The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from Baylor's Week of Sports
Football found their quarterback but lost a coach, men's and women's hoops swapped momentum, and other teams began returning from hibernation.
Here's a look at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from the past week in Baylor Athletics.
The Good
QB Sawyer Robertson — The Bears landed a massive commitment from Mississippi State transfer and Lone Star State native Sawyer Robertson. Following their signing day strikeout, this was a substantial win for the staff, especially given the awful timing and market crunch. The Bears partially addressed one of their significant deficiencies, adding depth and competition to the QB room. There's still a need for another quarterback — which the 365 staff has discussed — but Robertson's pledge answered an important question at a critical time that allows everyone to breathe a little easier.
Big Week for MBB — Speaking of breathing easier, Scott Drew and the Bears' 2-0 showing was critical in lifting spirits following an 0-3 conference start, handling their business with wins over West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Keyonte George shined like a star, and Jalen Bridges got the last laugh in Morgantown in an 83-78 road win over WVU. Back at home, LJ Cryer and the Bears overcame a temporary Ferrell Center blackout to defeat the Cowboys comfortably. A critical back-to-back for this team, especially with a follow-up week of road trips to Lubbock and Norman.
More Additions — Transfer arrivals and departures are in the double digits at this point. Robertson was a monster splash, but he wasn't the lone ripple as the Bears also added Liberty LB Mike Smith and North Texas TE Jake Roberts. The portal closes on the 19th.
Early Enrollees — Speaking of roster makeover, a significant contingent of 2023 signees began arriving over the weekend. Between the high school signees and transfer additions/subtractions, the Bears look significantly different already.
Men's Tennis — The Bears opened the spring slate with a clean sweep of Lamar and Incarnate Word. Next, they'll hit the road to face William & Mary and then Virginia.
Track & Field — The men's and women's 4x400 teams won gold at the season-opening Corky Classic. Relay members Kavia Francis and Imaobong Uko added individual golds in the 200 and 400 meters, respectively.
Best Possible Outcome — As for rooting interests last week. Regarding the Georgia-TCU game, there could not have been a more perfect outcome from a Baylor perspective. TCU showed the country that a Big 12 school could win a CFP game and make the National Championship. But ultimately, they did not win a Natty, not even close. Instead, they were on the losing end of the most lopsided defeat in bowl game history—the wrong end of a new trivia question. The Frogs still stand to benefit significantly from their run, but it pales compared to what one more win would have created, and that blowout will be remembered for a long time.
Aijha Blackwell — Great to see her return to action against WVU after a month away due to injuries.
The Bad
WBB — The confidence gained from winning can backfire. And so it did as the Bears went 0-2 last week, falling at home to Oklahoma State and on the road to West Virginia. The pair of defeats followed four straight wins and the national team of the week honors. Collen and company now find themselves on the cusp of wildly unfamiliar territory outside the Top 25 rankings. When shots aren't falling, that's a problem, but that's far from their only issue. Now at 3-2 in the conference, a pivotal week — aren't they all? — lies ahead with home contests against Kansas State on Wednesday and Texas on Sunday.
Juice Johnson — The Bears are on the hunt for a new running backs coach after Justin' Juice' Johnson left for an unexpected promotion at Texas Tech as assistant head coach, wide receivers coach, and passing game coordinator. Joey McGuire had courted him before, and OU's hiring of Emmett Jones created the right opening at the right time for both parties to make a move. Of course, Baylor didn't want to lose Juice, but it's part of the business. There's no crying over spilt juice.
Sqwirl Williams — A bonafide fan favorite since his recruitment four years ago, Sqwirl is moving on, apparently with a nudge from the staff. His announcement was a surprise, but given his injury history and time on campus, I can understand the staff wanting to shake up the status quo. Decisions like these are the flip side of the transfer portal world. Still, I'm selfishly hoping he finds a spot on a team not playing Baylor next season.
The Ugly
53 Fouls — Fans of ref shows got their fill during Baylor vs. WVU. C'mon, what are we doing here?
