By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
Welcome to another edition of Single Digit Flashback. Playing off Baylor’s popular tradition of awarding numbers 0-9 to those deserving players who have become leaders on the team, we have our 10 thoughts about anything that is related to Baylor and may not be related to Baylor.
There are iconic opens to hard rock records. Then there are those considered beyond iconic. Australian group AC/DC has one of those unmistakable beginnings to Hells Bells. Shortly after the death of then lead singer Bon Scott, the band returned in 1980 with its most successful album Back in Black headed by new lead singer Brian Johnson.
Hells Bells was the first release. The haunting open is from a 2000-pound bronze bell tolling. If you are of the learned from literature you can see in your mind’s eye from Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Bells and this passage.
Hear the loud alarum bells—
Brazen bells!
What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
But when the bass guitar slowly segues with bell tolling, Johnson shows the band didn’t miss a beat. On the U.S. Billboard charts, it only climbed to No. 50. But this opening is well known in many a sports arena.
For their part AC/DC went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
>0. When the point spread came out for Baylor-Iowa State, it really wasn’t a surprise the Cyclones were favored. And the spread of -6 or -7 depending on which line you look at is also pretty fair. The Cyclones should be favored. All things considered, those who set the line in Las Vegas believe they are a touchdown better than the Bears. However, consider the Bears possibly had some influence on how that was set because of the way they played at Kansas. Before the game at KU, I thought it could be about -10. There’s some respect for how Baylor not only played its beatable first three games but how decisive it performed.
>1. Every football season, something becomes a trend. Whether it’s on this board or others or social media or from talking heads, everyone seems convinced that Team A is doing X,Y and Z on offense because they don’t want to open up the playbook to let future conference opponents know what’s being concocted in the lab. I even said that. They’re convinced Team A is holding something back as conference play begins because the game of cat and mouse is now in earnest. But the more I’m watching Baylor’s offense, the more I’m convinced I don’t know how much more Baylor has to show. Outside of just going pass crazy in a game with all kinds of verticals and jet sweeps, I’m not sure Baylor needs to do that or really can do that. That would mean it would get away from its identity that it worked so hard to establish in these first three games. Remember, game plans are going to be created based on your personnel against the personnel you’re going to face based on the tendencies that team shows on defense and use those against them.
>2. This is where new Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes earns his money with Gerry Bohanon. He’s nurtured his starter through these first three games with safe plays, safe throws and once in a while use some aggression. Grimes has Bohanon in the right frame of mind as he prepares for this game against the Cyclones. Sunday’s film session in the room should have been eye opening from a lot of perspectives regarding what Grimes wants to do with Bohanon vs. what he’s going to let Bohanon do. That’s two different angles.
>3. Iowa State is a different animal. We all know that. The Cyclones allow just 50.7 rushing yards per game. It gets even more daunting. Opponents are averaging just 1.6 yards per carry. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that three games deep into a season for anyone. Now, granted two of the opponents are Northern Iowa and UNLV. However, that still is pretty ridiculous. We think Baylor’s defense is pretty solid and it is. By comparison, it’s allowing just 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. That’s a really good number.
>4. Then there’s ISU’s passing defense. Through the three games against UNI, Iowa and UNLV, it’s allowing just 143 passing yards per game. In other words, no one has been able to move the football against this defense at 193 total yards per game. Opponents are averaging just 5.8 yards per passing attempt. The magic number for a bona fide passing attack is anything over 7.0. So if you’re going to do something, it could be just the dink and dunk variety. The Cyclone defense has three interceptions. Iowa State already has 11.5 sacks and 13 QB hurries. Do the math that’s 24 times where something bad happened to the other QB, an average of eight times per game.
>5. So what happened to the Cyclones against Iowa? They turned it over four times. Quarterback Brock Purdy threw three interceptions. Iowa then picked up a Breece Hall fumble and returned it six yards for a score. Those four turnovers led to 20 of the Hawkeyes’ 27 points in a 27-17 win. Those three other turnovers occurred in plus territory for the Hawkeyes. Essentially, Iowa State beat itself because it didn’t take care of the football. For its part, Iowa finished with 173 yards of total offense…and won by two scores. That’s an anomaly.
