should be better in their third week of work, and hopefully the coaches will have a clearer picture of what they need to do with our players.

I still think we can beat Washington State. I think if the defense plays inspired football like they did against TCU, they can be very successful against WSU. I think if the offense takes another step forward, then we'll be able to put up points against them. But they are going to show that they are able to play to their potential, because as someone used to say to me, "Potential is just something you haven't shown you can do yet".