Baylor potentially starting 410 pound Tight End next season

[polychronopolous]

It's hard enough trying to get around the guy to reach the quarterback, but how do you stop somebody who's 6-foot-7 and 410 pounds from catching passes?

That might be the task for opponents of the Baylor Bears next season, as they have LaQuan McGowan practicing at tight end and at H-back during spring practices.


"His hands are about as big as my leg, so I can pretty much put it wherever, and he can snag it out of the air." - Baylor QB Seth Russell, on teammate LaQuan McGowan


"We're looking at him as kind of a slot- and tight end-type of guy," Baylor coach Art Briles told reporters Tuesday. "He can certainly help us in the run game in those situations. The way we're looking at it is we've got three games in nonconference to kind of feel it out and see what he can do and teach him what to do in live action."

McGowan, who normally lined up at guard last season, proved he could handle the task during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, when he snagged an 18-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Petty during the Bears' 42-41 loss to Michigan State.

"His hands are about as big as my leg, so I can pretty much put it wherever, and he can snag it out of the air," quarterback Seth Russell told reporters.

Opponents aren't the only ones who have to be cautious around the big fella.

"The hardest thing is practicing with him, because we don't want to get anyone injured," Briles said.

[The Showstoppa]

I could see him as a red zone specialist. If you run behind h, it's another guard/tackle.  Plus he could release fir catches.

[polychronopolous]

I could see him as a red zone specialist. If you run behind h, it's another guard/tackle.  Plus he could release fir catches.

I don't know what to make of it at this point.

Coach Briles doesn't bullshit plus he's always been pretty well ahead of the game as far as tweeking his offensives with different type formations. I think he truly believes he is onto something with this from a strategic standpoint. I liked his comment "The hardest thing is practicing with him, because we don't want to get anyone injured," 

The guy looks like he moves pretty well at that huge size so yeah he could definitely be a helluva force in the red zone in that type of formation. Plus if that guy catches a ball with any kind of momentum inside the 10 yard line , he's going to be hell to bring down with a 180 to 200 pound defensive back.

If this tight end scores 4 or 5 touchdowns next season it could be one of the most entertaining stories of the year in college football. That is a huge if though.

I mean, c'mon, who doesn't like a 'fat guy' touchdown?? 

[The Showstoppa]

I don't know what to make of it at this point.

Coach Briles doesn't bullshit plus he's always been pretty well ahead of the game as far as tweeking his offensives with different type formations. I think he truly believes he is onto something with this from a strategic standpoint. I liked his comment "The hardest thing is practicing with him, because we don't want to get anyone injured," 

The guy looks like he moves pretty well at that huge size so yeah he could definitely be a helluva force in the red zone in that type of formation. Plus if that guy catches a ball with any kind of momentum inside the 10 yard line , he's going to be hell to bring down with a 180 to 200 pound defensive back.

If this tight end scores 4 or 5 touchdowns next season it could be one of the most entertaining stories of the year in college football. That is a huge if though.

I mean, c'mon, who doesn't like a 'fat guy' touchdown?? 

Agree on all points.  Only way I see it failing is if he takes a shot to the knees. Which is where everybody will be hitting him.

[polychronopolous]

Agree on all points.  Only way I see it failing is if he takes a shot to the knees. Which is where everybody will be hitting him.
[/quote

Yeah at 6'7 and that weight that's where I'd be aiming for as a db too.

[The Showstoppa]

Agree on all points.  Only way I see it failing is if he takes a shot to the knees. Which is where everybody will be hitting him.
[/quote

Yeah at 6'7 and that weight that's where I'd be aiming for as a db too.

Absolutely.  And pray I don't miss and hit him in the thighs. Concussed !

[polychronopolous]

Absolutely.  And pray I don't miss and hit him in the thighs. Concussed !

Yeah I think I'm gonna have to go with the 35" thighs winning that battle.

[CalvinH]

Absolutely.  And pray I don't miss and hit him in the thighs. Concussed !

Nice job on the quote function

[funk51]

It's hard enough trying to get around the guy to reach the quarterback, but how do you stop somebody who's 6-foot-7 and 410 pounds from catching passes?

