The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from Baylor's Football Bye Week

The Bears retreated into their den for a week but now return for part two of the 2023 season after a week of rest and reflection. 

Here's a look at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly for Baylor Football. 

THE GOOD 

Rhoades' Comments: As someone who listened to and participated in the whole interview, I found Mack Rhoades' words on 365 Sports earlier in the week to be refreshing and encouraging that we're not going to see six more instances of Groundhog Day football. No, Rhoades isn't getting involved in Xs and Os, playcalling, or any other silly, knee-jerk takes. But he does have questions, just like we all do. Most of all, given how poor this season has gone and how dreadful the football has been, at times, he was as positive as one could hope for while also making it clear there are standards, and this team isn't living up to those. And yes, ultimately, that falls at his own two feet. 

Fresh Start: No, the 2-4 record doesn't disappear, but I'm feeling recharged after that break in action and open-minded regarding this second-half stretch. So, hopefully, last week served as the beneficial time off it should be for this team. A strong showing in the Queen City would be excellent. With six games under their belt and time to adjust for the remaining run, these next six games will tell the whole story of this 2023 team, for better or worse. Young ones need to continue growing, coaches need to put players in the best positions, and leaders need to lead the way. But most of all, players need to make plays. 

Cincy Struggles: Speaking of Baylor's upcoming opponent, the Bearcats could be better at 2-4, including 0-4 in their last four and 0-3 in Big 12 play. So there's that, but nothing is a layup for these Bears, much less on the road. And at this point, the Bearcats are starving for that first conference win. 

Terrel Bernard: The former Baylor star shined for the Bills in a Sunday Night Football win over the Giants. Well, save for a pass interference call that set up the Giants on the 1-yard line with time running out. Luckily, his teammate got away with an even more egregious PI on the following play, sealing the win for Bernard and Buffalo. Bernard tallied seven tackles, three for loss, and a huge stop at the goal line in a thrilling victory. 

Tyquan Thornton: The Miami Flash made his season debut with New England on Sunday after spending the first few weeks on injured reserve with a shoulder issue. He only caught one pass for six yards in the loss to Las Vegas, but it was good to see Tyquan back in action. Now, he needs to start living up to that second-round pick potential, and the Patriots certainly need his help. 

THE BAD 

Here Comes Texas: I didn't love seeing Texas offering 2024 Bears DE commit Alex Foster out of Mississippi, especially in the initial wake of the loss to Texas Tech. We're closing in on a couple of months until National Signing Day #1, so buckling up would be recommended. 

THE UGLY 

Rhoades' Comments: Some of the discourse surrounding this team and Rhoades' comments turned ugly, but that's primarily outside chatter and up for interpretation. As for the team itself, with the bye week in play, it was quiet on this front, which was a nice change of pace.