Jake Spavital Nominated for The Broyles Award
WACO, Texas -- Baylor first-year offensive coordinator Jake Spavital has been nominated for The Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s best assistant coach.
Spavital has turned the Baylor offensive attack into one of the nation’s best units, with the Bears ranking among the top 40 in four offensive categories, including No. 27 in scoring offense, No. 7 in fewest tackle for a loss allowed, No. 31 in fewest sacks allowed and No. 25 in team passing efficiency. The offensive jump for the Bears has seen Baylor improve its total offense by 28 spots from last year.
The advance metrics favor Spavital’s offense even more, as the Bears rank No. 20 in the BetaRank Offensive Ratings, No. 27 in FEI Offensive Rating and No. 33 in the SP+ Offensive Rating. Spavital’s offense has improved in each of these categories from the year before, including 69 ranking spots in FEI, 42 spots in SP+ and 69 spots in BetaRank.
Over the last two months, which has seen Baylor roll to a five-game winning streak to vault itself into Big 12 Championship Game contention, the Bears rank No. 5 in yards per play in the country, No. 8 in points per game and No. 11 in yards per game. Among power-4 conference schools, the Bears are No. 5 in yards per game, No. 3 in yards per play and No. three in points per game in October and November.
The offensive resurgence has come through the emergence of quarterback Sawyer Robertson as one of the nation’s best signal callers, and running back Bryson Washington as one of the best tailbacks in the country, with the duo each taking over at their respective positions in Week 3. Robertson ranks as the Big 12’s highest rated QB in QBR, checking in No. 6 in the country. The Lubbock, Texas, native has slung 22 TDs in his junior season, ranking tied for sixth in Baylor single-season history.
Washington has rolled to 10 TDs and 812 yards in 2024, ranking third among all NCAA freshmen in rushing yards and rushing TDs. He has five 100+ yard games, a new program standard among freshmen, while averaging over 110 yards of all-purpose yards.
Baylor (7-4, 5-3 Big 12 Conference) will face off with Kansas (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) on Saturday at 11 a.m. at McLane Stadium, live on ESPN2 and the Baylor Sports Media Network.