BAYLOR BEARS O:8 D:4
Last season was a year of firsts for this Baylor Bears unit. They won their first road game in 24 tries by beating SMU, and then picked up their first Big 12 road win ever when they shocked the Iowa State Cyclones. If not for a couple of heartbreaking OT losses, the Bears would have found themselves bowling for the first time since 1994. HC Guy Morriss has already shown the knack for turning programs around with his current stop, and back in 2001-02 when he coached the Kentucky Wildcats. He has 12 starters back from last years squad, but a majority of them lineup on the offensive side of the ball. Last year’s stop unit was the best the Bears put on the field in quite some time, and the departed will be sorely missed this season. That being said, the Bears should sport its best offense in years and should easily topple the 21.5 PPG they averaged a year ago. They’re throwing in an offense similar to Texas Tech’s masterminded by new Offensive Coordinator Lee Hays, and SR QB Shawn Bell has a fine corps of WR’s and the best Bear O-Line in year’s to help make a smoother transition. Offensively, the Bears look great, but a large drop off is expected defensively with a number of key contributors gone from last season. The special teams looks to be in fine shape in the kicking department with both P Daniel Sepulveda (Ray Guy Winner) and K Ryan Havens back, but they’ll need to have somebody step up to replace their fine returnmen from a season ago.
The Bears will most definitely come into 2006 very confident after the fine campaign they put together a year ago. HC Morriss has done another excellent job here in Waco, but it looks as if they’re still a season away from going bowling. The schedule is real tough, and they lose way too much defensively. The new look offense will succeed in the long run, but not enough to overshadow their shortcomings defensively. Another five win season is definitely in the cards, but they could get over the bowl hump if they catch a few lucky breaks along the way. |
