HOUSTON BAPTIST: 5 THINGS TO WATCH

Houston Baptist is coming off an 0-11 season in which the Huskies were hit hard by a number of playmakers, mostly on offense, that transferred out of the program. Coach Vic Shealy, entering his ninth year with the program, is rebuilding the team to be competitive in the Southland Conference this season.

Here are five things to watch with the Huskies this season:

FOMBY GETS NOD AT QUARTERBACK

1 Northern Iowa transfer Justin Fomby has emerged as the starting quarterback, beating out sophomore Orion Olivas. Fomby is taking majority of the reps with the first team in preparation of the Sept. 3 opener at Northern Colorado. At Northern Iowa, Fomby started two games in the spring of 2021 but did not see action in the fall season. Olivas made seven starts last season, passing for 1,383 yards and six touchdowns with 13 interceptions, completing 156-of-273 passes.

DANSBY LATEST LINEBACKER STAR

2 Linebacker is a position of strength, just as it has been in past years. Carrying on the tradition are 6-foot, 220-pound senior Brennan Young (Oak Ridge) and Rodney Dansby (Bellaire), a 6-foot, 225-pound sophomore. Young has been among the national leaders statistically in tackling for several years. As a freshman last year, Dansby led the conference, and ranked second in the nation with 11.9 tackles per game, the sixth straight HBU linebacker to lead the league in tackles. The position is coached by Roger Hinshaw, who served as an assistant under Ken Hatfield for 23 years at four different FBS schools.

O-LINE TAKING SHAPE

3 Due to injuries, transfers or inexperience, the offensive line struggled in 2021. Left tackle Dylan McCreery was the Huskies’ most productive player. Center Christian Hood is a three-year starter. Highly recruited right guard Kendal Septs (Fort Bend Austin) sat out last year with an ACL injury. Sitting out last season with a foot fracture was right tackle William Brewer. Septs and Brewer were starters before getting hurt. Left guard will be occupied by freshman Nolan Hay (Katy Taylor), who Shealy said has a chance to be the best offensive lineman in school history.

HUSKIES BULLISH ON BUELL

4 Brady Buell has such leg strength that sometimes the punter outkicks his coverage. It’s not the worst problem to have. A year ago, Buell averaged 42.0 yards on 71 punts, the second-highest average in FCS while earning first-team All-Southland and a semifinalist for the 2021 FCS Punter of the Year Award. The senior set a school record by averaging 50.9 yards on nine punts at New Mexico. He led the conference in punts inside the 20-yard line with 24 and punts of 50 or more yards at 17.

RETAINING DEFENSIVE LINEMEN CHALLENGING

5 The defensive line has become challenging to recruit for and also to keep players from transferring from. Kyler Baugh, the starting nose guard the past two years, left for Minnesota. Delvin Mason emerged from the spring as the Huskies’ top lineman. Zae Smith (Clear Springs) injured a shoulder last year but has had a tremendous camp. Smith will start at the other inside tackle position to go with Mason.