Despite coming away with a 45-3 victory over Tarleton (1-1) to open the season, Baylor (1-0) still left a lot to be desired out on the field. While the offensive line play looked better than last season, it’s definitely still a work in progress.
The rushing attack should still be significantly better than what the Bears showed against the Texans — 164 total yards on 43 attempts — and the defense began to get gashed on the ground late in the second half. Also, after another quarterback battle went down to the wire, with Toledo transfer Dequan Finn (6Sr.) edging out Sawyer Robertson (RJr.), all eyes were focused on what the former MAC Player of the Year looked in his debut for the green-and-gold.
Finn displayed flashes of speed and athleticism. He got Baylor on the board first following a 39-yard scamper and was also able to allude defenders when the pocket collapsed on him. While he did throw three touchdowns, it was the two interceptions on throws that were forced into tight windows that must be addressed before heading to Salt Lake City on Saturday.
Overall, Baylor was able to handle business at home against an opponent they needed to dominate. The win garnered nice praise from the Bears’ former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Robert Griffin III, on social media.
Finn wasn’t the only transfer player who made an impact on Saturday for Baylor. Defensively, JUCO transfer linebacker Keaton Thomas (RSo.) was able to come away with a pick-six while also being among the top three tacklers on the night with four solo tackles. His contributions didn’t go unnoticed, as Thomas was named to PFF’s Week 1 College Football team.
One of my favorite things about writing this article every week is seeing the analytics behind the game. Although it confuses me at times, I love having the data behind the game and seeing how it ebbs and flows over the course of a season.
Here are three different graphs from Kelley Ford Rankings that show the numbers behind the Bears after Week 1.
Baylor will have their hands full this week as they head to Rice-Eccles Stadium for a weird 2:30 p.m. non-conference game against No. 12 Utah (1-0) on Saturday. Be sure to tune into our 365 Sports pregame show at 9:00 a.m. on YouTube or locally on KWTX.
