Bears LB Garmon Randolph: 'Experience is Helping Us A Lot' on Defense
As the days tick closer and closer to the start of the college football season, so does the Baylor Bears' defense of their Big 12 title. The Bears, who enter the season as the favorites to repeat as conference champions, will look to do so for the first time since 2013-2014.
Last season the Bears boasted a suffocating defense, only allowing 31.6 points and 348 yards of total offense per game. Behind the likes of safety Jalen Pitre, the Bears' defense shut down several opponents en route to their Big 12 crown.
However, with Pitre and other veterans gone, it is up to those who return to maintain the momentum and ensure Baylor has a shutdown defense once again. Doing so won't be easy by any means, but Bears linebacker Garmon Randolph believes they have one thing going for them heading into the season.
"We've got so many people returning, it's not a new system for everybody," Randolph said. "We got it all from last year and experience is helping us a lot."
Randolph appeared in 11 games for the Bears last season, recording 30 tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. His stats may not jump off the page, but bringing his experience back will be huge for the Baylor defense this season.
Yes, the Bears did lose some key contributors from their 2021 defense that was one of the best in the country. If their returning players step up though and continue to make strides of improvement throughout the season, then this Baylor defense could be just as good and lead the Bears to a second straight Big 12 championship.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.