>6. Now, let’s get back to Baylor’s approach. The confidence this offensive line has gained has been noteworthy and needed. Confidence is such an important part of a team believing rather than thinking it can do something well. Baylor’s starting offensive line against Kansas was Xavier Newman-Johnson, Gavin Byers, Grant Miller, Jacob Gall and Connor Galvin. The only other offensive lineman who played was Jackson Kimble. Aranda said they were using these games to try and find a group of five that best gets them ready for league play. Monday’s 2-deep could reveal something different. You might need to take it at face value. But when you’re only playing five in a game that ended up a blowout all the way to the end, the thinking is those five need all the reps they can get together to make sure they are ready.
>7. This is what offensive line coach Eric Mateos and Grimes, whose background is with the offensive line, have been striving for is to make this group credible to even good. So if this who starts against the Cyclones, you’re going to learn if they can hold their own or at least make enough of a stand so that the offense has a chance to succeed.
>8. Baylor’s physical rushing game leads the way. Now, its philosophy is going to clash against Iowa State’s strength. So far, Baylor has had 207 offensive plays, 133 rushing attempts. Basically, two-thirds of the offense is running in the wide zone and taking the heat off of Bohanon. What Grimes has to determine is does he become faithful in what he’s established and say “We’ve got to run it and even if we aren’t getting a ton of yards on it, we have to show Iowa State that we’re going to keep doing it to make them respect it and still take a lot off Bohanon’s plate.’’
>9. Even if the rushing attack is the focus, there will be sequences in this game where Bohanon is going to be asked to make a play with his feet but more likely his arm. Sooner or later, this moment is going to come. The trust Bohanon has built with Grimes and Aranda to this point has to be given some benefit of the doubt. He’s done exactly what has been asked. Now, they have to let him go should the situation call for it. Few doubted that the 3-0 start would occur regardless of who started at QB. Sept. 25 at McLane Stadium stood out there as the line of demarcation. It seemed a long ways away. Now, it’s not.
Let’s make it a great week.
Publisher
Welcome to another edition of Single Digit Flashback. Playing off Baylor’s popular tradition of awarding numbers 0-9 to those deserving players who have become leaders on the team, we have our 10 thoughts about anything that is related to Baylor and may not be related to Baylor.
There are iconic opens to hard rock records. Then there are those considered beyond iconic. Australian group AC/DC has one of those unmistakable beginnings to Hells Bells. Shortly after the death of then lead singer Bon Scott, the band returned in 1980 with its most successful album Back in Black headed by new lead singer Brian Johnson.
Hells Bells was the first release. The haunting open is from a 2000-pound bronze bell tolling. If you are of the learned from literature you can see in your mind’s eye from Edgar Allen Poe’s poem The Bells and this passage.
Hear the loud alarum bells—
Brazen bells!
What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
But when the bass guitar slowly segues with bell tolling, Johnson shows the band didn’t miss a beat. On the U.S. Billboard charts, it only climbed to No. 50. But this opening is well known in many a sports arena.
For their part AC/DC went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
>0. When the point spread came out for Baylor-Iowa State, it really wasn’t a surprise the Cyclones were favored. And the spread of -6 or -7 depending on which line you look at is also pretty fair. The Cyclones should be favored. All things considered, those who set the line in Las Vegas believe they are a touchdown better than the Bears. However, consider the Bears possibly had some influence on how that was set because of the way they played at Kansas. Before the game at KU, I thought it could be about -10. There’s some respect for how Baylor not only played its beatable first three games but how decisive it performed.
>1. Every football season, something becomes a trend. Whether it’s on this board or others or social media or from talking heads, everyone seems convinced that Team A is doing X,Y and Z on offense because they don’t want to open up the playbook to let future conference opponents know what’s being concocted in the lab. I even said that. They’re convinced Team A is holding something back as conference play begins because the game of cat and mouse is now in earnest. But the more I’m watching Baylor’s offense, the more I’m convinced I don’t know how much more Baylor has to show. Outside of just going pass crazy in a game with all kinds of verticals and jet sweeps, I’m not sure Baylor needs to do that or really can do that. That would mean it would get away from its identity that it worked so hard to establish in these first three games. Remember, game plans are going to be created based on your personnel against the personnel you’re going to face based on the tendencies that team shows on defense and use those against them.
