Baylor’s Muschamp earns TFP player of the week honors
Going up against a stout run-stopping defense presented by Montgomery Bell Academy last Friday, Baylor senior quarterback Whit Muschamp knew he had to be on top of his game.
What Muschamp and his receiving corps produced on their home field was nothing short of sensational. The Red Raiders threw for 370 yards in the first half and four touchdowns to build a 35-0 lead that would go on to be the final score in a rematch of last year’s Division II-AAA state title game.
The Vanderbilt commit picked apart the Big Red defense and produced a pair of 100-yard receivers in the first half in Amari Jefferson and Max LeBlanc.
“We had fun all week putting that game plan together,” said Muschamp, who completed 20-of-23 passes in the first half and earns Times Free Press Player of the Week honors. “Throwing to guys like Zane (Restelli), Max, Cam (Sparks) and Amari makes playing quarterback come really easy for me. With those guys making yards after the catch, it was easy to throw for as many yards as I did.”
Muschamp connected with Jefferson on a roll out across the field for a 69-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Their chemistry on the field this season has been extremely difficult to defend, as Jefferson has 50 catches for 793 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The 370-yard passing performance for Muschamp ranks second in his prep career only behind his 430 he had against MBA last regular season in a 42-34 road loss.
“This type of performance is what we know we are capable of,” said Jefferson, who is committed to Alabama. “I truly believe we have one of the best receiving corps in the country and there’s no quarterback I would rather have than Whit throwing me the ball. Having Max (an Ohio State commit) out there really makes us go too because there is no one that can stop him in the middle of the field.”
Muschamp has surpassed 2,000 yards passing for the season, a year after helping deliver Baylor’s first state football championship in 49 years. He threw for 252 yards and a pair of scores while rushing for 52 yards in a 38-34 BlueCross Bowl victory over MBA on Dec. 1, 2022.
MBA has been shutout 35-0 this season on the road by both Baylor and McCallie, who are the topranked teams in the state, regardless of classification, according to MaxPreps. com.
The two local powerhouses were the first teams to shutout MBA since 2017 when eventual state champion Brentwood Academy did so.
“We have been preaching all year that if we put all the phases of the game together, we are going to be incredibly difficult to beat,” Baylor coach Eric Kimrey said. “This past Friday was one of the few times we have done that. It was really rewarding for our guys to see when we play clean football we can do some really good things.
“No game is ever perfect or clean, but you also have to say, “Hey guys, you played pretty well.’”