By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Baylor closed its regular season on Friday with a 38-27 loss to Texas at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
The Bears had momentum early in the fourth quarter. Star Al Walcott knocked the ball loose from Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and defensive tackle Gabe Hall picked up the free ball and raced in from 16 yards out to give the Bears a 27-24 lead.
However, Texas scored 14 unanswered points on its next two offensive possessions – the second seven from a Blake Shapen interception – to finish it off.
Baylor lost its last three games to finish 6-6 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12.
Now, the Bears await their bowl selection on Sunday, Dec. 4 after the College Football Playoff teams and New Year’s 6 Bowl game matchups are announced.
SicEmSports provides reflections, observations and three Golden Bears from this one.
Upon Reflection
Everything you wanted to know about this football season transpired in the first seven minutes and the last eight minutes.
When we saw the Bears jump out to a 9-0 lead, they never looked better. Given his track record, I was a bit surprised Dave Aranda on the first possession with the ball at midfield even with a fourth and eight at the Texas 48. But that was the right thing. Texas pinned deep. Ewers is hit with a safety. It’s 2-0 Baylor.
Then the Bears hit the big vertical when Shapen throws a 47-yard bomb to Jaylen Ellis (remember him?). Now, 9-0, Bears.
You’re thinking, “Alright, we’re rollin’.’’ After the game settles in, the Bears show some grit, rally from a deficit and lead at the break, 19-17.
Then in the fourth quarter, it comes apart. The defensive line, which really needed to step up after the defensive score, gets pushed around for 11 consecutive running plays. Texas takes the lead. Shapen throws the pick. The Longhorns score off that when Roschon Johnson hurdles Snaxx Johnson and gets to the pylon.
Those sequences are the byproduct of 6-6 team. Could be really good at times. Could be really poor at times. It’s called inconsistencies.
Shapen’s status
Obviously, Shapen’s situation is far from rock solid. He finished the year poorly and with the kind of streak you don’t want to have – 12 turnovers in his last eight games, 9 interceptions, three fumbles.
One of the reasons he won this job over Gerry Bohanon was the TD pass to Ellis. Bohanon can’t make that throw. Shapen can. Baylor’s passing game was missing the deep vertical from the 2021 Big 12 championship season.
His fast start in Austin fizzled when he completed just 50 percent of his attempts (18-36-1). He should the start the bowl game. What you hope he does is use the extra practices to see where his issues lie, work on them and then work diligently in the offseason so he can learn and be better for it.
As a first-year starting quarterback, you would have hoped that he would have been playing better in November as he started to become more comfortable in that role. That just never happened.
He actually tailed off at the end. For the season, he completed 64 percent of his attempts. In November, he was 75-127-5 (59 percent) and three TD passes.
There needs to be a QB competition in the spring between himself, Kyron Drones (provided he doesn’t leave) and 2023 commit and January arrival Austin Novosad. The bowl game performance cannot be viewed as a “He figured it out. We’re all good.’’ storyline. Shapen has to fight to keep this job.
As for Drones
I don’t know what’s going to happen here. The word I have from about two weeks ago is that nothing has changed with his situation. Maybe he could have come in and played more for the times when Shapen was struggling. Kansas State would have been the only time this month for that to happen.
Shapen wasn’t coming out at Oklahoma. He wasn’t coming out against TCU. He wasn’t coming out against Texas.
It’s the traditional backup QB is the most popular guy on the team talk. Indeed, we saw some good things from Drones against West Virginia. But as that game wore on, he got a little shaky. Still, growth for him.
Obviously, we’ll watch and see what happens when the portal period opens on Dec. 5. But keep in mind when QBs in Drones situation (remember Jacob Zeno) hit the portal they better do so when they know what the QB landscape for Division I is. Zeno (UAB) and Bohanon (South Florida) did not improve their situations as far as programs go. They improved their situation to where they would be a starter. That turned out to be at the G5 level.
That’s what Drones needs to decide. Do I want to be a part of a program that wins and I could sit or do I want to go to a place where it’s down and I can be the starter?
Later this week
Buying and Selling Baylor will be a little more detailed this week. It won’t go position by position because there’s still the bowl game to play. I’ll get a little more into the bowl discussion in What was he Thinking. Could be Liberty in Memphis. Could be Guarantee Rate in Phoenix.
Recruiting calendar
A brief dead period starts Monday and runs through Thursday. The contact period when coaches can visit players on high school campuses begins on Friday. That runs until Dec. 18 when the next dead period begins Dec. 19.
Golden Bears
The yearly tradition returns where SicEmSports highlights the three players who stood out in their performance on a weekly basis. Win or lose, they deserve the recognition.
The following are from Baylor’s 38-27 loss at Texas.
Al Walcott, Star, Sr.: He was pretty active throughout the game. Of course, he had the key forced fumble that led to Hall’s scamper. Walcott led all defenders in tackles. Probably his best game of the year.
Notable – 6 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles
Dillon Doyle, LB, Sr.: There was some early success against Texas RB Bijan Robinson. Obviously, it didn’t finish that. However, Doyle was active and aggressive even moving sideline to sideline.
Notable – 4 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles
Jaylen Ellis, WR, Jr.: Admittedly, this is a stretch. But that 47-yard touchdown reception for Baylor’s first offensive score was a nicely run pattern. Baylor went to him when they weren’t going to have Gavin Holmes. He broke it well, got behind the defender and waltzed int. He was targeted two other times. Shapen just didn’t get it to him.
