Charlie Brewer gives glimpse of Baylor's future in unexpected fashion

Stomach flu.

Not the headline you’d expect and this isn’t a story like Brett Favre or Michael Jordan’s heroic performances. In Baylor’s case, the floating virus was an unexpected catalyst for a near-historic comeback in the 38-36 homecoming loss to West Virginia.

It’s a strand that’s been floating around the team the past couple of weeks and sidelined a couple players this week again. Zach Smith texted Matt Rhule early Saturday, saying he wasn’t feeling good. He still started under center but gave reason to be cautious.

Five sacks later taking a beating from the Mountaineers, Smith was pulled from the game. After the game, Rhule said pulling Smith in favor of freshman Charlie Brewer wasn’t about Smith’s performance.

On the contrary, Smith was 16-of-27 for 261 yards- comparable to Will Grier’s opposing performance. Smith just wasn’t fit to “take a beating” any longer.

“Zach doesn’t feel well to begin with,” Rhule said. “Why continue to let him take a beating? Let’s let Charlie get in there and have meaningful snaps like he did [against Oklahoma State.] I think we saw what Charlie brings to the table and the job he did.”

The heads up Smith gave Rhule before the game was also a signal for Brewer to be ready in the event Smith broke down at some point.

Brewer was more than ready. He acts like he’s been ready all year, and after Saturday’s performance, there’s reason to believe he is.

“Every week I tried to be as ready as possible,” Brewer said. “You never know when it’s my time to step in and my number was called tonight.”

Entering the game down 25 points, Brewer led a comeback that ended a two-point conversion short of history. He was 8-of-13 for 109 yards and two touchdowns, extending plays with his legs unlike Smith the previous three quarters.

The controversy surrounding Brewer’s redshirt being burned with snaps at Oklahoma State won’t fully die down, but Saturday’s performance indicates there’s comfort to be found with Brewer now. At the very least, he said those snaps gave him the right experience for Saturday.

“I thought they were helpful,” Brewer said. “I trust Coach Rhule 100 percent of what he was doing. 100 percent. I’m a team player whether I’m on the field or on the sideline.”

Twice on Baylor’s final drive, Brewer tucked the ball for conversions including a crucial 16-yard scamper to move inside the 30-yard line. His agility also helped him get out of trouble in the pocket to find his shifting targets. Most impressively, he was able to find Trestan Ebner twice in the final five plays for a first down and the closing touchdown.

Most impressive was the final touchdown considering it started as a muffed snap on third down. Rolling to his left following the botched snap, Brewer looked for his first target in the end zone only to see Ebner break loose from his coverage, tossing a perfect pass to send Ebner into the end zone. Though it looked like brilliant improv, it was essentially drawn up like that sans the bad snap.

“He was my second guy I was reading,” Brewer said. “I just saw him above the sideline and I got him the ball and he did the rest.”

Ebner said Brewer’s mobility was a big factor. Brewer had 48 yards on the ground, forcing a QB spy to emerge and drop from coverage, allowing Ebner to find more open space.

“I think it surprised the defense because it’s a look they haven’t gotten,” Ebner said. “Like they didn’t watch film over him, so I think it was really good.”

Unfortunately for Baylor, that unfamiliarity with Brewer’s abilities didn’t help on the two-point conversion to tie the game. A play designed to rollout Brewer with four options ended just moments after the snap without the chance to make an attempt.

Brewer said he takes responsibility, needing to learn to get the ball out quicker but in the whole preceding quarter, Brewer gave a glimpse of what lies ahead of the program- a new hope.