It looks like the next great Baylor quarterback has been identified.
Two years after Robert Griffin III won the school’s first Heisman and one year after Nik Florence finished second nationally in total offense, Bryce Petty is showing he’s a worthy heir to this recent heritage.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound former linebacker is off to a remarkable start in his first two games. The junior has completed 32 of 40 passes (80%) for 650 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating is an astronomical 249.50 thanks to a nation-leading 16.3 yards per pass attempt.
He was on fire against Buffalo last Saturday, completing 13 of 16 passes for 338 yards. He hit on passes of 61, 44 and 83 yards in the first half alone and even added a rushing touchdown.
His start is not unlike that of Griffin III’s in 2011, when the eventual Heisman winner started out with as many touchdowns as incompletions through his first two games. Like Griffin III, he’s showing remarkable accuracy down the field and a strong command of Art Briles’ exciting offensive scheme.
The one thing that’s missing so far is a good game against a solid opponent. Whereas Griffin III burst onto the scene by leading Baylor to a dramatic win over defending Rose Bowl champ TCU in the 2011 season opener, Petty has basically conducted scrimmages versus Wofford and Buffalo. The tough part of the schedule is coming up, so the ultimate test will be what Petty can do to help elevate Baylor against the likes of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
Griffin III passed those kinds of tests in grand style and, when his remarkable numbers were added in, it meant a Heisman Trophy for Baylor.
Petty should have remarkable numbers, too. If he leads Baylor to a Big 12 title, he might have a trophy to call his own as well.