By Nathan Keil | Sports Writer
The best news for Baylor football may be the fact that 2016 is almost over.
By now the Baylor story is well known across the country. Former head football coach Art Briles was fired back on May 26. Athletic Director Ian McCaw was suspended then resigned. President Ken Starr was fired. All of these events transpired as a result of a Title IX investigation by the Philadelphia-based law firm, Pepper Hamilton, which revealed Baylor’s failure as an institution to in handling of sexual assault cases.
Baylor began to try to restore the health of the program and campus community. It started by bringing in Mack Rhoades as the new athletic director. They also hired former Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe to serve as acting head coach for the 2016 season, but kept the rest of Briles’ coaching staff in tact. Dr. David Garland of George W. Truett Seminary was named interim president for the second time in his time at Baylor.
The Bears also had to deal with suspensions to junior safety Chance Waz and sophomore wide receiver Ishamel Zamora. Freshman quarterback Jarrett Stidham transferred out and sophomore running back Johnny Jefferson stepped away from the team as well.
Grobe seemingly walked into a minefield – having to maneuver his way through a series of obstacles and decisions that he had no say in. He was brought in to “restore confidence in integrity and respect.” Winning was important but was supposed to take a backseat to reshaping and restoring the program.
“That’s the thing we’ve lost. It’s really sad when the behavior of a few affects so many people. The collateral damage that comes from bad behavior of just a few kids is overwhelming,” Grobe said when he was introduced as acting head coach. “I want everybody to know that we have great kids. I’m sure I’ll have a few guys that I’ve got to dust off once in a while, but that’s on every football team. I’m okay with guys that are a little edgy, if it’s missing class or getting parking tickets, things like that. But we have to have a no-tolerance policy right now with bad behavior. Winning is very important, being good students is very important, but nothing is more important than character.”
Even with the hiring of Grobe and the attempt to move in a positive direction, the news that transpired over the summer still crippled the Baylor community and shocked the college football world. By the time August rolled around, amidst all the turmoil, players and coaches alike were ready to get back to football. With its play on the field early on, despite all the changes in leadership and at the university, Baylor was out to prove it was an elite football program.
Baylor opened its season with a dominant 55-7 win over Northwestern State at McLane Stadium. Senior quarterback Seth Russell threw four touchdown passes and proved he was healthy after having his 2015 season end early due to suffering a broken bone in his neck.
“Our goal is to win the national championship every year. That’s what we’re going to fight for,” Russell said. “Every team has their haters, I guess, to say. We’re not going to let that bother us. They’re not on this team, they’re the guys sitting at home eating pizza. We’re not worried about that, they can say whatever they want, we’re going to play Baylor football.”
Baylor would then follow up its opening week win with a 40-13 win over Southern Methodist University. The Bears got off to a slow start in the game, but several key plays by the Bears’ defense guided them to a 2-0 record.
Week three began to see bits of controversy creep back into its foresight. First, Briles was in attendance for the matchup with Rice. Next, the Rice band performed one of their patented halftime shows that brought the spotlight back on the sexual assault charges at Baylor. Lastly, after a lackadaisical 38-10 win, former Bear Shawn Oakman, who had been charged with sexual assault back in April, was seen in the Bears’ locker room. When asked about the incident, Grobe claimed to not know who Oakman was.
Despite the appearance of these distractions, Baylor was 3-0 and headed into conference play with a date against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. After waiting out a weather delay in Waco, Russell threw four touchdowns and the Baylor defense forced four turnovers en route to a 35-24 win.
Baylor followed this up with a thrilling 45-42 win over Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. Even though senior running back Shock Linwood had already become Baylor’s all-time rushing leader, he made the Cyclones remember him, as he torched them for 237 yards. The Bears moved to 6-0 following a 49-7 win over Kansas – a win sandwiched between the team’s two bye weeks.
Halfway through the season, against all odds, Baylor was 6-0 and in the thick of a Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff discussion.
