Wednesday October 12, 2011 1:19 PM Posted by ftblbob5
Offense
Iowa State had seen plenty of Baylor video of speedy receivers slicing up a 1-deep or 3-deep secondary. To keep the quick strikes from happening, the Cyclones chose to go with a 2-deep look with the outside linebackers deployed in underneath coverage positions just inside the inside receivers – far too far outside to get back into the box effectively, but very well positioned to make it difficult to hit the seams in the passing game.
As a result of this game plan, every time that Baylor saw this look the staff went to a zone call that resulted in a very impressive 391 yards rushing on 67 snaps – that’s 5.8 yards per carry. And it’s not like this strategy really stopped the Bear passing game. The Bears were still able to tally 22 completions out of 30 attempts (with quite a few drops and intentional throwaways) for 212 yards and 1 touchdown. Overall, the Bears had 97 total snaps in the game and dominated time of possession 36 minutes to 24 minutes. Offensive execution like this makes a defense much better.
The biggest negatives for the evening were the two fumbles by Baylor’s running backs deep in Cyclone territory. That’s something that they will probably be working on this week in practice.
Offensive Line
When you have an evening where each time you snap the ball the line of scrimmage moves 3-4 yards downfield, your offensive line is doing something right. That “Good ‘Ole Baylor Line” was dominating the Cyclone defensive front in a manner Iowa State had not seen previously this season. The offensive line has some real “road graders” on it. By the end of the first quarter, it was obvious that the pace of the offense and the size/strength advantage the Baylor offensive line enjoyed against the out-manned ISU defensive front had really taken its toll. The Cyclones could not match up with the Bears from that point on. While Baylor ended up with three sacks allowed, two of them came from play action passes where ISU was bringing too many people to the play side. The other pressures resulted from coverage that required the quarterback to hold the ball too long.
The top performer for the evening has to be Philip Blake (74) at center. Often, Philip has had troubles this season and is not performing (overall this season) up to expectations (as a possible NFL draft pick) up to this game. Against the Cyclones, Philip was exceptional for most of the game. The 4-1 defense the “Clones” were running required Philip to zone off on the nearest down lineman, but then work up to level two and pick up the middle linebacker. Blake was deadly at doing this against ISU. This is not a block that is automatic. Many times the center misses this block. Blake didn’t miss many at all on Saturday. As a result, the Baylor running backs were able to get into level three (the secondary) almost at will. Philip was solid in pass protection, as well.
Cameron Kaufhold (71) was very good. Most of the evening the formations meant that Kaufhold had the 1-technique to his side (a defensive tackle that is aligned in the gap between the center and the guard). Working with Blake, Kaufhold got great movement and created quality running lanes. Kaufhold, also, was much better in pass protection. He appeared to be more balanced than in previous weeks. His foot movement looked improved.
R.T. Griffin (79) is a real drive blocker. He mashes people. His blocking must be a real beat-down for the defender that gets to line up across from him. On the other hand, R.T. does not move his feet enough in run or pass blocking. This means that he often gets over-extended in run blocking and loses his man. It means that in pass blocking, a defender that is willing to keep working to get to the quarterback can eventually get around this guy that takes up a lot of space to get to the quarterback. Robert needs to improve his foot movement if Baylor is to be successful against the top defenses in the Big XII (it wouldn’t hurt his draft status any, either).
Cyril Richardson (68) could be described in much the same manner as Griffin. He really gets great movement in drive blocking. In fact, his body position is much better than Griffin when he blocks for runs. When Cyril switches positions with the tight end, the defender in front of him simply disappears. He is a devastating inside gap blocker. On the other hand, Cyril continues to struggle much more than most people would have thought, coming into this year, with pass protection. Cyril continues to be too slow with his kick steps (that is the pass protection step moving to the outside). Defenders have had a lot of success in beating him with a speed rush to his outside. In addition, Cyril (more than any of the other Bears) seems to let up as the pass play extends. This causes the quarterback to have to scramble more than is necessary.
