By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

Even with the first football game of the Matt Rhule Era just five days away and counting, the attention of the first-year head football coach and Baylor University as a whole remain with the city of Houston and the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey.

In Tuesday's weekly press conference, Rhule laid out some of the efforts by Baylor in aiding families affected by the hurricane that hit landfall last Friday:

- Families affected by the hurricane can request up to eight tickets, plus parking and a complimentary meal in the Baylor Sports Network tent, for the Baylor-Liberty football season opener at 6 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.
- Baylor also will host Friday's Sam Houston State-Richmond game, a matchup of top 10-ranked FCS teams that was displaced by the hurricane, at 6 p.m. Friday. Admission is free for all fans.
- Hurricane Relief collection POD will be set up at both Friday night's Traditions Rally and in the Ferrell Center parking lot before Saturday's season-opening football game. Items most needed in the affected areas are bottled water, soap, shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrushes, diapers, powdered baby formula, baby wipes, toilet paper, dog food and complete hygiene kits that include washcloth, soap, razor, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant.

"We know that a football game is not going to make what's happened better," Rhule said. "But, for families that are in flux and having to react to these events, if they can have three or four hours of fun and take their minds off what's happening to their homes, that would be a great thing. So, I think it's great that our athletic department has stepped up like that. We know it won't fix the damage, but we're hoping it can give a brief respite for those folks."

Rhule said Hurricane Harvey "hits close to home" when the Bears have 20 players from the Houston area.

"From the very beginning, even as Harvey was beginning landfall, all our coaches began to reach out to all of our players," he said. "We reached out to all of our kids we're recruiting, just to see if there was anything we could do in any small way. A bunch of our guys have been affected, and really all we can do is just to be there for them. Some of them are having a hard time getting in contact with people in their family, so when they can't get in contact with them, they need to be in contact with us until they hear from their families."

The decision didn't come down till later in the day, after Rhule went through tape of Tuesday morning's practice, but grad transfer Anu Solomon from Arizona was named the starting quarterback over sophomore Zach Smith.

He did say, however, that it's a week-to-week situation for every position.

"There's not going to be a short leash ever on a quarterback. We're going to let them play through things," he said. "But, there are certain standards in terms of how hard you work, in terms of how much we do. If, over time it seems like, 'Hey, this guy is not the guy,' then we'll move on to the next guy. That allows for growth. All these guys are going to get better and better as the year goes on."

The updated depth chart that was released Tuesday lists three true freshman starters and another five in the two-deep. Center Ryan Miller gets the nod in the offensive line, while cornerback Harrison Hand and linebacker Jalen Pitre are starters on a defense that has just two previous starts combined among the four starters in the secondary.

"Harrison's been tough and been competitive, and he's got a lot to learn," Rhule said. "He's a big, physical corner, but he's got a lot to learn. It might be a little bit too early for him, but we're moving forward."

Already depleted by injuries, the secondary lost sophomore cornerback Grayland Arnold to a broken arm in Saturday's scrimmage and senior safety Taion Sells is suspended the first three games for disciplinary reasons. Senior offensive tackle Mo Porter also will miss the first half of the Liberty game.

"As the head coach, it's my job to set high standards and to hold people accountable," Rhule said. "Both guys have handled their suspensions like men. When they come back, they'll be back, but they will not be able to participate for us as we go through those times."

Sophomore Jameson Houston is the starter at the other corner, with sophomore Chris Miller and redshirt freshman walk-on Jairon McVea at the two safety positions.

"If you look back, I've been saying it for a long time, this guy's a really good football player," Rhule said of McVea, a 5-11, 175-pound redshirt freshman from Richmond, Texas, who earned all-district honors in 2015 when he had 86 tackles, seven interceptions, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

"He's a kid that, when we tested him in the summer, he ran a 4.38 (in the 40). So, he can run, he's got skills, and this is his opportunity. . . . Lot of credit for him for working really hard and taking advantage of his opportunity."

Already a fan favorite, being the only early 2017 commit to stick with the program, Pitre enrolled early in January and switched from safety to linebacker in the spring.

"He's talented, but a lot of kids are talented," Rhule said. "It's that special something, that 'it' factor, to me, that makes you want to keep a guy and makes you want to play with a guy. . . . He's going to do whatever it takes for us to win. And if you've got a bunch of guys where it's not about them but about the team, you've got a chance to have a great team."

Pitre said he never wavered on his commitment when others jumped ship, saying "I just trusted in whatever God had for me, and I just felt like it was my destiny to come to Baylor and play football." Miller, who switched from defensive tackle and earned all-state honors as a senior center at Southlake Carroll High School, is "really well-coached, he's a tough kid, so we think he's ready to go."

"Anytime you play freshmen, you know there's going to be growing pains," Rhule said. "(Freshman running back) John Lovett's not starting, but his teammates voted him a single-digit (jersey). And for a freshman to get a single digit, that's hard for me to even say, but he's a really tough, competitive kid, and he'll play a ton as well."

Joining Lovett and the trio of freshman starters in the two-deep are receivers R.J. Sneed and Gavin Holmes, offensive guard Xavier Newman and backup middle linebacker Terrel Bernard.

Sophomore receiver Blake Lynch was missing from the two-deep, other than as the No. 1 kickoff returner, but Rhule said he is "helping us out kind of all over the place."

Lynch has been tried at receiver and running back and "was a high school quarterback," Rhule said. "I tried him there, but he can't throw anymore, so I gave up on that." He's also taken reps at defensive end, outside linebacker and cornerback over the last week.

"I think he's a guy that you'll see play on both sides of the ball, depending on how the game goes," Rhule said. "He's just a really competitive guy. He had offseason groin surgery. . . . I think his role will continue to get bigger and bigger and bigger as the year goes on and he continues to get healthier and healthier."

Limited season and single-game tickets are still available. Call the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office at 254-710-1000 or go online at www.baylorbears.com/footballtickets.