Daily Bears Reports 8/21: Soccer; Football; Olympic Gold

Today’s Events

Sport: Women’s Soccer

Event: @ Michigan State

Time: Noon CT

Baylor Soccer

The Baylor soccer team will try to win its second game of the season when it faces Michigan State at noon CT today in East Lansing. OBF from Our Daily Bears will be there to cheer on the Bears. From WacoTrib:

The Bears opened their season with a 2-0 road win over Detroit Mercy on Friday as Lauren Piercy and Lindsay Burns scored goals and Ashley York collected a pair of assists. Michigan State tied Niagara, 0-0, in double overtime in Friday’s home season opener.

Baylor Football

Seth Russell shows his strength, character and leadership skills through tumultuous Baylor summer and forms a bond with Coach Grobe. From BearsExtra.

Grobe has leaned a great deal on Russell and some of Baylor’s other veterans. He knows how important their leadership is in a crisis situation, especially the starting quarterback who is highly respected by everybody on the team.

“You like everything about Seth Russell,” Grobe said. “He’s got great character and integrity, and he’s also a really good player. Our team looks up to him in more ways than just being a really good quarterback. Seth is one of the kids you feel so bad for. The misbehavior of a few has tarnished so many people. Seth’s character is impeccable. His role is to serve and help other people. You can’t find a better kid.”

Though they’ve known each other barely more than two months, Russell and Grobe have already formed a bond. From the moment Grobe first spoke to the team, Russell was sure he was the coach to lead the Bears through a difficult transition period.

“Luckily, Coach Grobe came into the situation and was 110 percent on board,” Russell said. “He had to get us on board with him, and I feel the first day he walked in, it was really evident he was here for the team. He didn’t have to put himself in this situation. You say Grobe, that’s one of the finest men in college football. He put himself in a situation that could’ve destroyed his name. We all highly respect him. He didn’t have to do it.”

No signs of the previous sluggishness in Baylor’s second scrimmage. From Baylor Bears dot com.

Looking more like the explosive offense that has led the nation in each of the previous three seasons, Baylor scored on four plays of 35 yards or longer and averaged nearly 6.5 yards per play in Saturday's scrimmage at McLane Stadium.

Senior quarterback Seth Russell led the first-team offense on three touchdown-scoring drives while throwing for 211 yards and three TDs and adding 22 yards on two runs.

"I feel like all the guys were fresh today," Russell said. "We took a couple more days off this week than we did last week, which I think helped out a lot. The offensive line looked really conditioned, looked really fast today. As a whole, it just felt like we were on the same page a lot of the time."

After struggling in the first scrimmage a week earlier, "I thought the offense came more ready to play," head coach Jim Grobe said.

After the scrimmage, Coach Grobe announced that receiver-holder Cole Edmiston and linebacker Tyler Jaynes, both junior walk-ons from Gatesville, have been awarded scholarships. From BearsExtra.

“Just two great kids that have been invaluable over the past three years, not only playing offense and defense, but scout team guys and guys that are loyal to Baylor,” Grobe said.

Baylor’s football uniform fan vote has made fashion news nationwide. John Taylor of NBC Sports says “no, prison-themed uniforms are not an option.”

Take that, Oregon.

Along with the Pac- 12 school, Baylor has been on the “cutting edge,” such as it is, when it comes to the uniform game in college football. The Bears, however, are stepping up their game by allowing fans to become involved in a part of the fashion process.

You can cast your fan vote here:

Baylor Bear Wins Olympic Gold Medal

Former Baylor Lady Bear Britney Griner and the U.S. women’s basketball team win gold in RIO. From Fox Sports Southwest.

The U.S. women's basketball team won a sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal in dominant fashion, routing Spain 101-72 on Saturday. Taurasi and the Americans played nearly flawless basketball in Rio, and were never challenged. They have won 49 consecutive games in the Olympics with only one of those decided by single digits.

With that kind of sustained success, no one wants to say this is the best women's basketball team ever assembled. They won by nearly 40 points a game, but fell short of the record 102.4 points the 1996 team averaged.

But if they aren't the best ever, they're close. There never really was any doubt that the U.S. would win the gold in Rio. The only question was by how much.

From Time.

Even though this gold-medal winning team features some of the best individual talent in basketball history, like Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, and Elena Delle Donne––the reigning WNBA MVP who comes off the bench here––the Americans still play an appealing, unselfish style.