Rhule enjoys Bears’ journey
Sugar Bowl loss, questions about future don’t lessen fast rise
NEW ORLEANS — The game had ended only just a few minutes prior, and the thoughts racing through head coach Matt Rhule’s mind were evident by answers he gave atop the Sugar Bowl podium following Baylor’s 26-14 loss to Georgia.
There was the health status of quarterback Charlie Brewer, who was going through protocols to evaluate a potential injury to his neck. There was the loss itself, and an offense that couldn’t stay on the field. There were two seniors sitting next to him silently — two players whose Baylor careers had just ended.
There was a lot going on. But amid all of that, the Bears head coach took a minute to reflect on an 11-3 season that had the elements of a magical season, despite a disappointing ending.
“I told these guys, I’m just so grateful for what they’ve done,” Rhule said. "I know tonight hurts. I know it’s — I know it’s painful for our guys, but they can’t let that deter what they’ve done this season.
“As I told them, we were picked to not even been here. We got to the championship game. We got to the Sugar Bowl.”
Answers like that are why Rhule is beloved both inside Baylor circles, and outside of them as well. Sure the ascent from an 1-11 record to 11-3 in just two years doesn’t hurt. But it’s that candor and way with words that have clearly captivated any audience that he holds.
What’s still unknown is if his reflective words were that of a coach looking back on a season. Or that of a coach speaking to his tenure. Rhule is undoubtedly a highly sought after target for open NFL head coaching jobs. He said on Tuesday that he plans to return to Baylor, but of course, nothing is guaranteed.
“I think at the end of the day, certainly hopeful and believe he’ll be here,” Baylor AD Mack Rhoades told the Dallas Morning News shortly after the game. “… He’s always been trustworthy and upfront, and you know, if he decides here in the near future that he needs to go visit with (an NFL team), he’ll let me know.”
Rhule spoke about this season as a building block. The beginning of a tenure with more Top 5 finishes and more New Year’s Six bowl games.
He’s talked about the players on this team as the start of something. Even as the offense sputtered — failing to score in three of the four quarters, racking up 10 penalties and rushing for just 61 yards — there was an understanding that the Bears program is building toward something better.
“Starting with the first year, you have to use it as building blocks,” said junior DT James Lynch. “And it’s really tough going through those years. You’re questioning whether we should do this or whatnot. But when you have these years, you know exactly what to do. … We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing in the offseason and get better.” That was somewhat of the crossroads Baylor was at after the game. It had just surpassed everyone’s wildest expectation by playing in the Sugar Bowl. It had put itself on the sport’s largest stage far before anyone believed possible.
Still, it was tough to come away from last night’s game with any concrete feeling on Baylor’s direction. The QB got pulled from his second straight game for an injury above the neck. The head coach’s name swirled the last four days as a top candidate for multiple NFL teams.
And lastly, the game’s final result showed clearly that Baylor is not of Georgia’s caliber quite yet.
Baylor showed that it currently has all the pieces in place to keep building its program to get to that caliber. As Rhule even noted, nearly all of the starters in this game played a role in that 1-11 team. It’s the same players, built up from a coaching staff and culture that enabled a massive and rapid turnaround.
What remains to be seen if those pieces stay in place, and stay at Baylor.
“It’s obviously really difficult right now, because we just lost the game,” said sophomore linebacker Terrel Bernard. “But stepping back and looking at it and thinking, from where we’ve come from to where we were this season, I mean, it’s just, it’s a big deal.”