Ivory Wade (78) got a pass reception on Saturday with a real heads up play. When the pass was batted up by a Cyclone defender, Wade caught it and made a very impressive 2-yard run with the ball. Wade was an effective run blocker, but seems to allow his man to get inside of him too much as the play extends. If Ivory could maintain gap integrity, several of these runs would have been much bigger. Also, Wade has some trouble with staying with his pass protection on plays that run longer – much like Cyril Richardson. In the future, Wade and Richardson are going to see much better pass rushing ends. They will need to be more consistent at moving their feet and staying engaged.
The second-team offensive line did a very good job of moving the ball down the field on the Bears’ final drive. These guys are doing a very good job of working together.
Backs
The fifth-year senior starting running back of the Baylor Bears, Terrance Ganaway (24), had the game of his career against the 5-man front of the ISU Cyclones. Terrance carried the ball 23 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Ganaway averaged an eye-popping 8.7 yards per carry. Ganaway ran through arm-tackles at the point of attack to get into level three time after time. There is no telling how many yards Terrance might have had if he could get his 6’, 240 pound frame to actually make a move on the deep safety when he gets to him. Ganaway, doing his best impression of a guided missile, blew up that poor defender time and time, again. Terrance did have one fumble inside the ISU 10-yard line. This is a critical error in the red zone. Ganaway, also, had a couple of misses on pass protection. He needs to really shore up this portion of his game.
Jarred Salubi (21) was featured as an outside runner this week on the sweep/read play. Jarred showed good outside speed. He, also, had a critical fumble at the ISU 32-yard line. Glasco Martin IV (8) continues to demonstrate that he is a quality back. Glasco slashed the ISU defense for 47 yards on 9 carries, a 5.2 yards per carry average. Glasco, also, scored a touchdown. He is becoming a more complete back and looks to get more important playing time in the rigorous games ahead.
Erik Wolfe (48) did a good job when called upon to become the extra blocker in the scheme. Wolfe continues to make terrific contact on his first punch, but it would be nice to see him continue to move his feet after contact on his blocks (Pete Fredenburg always said victory belongs to the guy that gets his feet moving first after the initial contact). Additionally, Wolfe and extra blocker Kaeron Johnson(49) need to improve on seeing the scrape linebackers in short yardage. These guys are big, but they need to be much more effective at making quality contact. At this point, they are mostly just hurling their bodies into the pile. For the Bears to get more effective at short yardage, these guys need to block more crisply.
Robert Griffin III (10) continues to demonstrate that he has many ways to impact the game. If you try to take away one of the things RGIII wants to do, he always has a quality answer. ISU wanted to take away the vertical/explosive throws. RGIII consistently took the throws that were available. In addition, he really started throwing the ball away when nothing else was available. This allows the Bears to line up and snap the ball again without losing significant yardage. The only deep sacks RGIII took were when the defense had too many defenders on the roll side against play action pass. Robert has obviously worked very hard on his play action fakes. He does a great job with these. But, when Robert executes these fakes, he has to take his eyes off of the defense. Several times, Robert turned back on the waggle to have a defender right in his face. It caused several significant losses. One criticism might be that Robert needs to be better able to recognize these blitzes into waggles and change the play.
Robert had to run the football much more against the Cyclones. He did a very good job of reading the zone/read play. It appeared that he might have missed two reads during the game. Even when he missed the read, he had the ability to keep it from being too bad of a play. Robert, also, utilized the scramble very effectively. He would stay with the pass as long as possible. At the point where the protection would finally break down, Robert would take off. The combination of runs and scrambles resulted in a total of 137 positive yards (without the sacks being factored in) on 21 carries – 6.5 yards per carry – and one touchdown. Have I mentioned that he needs to keep two hands on the ball when he scrambles?
Robert was a little off target on 3 or 4 throws. Part of that had to do with the fact that this was the first game where his first read in the passing game was covered most of the time. Robert did a good job of working through his progressions, but he will need to improve on this as the Bears move into the more difficult portion of the season.
Bryce Petty (14) did a good job of running the offense when the number two’s came in. He has looked good in each of his opportunities. But it is important to remember that he is coming in when the game is already decided and the defense has been highly fatigued.
Receivers
Kendall Wright (1) demonstrated his dual threat abilities with 2 carries for 15 yards and 8 receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. There were no big plays available against the Cyclone secondary that was dedicated to eliminating the deep throws. Wright was required to utilize the crossing routes much more than in previous contests. The crossing routes require a smallish receiver like K-Dub to go into the land of the big boys. Kendall did have one drop and one pass that he might have caught, but he came right back to demonstrate that he was a money player over the middle. As more teams try a coverage defense, Wright might have to become better at option routes like the one he ran for his touchdown. With a guy like Kendall, it might be too much for individual coverage on him to stop.
