By John Werner

Tribune-Herald staff writer

With the season opener against Wake Forest looming on Aug. 28, the Baylor football team is anxious to kick off the Art Briles era.

After spending the summer lifting weights and conditioning, the Bears can’t wait to hit the practice field at 3:30 p.m. today — even though the temperature is expected to hit triple digits.

“We know the bar has been raised, and we haven’t even played a game yet,” said Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith. “I think we got a lot done in the spring in a short amount of time. We know these coaches have a plan and a vision, and I think you’ll see a different football team in the fall.”

No one has to tell Briles the task he faces as he opens the first of 21 practices leading up to the season opener against Wake Forest at Floyd Casey Stadium. After leading the Houston Cougars to four bowl berths in five seasons, Briles is taking over a program that hasn’t produced a winning season since 1995. The Bears finished 3-9 in Guy Morriss’ final season, including an 0-8 Big 12 record.

But Briles has never been afraid of a challenge.

“I like to walk down paths nobody else likes to walk down,” Briles said. “That’s probably the reason I went to Houston and to Stephenville High School. When people talk about Baylor, we want them to take notice and listen. Lip service is easy. We’ve got to do some things on the field that are going to give our fans reasons to stay excited.”

While Briles was pleased with the progress the Bears made in the spring, he knows much still needs to be accomplished in the next four weeks.

“We want to see a continuation of what we saw in the spring,” Briles said. “Kaz Kazadi (Baylor’s strength and conditioning coach) did a great job with them in the summer. We want them to play hard and fast and approach practice like it’s a game. We’re still in the infant stages of our program, and we’ve got a lot of positions open.”

Quarterback is the most obvious position that remains unsettled. Though Briles liked the way his quarterbacks performed, nobody came out of the spring as the clear-cut favorite. Briles said last week that he might even go with two quarterbacks in the opener.

The Bears couldn’t have a much more varied crew of quarterbacks. Junior Blake Szymanski set Baylor records with 2,844 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, but he’ll be challenged by fifth-year senior transfer Kirby Freeman from Miami and true freshman Robert Griffin from Copperas Cove. Former Marlin star Jeremy Sanders, a transfer from Navarro College, is also in the mix.

With so many candidates at quarterback, sophomore Tyler Beatty transferred out of the program.

“The quarterback position is a healthy advantage, the way I look at it,” Briles said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can play. I mean Robert (Griffin) took his high school to the state championship game the last two years. Kirby (Freeman) was a bowl MVP for Miami two years ago, and then Blake Szymanski throws for 2,800 yards last year. Jeremy Sanders started three years (at Marlin) and two more in junior college.”

The Baylor coaches will also take a long look at cornerback where there is very little experience. Converted receiver Krys Buerck and converted safety Dwain Crawford came out of the spring as starters, while sophomores Anatareis Bryan, Dominique Criss and Cliff Odom will be expected to provide backup.

Developing depth in the offensive and defensive lines will also be important during the upcoming weeks.

While center J.D. Walton and tackles Dan Gay and Smith are solidly entrenched in the offensive line, guards James Barnard and Chris Griesenbeck must prove themselves.

Baylor’s starting defensive tackles Vincent Rhodes and Trey Bryant will need to get help from backups like Sam Sledge and Nicolas Jean-Baptiste.

“The offensive and defensive lines are the toughest positions in football to have depth across the table,” Briles said. “I want big, strong tough guys around me that have great mental toughness about them, and those guys are hard to find. Honestly, in the state of Texas, I would say there are 15 to 18 legitimate D-I offensive and defensive line guys every year.”

BEAR FACTS: Besides Beatty, sophomore receiver Ben Randle, sophomore defensive tackle Rex McDougald, redshirt freshman defensive end Ryan Douglass, junior running back Tony Anderson, sophomore running back Andre Pierce and junior offensive lineman Thad Boatner will not return to this year’s team. Boatner ended his career following back surgery.

Offensive line recruits Anthony Ballew from Culver City, Calif., and Rodney Brisbon from Northwest Mississippi Community College also won’t join the team. Offensive lineman Brandon Garrett will join the team in January.

jwerner@wacotrib.com

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