NOTEBOOK: QB Blake Shapen Dominant in No. 10 Baylor's Rout of Albany
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WACO, Texas - Any doubts as to whether Baylor coach Dave Aranda made the right decision to hand sophomore quarterback Blake Shapen the keys to Bears offense were quickly disproven Saturday, as Shapen led No. 10 Baylor (1-0) to a 69-10 win over Albany (0-1) at McLane Stadium.
From the outset, Shapen was nearly flawless, going 17 for 20 with 214 yards and three total touchdowns (one on the ground), before being relieved by redshirt freshman Kyron Drones in the third quarter.
While Shapen was a safe bet at quarterback considering how he closed the 2021 season and led the Bears to the Big 12 championship, the receiving corps, on the other hand, was a huge doubt coming into Saturday's game, with no returning starters from a year ago.
While the unit can't prove much after just one game, they certainly were productive by committee, with Shapen hitting six different receivers.
The performance wasn't perfect for the Bears, but a 69-10 scoreline doesn't lie.
Monaray Baldwin is a legitimate weapon
Based on Saturday's performance, Baldwin is no one-hit-wonder. Bears fans remember the Killeen native for his jet sweep touchdown that put Baylor ahead of Ole Miss in the fourth quarter of last year's Sugar Bowl.
Baldwin repeated that performance and then some.
Not only did he rush for a 50-yard touchdown on the identical jet sweep play we saw in the Sugar Bowl, but he also opened the scoring with a 47-yard touchdown catch when he blew past two defenders. Baldwin finished the night with four receptions for 84 yards and 2 total touchdowns.
Despite his slight frame (5'9", 164 lbs), the sophomore receiver is lightning fast and showed good ball skills. Whether he's lined up in the slot, outside, or in the backfield, Baldwin will be dangerous for the Bears.
Baylor will struggle on the ground
I will go more in-depth on this in a separate article, but the Bears failed to really establish the run at any point in Saturday's game. Despite one 80-yard touchdown drive in which they didn't pass, the bulk of that damage came from a 50-yard rush by a wide receiver (Baldwin).
The Bears were able to get some momentum on the ground in the fourth quarter when both teams had dug deep into their depth charts, with freshman running back Richard Reese leading the team in rushing with nine carries for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Like the wide receiver position, the running back room is wildly inexperienced for this bears squad, with their two leading rushers, Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner, graduating after the 2021 season. There was nothing in this game that showed me the Bears will win games on the ground this year.
Baylor's secondary could have improved from last year
With a dominant defense in 2021, the only vulnerability in the unit was the secondary. While they were ballhawks, they were also susceptible to the big pass play. While obviously, the level of competition is a lot weaker than what the Bears will face this season, they were not vulnerable tonight.
The Bears held Albany starter Reese Poffenbarger to just 150 yards passing, a total the Great Danes as a team finished with. Albany rolled out two other quarterbacks who went a combined 0-4. Moreover, Poffenbarger was forced out of the pocket several times throughout the night, being the Great Danes' leading rusher with 55 yards, but that shows how solid the Bears were covering downfield.
The tandem of Mark Milton and Snaxx Johnson at corner and Al Walcott at the STAR position will need to continue to be solid for the Bears to successfully defend their conference championship.
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