By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
Picture this: It’s another Saturday with Baylor football, and while fans look forward to watching the Bears, the team has continuously had to look up at the scoreboard and claw back from a first-half deficit.
Slow starts are nothing new, as the squad’s success early in offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes’ tenure potentially masked the inherent offensive flaws. But now, with the worst first-half offense (119th in FBS) and defense (124th in FBS) in the Big 12, the hazard lights illuminate Baylor’s hapless rhythm.
Before we dissect the incompetent 2023 Baylor first-half offense, it’s important to jump back to 2021, which marked the start of Grimes’ RVO era in Waco. During the team’s Big 12 Championship run that season, the Bears ranked 53rd among FBS teams in first-half offense, averaging 14.4 points through those opening quarters. Yet, Baylor had first-quarter woes of its own and didn’t even average a touchdown in those first 15 minutes (6.6).
That first year under Grimes ended up being the best through what’s about to be three seasons with the Bears.
Baylor did take a step forward last year, averaging 15.3 first-half points (46th in FBS), but the 2022 campaign was backed by strong second quarters. The team could only scoot away, averaging 5.6 points in the first quarter (61st in FBS).
With expectations to bounce back and a nation-leading eight home games, 2023 was written up to be a season to remember. And it will be — but for all the wrong reasons.
Standing pat with a 3-6 record (1-6 at home), Baylor has experienced the worst first-half offense among power conference programs. The Bears are averaging 8.7 first-half points (119th in FBS) and only 2.9 in the first quarter alone (122nd in FBS).
Not only has Baylor’s offense struggled all year long, it’s been even worse at home. The Bears’ average of 1.5 points in the first half at home shows just how hard it has been to avoid digging themselves a hole. Baylor was finally able to score a touchdown on its first offensive drive of the game against Kansas State for the first time since Nov. 19, 2022, against TCU. Yet, the result of the contest looked eerily similar.
The Bears had a chance to spark an offensive explosion when they played host to Houston on Nov. 4, but they faced more issues in that game too. The Cougars came into the matchup allowing an average of 31.6 points per game, and to further that, they had allowed an average of 22.8 points in the first half to Big 12 teams. But Baylor came out flat and didn’t put a single point on the board. By comparison, a 2-8 Sam Houston program managed to put up a first-half touchdown when it lost 38-7 to the Cougars.
If there’s any consolation to all of this, it’s that the Bears have been able to scrape together a couple of wins against power schools, and one of those happened following a slow start. With bowl eligibility out of the cards, head coach Dave Aranda will look to evaluate his staff as it seeks to improve in a big way for the 2024 season.
