It’s been 15 years since the Baylor football team played in a bowl game. For the first time in a while, the Bears have realistic goals of spending their winter vacations on the football field instead of on their couches as observers.
One of the main reasons Baylor and postseason can be mentioned in the same sentence with a straight face is because of quarterback Robert Griffin. As a freshman last season, Griffin excelled in coach Art Briles’ spread system, which allowed the former track star to outrun secondaries and make timely passes. In fact, because Griffin is somewhat new to the Big 12, some early comparisons might be fun to contemplate. First, take a look at some of Griffin’s 2008 highlights. Warning: Juke-level = high.
So who does Robert Griffin remind you of most? My top two choices:
1. Vince Young, Texas.
At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Griffin is a bit shorter and smaller than Young, who played at Texas at 6-5 and about 230. But come on. Their blazing speed makes the camera operator go crazy trying to follow them in the open field. They both wear No. 10. They both played high school ball in the most tradition-rich prep football factory in the country (Young in Houston; Griffin in Copperas Cove, Texas). Since Young is a Big 12 guy, it’s a natural reaction to watch Griffin in open space and think of the former Longhorn.
2. Dennis Dixon, Oregon.
Dixon, at 6-3 and 206 pounds, is nearly identical in size to Griffin. Must be something about that No. 10 jersey because Dixon also sported the number at Oregon. Also known as a dual threat, Dixon is currently competing to be Ben Roethlisberger’s backup in Pittsburgh.
Did I forget anyone else…who else does Griffin remind you of?
Welcome to another installment of Conference Chatter’s summer gridiron report. Here’s a schedule of when each Big 12 team was/will be featured:
Big 12 North
Big 12 South
We’ll keep it going with Baylor, which finished last season 4-8 overall (2-6 conference).
Biggest question mark: Who’s getting sacks for the Bears?
Baylor ranked 84th in the nation (9th in the Big 12) last season with only 1.58 sacks per game. BU didn’t have anyone register more than four sacks last season. It’s expected that 355-pound Penn State transfer Phil Taylor will pick up the slack at defensive tackle, but that’s a lot of pressure on one guy. Taylor will need help.
Biggest strength: Quarterback.
Easy call here. Griffin’s prowess in running the football is well-known (843 yards, 13 scores as a freshman), but what’s impressive to me is Griffin’s accuracy when he puts the ball in the air. He set a freshman Bowl Subdivision record of 209 passes thrown without an interception to start his career last year. Griffin ended up with 15 passing TD’s (2,091 passing yards), compared to only three interceptions. As a freshman, those are remarkable numbers. Consider Vince Young threw six TD’s and seven INT’s as a freshman in 2003.
Griffin could be a top-tier quarterback in the Big 12 this fall. Might not sound like much, but in a conference with Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, Todd Reesing and Zac Robinson, it’s saying a lot.
Breakthrough player: Sophomore receiver Kendall Wright.
After Wright caught 50 passes for 649 yards and five scores last fall, he didn’t take much time off. Wright also played for Baylor coach Scott Drew on the Bears’ hoops team that lost in the NIT title game. He only logged 25 minutes of court action, but will be relied upon much more heavily on the gridiron next fall. If Griffin keeps improving as a passer, Wright could post numbers somewhere in the 70-900-8 range.
Coaching stability: Very strong, with Baylor’s lack of history as a football program. Briles has worked himself into a favorable situation. Expectations aren’t sky high with the Bears in the rugged Big 12 South, but Briles has clearly changed the identity of the program. This is a team on the rise and Briles deserves credit.
BU’s schedule
Fearless forecast: 5th in South.
Any other division in the country, and the pick here wouldn’t be so low. But with a challenging non-conference slate, followed by a conference opener in Norman, it might take BU another year to see a drastic change in its record.
As always, discuss.
