2009 Baylor College Football Predictions

Written June 23, 2009 by InfoPlays

2009 Baylor College Football Predictions Head coach Art Briles enters his second season on the jobs with hopes of reaching a bowl game for the first time since 1994. Though the Baylor Bears finished 4-8 last season, they lost three games by 7 points or less. This team needs the offensive line to develop quickly and the defense has to prove it can slow down some of the Big 12’s powerful offenses. The Bears will need to beat Wake Forest on the road in the season-opener to get some momentum built up heading into Big 12 play. Perhaps a winning season could hinge on the season finale against Texas Tech as the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium. As we look at the college football odds, we see that Baylor is listed at +2000 to win the Big 12 Championship.

Offense: Robert Griffin, after an impressive freshman campaign last season, is one of the nation’s most explosive quarterbacks. He passed for 2,091 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 843 yards and 13 scores on top of it. He has blazing speed, an accurate arm and uncommon intelligence for a young quarterback. Art Briles’ offense is built around Griffin with spread and option elements attached. There is plenty of talent at the skill positions coming back. Jay Finley rushed for a team-high 865 yards and seven touchdowns last year, while Kendall Wright had a superb freshman season with 50 catches for 649 yards and five touchdowns.

Terrance Ganaway, a transfer from Houston, along with red shirt freshman Jarred Salubit give the Bears depth in the backfield. Baylor’s receiving corps flaunts the return of Ernest Smith, Davis Gettis and Justin Akers, while redshirt freshmen Terrance Williams and Lanear Sampson will likely be in the rotation as well. The Bears’ biggest task will be replacing All-American Jason Smith and three-year starter Dan Gay at tackle. They brought in junior college transfers Danny Watkins, Marquis Franklin and Philip Blake to try and shore up these all-important O-line spots. Briles believes senior center J.D. Walton will be one of the best at his position in the country.

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Defense: The Bears will be able to build around two of the best defensive players in the Big 12 in seniors Joe Pawelek and Jordan Lake. Pawelek has been a solid performer the last two seasons, and he ranked second in the Big 12 with 10.7 tackles/game while intercepting six passes at middle linebacker. Lake was a terror at safety with 8.1 tackles/game to go along with three interceptions. The Bears will feature one of the best line backing corps in the league with Pawelek, Antonio Jones and Antonio Johnson.

The line will get a major boost from Penn State transfer Phil Taylor, a massive tackle at 355 pounds who should be Baylor’s most dominant defensive lineman in years. The Bears need some young defensive ends to step up in Zac Scotton, Tracy Robertson and Fredric Plesius to make an impact after the team recorded just 21 sacks last season in this pass-happy conference. Corners Antareis Bryan, Tim Atchison and Trentson Hill must also give the Bears more consistent pass coverage against the Big 12’s top-flight QB’s.

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