5 keys to enjoying Tuesday’s Russell Athletic Bowl
With Christmas over, the eyes of Baylor Nation now turn to Orlando and the Russell Athletic Bowl, where Coach Art Briles’ 17th-ranked Bears will face the No. 10-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday (4:30 p.m. CT, ESPN).
To get you ready for the big event, here are 5 keys to enjoying the Bears’ final game of the season:
1. Watch for the Baylor rushing attack to carry the day. While most of the nation focused on Baylor’s quarterback(s) and receivers this season, the Bears’ running backs quietly rolled up 300 yards a game on the ground — the 4th-best average in the country. Yes, Baylor will miss Shock Linwood, who’s reportedly out with a foot injury. But the Bears still have a three-headed monster in Johnny Jefferson, Devin Chafin and Terence Williams, who combined for almost 1,600 yards (an outstanding 5.67 yards per carry) while backing up Linwood.
Furthermore, UNC’s biggest weakness as a team is its rushing defense. The Tar Heels rank 118th (out of 128 teams nationwide) in rushing defense, allowing 216.8 yards per game. Expect the Bears to try and take advantage of this mismatch.
2. Focus on who’s playing, not who’s not. Sure, this would be a very different game if the Bears had their top two quarterbacks, their starting running back, and their best receiver. But the injury bug has attacked with a vengeance this year, and Baylor will have to make do with what they have.
And what do they have? Most notably, two more All-Americans, Andrew Billings and Spencer Drango, in addition to the injured Corey Coleman. Drango is the Big 12’s 2015 Offensive Lineman of the Year and a finalist for two national individual awards (the Outland & Campbell trophies), while Billings is the Big 12’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Those two joined teammates Jarrell Broxton, Xavien Howard and Blake Muir to give Baylor five All-Big 12 first-team selections who will be in uniform Tuesday.
3. Enjoy seeing the real Chris Johnson in action again. We saw a great first two quarters of play from the redshirt sophomore quarterback, as he came off the bench to throw for 138 yards and two TDs in leading Baylor to victory over No. 4 Oklahoma State — the Bears’ first win in Stillwater since 1939. After that, he got two starts — one in a torrential, freezing downpour at TCU, and one in which he was injured in the first quarter.
In Orlando, he should be both healthy and the beneficiary of some great weather (current forecast is 80 degrees and sunny). And while he was third on the depth chart behind Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham, Johnson is no afterthought; coming out of high school, he was a top 200 national recruit and the No. 5 dual-threat QB in the country. I’m excited to see him get in a full game.
4. Keep it all in context. Given the heights the Bears have reached in recent years and even earlier this year, it would be easy to be disappointed that Baylor is “only” ranked 17th, and is “only” playing in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
But remember: It was just five years ago that the Bears snapped a 15-year streak of below-.500 finishes and bowl-less seasons. It was just 10 years ago that Baylor celebrated winning as many as five games in a season for the first time in a decade.
Now, Art Briles has built a program where winning 9 or 10 games and finishing ranked at the bottom of the top 25 could be considered “disappointing.” But win or lose, given the obstacles the Bears have battled this season — injuries, monsoons, etc. — let’s be thankful for what we have, and look forward to another high-flying season in 2016.
5. Enjoy the game with friends. If you can’t make it to Orlando to cheer on the Bears in person, then get together with some fellow Bears at a #WatchBU party. You can find the site nearest you in this listing; if you don’t see your city listed, here’s how you can help get one set up.
If even that won’t work for you, then enjoy the game online with your fellow Bears by following along on social media. Follow Baylor University and Baylor Athletics on Facebook, @BUFootball, @Baylor and @BaylorProud on Twitter, and @BUFootball and @BaylorUniversity on Instagram. And don’t forget the official hashtag: #SicUNC.
Sic ’em, Bears!