Notable – Receiving: 1-47 TD
Publisher
Baylor closed its regular season on Friday with a 38-27 loss to Texas at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
The Bears had momentum early in the fourth quarter. Star Al Walcott knocked the ball loose from Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and defensive tackle Gabe Hall picked up the free ball and raced in from 16 yards out to give the Bears a 27-24 lead.
However, Texas scored 14 unanswered points on its next two offensive possessions – the second seven from a Blake Shapen interception – to finish it off.
Baylor lost its last three games to finish 6-6 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12.
Now, the Bears await their bowl selection on Sunday, Dec. 4 after the College Football Playoff teams and New Year’s 6 Bowl game matchups are announced.
SicEmSports provides reflections, observations and three Golden Bears from this one.
Upon Reflection
Everything you wanted to know about this football season transpired in the first seven minutes and the last eight minutes.
When we saw the Bears jump out to a 9-0 lead, they never looked better. Given his track record, I was a bit surprised Dave Aranda on the first possession with the ball at midfield even with a fourth and eight at the Texas 48. But that was the right thing. Texas pinned deep. Ewers is hit with a safety. It’s 2-0 Baylor.
Then the Bears hit the big vertical when Shapen throws a 47-yard bomb to Jaylen Ellis (remember him?). Now, 9-0, Bears.
You’re thinking, “Alright, we’re rollin’.’’ After the game settles in, the Bears show some grit, rally from a deficit and lead at the break, 19-17.
Then in the fourth quarter, it comes apart. The defensive line, which really needed to step up after the defensive score, gets pushed around for 11 consecutive running plays. Texas takes the lead. Shapen throws the pick. The Longhorns score off that when Roschon Johnson hurdles Snaxx Johnson and gets to the pylon.
Those sequences are the byproduct of 6-6 team. Could be really good at times. Could be really poor at times. It’s called inconsistencies.
Shapen’s status
Obviously, Shapen’s situation is far from rock solid. He finished the year poorly and with the kind of streak you don’t want to have – 12 turnovers in his last eight games, 9 interceptions, three fumbles.
One of the reasons he won this job over Gerry Bohanon was the TD pass to Ellis. Bohanon can’t make that throw. Shapen can. Baylor’s passing game was missing the deep vertical from the 2021 Big 12 championship season.
His fast start in Austin fizzled when he completed just 50 percent of his attempts (18-36-1). He should the start the bowl game. What you hope he does is use the extra practices to see where his issues lie, work on them and then work diligently in the offseason so he can learn and be better for it.
As a first-year starting quarterback, you would have hoped that he would have been playing better in November as he started to become more comfortable in that role. That just never happened.
He actually tailed off at the end. For the season, he completed 64 percent of his attempts. In November, he was 75-127-5 (59 percent) and three TD passes.
There needs to be a QB competition in the spring between himself, Kyron Drones (provided he doesn’t leave) and 2023 commit and January arrival Austin Novosad. The bowl game performance cannot be viewed as a “He figured it out. We’re all good.’’ storyline. Shapen has to fight to keep this job.
As for Drones
I don’t know what’s going to happen here. The word I have from about two weeks ago is that nothing has changed with his situation. Maybe he could have come in and played more for the times when Shapen was struggling. Kansas State would have been the only time this month for that to happen.
Shapen wasn’t coming out at Oklahoma. He wasn’t coming out against TCU. He wasn’t coming out against Texas.
It’s the traditional backup QB is the most popular guy on the team talk. Indeed, we saw some good things from Drones against West Virginia. But as that game wore on, he got a little shaky. Still, growth for him.
Obviously, we’ll watch and see what happens when the portal period opens on Dec. 5. But keep in mind when QBs in Drones situation (remember Jacob Zeno) hit the portal they better do so when they know what the QB landscape for Division I is. Zeno (UAB) and Bohanon (South Florida) did not improve their situations as far as programs go. They improved their situation to where they would be a starter. That turned out to be at the G5 level.
That’s what Drones needs to decide. Do I want to be a part of a program that wins and I could sit or do I want to go to a place where it’s down and I can be the starter?
Later this week
Buying and Selling Baylor will be a little more detailed this week. It won’t go position by position because there’s still the bowl game to play. I’ll get a little more into the bowl discussion in What was he Thinking. Could be Liberty in Memphis. Could be Guarantee Rate in Phoenix.
Recruiting calendar
A brief dead period starts Monday and runs through Thursday. The contact period when coaches can visit players on high school campuses begins on Friday. That runs until Dec. 18 when the next dead period begins Dec. 19.
Golden Bears
The yearly tradition returns where SicEmSports highlights the three players who stood out in their performance on a weekly basis. Win or lose, they deserve the recognition.
The following are from Baylor’s 38-27 loss at Texas.
Al Walcott, Star, Sr.: He was pretty active throughout the game. Of course, he had the key forced fumble that led to Hall’s scamper. Walcott led all defenders in tackles. Probably his best game of the year.
Notable – 6 solo tackles, 4 assisted tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles
Dillon Doyle, LB, Sr.: There was some early success against Texas RB Bijan Robinson. Obviously, it didn’t finish that. However, Doyle was active and aggressive even moving sideline to sideline.
Notable – 4 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles
Jaylen Ellis, WR, Jr.: Admittedly, this is a stretch. But that 47-yard touchdown reception for Baylor’s first offensive score was a nicely run pattern. Baylor went to him when they weren’t going to have Gavin Holmes. He broke it well, got behind the defender and waltzed int. He was targeted two other times. Shapen just didn’t get it to him.
Notable – Receiving: 1-47 TD
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