BAYLOR PREVIEW
The Bears look to right the ship after their stunning Liberty loss.
Records: Baylor 0-1, UTSA 0-0 Series history: First meeting. Key players: Baylor — QB Anu Solomon, RB John Lovett, CB Harrison Hand; UTSA — QB Dalton Sturm, RB Jalen Rhodes, LB Josiah Tauaefa
Who has the edge
Offense — Baylor. It wasn’t a good day for incumbent QB Zach Smith. He lost his starting job to Solomon, a graduate transfer from Arizona, then entered for only one pass at the end of the game — a Hail Mary that was intercepted. But the rest of the Bears’ offense fared well, even without injured RB Terence Williams (shoulder) and the loss of RB JaMycal Hasty (knee), rolling up 532 total yards behind Solomon, who’s a dualthreat QB, and freshman RB John Lovett (14-89, two TDs rushing).
Defense — UTSA. The Bears struggled defensively in Big 12 play last season but they looked good early on, holding their first three opponents to 30 total points. After surrendering 48 points and 585 total yards to Liberty — Liberty! — in this year’s opener, the concerns are very real. The Bears didn’t force a turnover, managed only one sack and surrendered 447 passing yards. The Roadrunners held opponents to 27.9 points per game in 2016.
Special teams — Even. Baylor K Connor Martin converted his only field-goal attempt from 39 yards late in the first half against Liberty. He also went 6-for-6 on extra-point attempts. P Drew Galitz was solid, too, averaging 40.8 yards on four punts. UTSA junior K Victor Falcon went 12-of17 on field goals last year. He was 10-of-11 from 20 to 39 yards and 2-of-6 from 40-plus yards. UTSA junior P Yannis Routsas averaged 42 yards per punt.
Notable: The Roadrunners were supposed to open their season against Houston at the Alamodome in San Antonio but the game was postponed after Hurricane Harvey devastated the greater Houston area. They’re expected to try to reschedule the game at a later date. Baylor suffered its first loss to an FCS (formerly Division I-AA) opponent since an 18-17 season-opening setback to Lamar in 1981.
About Baylor: The Bears (0-1) are in transition, with many new players at key positions — a changing of the guard complicated by injuries — and new offensive and defensive schemes under first-year coach Matt Rhule, so growing pains are expected. Still, a 48-45 loss to Liberty was not a good look, and could be indicative of problems to come, especially on defense. But Solomon over Smith wasn’t the problem. He was effective throughout his first start, throwing for 278 yards and three TDs and rushing for 97 yards on six carries.
About UTSA: Coach Frank Wilson led the Roadrunners to their first bowl game in his first season, proving he’s more than a great recruiter. His team tied an FBS record set by South Alabama, going from FBS start-up to playoff qualifier in six years. They finished Jason McDaniel