By Hannah Webb | News Editor
Junior quarterback Nate Bennett waited two years for his shot at QB1. On Saturday, he made the most of it.
With junior quarterback DJ Lagway sidelined following an ankle injury suffered in Baylor’s season opener against Auburn, Bennett got his first chance to lead the Bears as the starter.
And, well, “Nate the Great,” as deemed in a Baylor Athletics post, made a pretty good first impression with Baylor (1-1) defeating Prairie View A&M (1-2) 44-3 Saturday night at McLane Stadium.
Bennett served as the primary backup for Sawyer Robertson for the better part of the last two years. He previously made a couple appearances, most notably against Samford last season, completing five of seven passes for 34 yards.
Saturday, he was in control of the offense. Here are four takeaways from the game:
1. He played well, simple as that.
Bennett put up a good showing. He finished 23-for-35 for 301 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He may have started the game a little shaky, but once he caught fire, there wasn’t much stopping him in the first half. He threw for 95 yards in the first quarter alone.
Bennett also scored a 17-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, putting Baylor up 31-3. The play showed why Baylor trusted him with the job in the first place.
Sophomore running back Caden Knighten said the team had that trust in Bennett before he was ever named the starter.
“I trust and respect Nate a lot,” Knighten said. “I feel as if he can go get the job done, just like any other quarterback we have in the room.”
Knighten said he had “full confidence” in Bennett after he was named the starter. That confidence seemed to carry over onto the field.
2. His play execution still needs work
Bennett is a very varied player. His first half was very impressive, but the second left you wanting more. With sophomore quarterback Edward Griffin taking the reins in the fourth quarter, there wasn’t much to take away.
His longest completion Saturday was a 33-yard pass in the second quarter, and he showed that he can push the ball down the field. But two interceptions showed the other side of that game.
The encouraging part is that Baylor’s coaches don’t seem to think Bennett is out there simply guessing. Aranda said Bennett spent the week showing he was ready to run the offense.
“[Offensive Coordinator Jake Spavital] was singing his praises all throughout the week, in terms of ‘He’s seeing this, he’s making these checks,’” Aranda said.
There were moments when Bennett appeared to be working through his options after the snap, but Aranda said he didn’t see the quarterback doing much thinking or second-guessing.
“He had a great check today for a touchdown,” Aranda said. “And I thought that his preparation put him in a position to play fast and play free.”
3. He resembles Sawyer Robertson a lot
It was clear Bennett and Robertson trained in the same quarterback room for two seasons.
If you go back to Robertson’s game against Samford last year, there is a similar quality between the two quarterbacks. Both have the confidence to look toward the end zone for big plays and the frustration when those shots don’t connect.
Robertson threw for 211 yards against Samford and threw two interceptions in that game; similarly, Bennett threw for 301 yards and also tossed a pair of interceptions Saturday.
While Robertson’s performance against Samford wasn’t his best showing, the potential was always evident. Bennett spent two seasons watching him before getting the chance to start, and appears to carry that same potential.
Aranda said Bennett’s preparation throughout the week was one of the reasons he trusted him to make the jump from backup to starter.
“I thought [he was a] real confident dude,” Aranda said. “And his attention to detail and his routine throughout the week, I thought couldn’t be any better.”
4. We can look forward to a good season. Or, at least, an entertaining one.
Along with Bennett’s breakout came the breakout of Athletic Director Doug McNamee’s emphasis of the “fan first era” for Baylor football.
The night started with the new Baylor drum chant, touchdowns marked the return of the Bear Bell and the game, especially the third quarter, came with a litany of fireworks.
The football was pretty entertaining, too.
Baylor wants to run the ball, play fast and, as Aranda said, “play for each other.” It seemed as though that happened Saturday.
Fifth-year safety Colby McCalister called it “complementary football,” with the offense trusting the defense and the defense trusting the offense.
“We both did our 180,” McCalister said. “We played great on both sides of the ball.”
Bennett was a big part of that.
Fifth-year wide receiver Jayden McGowan, who caught a touchdown from Bennett, said Bennett has been preparing like a starter and has worked just as hard as Lagway. For both players, it was their first Baylor touchdown.
Aranda confirmed Lagway should return for next week’s game, but Bennett proved that the quarterback room runs deeper than the Florida transfer.
Baylor returns to McLane Saturday afternoon to face off against Louisiana Tech. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
