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Pop Quiz: SicEm staff offer opinions, answers about Baylor sports in new weekly feature

May 5, 2020
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Welcome to Pop Quiz, a weekly test on Baylor sports taken by SicEm365 insiders. There are no wrong answers here, although some responses may leave you scratching your head. We may venture off topic at times, but hey … you may end up with a good burrito recommendation because of it.


The leading rusher for Baylor this season will be _____?

Colt Barber: Trestan Ebner. This almost makes too much sense, but Ebner’s ability to run off tackle, break tackles and get to the corner in Fedora’s offense will make him deadly. He’s Baylor’s fastest running back but also proves to be one of the most consistent in terms of staying on his feet through contact and finishing runs. It’s hard to tell if he will be Baylor’s clear No. 1 back at the end of the season, but I expect him to have the yardage if he can stay healthy.

Ashley Hodge: Qualan Jones. The smart “money” would be on Trestan Ebner and John Lovett or even the mysterious Sqwirl Williams.  But a new offensive coordinator (Larry Fedora) means a clean deck, and Qualan has the goods to be that durable back that Fedora loves.  Same measurables as Elijah Hood, his star running back at North Carolina.   Qualan redshirted last year but still scored 2 TDs on only 13 carries. He’s that fast and powerful one-cut back that Fedora likes and has the size to be durable.

Jason King: John Lovett. The New Jersey native rushed for a combined 1,673 yards in his first three seasons, good enough for 20th all-time in Baylor history. Still, he's never sniffed a 1,000-yard season. With Larry Fedora calling the plays I expect Lovett to flourish like never before, making his final season in Waco his best.

Craig Smoak: John Lovett. I think Trestan Ebner has the potential for a monster senior season, but Lovett will do most of the damage on the ground. How Aranda and staff go about not only utilizing vets, but others like Sqwirl Williams and Qualan Jones, is one of the things I'm most interested in next season.

David Smoak: I believe Trestan Ebner will have more combined yards from scrimmage, but John Lovett is capable of handling a large amount of carries and his physicality has improved from year to year.


One team that could give Baylor trouble that no one is talking about is ____?

Colt Barber: West Virginia. Playing in Morgantown sucks and Neal Brown’s team is going to be very solid by the time Nov. 21 arrives when it’s cold and bad weather could be a factor. They lost some contributors but do return senior quarterback Austin Kendall. 

Ashley Hodge: Kansas State. You look at the schedule and say KSU should be a win in Waco after Baylor dominated them in Manhattan last year. And recent success against KSU in Waco may lead to some relaxation mentally. We know road games at Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia and Iowa State are going to be tough. We know TCU is a rivalry game and that Oklahoma State will be one of the conference favorites with what it has returning. K-State will be like Texas Tech or West Virginia games last year.  A game we should win at home but likely a nail=biter and one we could certainly lose.

Jason King: Texas Tech. The Red Raiders may have been the best “non-bowl team” in the country last season. Texas Tech finished 5-7, with four of those losses coming by a combined 11 points. That’s just a crazy stat. This team could’ve easily been 9-3. Arguably no setback was as painful for Matt Wells and his squad as the 33-30 double OT defeat in Waco. They’ve been seething about it eer since and will be ready when the Bears visit Lubbock Oct. 15.

Craig Smoak: West Virginia. If people are talking about them maybe I've just missed it, but I think Neal Brown is building a tough team that showed some confidence late. They gave Baylor everything it could handle last year in Waco, and while Morgantown has seen its fair share of losses recently, that'll be a tough game at their place in late November.

David Smoak: If the game is played, I think Ole Miss right from the start will be a handful.


3. Coordinators aside, the best hire Dave Aranda made during the offseason was _____ ?

Colt Barber: College football starts and ends with recruiting so I am going to go with two names on either side of the ball: Juice (Justin Johnson) and Meatball (Dennis Johnson). Baylor is going to need personable recruiters to recruit in the top 25 consistently and these two guys can really showcase the brand and connect with prospects. The good news that they weren’t the only ones, but I went with them because of their nicknames. I took this question to mean on-the-field assistants, but I could have easily gone with Austin Thomas and Vince Guinta as well. Both of those guys provide the support with personnel and recruiting that will be needed to win some big battles. 

Ashley Hodge: I’ll go with my guy Joey McGuire. I think keeping McGuire, Shawn Bell, David Wetzel, Jams Blanchard and Corey Campbell were all great moves for continuity.  But Joey is such a positive-energy guy that does so much for Baylor and the way Baylor is viewed throughout the state of Texas.

