Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Baylor Football: Zach Smith gives Bears new life after rough start

By Andrew Miller

WACO, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: Zach Smith #11 of the Baylor Bears throws against the UTSA Roadrunners at McLane Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
WACO, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: Zach Smith #11 of the Baylor Bears throws against the UTSA Roadrunners at McLane Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Baylor football is possibly in the most turmoil of any program in the country right now. Sophomore Zach Smith could turn that around.

Baylor football is getting off to one of its worst starts in the history of the team. Baylor should have had two easy victories in their first two games against the Liberty Flames out of the FCS and the UTSA Roadrunners. However, both Liberty and UTSA defeated Baylor to give the Bears an 0-2 start to the 2017 season. Yet, the naming of sophomore quarterback Zach Smith as the starter could breath new life into the program.

Smith was expected to be named the starter during the preseason. However, Arizona transfer quarterback Anu Solomon got the starting nod for the first two games. Solomon had a rough going against UTSA as he threw for just 121 yards and one touchdown, and also one interception.

The naming of Solomon as the starting quarterback signifies some level of trust that head coach Matt Rhule had just not built with Smith yet. Rhule has been driven to find other options to make his offense more competitive.

Not only did Baylor give UTSA their first win over Power Five conference opponent, they lost their second consecutive game as heavy favorites. McLane Stadium just does not have the same life to it that it did in year’s past under former head coach Art Briles.

Rhule does have an uphill battle in front of him to completely turn this program around. He did a good job with the Temple program and could do the same in Waco. Yet Rhule does need some time to get Baylor to buy into his style and get his recruits developed.

Next: 5 overreactions from OK State's win over South Alabama

Smith played well in Baylor’s bowl win over the Boise State Broncos last year. In total, he racked up 1,526 passing yards and 13 touchdowns during his freshman campaign. It’s only a matter of time before we figure out if Smith is the quarterback of the future for Baylor. Yet, it’s hard to believe he could do much worse than Solomon through the first two weeks.

Home/Baylor Bears