“It’s nice and relaxing to be able to play football and not worry about too much else. We’re moving forward through everything and sticking together through it all,” said senior corner back Ryan Reid.
But the second half of the season took a turn no one expected, as the Bears’ season spiraled out of control, dropping their final six games of the season.
On Oct. 29, it began when the Bears lost a fumble near the goal line that would have put the Longhorns away. Instead of leaving Austin with a key road win, the Bears watched as the Longhorns kicked the game-winning field goal, 35-34.
Six days later, after being silenced all season long, all the assistant coaches sent out a mass tweet indicating support for Art Briles, after a new report revealed that he knew of at least one instance of sexual assault and failed to report it to the proper authorities. The next day, “#CAB,” or Coach Art Briles, shirts were sold outside McLane Stadium near Touchdown Alley, and worn as a symbol of support for the former head coach before the Texas Christian University game state game and location in this sentence. After a touchdown on its opening drive against Texas Christian University, Baylor was not competitive, falling 62-22 to the Horned Frogs. Following the loss, associate athletic director Heath Nielson reportedly assaulted a reporter and was later arrested, adding yet another blemish on the already tarnished image of Baylor football.
Whether blatant naivety, carefully constructed words or simply wanting to believe in the best intentions of everyone, Grobe downplayed distractions as a reason for the loss and instead praised TCU’s game plan.
“You know, we talked about it last week for Texas. We had the Wall Street Journal article come out before we played Texas and that was the question. I really don’t know. I think TCU played great. I hate to make excuses, but I really don’t know how to put my finger on that,” Grobe said. “I think from what I saw today, I just don’t think we fit our gaps very well defensively. We gave up too many big plays again this week, second week in a row, in the throw game. And then it’s the most sluggish I’ve seen us, offensively, so far. So, I have no idea. I know we just didn’t play as well as we needed to, and I hate to say anything that takes away from TCU’s effort because I think they played really good.”
The season continued to spiral the following week in Norman, Okla., as the Bears fell to the Sooners, 45-24. Even bigger than the margin of victory, was the Bears’ loss of Russell for the second consecutive season – this time to a broken ankle. This injury would lead to Grobe turning the ball over to freshman quarterback Zach Smith to take the reigns of the offense.
“I know Zach Smith– he’s really disappointed that Seth got hurt. There’s no question about it,” Grobe said. “At the same time, it’s his opportunity to step up, and he should be excited about that. Because of when it was that Seth got hurt, he got the opportunity to get enough snaps so that he shouldn’t be too nervous next week when he takes the field.”
On Senior Day, the Bears, with Smith starting for the first time, turned the ball over four times and allowed six rushing touchdowns in a 42-21 loss to Kansas State.
In its annual matchup against Texas Tech at AT&T Stadium, the Bears’ defense, especially the secondary, was torched by Red Raiders junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II to the tune of 586 yards and six touchdowns. Smith would connect on three touchdowns of his own, but it was not enough, as Baylor dropped its fifth game in a row, 54-35.
In the regular season finale, Baylor battled the Mountaineers, but could not overcome four turnovers or a late penalty on an onside kick attempt, falling in Morgantown, W.V., 24-21 and finishing 6-6.
Baylor entered the season surrounded with uncertainty and full of questions. After a six game losing streak to end the season, it finds itself once again immersed in uncertainty and seeking answers to difficult questions. Who will be the next head football coach? Will Grobe coach against Boise State? Will other players follow Stidham and Jefferson out the door as a new coach is brought in?
Perhaps a win against Boise State in its upcoming Motel 6 Cactus Bowl will be what Baylor needs to hit the reset button. Or perhaps a fresh coaching hire can help the Bears turn the final page in Briles’ dark narrative.
Regardless of what happens next, Baylor football remains confident and united despite everything that it has been through this season.
“We have an option,” senior nickel back Patrick Levels said. “We can fold, or we can come out fighting, and right now I feel like we’re still swinging. We’re not done yet.”