Terrance Williams (2) had a much better game. Terrance caught the ball consistently and made a couple of really good catches. He did a decent job of blocking, as well. Tevin Reese (16) continues to be a guy that runs the bubble screen the best. Tevin really gets vertical. He almost took a short route to the house when he utilized the blocks of his fellow wide receivers to get him down the sidelines on the ISU side. He just got tripped up by a linebacker. Lanear Sampson (3) was very solid, again. Sampson does a great job of catching the ball under tight coverage. Additionally, he has the ability to get extra yards – he has good strength.
At tight end, Jordan Najvar continues to be a major factor in the running game. He is very versatile and quick footed. Najvar is a difficult receiver to defend, as well. He is so quick to the flat that it is almost impossible to stop him on that play. Jordan did lose leverage on a waggle play that Baylor runs very successfully, usually. Najvar's man caused RGIII to have to step up right into a windshield shot by the ISU linebacker. Jerod Monk was definitely as guy that ISU wanted to stop on the tight end delay and the quick pass off of the tackle over formation. Monk has been very successful on these plays. The Cyclones were successful at getting between the QB and Monk on one of the quick passes, forcing the infamous “tuck rule” play.
Overall
Baylor needs to develop more passing game that is designed to defeat 3-on-2 coverage. On the other hand, with the Baylor offensive line’s ability to run block, it might be just fine if the coming opponents want to play the Bears in a five-man front.
The up-coming game with the aggys will depend in large part upon the offensive ability to score. With both defenses struggling, it might just come down to the first offense not to score loses the game.
Baylor’s up-tempo offense was very effective at tiring the Cyclones. It will be interesting to see how much of this the Bears are able to run in a loud stadium like Kyle Field.
Following a 53-24 loss to Oklahoma in the regular season finale, the Bears will now wait to learn of their bowl destination over the next month. Baylor complete the regular season with a 7-5 record and a 4-4 mark in conference play. It marked Baylor best overall finish since 1995 and its best Big 12 record ever.
Here are Art Briles' Sunday thoughts on the Bears' loss to Oklahoma as well as what the next month will look like for the Baylor football program.
On how much this season will help with recruiting...
"It has got to make a tremendous amount of difference and it will and it already has, because what has endured for so long is now a memory. The reality is that Baylor is a bowl eligible football team. That is something that sparks interest with every recruit and always has and always will, because it is a bonus for the people that are involved in the program and the university in general."
On the season as a whole...
"It is exactly what we had to do or felt like we needed to do as a football team. We needed to take a step in the progression of our program and we did that. Initially, we wanted to start out and earn some respect and credibility as a team. Then from there you build on seeing the results: a postseason bowl bid, which is what we have done and then you take it from there. From that standpoint it is very encouraging and rewarding that our players have been able to accomplish that."
On when the team will get back together to start working towards the bowl game...
"This is our bye week, which happens to fall on Thanksgiving, so we will have the team meeting next Sunday evening. We will explain then what our bowl practice schedule is going to be. I think we will have a pretty good idea of where we are going. I don't think it will be definitive. I think it will be down to two bowls, so that will kind of give us some direction on workout times and dates and how long we can stay here before we have to go to the bowl site. That will all be discussed and then it is like I have been telling them: it is a new season for us. What transpired over the last 12 weeks is now history. This is a new opportunity, a new beginning and a one game season where if you are a sophomore eligibility-wise in 2010 then you are a junior in the bowl game. That is the way we are looking at it. Our juniors that were juniors in 2010, they are seniors in the bowl game and the guys that are seniors we are just fortunate to have them around for one more fight. From that standpoint, I think it will be a big benefit for us and something that we certainly need to continue on a yearly basis, because that is how you keep a program alive."
On if preparing the team will be easier or harder since it has never been to a bowl...
