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Baylor coaches, teammates express confidence in QB Stidham
Posted On Oct 29 2015
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However, the conversation about whether or not they are good enough to actually make the CFP got a little more confusing this past week when their starting quarterback Seth Russell suffered a fracture to one of the bones in his neck and was sidelined for the rest of the season. PFF graded Russell as one of the best quarterbacks in college football, though the site’s grading metrics have also given a big thumbs-up to true freshman QB Jarrett Stidham’s small sample of work (+6.0). I really do think he’s about to do something that nobody’s expecting.
He’ll definitely be just as good as Seth, if not better.
Russell is the top-rated passer in the Bowl Subdivision, completing 119 of 200 passes for 2,104 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. But all of that has come in mop-up duty. The 6-foot-2, 310-pound All-Big 12 lineman and All-America candidate should be ready to play in No. 2 Baylor’s next game on November 5 at Kansas State.
“We’re going to take the blame, but the weather was bad, and we couldn’t do lot of stuff we usually do”, said star receiver Corey Coleman, who nabbed his 17th and 18 TD grabs of the season. Asked if he still considers Stidham a freshman, Briles said: “Not at all”.
But it will be a new experience for Stidham, 19, when he takes the field for the first time as a starter knowing he will have significant control over the Bears’ fortunes for four quarters.
Stidham was not made available for interviews Wednesday.
“We had an opportunity to pull this game within seven points – a chance to win the game on the road against the second-ranked team in the country”, Rhoads said. The 60-point machine stopped last week with the 45-27 win over Iowa State, and the defenses coming up are tougher, but this isn’t just about whether or not Baylor can win, it’s about if Stidham looks the part. We have to make sure he’s focused and he stays poised.
“It hurt me to see him like this”, Coleman said. I told him, ‘Not everything is going to be flawless. That’s what we got.