Baylor (6-6, 3-6) will meet Boise State (10-2, 6-2) at 9:15 p.m. central time on Dec. 27, in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl. The game will be played at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, Ariz.
The best news for Baylor football may be the fact that 2016 is almost over.
By now, the Baylor story is well known across the country. Former head football coach Art Briles was fired back May 26. Athletic director Ian McCaw was suspended then resigned. President Ken Starr was fired. All of these events transpired as a result of a Title IX investigation by the Philadelphia-based law firm Pepper Hamilton which revealed Baylor’s failure as an institution to in handling of sexual assault cases.
Baylor began to try to restore the health of the program and campus community. It started by bringing in Mack Rhoades as the new athletic director. They also hired former Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe to serve as acting head coach for the 2016 season, but kept the rest of Briles’ coaching staff intact. Dr. David Garland of George W. Truett Seminary was named interim president for the second time in his career at Baylor.
The Bears also had to deal with suspensions to junior safety Chance Waz and sophomore wide receiver Ishmael Zamora. Freshman quarterback Jarrett Stidham transferred out, and sophomore running back Johnny Jefferson stepped away from the team as well.
Grobe seemingly walked into a minefield – having to maneuver his way through a series of obstacles and decisions that he had no say in. He was brought in to “restore confidence in integrity and respect.” Winning was important but was supposed to take a backseat to reshaping and restoring the program.
“That’s the thing we’ve lost. It’s really sad when the behavior of a few affects so many people. The collateral damage that comes from bad behavior of just a few kids is overwhelming,” Grobe said when he was introduced as acting head coach. “I want everybody to know that we have great kids. I’m sure I’ll have a few guys that I’ve got to dust off once in a while, but that’s on every football team. I’m okay with guys that are a little edgy, if it’s missing class or getting parking tickets, things like that. But we have to have a no-tolerance policy right now with bad behavior. Winning is very important, being good students is very important, but nothing is more important than character.”
Even with Grobe’s hiring and the attempt to move in a positive direction, the news that transpired over the summer still crippled the Baylor community and shocked the college football world. By the time August rolled around, amidst all the turmoil, players and coaches alike were ready to get back to football. With its play on the field early on, despite all the changes in leadership and at the university, Baylor was out to prove it was an elite football program.
Baylor opened its season with a dominant 55-7 win over Northwestern State at McLane Stadium. Senior quarterback Seth Russell threw four touchdown passes and proved he was healthy after having his 2015 season end early due to a broken bone in his neck.
“Our goal is to win the national championship every year. That’s what we’re going to fight for,” Russell said. “Every team has their haters, I guess. We’re not going to let that bother us. They’re not on this team; they’re the guys sitting at home eating pizza. We’re not worried about that. They can say whatever they want; we’re going to play Baylor football.”
Baylor followed up its opening week win with a 40-13 win over Southern Methodist University. The Bears got off to a slow start in the game, but several key plays by the Bears’ defense guided them to a 2-0 record.
Week three began to see bits of controversy creep back into its foresight. First, Briles was in attendance for the matchup with Rice. Next, the Rice band performed one of their patented halftime shows that brought the spotlight back on the sexual assault charges at Baylor. Lastly, after a lackadaisical 38-10 win, former Bear Shawn Oakman, who had been charged with sexual assault back in April, was seen in the Bears’ locker room. When asked about the incident, Grobe claimed to not know who Oakman was.
Despite these distractions, Baylor was 3-0 and headed into conference play with a date against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. After waiting out a weather delay in Waco, Russell threw four touchdowns, and the Baylor defense forced four turnovers en route to a 35-24 win.
Baylor followed this up with a thrilling 45-42 win over Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. Even though senior running back Shock Linwood had already become Baylor’s all-time rushing leader, he made the Cyclones remember him as he torched them for 237 yards. The Bears moved to 6-0 following a 49-7 win over Kansas – a win sandwiched between the team’s two bye weeks.
Halfway through the season, against all odds, Baylor was 6-0 and in the thick of a Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff discussion.