"It is a reward to be in a bowl game and it is what you work towards, so when you get there you relish the opportunity, you take advantage of it. The opportunity is to become a better football player, to be more specific with assignment detail, to understand your role better as a coach and a player. That is the things we will do as a team and a staff. We will look at what happened in 2010, evaluate it all over the next 10 days and then when we get on the practice field our adjustments will be made, personnel-wise, schematically and philosophically."
On the benefit that comes from the extra practice time...
"The benefit undoubtedly is that it allows you to be in personal contact with your players that much longer length of time, to have them in a structured team atmosphere with directives or with goal-oriented visions placed in front of them is immeasurable. Instead of our guys taking a few weeks off and getting ready to gear up and go after the break, we have a purpose to go and win a bowl game and improving as a football team that will carry us to the break. That is the value that you have the extra time with extra goal-based missions."
On if the team will be motivated after what happened the last few weeks...
"No doubt. There is no question. Like I said we will have a good purpose in the bowl game and that is good. We are not just satisfied being in a bowl game, what we want to do is play really well and go win it. That is a good thing."
On how important it was to get off to a fast start against Oklahoma...
"You always need to, especially when you are playing a really good football team, because it just reaffirms what you talk about in practice all year: start fast, making good things happen early, taking advantage of opportunities. When it doesn't go that way then you kind of have to restart, so it is critical. It is critical, regardless of whom you are playing, but it is amped up a little bit more when you are against really high-caliber competition."
On where the team goes from here...
"What we have to do now is rally together and unite for a big bowl game and a big bowl win. It is something that hasn't been dealt with around here for a while and we need to embrace it and take advantage of it."
WACO, Texas (AP) - DeMarco Murray turned a short pass into a long touchdown and ran for another score in the opening minutes, getting the Sooners off to a fast start in a 53-24 victory over Baylor on Saturday night.
Oklahoma (9-2, 5-2 Big 12) has won all 20 games in its series against the Bears (7-5, 4-4), who wrapped up their first winning regular season since 1995, the season before the Big 12 began, despite losing all three of their November games - all to ranked teams.
Landry Jones completed 26 of 39 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns while playing only the first three quarters.
Broyles, already Oklahoma's career leader in receptions and touchdowns, had 12 catches to push his season total to 106. He had 113 yards receiving, including a 5-yard TD.
A week after taking over the No. 2 spot on the Big 12 career list for all-purpose yards, Murray had 13 carries for 62 yards and caught six passes for 120 yards.
Facing fourth down at midfield on its first drive, Baylor ran a fake punt that likely would have picked up the first down but were penalized for a false start and punted the ball away.
On the second play after that, Jones threw a pass to Murray, who caught the ball coming out of the backfield, turned up the left sideline and raced 76 yards untouched for a 7-0 lead.
Baylor was stopped on fourth-and-1 from its own 33 on the next drive when linebacker Austin Box hit running back Jay Finley (17 carries for 82 yards) in the backfield. That set up a 13-yard TD run by Murray, who wasn't touched by a defender until he shoved cornerback Tyler Stephenson out of his way when crossing the goal line.
The Sooners made it 21-0 before the end of the first quarter after Krys Buerck botched a punt return they recovered at the Baylor 8. Roy Finch scored on the next play when, after tumbling forward and being almost parallel to the ground, put his hand down and stayed on his feet before scampering into the end zone.
Jimmy Stevens kicked three field goals for Oklahoma and Ronnell Lewis returned an interception 12 yards for a score in the opening minute after halftime.
After Jones threw a 49-yard TD pass to Kenny Stills midway through the third quarter, the Sooners made it 50-10 when Ahmad Dixon bobbled the ensuring kickoff and was stripped when he ran it out of the end zone. The Bears swatted it out...LINK: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-...112110aaa.html
Friday November 19, 2010 1:36 AM Posted by ftblbob5
Offense
The Baylor offense just had too far to go to score for most of the night. A total lack of ability to get anything out of the kickoff return team kept the Bears pinned deep in their end of the field for most of the night. For the first half, RGIII and Jay Finley (23) were simply unbelievable. Those guys took advantage of every opportunity that was available.
