Baylor counting more on quarterback Stidham,
Bears want Stidham to keep up fearless play vs. Oklahoma.
— The no-no around the Baylor football complex these days is for anyone, however innocent or factual, to use the term “freshman” in reference to quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
Baylor coach Art Briles even kidded a reporter Monday about the use of the F-word. After Stidham threw for 419 yards in his first start last week against Kansas State, Briles wanted folks to stop mentioning the quarterback’s grade, his age (he’s 19) or whether the Bears still can compete for the playoffs.
“You threw me with the freshman quarterback,” Briles said. “I wasn’t sure who you were referring to. We went in (to Kansas State) unscathed and remained unscathed.
“If you’re looking for somebody that’s fearful as a coach, as a team, you’re not going to find it on University Parks Avenue. That’s not happening. We didn’t tee it off to get second, and we’re not going to wait for the other team to make a mistake. We’re going to set the tone, we’re going to play hard, we’re going to play fast, and we’re going to play fearless. And if they’re on the field, that’s how they’re going to play, regardless of age.”
So, Stidham now is fearless in Briles’ terminology. He’ll need to be bodacious this Saturday, when rejuvenated Oklahoma comes to town. The game is set for a primetime national telecast. That morning, ESPN’s “College GameDay” crew will set up near McLane Stadium. It’s enough attention to scare a senior, much less a fledgling quarterback.
On Monday, Stidham talked to reporters for the first time as a starter. He inherited the job when Seth Russell broke a bone in his neck Oct. 24 and had surgery a week later. The Bears had a bye week after Russell’s injury, allowing them extra time to prepare for Thursday’s game at Kansas State. Stidham was kept under wraps until he won his first game and looked good doing so.
Stidham is used to a modicum of attention befitting his status as one of the top quarterback recruits in the country. He initially committed to Texas Tech, then switched allegiances to Baylor last December.
His reversal brought all sorts of unwelcome attention.
“In any situation like that, you can’t let it affect you,” Stidham said. “I had threatening phone calls to my house. Threatening letters. That’s hard for an 18-year-old kid to deal with, but I tried to stay away from it, especially on Twitter, because a lot of things were being said on Twitter. Friends would be saying, ‘Hey, did you see what this guy said about you?’
“The best thing was just to stay away from it, and I think it has definitely helped me come into this situation now to handle it and not get too high or low. Just kind of take it.”
Now there will be attention from the Sooners, who will have an entire Stidham game to analyze to come up with a defensive strategy.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, without mentioning the F-word, said he was impressed with Stidham.
“The guy is completing 77 percent of his passes, and I thought he did a really good job just going to the right guys,” Stoops told reporters in Norman. “Everyone knew that coming out of high school.”