Bears off-week work includes snapping out of first-half funk

No. 5 Baylor has scored more than 50 points in each of its first two games, yet if the Bears had gotten off to more pleasing starts, they might have hung 80 in each.

Slow starts against inferior opponents have the Bears using this early bye week to examine why the offense -- led by first-year starting quarterback Seth Russell and first-year offensive coordinator Kendal Briles -- has had hiccups, and why a defense hyped as potentially the best Baylor has fielded under coach Art Briles, has suffered lapses.

Baylor led SMU in the opener 28-21 at halftime, and Lamar was down just two touchdowns in a game most figured the FCS opponent would be blown away before most Bears fans had found their seats at McLane Stadium.

"We have a lot of work to do. It’s evident we have to bring a lot more energy to the table on both sides of the ball and special teams," Briles told the Waco Tribune-Herald. "We’ve just got to match other people’s desire and expectations with our own. That’s something we’ve always been real good at but we’ve kind of fallen into an everything’s-all-right category, and you can’t do that.”

Baylor's final tuneup before it begins defense of consecutive Big 12 championships is a week from Saturday against Rice. 

The start of the Bears' conference slate is favorable with Texas Tech, Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas State taking Baylor into the second week of November and a date with the revenge-seeking Oklahoma Sooners.

But that's a long way away. For now, Briles is focused on several pressing issues: Penalties that have racked up 198 yards in two games; five turnovers by his QB, including four interceptions; and a combined 42 points allowed in Baylor's two first halves.

"We’re not sitting around patting ourselves on the back,” Briles said. “At the end of the day, it’s about being precise and consistent and productive. We’ve got to get out of our lull fast because we have some big games coming up.”

(h/t Waco Tribune-Herald)