But the game is 4 quarters long, not two. For the rest of the game, the Bears were just a step too slow. The Aggies took the fight to the Baylor offense from the mid-point of the 3rd quarter on. By the end of the game, it appeared that the Baylor offense had had enough. It was not a pretty sight. Offensive Line
One change in the game plan this week for the offensive line appeared to be an increase in the number of plays in which they were allowed to fire off the ball. Often, the Bear offensive linemen are asked to control the defenders at the line of scrimmage due to the possible pass downfield as part of the triple option that RGIII runs so effectively. This week, the Bear offensive line got to come off the ball. When they were allowed to do this, they got some terrific double-teams and drive blocks.
One big negative is the way the protection collapsed late in the 4th quarter. There is no excuse for that. The offensive line has to be tougher-minded than that. Some of the problem could have been that the quarterback was beaten up from the previous three quarters of football, but a lot of the concern has to be the lack of protection when things were tough and the offense needed to make a play to get momentum back on the side of the Bears.
The most physical offensive lineman on the Bear squad is R.T. Griffin (79). Griffin really does a great job of getting on someone and just driving them into the ground. He still has problems with his judgment. Griffin holds when the play is over or pushes the defender after the whistle. R.T.G. must develop better judgment and self-control. He is a terrific player, but these kinds of penalties are drive killers. Griffin was a little late getting out on blitzes when the inside linebackers bluffed and the outside linebackers (or safeties) came. This is a tough assignment, but he needs to recognize this more quickly to help the QB feel more at ease.
Philip Blake (74) might be dragging a bad wheel (he had to come out in the second half for a couple of plays – limping on his right leg) because his mobility and leg-drive have significantly diminished over the last couple of weeks. Blake has gotten in the bad habit of merely turning opponents rather than driving them off of the ball. His moving his feet a lot less than he previously was doing. In addition, he is having more trouble in pass protection. His lateral movement when he has to come off of defenders to pick up a stunt has really been lacking, lately. Most of the inside pressure RGII had in the passing game was due a man that Bake appeared to have responsibility to block. Blake will still get you some solid blocks and he is a tough guy, but right now he’s not playing his best football.
Ivory Wade (78) demonstrated that he has terrific potential during the game against the Aggies. I am still frustrated by the fact that he loses blocks due to getting over-extended, or getting his feet too close together and losing balance, or playing too high. But Wade showed that, even with these problems, he can move people. He got more movement off of the ball than he has been able to generate previously. When you put Wade, playing like that, next to Griffin, that is a couple of guys that any back might be willing to sickle it up in there behind. Wade was very lucky he didn’t get called for a late hit after a solid gain by Jay Finley – he really pasted that Aggie defender on the last echo of the whistle, it was that close.
Out of tackle over, Danny Watkins (59) and Ivory Wade just blotted out the sun and crushed the Aggie defenders on the Jay Finley touchdown where he thought he was going to have to leap over the pile. Finley leapt, but where was the pile – it was 4-yards deep in the end zone due to the blocks of Watkins and Wade (by the way, Phil Taylor got a nice lead block on that play – picking up a linebacker scrape). Danny continues to be the most consistent Bear offensive lineman. He gets excellent movement on almost all of his blocks. He plays within himself and seldom gets over-extended. He did get into his quick set position a little late a couple of times against Miller, but overall he was very good against the best pass rusher in the conference.
It was Cameron Kaufhold (71) that wrapped around Blake to pick up the plugging linebacker and spring Jay Finley (23) for a long touchdown. Kaufhold appears to be getting the wrap assignments more and more. Kaufhold has a little quicker feet to make that play. Kaufhold was a little late getting out on blitzes, though. He needs to continue to improve on this. He over set on the first play after RGIII had gone out of the game and missed his man completely. RGIII was getting hit too much at that point in the game. His run balance appears to be improved, but he was still a little late getting on the LBs at the second level.
Cyril Richardson (68) is a very strong blocker. It did appear that he was coming off a little too high on Saturday. Richardson is usually one of the best at keeping his hips down. Against A&M, it appeared he might be reaching a little more than he usually does. Cyril gave up a big sack to husky #19 on the Bears last drive. Richardson must move his feet better than that in pass protection. Stefan Huber (50) did a good job stepping in for Blake for one play (though the snap was a rocket). Backs
Jay Finley (23) made a terrific play on the fumble recovery when RGIII lost the ball as he was scrambling away from a defender that Ivory Wade lost track of. It didn’t win the game for the Bears, but plays like that CAN mean the difference between winning and losing.
