2019 Baylor Season Preview

By Zac Byrd

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When Matt Rhule first got to Waco from Philadelphia in 2016, he pitched a wholesale rebuild of the program and implored fans to “Trust the Process.”

Even after the Bears won one game in 2017, he embraced the process. After getting demolished by West Virginia on the road and nearly losing a bowl trip, trust in the process stayed strong. Now, heading into year three, the fruits of the process are finally starting to reveal themselves.

“We’re just a lot further along,” Rhule said. “Everyone understands what to expect. A lot of guys will be in their third year playing. We’ve come a long way.”

There’s no question about that. Rhule is putting together a rebuild in Waco that would make even Chip and Joanna Gaines proud. After getting picked ahead of only Kansas in the preseason Big 12 poll, the Bears picked up key wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to earn their first bowl trip of the Rhule era. The six-win improvement was tied with Florida and Syracuse for most among Power Five teams.

Earning a trip to the Texas Bowl brought back memories of the climb to relevance with Robert Griffin III at the helm. Unlike RGIII, these Bears took care of business and won the bowl game. Finishing above .500 isn’t the end goal, though.

“Last year was a good thing for us, but it’s way in the past now,” quarterback Charlie Brewer said. “I don’t want to just win seven games; I want to play in the Big 12 championship.”

There’s been perhaps no bigger factor than the development in the trenches. Both lines are bigger and meaner than when Rhule first got on campus. The Bears have a combined 55 returning starts on the offensive line, and every player has started at least six. True sophomore tackle Connor Galvin is the least experienced player in the unit but showed star potential after getting a shot as a true freshman.

The same is true on defense, where defensive tackles James Lynch and Bravvion Roy make up an NFL-sized interior front. The ends are more of an issue, but part of that has to do with some unexpected attrition. But still, on both ends, the Bears can get a push against anyone.

“We’re very excited,” Nixon said. “We’ve put together two to three strong recruiting classes. We love the players we have on this team and we love the progress that we’ve made over the last couple of years.”

If the Bears can start winning up front, there are wins to be had on what should be a relative breeze of a schedule. The nonconference slate doesn’t feature a Power Five game for what should be the final time in the Big 12 era. Games against Texas, Oklahoma and Iowa State — arguably the three best teams in the conference — are all at home. Baylor only leaves the state three times: twice are against the Kansas schools and the other is in Oklahoma.

The line has been talked to death, but Rhule took Temple from two to six to 10 wins over his first three years with the program. At Baylor, it was a jump from one to seven in the first two years. Winning 10 games in the American and 10 games in the Big 12 aren’t the same, but Rhule has been here before. He knows his team is close.

“First, you have to learn what it takes to be successful — that’s what the process really is,” Rhule said. “Then you start to love the process and appreciate where it’s bringing you with your growth and development. That’s where we are.

“The final step is you go defend the process. You won’t allow anyone to not do what they’re supposed to do. That’s the way that elite championship-caliber teams act. Loving the process and defending the process is a process. We have to keep going until our kids will tolerate nothing else than everyone else’s best.”

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