Renewed focus on perimeter blocking has Baylor WRs prepped for OSU

As one of the only teams in the nation with three receivers over 300 yards, Oklahoma State’s offense is capable of quick strikes all over the field. TCU combatted that with a steady ground attack to take down the Cowboys while Texas Tech came up a drive short last week spreading its targets to swing into the top 25.

Jim Black

With a run game that’s been suspect recently, Baylor’s focus will be getting the passing game moving to keep up with Mason Rudolph, which will only help open up a few running lanes for a healthy stable of running backs. Zach Smith’s toughness has shined since taking the starting role and has built a rhythm head coach Matt Rhule said is good to keep building upon.

“We looked up somewhere in the middle of the second quarter he was 11-for-11 or 12-for-12 but only for about 68 yards,” Rhule said about Smith’s performance in the loss at Kansas State.  “But what I think that does do is give Zach and the receivers in a rhythm.”

Those yards slowly chipped away at the clock and kept hammering down the field but lacked the big plays early on. Those came later on thanks to Denzel Mims but Rhule isn’t quick to abandon what made Smith so efficient early on against KSU.

Before his injury, Chris Platt was turning those quick-hitters into breakaway plays. As Rhule noted Wednesday, one of his touchdowns was made possible by center Ryan Miller getting downfield for a big block, something the team hasn’t been able to do consistently lately to combine efficiency with explosiveness.

One of the receivers to step up in Platt’s absence, Pooh Stricklin said that’s been a focus during the bye week, getting the receivers to work on their blocks around the perimeter and also open up the run game.

“We need to get better at blocking on the perimeter,” Stricklin said Tuesday. “I feel that’s our weakness. This week, that’s our main focus.”

Coming off back-to-back career-best performances, Stricklin said the bye week has helped the receiving corps strengthen that area. When it comes to looking through game film, he said it’s just a matter of executing a few plays better to get that first ‘W.’

“Three, four or five plays that we could have executed on and been right there,” Stricklin said.

Rhule agreed with Stricklin’s assessment, adding that’s usually just been a “block away” from succeeding and getting out of those fourth-quarter predicaments Baylor’s been in all season.

“To me, it’s all just time,” Rhule said. “It’s always five or six plays away. And in those five or six plays, it’s usually just a block away. So you’re never as far away as you think you are.”