Jay had a terrific game. He continues to find positive yardage on almost every opportunity. He is a true slasher. He is very vertical and on top of that, he takes care of the ball very well. Jay ended the game with 28 carries for 172 yards and 3 touchdowns. That’s a good night for anyone. On top of that, he was running just as hard at the end of the game as he was in the 1st quarter.
Jarred Salubi (21) continues to utilize his speed to make the Bear outside run offense more of a threat. Salubi outran a couple of Aggie defenders (utilizing some good screens by the wide receivers) for a solid gain early in the second half. He backed that up with a scary decision to bounce it on 3rd and 1 that worked for a big gain.
Robert Griffin III (10) was VERY impressive in the first half. He showed it all. He ran more physically than he has run all year, running over an Aggie linebacker for a first down near the goal line. He demonstrated that “world class speed” on an awesome coast-to-coast touchdown behind a good lead block from his tight end. He was almost perfect on his throwing opportunities, even though often they were off of triple option reads where he came very late to the throw or where he went from his #1 read to his #2 and then back to his #1 for solid yardage. Not many quarterbacks can do these things as often or as effectively as the Baylor quarterback does regularly – Baylor fans are probably spoiled and don’t realize what a luxury this young man is for the Bear offense.
Robert was a complete package ball player. He carried the ball 20 times for 124 yards (even though he took losses for -32 yards on the night). He completed 28-38 passes (with either 6 or 7 drops) for 212 yards. He completed passes to ten different receivers. That is an awesome night of work – it just wasn’t enough to win the game.
The Bears ran the speed option three times in the game. Each time, Robert took to the ball too far outside. He is trying to get outside of unblocked defenders on the line of scrimmage. He must learn to turn up inside of those guys. He should not keep trying to outrun them. He must get better at running this good short yardage play. This is the play he was stopped on 4th and 2 in the 4th quarter.
On the opening drive of the second half, with the offense just shredding the Aggies, it appeared that RGIII decided to not give the ball to Salubi on a trap play with Kaufhold as a lead blocker. He got quick pressure from the Aggie defensive end and was hit as he threw. RGIII needs to make that play if he’s going to come off of solid offense that was being very successful. RGIII got dazed on a keeper up the middle through a big hole in the Aggie line. He had to come out for one play. Nick Florence (11) made a quality read on the play and Finley got 5 or 6 yards. Griffin continues his struggles with the deep ball. On his one real attempt at play action with the intent to go deep to Josh Gordon, RGIII threw the ball significantly short and even worse, inside. You just can’t do that. That ball should have been intercepted. In the category of “the wheels were coming off,” RGIII missed the snap on the very next play.
By the end of the game, it appeared Robert felt beaten up. On 1st down, Robert scrambled under some pressure, but he had a vertical inside receiver wide open for 20+ yards. Instead, he got 3 or 4 on the scramble. It is easier to see this from the stands, but I know that Robert feels he must see that when the game is in the balance. Late in the game it appeared that Robert started looking at the rush a little. He appeared to just want to get the ball out of his hands. Just a pet-peeve, when things are going against you, I’d like to see more positive body language out of my quarterback. If he is going to make Time Tebow like statements, he needs to lead like Tim Tebow.
Receivers
One item that most thought was put to bed when CAB arrived at Baylor was the dropped passes. That demon made another appearance at FCS on Saturday. Several times Bear receivers dropped perfect (or near perfect) passes by RGIII that would have been for significant gains. These passes were usually on crossing routes. The receivers must trust that RGIII is NOT throwing them into a train wreck. They must believe that he is giving them an opportunity to score. Josh Gordon (12) dropped one early, Kendall Wright (1) dropped a square in with a little over a minute left in the half that could have set the Bears up with a much better opportunity to get that last score of the half. Terrance Williams (2) had a drop on a tougher catch (but surly a catchable ball) in that same drive. Brad Taylor (9) had a drop on the opening drive of the second half. Gordon missed a terrific throw (it would have been a good catch) for a possible touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. It was a catch we have come to expect him to make. Gordon dropped another pass right in his numbers on a shallow cross when the Bears were trying to overcome a 1st and 20 on the next drive (the score had been narrowed to 30-28). Tevin Reese (16) didn’t come up with a catch in the 3rd quarter on a pass right between the numbers when he took an immediate hit from the Aggie defender (this one is more understandable).
