Charlie Brewer
Quarterback, #13
With an 0–6 record on display and down 38-13 to West Virginia, Baylor looked positioned for another lopsided defeat. But inserted into the game was quarterback Charlie Brewer, who spurred an unlikely comeback in Waco. The freshman from Lake Travis High School in Austin led the offense to 23 unanswered points and was a two-point conversion away from sending the game into overtime.
Head coach Matt Rhule and the Bears entered their locker room with a loss, but the fight Brewer demonstrated in his 8-of-13, 109-yard passing display was nothing short of impressive. The freshman also added in two touchdowns and 48 rushing yards. Brewer is still in a quarterback battle against sophomore Zach Smith, but with bowl eligibility out of the question, Baylor may be open to testing both passers at this point.
John Lovett
Running back, #7
Lovett adds more young talent to the offense, which has shown life against several formidable opponents this season including Oklahoma and West Virginia. The freshman running back leads the team with 403 rushing yards although he is still in search of his first 100-yard game. Lovett has reached the end zone on four occasions this season, including a 7-yard run against West Virginia in the third quarter last week.
Unlike many Big 12 players, Lovett hails from New Jersey. He was one of the most talented high school prospects in the state last year and has shown just flashes of his potential through seven games this season.
Clay Johnston
Inside linebacker, #44
Johnston been the star of the Bears’ defensive unit through the first half of the 2017 season. The sophomore inside linebacker has tallied a team-high 52 tackles. He also has recorded nine tackles for loss and forced one fumble.
Johnston, the Abilene, Texas native, achieved career-highs in tackles and tackles for loss during Baylor’s Week 3 loss to Duke with 13 and three, respectively. Johnston has demonstrated impressive athleticism from the heart of the defense and comes from athletic bloodlines. His father played football at Texas A&M and his mother played basketball at Alabama.
Connor Martin
Kicker, #96
Kickers play crucial roles in college football games. Many teams struggle to escape close games because of an unreliable kicking game. But Baylor, although winless, possesses a confident kicker who could potentially do damage in tightly-contested matchups.
Martin is 14 of 16 on field goals this season, ranking fifth in the FBS in field goals made. His percentage of 87.5 percent falls in the top 20 of the category and he has connected on 4 of 5 field goals of 40 yards or greater. Martin also earned punting duties lately, so he’ll play the most crucial role in Baylor’s special teams game going forward. Last week, he averaged 45.8 yards on four punts.
