Sunday, August 16, 2009
When Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin saw more than 1,000 fans packing the sidelines on Meet the Bears day, he couldn’t help but grin.
He could sense the excitement surrounding the start of football season. People watched the Bears anywhere they could find room at the Highers Athletics Complex, whether they were standing, sitting in the hot metal stands or sprawled on the ground.
Nobody seemed to mind that it was a steamy 98 degrees at the Saturday afternoon intrasquad scrimmage.
“When you see so many people squeezed around the field, it definitely picks you up,” Griffin said. “There were a lot of people out there today, and I’m glad so many are interested.”
The Bears delivered an energetic performance as Griffin showed off his arm strength by throwing four touchdown passes while 6-6 freshman Willie Jefferson made two leaping touchdown catches. The defense also delivered some big hits, highlighted by linebacker Elliot Coffey knocking freshman receiver Josh Gordon off his feet late in the day.
“I was proud of the effort we brought out there today,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “Our offensive line really played hard and our defensive line made some big plays. We’re three weeks away from our opener (Sept. 5 at Wake Forest) and we want to peak at the right time.”
Briles liberally played his first, second and third teams and got some impressive performances up and down the depth chart. All four quarterbacks — Griffin, senior Blake Szymanski and freshmen Nick Florence and Brody Trahan — saw significant playing time as they combined to hit 42 of 58 passes for 498 yards.
Jefferson shined from the beginning as he caught a 29-yard pass down the sideline from Trahan. Florence then hit Jefferson for a five-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone.
Later in the scrimmage, Jefferson outjumped Romie Blaylock for a 17-yard touchdown pass from Griffin. Baylor’s sophomore quarterback hit 14 of 19 passes for 265 yards.
“We’ve got some guys who can really skyrocket,” Griffin said. “When Willie jumps for a ball, it’s like he’s 7-3 or 7-4.”
Jefferson, a two-sport star at Beaumont Ozen High School, hopes to play football as a true freshman and then play basketball for the Bears.
“I want everybody to know I can catch any ball,” said Jefferson, who made five catches for 63 yards in the scrimmage. “I like to catch deep balls at their highest point. It’s helped that I’ve been able to work with all our quarterbacks a lot in practice. I’ve had to get up to speed with Robert (Griffin).”
After playing cornerback last season, Krys Buerck is back at receiver, where he caught 23 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman two years ago. Buerck delivered an impressive performance Saturday as he made seven catches for 100 yards, including a 37-yard catch and run for a touchdown along the right sideline. He also showed some good moves on a punt return.
Buerck realizes the Bears have a deep group of receivers and he’ll have to earn playing time. Griffin spread the ball around Saturday as he hit David Gettis with a 45-yard touchdown pass and then scrambled and hit Kendall Wright for a 10-yard touchdown.
“We’re really deep at receiver and I know I’ve got to play hard every day to get into games,” Buerck said. “I like being back on offense because I can make moves and plays.”
Baylor’s stable of running backs had their moments, including some strong runs up the middle by University of Houston transfer Terrance Ganaway and freshman Glasco Martin from Round Rock Stony Point.
On the defensive side, former China Spring star Mike Hicks led the team with seven tackles from his safety spot. Freshman Chance Casey made the only interception, while 6-4, 355-pound defensive tackle Phil Taylor showed surprising speed by running 20 yards to haul down a ballcarrier.
“We played some high intensity defense, but we’ve just got to sustain it,” Baylor safety Jordan Lake said. “I think there’s a night and day difference from where we are now compared to last year. We’re playing looser and flying around more.”
BEAR FACTS: Baylor coach Art Briles decided not to play several players, including all-Big 12 linebacker Joe Pawelek (hamstring) and starting tight end Justin Akers (pulled groin) even though both suited up for the scrimmage. “Those guys are a little banged up,” Briles said. “There’s no scoreboard out there today.”
Earlier in the week, Pawelek said he tweaked his hamstring during the summer. Though he hasn’t participated in all drills during practice, he said he’s working toward getting back to full speed: “I’m getting back into it. I kind of tweaked my hammy a little bit. Everything’s cool. I feel better now.”
jwerner@wacotrib.com
757-5716
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