One of the best contributions that Brad Taylor (9) made all night was the lead block on RGIII’s coast-to-coast touchdown. Taylor appears to be taking some of the snaps reserved earlier this season for Kaeron Johnson (49). Taylor slipped through the Baylor line and got a very good isolation block on the playside Aggie linebacker. This sprung Robert for a touchdown, getting the Bears across the double stripe. Later, Taylor worked very effectively to level two and got a key block on a LB, springing Finely for extra yards. Taylor also ran the TE delay underneath Jay Finley’s clear out seam route to perfection for a 19-yard gain. He was very effective on these routes the entire game. Taylor has excellent speed for a tight end and is very dangerous. If he continues to improve his blocking, he could become more of a factor against the upcoming Sooners. Jerod Monk (20) continues to be effective as the backside tight end in the tackle over set. Monk must make a catch on a vertical seam in a crowd in this formation. He continues to be very reliable on this.
On more than a couple of plays, the Aggie defense appeared to leave an uncovered receiver available to RGIII. As soon as the Bears snapped the ball, the corner to that side would buzz inside the attempted block of the outside receiver to stone the bubble screen attempt. The Bears’ receivers need to pre-snap assume that if a receiver is being left open then the defense must have a plan to take the screen away. It was a very good tactic for the Aggies.
One adjustment that the Bears made to this tactic was to throw up the vertical rail to the guy that is supposed to block for the bubble screen. RGIII threaded the needle with a beautiful pass to Lanear Sampson (3) when the Aggie defender attacked what he thought was a bubble screen to Tevin Reese (16). Later, the Bears tried to go to Sampson on the same play. The Aggies covered Sampson, so RGIII came back to Reese for another typical sprint upfield. By the way, Tevin Reese continues to impress with his relentless ability to attack vertically after the catch. This guy is not very large, but he is fearless. He is very difficult to get to around the Bear blocking receivers and he uses his quickness to great advantage.
Kelvin Palmer (47) appears to have been moved to tight end. If he’s going to do this, he better get ready to come off the ball. On the goal line, he was being asked to block Vonn Miller. Miller drove him 3-yards deep in the backfield. It didn’t hurt the play – the Bears scored, but I’m sure it hurt Kelvin’s pride.
Josh Gordon (12) did a good job on several plays using quality judgment in making downfield blocks to spring Bear ball carriers for long yardage. This is tougher than it looks. Many downfield blockers will ruin huge plays with blocks in the back, holds, or clips. Gordon is doing a good job of getting his shoulders in front of the defender’s shoulders and keeping his feet alive to give him opportunities to block multiple defenders. Additionally, Josh continues to be very solid after the catch. He is a real load for defensive backs to handle. The more he gets the ball, the less the defenders are going to want to tackle him.
It was good to see Terrance Williams (2) catch the ball more cleanly on Saturday. Williams is a very talented player. If he can become a player that catches it the first time, every time, he could add even more to the Baylor arsenal. Overall
It was a very disappointing night for the Baylor Bears.
Thursday November 18, 2010 9:18 PM Posted by staff
WACO, Texas - Seven Baylor football student-athletes have earned Academic All-Big 12 honors, as announced Thursday by the conference office.
Quarterback Robert Griffin III (sophomore; political science), punter Derek Epperson (senior; business administration) and running back Terrance Ganaway (junior; general studies) were named to the first team with GPAs of 3.20 or higher.
Defensive tackle Chris Buford (senior; general studies), place kicker Ben Parks (junior; health science studies), defensive end Zac Scotton (junior; political science) and quarterback Brody Trahan (freshman; general studies) earned second-team honors with GPAs ranging from 3.00 to 3.19.
Epperson was named to the first team for the third consecutive year, while Parks and Scotton were named to the second team for the second straight season. Scotton was also a first-team honoree during his redshirt freshman season in 2008.
Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and its media relations or athletic communications offices, the 2010 football academic all-league squad consisted of 100 first-team members and 70 on the second team.
To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. True freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
Baylor (7-4, 4-3 Big 12) closes out the regular season when the Bears host No. 16/14 Oklahoma (8-2, 4-2 Big 12) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN2.
