By Bennett Parker | Sports Writer
Baylor has been inconsistent over the past few years. It was not always certain whether the Bears’ fans will see a postseason-caliber squad or a stagnant offense.
The ‘wishy-washy’ days of the Baylor offense have concluded. After back-to-back 40-point efforts, the Bears are itching to prove themselves against its first ranked opponent in No. 10 BYU (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) Saturday.
The offensive line and tight end units were two of the weakest units for the Bears early on in the season but have seen a lot of improvement in recent weeks. With a ranked opponent on the horizon, the offense needs to take another step in the right direction.
“We’re not clean yet,” interim head coach Joe Klanderman said. “We’re a long ways away, but we’re getting as much out of those guys right now as we’ve gotten out of them all season.”
The offensive line has been a talking point for most of the season, but for all the wrong reasons. The run game and pass protection have been spotty, and the unit had gotten the brunt of the criticism.
Turning the group away had become an emphasis for Klanderman.
“It’s just knowing that, man, you’re not the enemy of the football,” Klanderman said in regard to the offensive line. “You’re not the reason that we’re not moving the ball on offense. You’re a big part of this; we need you.”
Recently, senior offensive lineman Cole Rhett has been taking snaps as a starter and has become a part of the unit’s improvement, with playing more unhindered.
“Now instead of us being so tight and rigid, we’re playing more free,” Rhett said. “We’re playing more with each other. We’re playing for each other. So the more connected we are, the better we’re going to be as a group.”
The other position of interest for the Bears offense is the tight ends. The unit recorded just nine catches and zero touchdowns through the first four games of the season but has emerged as the most consistent red zone target in the offensive downpourings.
“They all do well in the ball catching and the blocking,” tight end coach Jarrett Anderson said. “They’ve expanded their role in that. I looked up and after the game, I think within five snaps of each other, the rotation wasn’t like I was trying to rotate this or the other; it just kind of happened naturally.”
The tight ends want to be a catalyst for the offense but need to get more involved outside of the red zone to make the needed impact against the Cougars. Senior tight end Tony Livingston has stood out with three touchdown receptions in the last two games, but only two catches otherwise.
Anderson wants the tight ends to continue improving their run-after-catch ability to not rely on only catching passes in the end zone.
“They need to catch the ball out in open field and actually get in the end zone without landing in the end zone,” Anderson said. “I said, ‘Have we caught a ball yet that’s got us where we actually had to run five yards to get in the end zone?’ But I mean, we’ve got different things that are set up. If it’s man coverage, you have to create space on your own.”
Baylor will try its hand against No. 12 BYU at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah.