Jason King: I love the addition of Joe Wickline, who returns to Baylor after a brief stint with the Bears in 1997-98. Since then the offensive line coach has been at Oklahoma State, Florida, Texas and West Virginia. Those are some big-time programs—and Wickline is a big-time coach who is known as an ace recruiter with Texas ties. He’s a great fit for Baylor.

Craig Smoak: Corey Campbell. Seeing the player's reactions to the news he'd been promoted said a lot to me. Their respect was evident and in the midst of more change, having that familiarity and respect for someone they interact with so often should pay dividends.

David Smoak: I don’t know if Joey McGuire is considered a hire since he was already on staff. If so, he’d be the easy answer—if not Shawn Bell or David Wetzel. But based on what I’ve been told, the minute Corey Campbell was named Director of Athletic Performance, several players were thrilled and relieved. He is someone not only the players love, but the coaching staff, too.


4. The player on the men's basketball team I enjoyed watching the most is _____ ?

Colt Barber: Davion Mitchell. There were a lot of names I enjoyed watching on the team, but Mitchell’s ability to lock down defenders and then go get a timely bucket on the other end of the court was something no other player on Baylor’s team could do consistently. He was a ball of energy and what made Baylor’s defense as good as it was. 

Ashley Hodge: This is like asking me who I like more, my son or my daughter! I guess I’ll go with a departing player since I don’t want to pick a favorite from the great list of returning players that we have coming back: Vital, Butler, Teague, Mitchell, Clark and Mayer. I’ll go with Freddie Gillespie. I appreciate guys that you don’t have to run offense for that bust their butts on every play and who do all the little things that make a team win. Freddie will be always be beloved by me for pouring his heart and soul into Baylor basketball. 

Jason King: Mark Vital. I can’t get enough of Mr. 95, who is not only my favorite Baylor Bear ever, but also one of my favorite college basketball players of all time. I love watching Vital dive for loose balls, soar for offensive rebounds and deny penetration. I love it when he celebrates after forcing blocked shots and five-second calls. He plays the game with a level of passion that is rarely seen at this level. It’s been uplifting to watch him grow into the player and person he is today.

Craig Smoak: Matthew Mayer. It's an unpredictable rollercoaster ride, and who knows if it's going to end in laughter, frustration, disbelief or a dunk that nearly blows the roof off the Ferrell Center.

David Smoak: Mark Vital would be the immediate answer for me because of his style. But I’ll go with Jared Butler, not because he was a star, but because of how he made the game of basketball, a tough sport, look so easy.


5. The sports movie "moment" that moved me the most was _____.

Colt Barber: Billy Bob Thornton’s “Being Perfect” speech in Friday Night Lights to end the movie. “I want you to put each other in your hearts forever because forever is about to happen here in just a few minutes.”

Ashley Hodge: I like to watch this movie called “Baylor Men’s Basketball at Kansas 2020.”  It’s one of those movies where I know the ending, but it is still fresh every time I watch it. To see the utter hopelessness and despair on that Kansas bench when Davion Mitchell hit that step back 3 to put Baylor up by 16 with less than a minute left, and to watch the KU faithful file out of that building on a snowy winter’s day with a case of the sads was especially delicious for me. I can’t wait for the encore this season. I want that sweep.

Jason King: Watching Boobie Miles break down in his uncle’s car after cleaning out his locker in “Friday Night Lights” was gut-wrenching. A powerful, powerful scene in a great movie.

Craig Smoak: Al Pacino's pregame speech in "Any Given Sunday". That movie contained every pro football cliché imaginable, but there was something about his delivery and message that fired me up.

David Smoak: The halftime speech in “Remember the Titans” … “The Soul of a Man”

Discussion from...

Pop Quiz: SicEm staff offer opinions, answers about Baylor sports in new weekly feature

3,926 Views | 3 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by historian
historian
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Great stuff! Thanks guys.

Ashley, I'm with you on the MBB game at Kansas. I, too, am eager for the sweep in 2021. If Mark can convince Jared & MaCio to return for another year, 2021 can be what 2020 should have been: Big 12 title & a trip to the Final Four. I'm so glad that Mr. 95 is returning.
“Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!”
Psalm 119:36
mahmdbwad95
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I'm so glad that Mr. 95 is returning.
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historian
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Hopefully Mark will convince Jared & MaCio to return as well.
“Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!”
Psalm 119:36
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