That might be the task for opponents of the Baylor Bears next season, as they have LaQuan McGowan practicing at tight end and at H-back during spring practices.


"His hands are about as big as my leg, so I can pretty much put it wherever, and he can snag it out of the air." - Baylor QB Seth Russell, on teammate LaQuan McGowan


"We're looking at him as kind of a slot- and tight end-type of guy," Baylor coach Art Briles told reporters Tuesday. "He can certainly help us in the run game in those situations. The way we're looking at it is we've got three games in nonconference to kind of feel it out and see what he can do and teach him what to do in live action."

McGowan, who normally lined up at guard last season, proved he could handle the task during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, when he snagged an 18-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Petty during the Bears' 42-41 loss to Michigan State.

"His hands are about as big as my leg, so I can pretty much put it wherever, and he can snag it out of the air," quarterback Seth Russell told reporters.

Opponents aren't the only ones who have to be cautious around the big fella.

"The hardest thing is practicing with him, because we don't want to get anyone injured," Briles said.

shades of the fridge......

[ritch]

already has those special knee braces, dunno how long he's gonna last after some nasty ass hits. But man... HUGE dude!

[polychronopolous]

already has those special knee braces, dunno how long he's gonna last after some nasty ass hits. But man... HUGE dude!

I think that might just be the best part of the whole ordeal!

[Dos Equis]

Agree on all points.  Only way I see it failing is if he takes a shot to the knees. Which is where everybody will be hitting him.

No doubt. 

[Dos Equis]

shades of the fridge......

Exactly what I was thinking. 

[polychronopolous]

National College Football Analyst High On Baylor In 2015: New Quarterback Seth Russell A 'Freakishly Good Athlete'  Has The Potential To Be 'Much Better' Than Bryce Petty



Thanks to many spread offenses that have come before, Baylor football often gets typecast as finesse and afraid of contact. Many consider that to be the reason the Bears wouldn’t be able to hold up against a hypothetical SEC schedule.

But ESPN’s Trevor Matich couldn’t disagree more. Matich joined the Paul Finebaum show and shared some of his experiences from visiting and watching extensive film on Baylor football’s 2014 campaign.

He first pointed to junior wide receiver Corey Coleman, who posted 1,119 yards and 11 touchdowns despite missing the first three games of the season.

“Coleman is one of the fastest athletes in the conference…but that’s not what they talk about,” Matich said. “They use words like savage and vicious. I looked at tape of Coleman crushing safeties, he even got called for targeting one time for blocking a little too high. I like that.

“These are the kind of players on Baylor’s roster now. Their receivers are tough, their offensive linemen are tough and love to get dirty. This is Baylor! This is how they talk now!,” Matich said.

Matich also talked about the optimism around the program surrounding incoming quarterback Seth Russell, a previously underrecruited prospect.

“What they tell you about Seth Russell is that he has a chance to be better, and I mean a lot better, than Bryce Petty. Russell can throw the ball as well as Petty, but he’s a lot more mobile,” Matich said.

The ESPN analyst said he talked to an assistant who said that when the pocket broke down around Petty, it almost always resulted in a sack. But when the pocket breaks down around Russell? “20-yard gain.”

With a new dynamic quarterback at the helm, Art Briles and his staff think this could be the year.

“They all tell you in hushed tones that they think this team could be better, and maybe a lot better, than last year,” Matich said.

With 18 of 22 starters returning, including nine on each side of the ball, the Bears have a real shot at the second College Football Playoff. And if they get there, Matich said “no one will want to play them.”

[polychronopolous]

6'3, 220 4.4 Speed and running away from the defensive backs.

Not a bad debut game.

Looks like Briles already has another star QB.

[jugheadjones]

6'3, 220 4.4 Speed and running away from the defensive backs.

Not a bad debut game.

Looks like Briles already has another star QB.

wow that is some crazy breakaway speed for a big qb

[Irongrip400]

What about the TE?

[polychronopolous]

wow that is some crazy breakaway speed for a big qb

Yeah he reminds me a little of Matt Jones from Arkansas a few years back.

Although not really shifty in the backfield both are tall and super fast with the ability to take it 70 yards for the TD is they get a crease.

What about the TE?

