While the Baylor Bears continue to make improvements on a weekly basis, Matt Rhule confirmed a couple of key injuries on Tuesday morning. Wide receiver Chris Platt and defensive end Xavier Jones are both done for the remainder of the 2017 season.
Chris Platt suffered a knee injury in Baylor’s 49-41 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. He became a big-play receiver for the Bears, averaging a team-best 25.1 yards per catch. He was second on the team with 401 receiving yards on 16 catches, both second on the team to Denzel Mims. The junior is known for his blazing speed, and also competed for Baylor’s track team, helping the 4x400m team to Big 12 title in 2017.
Meantime, Xavier Jones is done for the season after suffering a broken leg and high ankle sprain in the loss to the Sooners. Jones had six tackles on the season, but was third with 1.5 sacks and was fifth on the team with 2 tackles for loss. Jones came into the season with plenty of experience after playing in 13 games last season as a sophomore.
As for replacements, Greg Roberts could see time back at defensive end for the Bears, while freshman R.J. Sneed will get more reps at wide receiver.
These are a couple of tough breaks for the Bears who were starting to really turn the corner against Oklahoma, who they led 31-28 in the third quarter. But there is a silver lining here. If it’s truly all about the future for Baylor, this will ultimately get more reps for some of the younger players as they look to 2018 and beyond.
