2003 Statistics

Quarterback
Like a train trying to run without an engine, the Baylor Bears' offense continues to sputter without a clear-cut starting quarterback. To Guy Morriss' dismay, spring practice failed to produce a frontrunner for the job that has been an open competition since last season's end. Coming off a season in which the team ranked in the bottom-fifth nationally for passing, improved play under center is an absolute must. But the Bears are not going to avoid another disastrous campaign from this perspective. Sophomore Shawn Bell, JUCO-transfer Dane King, and senior Aaron Karas figure to battle right up to the season's first snap to see who will win the starter's role. Our money would be on Bell to win the job based on his youth and potential to grow in the offense; but on a dismal team, expect each of them to see time with the first unit.

Running Back
Even after subtracting out negative sack yardage, the Bear's running attack averaged a very ordinary 3.75 yards per carry (with it, they averaged 2.8). Considering the marginal passing game and the inexperienced offensive line, you have to commend the Baylor backfield for doing all that they could. With little improvement in the aerial attack, the loss of the team's leading rusher to graduation will prove disastrous this fall. Like the QB spot, coach Morriss ended spring practice without a solid number one option, and was left with a running back-by-committee scenario as of now. Ex-triple jumper Anthony Kreig (sr.), the most experienced of them, will be the first to have the RB focus. Keep an eye on sophomore Paul Mosley, whose immense talents are only tempered by his lack of experience. The coaching staff will try to establish a strong ball-control oriented offense, and FB Jonathan Evans is the only confirmed bruiser with which to do so.

Receiver
With the quarterback situation less-than-promising, don't expect much production from a receiving corps devoid of star talent. Coming off a season in which the team failed to produce a pass-catcher with more than 500 yards receiving, the Bears will be hard pressed to even match last year's mediocre 11 touchdown catches. Sophomores Trenton Shelton and Dominique Ziegler have shown promise and will develop into nice players over their next three seasons. The entire corps has size and speed. But with the unsettled QB situation and a non-threatening ground game, these youngsters will be hard-pressed to produce results in-line with their talent levels this fall.

Tight End
The Bears' tight end tandem combined for a whopping 11 catches in 2003. Behind that seemingly paltry effort, however, lies a healthy 13+ yards per catch average proving that Baylor's TE's have the talent to be real threats in the passing game. Like their wide receiver counterparts, inconsistent play from under center will prevent their receiving numbers from reaching gaudier heights. A strong line will allow them to run routes more often, which would give Baylor an advantage in at least one unit.

Offensive Line
Most experts agree that the Bears' offensive line may well be the team's strongest unit. That's both a dangerous idea and a revealing statement about the team's chances of success. Allowing an absurd 46 sacks and spearheading a mediocre running game, this offensive line should just not be considered a strength. Problems stem from their decent size, and how that makes it tough for these behemoths to move (nearly as well as those future-NFL-types from OU, Nebraska, Texas, etc.) The injury to Nick Pace was a major setback for the group, but there is experience here, as three (upperclassmen) out of five starters return. And for a team desperate for a silver lining, the offensive line will have to do.

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Hmm…no starting quarterback yet…no starting running back yet…and an experienced (but overmatched) offensive line. Sounds like a recipe for disaster for the Baylor Bears. It's hard to believe, but coach Morriss' offensive rebuilding job will actually take a step backwards from last season's disastrous results. To be fair, though, it is a re-building process and sometimes you just need to tear things down (again) before you build them back up. Bears' fans should watch for development, improvement and painful growth on offense…just don't be looking for too many points. The QB and RB developments will go a long way toward defining what is now unknown.

Defensive Line
Baylor's defensive line produced a mixed bag of results, managing a respectable 29 sacks, but yielding an eye-popping 5.1 yards per carry on the ground. The depleted unit will improve with two talented sophomores manning the tackle positions and legitimizing a weak middle. The coaching staff is genuinely excited about the spring performance of their defensive ends, Montez Murphy and Khari Long, and thinks the team's pass rush will actually improve. Depth is non-existent in Waco, so an improved starting unit could be submarined if the injury bug hits.

Linebacker
Like the defensive line, opponent's rushing success is an indictment of a mediocre linebacking corps. But unlike the defensive line, there has not been an influx of young talent to help solidify the unit. With one returning starter and a dearth of impact reserves, the front four will have to make a lot of tackles…because it doesn't look like their linebackers are going to make many at all. Senior Justin Crooks has the most complete game of the two official LBs, but size factors across the board mean Big XII foes will have much open in the underneath departments.

Defensive Back
The good…Maurice Lane is an all-Big XII type of performer at free safety, leading the team with 129 tackles (though that's really an indication of the weakness in the linebacking corps, not of his amazing prowess). The bad…the team allowed 256.5 passing yards per game (108th for pass efficiency defense) and gave up a whopping 31 passing touchdowns. The ugly…this fall, both starting cornerback spots will most likely be manned by inexperienced sophomores. Yup, that's right. The Bears pass defense may actually be worse then its preceding unit, or the new blood can only be a sign of good things to come. But fear not, Baylor fans…these kids have the tools to become legitimate Big XII performers. All they need is experience. After a bumpy opening to the season, expect this group to be Baylor's best unit on this side of the pigskin by season's end.

DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Well, the good news is that it really can't get much worse after allowing 37.9 points per game to rank 112th in this department. If the offense was capable of any consistency, the 'D' could even be somewhat respectable. The play of the line and the secondary may mask a deficiency at linebacker, though depth is a question on both units. Maybe five DBs isn't the formula here, but hindsight is 20/20, huh. At the end of the day, Bears' fans must watch for individual improvements rather then team success on defense.