Don't recall him playing much tight end during the game.

Mostly just lined up as an h back and fullback.

Laid some pretty good blocks but I don't think he caught any passes.

[polychronopolous]

Hangs 49 on Texas Tech AT HALFTIME then turns around and hangs 52 on Kansas AT HALFTIME.

Best offensive coach ever.



Coaches name Baylor's Briles best for offense

Baylor’s Art Briles was the overwhelming choice as the nation’s best offensive head coach in ESPN’s weekly college football poll of the FBS head coaches.

The voting was as lopsided as a Baylor game this season, with Briles receiving 43 percent of the votes. Ohio State’s Urban Meyer (7 percent) was a distant second.

Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez, Washington State’s Mike Leach and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh finished in a tie for third, earn receiving 4 percent.

Eight coaches tied for fifth place (each with 3 percent): Duke’s David Cutcliffe, Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze, Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly, Houston’s Tom Herman, Southern Miss’ Todd Monken, TCU’s Gary Patterson, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino and Stanford’s David Shaw.

In all, 27 coaches received votes.

Briles’ margin with coaches from the Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, Pac-12 and Notre Dame) wasn’t quite as large as the overall vote. He received 42 percent, followed by Meyer (14 percent). Rodriguez and Leach tied for third (8 percent) with Harbaugh fifth at 5 percent.

More than half of the coaches from the Group of 5 conferences (American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Army and BYU) chose Briles. From the Group of 5 coaches, Briles received 52 percent of the votes. Meyer, Patterson, Freeze and Herman all tied for second (each with 5 percent).

Of the 128 FBS coaches, 97 participated in this week’s poll.

Overall poll results

Art Briles, Baylor 43 percent

Urban Meyer, Ohio State 7 percent

Rich Rodriguez, Arizona 4 percent

Mike Leach, Washington State 4 percent

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan 4 percent

David Cutcliffe, Duke 3 percent

Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss 3 percent

Brian Kelly, Notre Dame 3 percent

Tom Herman, Houston 3 percent

Todd Monken, Southern Miss 3 percent

Gary Patterson, TCU 3 percent

Bobby Petrino, Louisville 3 percent

David Shaw, Stanford 3 percent

Coaches who received 1 percent: Dino Babers, Bowling Green; Justin Fuente, Memphis; Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech; Gus Malzahn, Auburn; Chad Morris, SMU; Dan Mullen, Mississippi State; Ken Niumatalolo, Navy; Chris Petersen, Washington; Mark Richt, Georgia; Mike Riley, Nebraska; Steve Sarkisian, USC; Bill Snyder, Kansas State; Steve Spurrier, South Carolina; Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M

[polychronopolous]

6'7 410 pound McGowan puts another one in the end zone.

2 career receptions, 2 career touchdowns.


That safety clearly didn't want any.  

[polychronopolous]

Heisman Watch: Seth Russell Throws for 380 and 5 TDs ; Rushes For 160 and 1 TD as Baylor routs West Virginia 62-38



WACO - West Virginia played essentially the same defensive scheme that worked so well against Baylor and quarterback Bryce Petty in 2014.

A new quarterback meant a different result for Baylor in a 62-38 win Saturday over the Mountaineers.

Junior Seth Russell rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown in the win, in addition to throwing for 380 yards and five touchdowns.

"It was gigantic," Baylor coach Art Briles said of Russell's rushing production. "We felt like coming into the game that he would have to run some, and we schemed a few runs for him. ... That's an X factor that we haven't had for a couple three years. And he's really good at it."

Baylor had pretty much kept Russell's run ability under wraps, in part because of the possible injury factor.

He had run 12 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns against Texas Tech. His next high total for carries was six against SMU.

Russell said he was keying off the West Virginia safety whether to keep or handoff. He admitted that Baylor didn't run the quarterback much last season because they weren't anticipating the West Virginia scheme.

"This year we were expecting it," Russell said. "We had a good game plan drawn up and we executed it."

[polychronopolous]

WVU coach: Baylor's Corey Coleman is 'best player in college football'

Ask most people to name the best player in college football and you'll hear Leonard Fournette's name a lot and some answer with Trevone Boykin.

