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Thursday, July 5 Baylor football preview By Mel Kiper ESPN.com In Kevin Steele's first two seasons as the Bears' head coach, the only wins have come against North Texas (twice) and South Florida. After going 1-10 in '99, Baylor suffered through a 2-9 campaign last year, allowing 59 points (Nebraska), 48 (Texas), 56 (Oklahoma), 47 (Missouri), and 50 points (Oklahoma State) in games over the final five weeks of the season.
Looking for a quick defensive fix, Steele landed a pair of JUCO DEs, A.C. Collier and Shaun Jackson, both of whom figure as potential starters in the season opener against Arkansas State. If Collier and Jackson can provide an improved outside pass rush, they would complement the solid play turned in by junior DT Kevin Stevenson. The Bears will be young at LB, with all three starters just sophomores. The leader of the group is mike-man John Garrett, a super tough 6-foot-1, 235-pound warrior who always seems to be in the center of the action. Last year, Garrett started six games. With Gary Baxter now a member of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens (second-round pick), the secondary will be led by senior free safety Samir Al-Amin. At SS, there is a two-way battle taking place for the starting job. Senior Kyle Staudt has the slight edge going into fall practice, but watch out for converted LB Derrick Cash. The 5-11, 207-pound sophomore is regarded as the fastest player on the team. At RCB, Bobby Hart takes over as a starter after working as a nickel back last season. He's also a fearless punt returner, rarely if ever calling for a fair catch. On the left side, junior Randy Davis has made the transition from WR to CB. The 5-9, 173-pounder has the necessary recovery speed, also excelling as a sprinter on the Baylor track team. OFFENSE After being shut out on three successive weeks around midseason last year against Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Nebraska, the Bears' offense figures to benefit significantly from the healthy return of junior QB Greg Cicero from the injury list. After Cicero went down with a broken collarbone during the second game of the season against Minnesota, Steele and company were forced to use four different signal callers. Josh Zachry, a sophomore and former walk-on, was the last of the four to see action and actually turned out to be the most productive. He's now the primary backup. As for Cicero, the 6-4, 213-pound junior was back at full strength in the spring, working in a new Baylor offense that will look to attack with multiple wideouts, while also blending in a little no-huddle. While Cicero lacks top arm strength, he stands tall in the pocket, is a fairly accurate passer, and shows the necessary ability to work through his progressions. Cicero's primary weapon figures to be junior Reggie Newhouse. The son of former Dallas Cowboys RB Robert Newhouse, he has ideal size (6-1, 199) and above-average natural pass-receiving skills. While the emphasis will be on spreading defenses and being aggressive throwing the football, Baylor will have to run the football effectively in order to improve its overall point production. The Bears have three RBs in the mix, all of whom showed well in the spring. Senior Melvin Barnett is the true FB type at 6-foot, 243 pounds, while junior Chedrick Ricks figures to operate as more of a scat-back. The back, however, with the most all-around talent may be sophomore Jonathan Golden. The 6-foot, 208-pounder has the necessary outside running ability, yet he can also pick up yardage after initial contact. The Bears have to improve up front. That's why Steele brought in several JUCO recruits. The line includes 6-8, 350-pound OT Charles Bungert, 6-4, 325-pound G-T Antoine Murphy, and 6-4, 340-pound OG Matt Bickel. Senior Jon Erickson is on top of the depth chart at LT, but word is that he could switch back to a guard spot if Bungert turns out to be the answer. With all the battles taking place for starting jobs, Steele is fortunate to have a quality veteran in senior Joe Jackson to anchor things at center. SPECIAL TEAMS As for the kicking game, Steele will utilize junior Daniel Andino on short FGs and PATs, while senior Adam Stiles will be called on to attempt the longer FGs and also handle the kickoff duties. Stiles and senior Ryan Chapdelaine are in line for the punting job. OVERVIEW Wins have been hard to come by for the Bears, but not just under Steele the last two years. Before he took over, Baylor closed out both the '97 and '98 seasons with identical 2-9 records. With Cicero back under center and the offensive line hopefully improved, points may not be quite as hard to come by this season. Cicero has a quality go-to option in Newhouse, and all three RBs -- Barnett, Ricks, and Golden -- are coming off a solid showing in the spring. Defensively, JUCO transfers Collier and Jackson have to provide an immediate impact as outside pass rushers. Keep in mind, however, that both lack ideal size, opening up concerns about how effective they'll be at the point of attack against the run. Both Collier and Jackson check in at right around 6-3 and between 235 and 240 pounds. They are fairly strong up the middle. Stevenson is a quality DT, and Garrett brings a rugged approach and excellent instincts to the mike-man spot. FS Al-Amin is the Bears top performer in the deep patrol. If the Bears can somehow find a way to claw out four victories, it would be a very satisfactory upgrade over what has transpired in recent years.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent storiesCopyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Ventures. Click here for Terms of Use and Privacy Policy applicable to this site. |