Baylor Football: Can Bears maintain momentum under new coach in 2020?
Welcome to the Larry Fedora era
When a program is undergoing a rebuild, there is usually a new quarterback under center and the team will just hope to let him grow as the season goes on and then build towards the future. That won’t be the case in Waco this season as senior quarterback Charlie Brewer is back for his fourth season as the starting quarterback for the Bears.
Brewer has been a starter since the 1-11 season under Matt Rhule and looks to lead this team into the Dave Aranda era. Brewer has thrown for over 3,000 yards in each of the last two years and had a career-high with 21 touchdown passes last season. He was also an effective runner, especially near the goal line as his his 11 touchdown runs would show.
You won’t hear Brewer mentioned in the same breath as Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields, but he is an experienced and effective leader for the Bears and should be in for big senior season under new offensive coordinator Larry Fedora.
Last year’s leading rusher John Lovett is also back for the Bears and like Brewer, he is a multi-year starter that has been here since the 1-11 season in 2017. He totaled 655 yards on 103 carries and had seven touchdowns and averaged 6.4 yards per carry last season.
The second leading rusher last season was JaMycal Hasty, but he is now in the NFL and the Bears will be looking for a reliable second option behind Lovett.
The wide receiver group took a big hit when Denzel Mims took his talents to the NFL and he became a second-round pick by the New York Jets. He was the source of a lot of big plays for the Bears last season and was Brewer’s favorite target, so replacing him won’t be easy, but it is the most pressing question facing this offense this season.
Tyquan Thornton was the second leading receiver on the team and he could become Brewer’s favorite target with Mims no longer at Baylor. Another junior that will need to step up this season is R.J. Sneed, who had 42 catches for 437 yards and three touchdowns last season. Junior Josh Fleeks should get more playing time and will be a guy to watch, as he has not had many opportunities in his career thus far.
Baylor was one of the worst in the country last season at protecting the quarterback and it will be one of the biggest challenges for this offense to fix, especially with only one returning starter. The offensive line won’t be young, however, as it will feature two seniors and three juniors.