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen had a different answer following the Mountaineers 62-38 loss to Baylor on Saturday.

"[Corey Coleman] is the best player in college football," Holgorsen said to Allan Taylor. "You can put me on record with that."

It's understandable why Holgorsen would say that. Coleman totally dominated the Mountaineers on Saturday. The Baylor star had 10 catches for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Many point to the system as why Coleman's been so successful, which is an understandable critique considering the production that seemingly every wide receiver has had in that spot at Baylor.

However, he's doing things no Baylor receiver has ever done. His 16 touchdown receptions this season set a new Baylor single-season record and it only took him six games to get there.

Coleman is one of the premier big play threats in college football -- no player in the country has more plays of 30+ yards than his 17 -- but he's also a tremendous red zone target on fades and slant routes.

Whether he's the nation's best player -- or even the best receiver in the country -- is up for debate, but he certainly belongs in the conversation with what he's doing this season.

[polychronopolous]

[polychronopolous]

Really unfortunate timing. The back up qb Stidham has some serious talent and is going to be a star eventually but the kid is just a freshman. And a true 19 year old freshman at that.

Baylor QB Seth Russell has neck fracture, will see specialist



After the game, Baylor Head Coach Art Briles confirmed that when QB Seth Russell left the game this afternoon and did not return, it was because of a "neck strain" and that he would not have been able to come back, even if the game had been in doubt.  Apparently, it was a little bit more than that.

"Without any information about what kind of fracture we're talking about (information that I expect us to get relatively soon), it's hard to know what this might mean for Russell's availability against KSU in 12 days.  It sounds similar to what Bryce Petty had last year that sidelined him for a week and affected him longer than that, but there's no way to know yet. Interestingly, this news follows a tweet I got about 30 minutes ago that, if I'm being honest, I didn't think much of at the time."


IF Seth misses any time, Baylor will turn to super-frosh Jarrett Stidham, the backup QB.

[polychronopolous]

Seth Russell injury opens door for Baylor freshman phenom Jarrett Stidham





A Seth Russell injury opens the door for freshman Jarrett Stidham to be the quarterback for the Baylor Bears, but can they hang in the Big 12 still?

There may not have been a quarterback playing better this season than Baylor Bears dual-threat signal-caller Seth Russell who led the nation in touchdowns and passer rating entering Saturday’s game vs Iowa State. But after suffering a fractured bone in his neck, he will have to see a specialist to determine when he can return to the field, but can the Bears survive with Jarrett Stidham under center?


Outside of Ohio State who replaced Cardale Jones with J.T. Barrett who only holds the Big Ten record for touchdowns in a season, Baylor is set up to succeed without their starter, for as long as Russell is out.

True freshman Jarrett Stidham will be the starter for as long as Russell is out and the former four-star recruit who was the nation’s No. 2 dual-threat quarterback recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, should step in and produce in a big way.

Stidham completed 23 of 27 attempts for a ridiculous, yet impossible to maintain, 85.2 completion percentage for 319 yards and five touchdowns without an interception. He has a better completion percentage, more yards/attempt and a higher passer rating than Russell, albeit his stats came in mop-up duty, but it’s enough of a sample size to suggest Stidham can be fine until Russell returns.

Helping Stidham’s cause will be the nation’s best receiver, Corey Coleman, who added two more touchdowns against Iowa State to improve his total to 18 as he continues his assault on the record books.

Running back Shock Linwood entered the weekend with the most rushing yards in the Big 12 with 803 yards and eight touchdowns. His 133.83 yards per game is the eighth highest mark in the nation as Baylor has much more balance than in year’s past.

It sounds crazy to think a team could lose the nation’s leading passer and Heisman candidate and replace him with a freshman and not be absolutely devastated, but that’s the system that Art Briles has in Waco.

Baylor lost Heisman winner Robert Griffin III and replaced him with Nick Florence and he led the nation with 4,309 passing yards and was ninth with 33 touchdowns. When Florence exhausted his eligibility he was replaced by Bryce Petty who won the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and finished in the top 10 in the Heisman vote twice. Then Petty leaves and Russell looks even better.

This is just what Baylor does. They lose quarterbacks and the next one in the assembly line steps up and fills in admirably.