ORLANDO — Baylor’s biggest weakness may have actually turned out to be its biggest strength Tuesday night, as the Bears deployed a new-look offense to take down No. 10 North Carolina in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
Missing both its first- and second-string quarterbacks, a 1,300-yard running back and a Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver, no one knew what Baylor would do to maintain its top-ranked offense.
Including — most importantly — the Tar Heel defense.
“We didn’t really know what to expect,” said senior linebacker Shakeel Rashad. “They were in a unique situation, and they had a month to prepare for us, so we knew we were going to get some stuff.