Baylor to switch QBs
Baylor is looking for answers after an 0-2 start, losing to Liberty and TexasSan Antonio. One move coach Matt Rhule is making is starting sophomore Zach Smith over Arizona transfer Anu Solomon for this week’s game vs. Duke.
“You hate singling out one person,” Rhule said. “It’s a team effort. But in light of where we are right now, Zach will go. We’ll rally around him.”
Baylor is 0-2, with two discouraging defeats: 48-45 to Liberty in Week 1, 17-10 to Texas-San Antonio in Week 2.
So Baylor coach Matt Rhule is making a change for the Bears’ game Saturday at Duke. Zach Smith,a sophomore from Grandview, Texas, will start at quarterback in place of Arizona transfer Anu Solomon.
“You hate singling out one person,” Rhule said. “It’s a team effort. But in light of where we are right now, Zach will go. We’ll rally around him.”
Solomon has completed only 43 percent of his passes, 24 of 53, with two interceptions through two games. Smith completed his only pass against UTSA, good for 16 yards.
Smith quarterbacked Baylor down the stretch last season and completed 59 percent of his passes, with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
“Anu got banged up a little in the game,” Rhule said. “I think Zach went out there and he was ready to go. We’ll turn to Zach this week. It was a tough, tough, tight race in camp.
“One thing I like about Zach, he had to sit down and watch Anu play, and he had a tremendous attitude about it. He’s a competitor. Last win these kids have had, he led them to.”
That was a 31-12 rout of Boise State in the Cactus Bowl, in which Smith completed 28 of 39 passes for 375 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. That’s the kind of production to which Baylor is accustomed, and that’s the kind of production Baylor needs again.
Holgorsen pleased with Big 12 wins
OU’s 31-16 victory over Ohio State on Saturday restored some luster to Big 12 football. Coupled with TCU’s 28-7 rout of Arkansas, the Big 12 rebounded from a rough first week.
“It certainly doesn’t hurt,” said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, whose team played well in Week 1 but lost a 31-24 showdown with Virginia Tech. “I don’t know how poor the reception is with the Big 12 right now. We do have five teams in the top 25. I think the Big 12 has good football. We unfortunately didn’t win our first one, but that was against a top-15 team.
“It’s good to have these matchups. Certainly if you want to have respectability for the CFP (College Football Playoff), then you’ve got to win those games. Glad the Big 12 got a couple of big wins last week.”
Well, it’s actually on four teams in the top 25 — OU is No. 2, OSU No. 9, Kansas State is No. 18 and TCU is No. 20. West Virginia is just outside both polls.
“Anytime the Big 12 wins, you’re excited for the league,” said Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury. “It’s a league that has taken some lumps in the media. Haven’t always felt those were fair.”
But K-State coach Bill Snyder wasn’t particularly invigorated. He doesn’t lament big losses, so he doesn’t get excited about big wins.
“It’s awfully early in the season,” Snyder said. “Those are two extremely talented football teams. They’re among the tops in the nation. Not a surprise that they won the ballgame. But it doesn’t count Ohio State out. You have to play every game. If the committee is making a decision based on that, we’ve got some serious problems.”
Vandy defense impresses Snyder
Kansas State hasn’t had much of a test so far, beating Central Arkansas 55-19 and Charlotte 55-7. But don’t expect the Wildcats to hang 55 on their opponent this week. K-State plays at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Vanderbilt historically is an SEC bottom-dweller, but the Commodores have become more competitive in recent years. And Vandy’s defense has been downright stingy of late.
Vanderbilt went 6-7 last season, with losses of 13-10 to South Carolina, 13-6 to Florida, 20-13 to Kentucky, 23-16 to Auburn and 26-17 to Missouri. Vandy also beat Georgia 17-16.
Now Vanderbilt is 2-0, with wins of 28-6 over Middle Tennessee and Alabama A&M 42-0. Middle Tennessee turned around and won at Syracuse last Saturday.
“Schematically, they’re extremely sound,” Snyder said. “They’ve got a few things they do with their defensive schemes that are somewhat a little bit unique and harder to prepare for. The important thing is they’re so sound. They play and scheme to the capability of their players. That’s a unique and valuable asset to have, this day and age.”
Tech, Arizona State meet again
OU’s 66-59 victory over Texas Tech last October might not have been the kookiest game on the Red Raiders’ schedule. A few weeks earlier, Tech lost 68-55 at Arizona State.
The Sun Devils’ Kalen Ballage tied an NCAA record with eight touchdowns. The Red Raiders’ Patrick Mahomes threw for 540 yards. The teams combined for 62 first downs and 1,264 total yards.
The Tech-ASU game was a sign of things to come. Tech wins of 59-45 over Louisiana Tech and 54-35 over Baylor. Tech defeats of 44-38 to KSU, 45-37 to Texas, 45-44 to OSU and the 66-59 fiasco.
Now Tech and Arizona State meet again, Saturday in Lubbock, and the Red Raiders’ defense has a nightmare to overcome.
“I think anytime you have an NCAA record that’s tied or set against your defense, it’s going to stick with some of the guys on that field,” said Kingsbury. “I feel like they’ve grown a lot since that game, and they’ll be anxious to show they’ve improved.”
Both Tech and Arizona slipped to 5-7 last season. And the Sun Devils are off to a rough start, having survived New Mexico State 37-31 before losing at home to San Diego State 30-20 last week.
The Sun Devils know a little how Tech felt last season — Arizona State allowed a 95-yard touchdown run by San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny, who finished with 216 yards on 18 carries.