>2. This is where new Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes earns his money with Gerry Bohanon. He’s nurtured his starter through these first three games with safe plays, safe throws and once in a while use some aggression. Grimes has Bohanon in the right frame of mind as he prepares for this game against the Cyclones. Sunday’s film session in the room should have been eye opening from a lot of perspectives regarding what Grimes wants to do with Bohanon vs. what he’s going to let Bohanon do. That’s two different angles.
>3. Iowa State is a different animal. We all know that. The Cyclones allow just 50.7 rushing yards per game. It gets even more daunting. Opponents are averaging just 1.6 yards per carry. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that three games deep into a season for anyone. Now, granted two of the opponents are Northern Iowa and UNLV. However, that still is pretty ridiculous. We think Baylor’s defense is pretty solid and it is. By comparison, it’s allowing just 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. That’s a really good number.
>4. Then there’s ISU’s passing defense. Through the three games against UNI, Iowa and UNLV, it’s allowing just 143 passing yards per game. In other words, no one has been able to move the football against this defense at 193 total yards per game. Opponents are averaging just 5.8 yards per passing attempt. The magic number for a bona fide passing attack is anything over 7.0. So if you’re going to do something, it could be just the dink and dunk variety. The Cyclone defense has three interceptions. Iowa State already has 11.5 sacks and 13 QB hurries. Do the math that’s 24 times where something bad happened to the other QB, an average of eight times per game.
>5. So what happened to the Cyclones against Iowa? They turned it over four times. Quarterback Brock Purdy threw three interceptions. Iowa then picked up a Breece Hall fumble and returned it six yards for a score. Those four turnovers led to 20 of the Hawkeyes’ 27 points in a 27-17 win. Those three other turnovers occurred in plus territory for the Hawkeyes. Essentially, Iowa State beat itself because it didn’t take care of the football. For its part, Iowa finished with 173 yards of total offense…and won by two scores. That’s an anomaly.
>6. Now, let’s get back to Baylor’s approach. The confidence this offensive line has gained has been noteworthy and needed. Confidence is such an important part of a team believing rather than thinking it can do something well. Baylor’s starting offensive line against Kansas was Xavier Newman-Johnson, Gavin Byers, Grant Miller, Jacob Gall and Connor Galvin. The only other offensive lineman who played was Jackson Kimble. Aranda said they were using these games to try and find a group of five that best gets them ready for league play. Monday’s 2-deep could reveal something different. You might need to take it at face value. But when you’re only playing five in a game that ended up a blowout all the way to the end, the thinking is those five need all the reps they can get together to make sure they are ready.
>7. This is what offensive line coach Eric Mateos and Grimes, whose background is with the offensive line, have been striving for is to make this group credible to even good. So if this who starts against the Cyclones, you’re going to learn if they can hold their own or at least make enough of a stand so that the offense has a chance to succeed.
>8. Baylor’s physical rushing game leads the way. Now, its philosophy is going to clash against Iowa State’s strength. So far, Baylor has had 207 offensive plays, 133 rushing attempts. Basically, two-thirds of the offense is running in the wide zone and taking the heat off of Bohanon. What Grimes has to determine is does he become faithful in what he’s established and say “We’ve got to run it and even if we aren’t getting a ton of yards on it, we have to show Iowa State that we’re going to keep doing it to make them respect it and still take a lot off Bohanon’s plate.’’
>9. Even if the rushing attack is the focus, there will be sequences in this game where Bohanon is going to be asked to make a play with his feet but more likely his arm. Sooner or later, this moment is going to come. The trust Bohanon has built with Grimes and Aranda to this point has to be given some benefit of the doubt. He’s done exactly what has been asked. Now, they have to let him go should the situation call for it. Few doubted that the 3-0 start would occur regardless of who started at QB. Sept. 25 at McLane Stadium stood out there as the line of demarcation. It seemed a long ways away. Now, it’s not.
Let’s make it a great week.