“It’s nice and relaxing to be able to play football and not worry about too much else. We’re moving forward through everything and sticking together through it all,” said senior corner back Ryan Reid.
But the second half of the season took a turn no one expected as the Bears’ season spiraled out of control as they dropped their final six games of the season.
It began on Oct. 29, when the Bears lost a fumble near the goal line that would have put the Longhorns away. Instead of leaving Austin with a key road win, the Bears watched as the Longhorns kicked the game-winning field goal, 35-34.
Six days later, after being silenced all season long, various assistant coaches sent out a mass tweet indicating support for Art Briles after a new report revealed that he knew of at least one instance of sexual assault and failed to report it to the proper authorities. The next day, “#CAB,” or Coach Art Briles, shirts were sold outside McLane Stadium near Touchdown Alley and worn as a symbol of support for the former head coach before the Texas Christian University game. After a touchdown on its opening drive against Texas Christian University, Baylor was not competitive, falling 62-22 to the Horned Frogs. Following the loss, associate athletic director Heath Nielson reportedly assaulted a reporter and was later arrested, adding yet another blemish to the already tarnished image of Baylor football.
Whether through blatant naivete, carefully constructed words or a desire to believe in the best intentions of everyone, Grobe downplayed distractions as a reason for the loss and instead praised TCU’s game plan.
“You know, we talked about it last week for Texas. We had the Wall Street Journal article come out before we played Texas, and that was the question. I really don’t know. I think TCU played great. I hate to make excuses, but I really don’t know how to put my finger on that,” Grobe said. “I think from what I saw today, I just don’t think we fit our gaps very well defensively. We gave up too many big plays again this week, second week in a row, in the throw game. And then it’s the most sluggish I’ve seen us, offensively, so far. So, I have no idea. I know we just didn’t play as well as we needed to, and I hate to say anything that takes away from TCU’s effort because I think they played really good.”
The season continued to spiral the following week in Norman, Okla., as the Bears fell to the Sooners, 45-24. Even bigger than the margin of victory was the Bears’ loss of Russell for the second consecutive season – this time to a broken ankle. This injury would lead to Grobe turning the ball over to freshman quarterback Zach Smith to take the reigns of the offense.
“I know Zach Smith – he’s really disappointed that Seth got hurt. There’s no question about it,” Grobe said. “At the same time, it’s his opportunity to step up, and he should be excited about that. Because of when it was that Seth got hurt, he got the opportunity to get enough snaps so that he shouldn’t be too nervous next week when he takes the field.”
On Senior Day, the Bears, with Smith starting for the first time, turned the ball over four times and allowed six rushing touchdowns in a 42-21 loss to Kansas State.
In its annual matchup against Texas Tech at AT&T Stadium, the Bears’ defense, especially the secondary, was torched by Red Raiders junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes II to the tune of 586 yards and six touchdowns. Smith would connect on three touchdowns of his own, but it was not enough as Baylor dropped its fifth game in a row, 54-35.
In the regular season finale, Baylor battled the West Virginia Mountaineers but could not overcome four turnovers or a late penalty on an onside kick attempt, falling in Morgantown, W. Va., 24-21 and finishing 6-6.
Baylor entered the season surrounded with uncertainty and full of questions. After a six-game losing streak to end the season, it finds itself once again immersed in uncertainty and seeking answers to difficult questions. Who will be the next head football coach? Will Grobe coach against Boise State? Will other players follow Stidham and Jefferson out the door as a new coach is brought in?
Baylor (6-6, 3-6) will meet Boise State (10-2, 6-2) at 9:15 p.m. Central Standard Time on Dec. 27 in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl. The game will be played at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, Ariz.
Regardless of what happens next, Baylor football remains confident and united despite everything that it has been through this season.
“We have an option,” senior nickel back Patrick Levels said. “We can fold, or we can come out fighting, and right now I feel like we’re still swinging. We’re not done yet.”
