Ready or not, it’s time to turn the page on Texas State, or else risk missing out on the gigantic bounce-back opportunity awaiting Baylor Football at home this weekend.
Of course, that's easier said than done for passionate fans and media, but it is necessary for the players and coaches. Opening weekend was a bubble burster but not a season-ender. Eleven games remain, none more important than the next one, at home against the #12-ranked Utah Utes.
As is customary on game week Tuesdays, select players got their turns in front of the microphones. And Utah Week featured a pair of fresh voices in TE Jake Roberts and OLB Kyler Jordan, who talked about bouncing back, stepping up, and moving on.
ON SAWYER ROBERTSON
After two years in Starkville and just one game in Waco, Sawyer Robertson will make his first collegiate start this Saturday against the back-to-back Pac-12 Champions. The redshirt sophomore saw a good dose of playing time in his Baylor debut, backing up and ultimately bouncing in and out for an injured Blake Shapen.
There was some good and some bad, but enough action to show the arm talent and running ability—enough to have optimism and see the upside. It's also easier to buy in when you hear the belief from teammates.
Sophomore LB Kyler Jordan and Robertson crossed paths growing up in Lubbock, albeit at different schools, with Robertson starring at Coronado and Jordan at Cooper High.
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“I pretty much grew up with that guy, played against him in football, baseball, basketball, you name it. He’s a year older than me, so we didn’t play that many years against each other in high school,” Jordan said. “But enough for me to see how talented he is. So I’m really excited to see what he can do on Saturday. I know he’s going to prepare his tail off and he’s going be ready to go.”
Whatever questions remain about Robertson heading into Saturday, there’s confidence in his abilities to lead and a belief within the team they can bounce back with him at the helm.
Jake Roberts and Robertson don’t have that history, but in just a few months, the former North Texas tight end has seen enough to echo other positive sentiments.
“He’s got a great energy about him. He’s ready for the opportunity. I don’t think anyone’s worried about us skipping a beat. It’s business as usual. Sawyer’s ready for the opportunity. We’re excited to have him in there,” Roberts said.
“And, obviously, really unfortunate what happened to Blake but just for the time being we got to roll with what we got. And I think we got plenty in Sawyer, so it’s going to be fun to see him out there leading the squad.”
Next man up. Fingers crossed, Robertson plays well enough so that when Shapen returns, there’s a fun problem to have. It’s a massive opportunity for the newcomer after finishing second in the QB1 race during spring.
STEPPING UP
Blake Shapen wasn’t the only injury on Saturday, nor was Robertson the only player they need to continue stepping up. We also learned safety Devin Lemear will miss time, and so too will Jack linebacker Garmon Randolph.
If there was a blessing for those walking wounded, it's that none of the injuries are long-term. But for the time being, there are some ramifications depth-wise.
“Yeah, it’s definitely tough. We’re getting a little shallow in the [OLB] room, but it’s giving us younger guys a little chance to step up,” Jordan said.
“Byron Vaughns has been killing it. I’m so excited to see what he’s going to do on Saturday. But like I said, just trying to do our 1/11, do whatever we can in the position room to help us succeed on Saturday.”
Randolph missing time isn’t anything new. He was out during spring due to injury and suspension. Along with Vaughns, Tony Anyanwu is another option, but Jordan is in that mix for playing-time-based on numbers alone. The only other OLB listed on the roster is true freshman Corey Kelly.
Back in the spring, Jordan said the speed adjustment of playing the position was the biggest he faced. Asked about how the Jack linebacker spot suits him now, the redshirt freshman provided an insightful and mature answer.
“I think it gives me a chance to get in coverage a little bit, gives me a chance to rush, run stop. Kind of a little bit of everything. I’m not gonna lie, I’m still a little young, still trying to figure out what my strengths are, what I need to work on. But I think as of right now, it’s a good enough fit, so just trying to do what I can to help the team.”
MOVING ON
Safe to say, things have been a little tense this week. But that’s more so on message boards or social media than for the players and coaches. They have 11 games left to play no matter what, and if they dwell on Texas State, it’ll only get uglier with who’s rolling into town.
“I think, for all of us, it’s about the next game. We can’t do anything about what happened [last] Saturday now. So I think the best thing we can do is look towards Utah and get ready to play on Saturday,” Jordan said.
As for what corrections are needed, it seems simple enough upon review. But executing is a different story, as we learned last week in a performance that lacked winning execution.
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“I think it was just little mistakes here and there. I want to praise Texas State, I think Texas State played a really good football game,” Jordan said. “We did some stuff on defense that was uncharacteristic of us, people trying to do more than what they need to. But I think just getting back to square one, doing your 1/11 and taking care of your job.”
From Roberts’ point of view, some pre-snap penalties that plagued the offense mainly were a byproduct of first-game jitters. He sensed improvement as the game got late, but all that matters now is what’s next.
If one’s not careful, it’s possible to get stuck in the negativity or affected by the disappointment. But that mindset will sink this team faster and further than any upset loss. The good news is the team seems to have moved on while also maintaining a bit of an edge based on the reactions to last week.
“It sucks really bad and everybody in the program hurts. But you can only harp on it for so long, you can only be down about it so long. That’s the nature of the sport, you got to move on fast,” Roberts wisely preached.
“We got another really good opponent coming to town on Saturday. And at this point, Texas State’s over with. It’s done with. We know what we need to improve on and we’re on to the next opponent.”
The same team upset at home by Texas State to start the year could follow that up with a Top 15 upset win at home against Utah. Or they could be in a 0-2 hole.
Either way, Utah was always going to be an early season gut check, regardless of the Texas State result. But now, at a sloppy 0-1, the Bears’ challenge is not just the Utes but also urgency and, most of all, themselves.
