You wouldn't think the Baylor training staff would be all that busy after an easy 45-0 win over SMU, but you'd be wrong.
The latest name to add to the Bears' list of walking wounded is wide receiver Levi Norwood. According to the Waco Tribune-Herald's John Werner, the senior wideout will undergo wrist surgery and miss at least three weeks.
Baylor has one of the deepest wide receiving corps in the country, so normally the loss of Norwood for a few weeks wouldn't be all that big of a deal. However, it might just be an issue given how many Bears will be sidelined the next few weeks.
Quarterback Bryce Petty is the most notable injury, even if he thinks he can play as early as this week. No. 1 receiver Antwan Goodley will be out at least a week with a quad injury. Corey Coleman and Clay Fuller will miss Saturday's contest, too.
If you're counting at home, that's three of the the team's four starters at receiver out, one very productive backup gone and an iffy quarterback.
Good thing it's just Northwestern State.
Norwood caught 47 passes a season ago for 733 yards and eight touchdowns. He primarily started as the team's inside receiver and was an All-Big 12 pick as a punt returner, as well. His father is Baylor associate head coach Brian Norwood.
The loss of so much receiving power is unlikely to matter in the short term given the competition, but it could accelerate the development of youngsters like KD Cannon, Davion Hall and Lynx Hawthorne. Petty told College Football 24/7 earlier this week that Cannon, a five-star out of high school who was recruited by every major program in the country, has as much talent as any Bears receiver to come through the program.
In addition to Saturday's game, Baylor travels to Buffalo next week for a Friday-night tilt before having a bye. Big 12 play starts after that at Iowa State, so there's plenty of time for the Bears to get healthy and see the return of players like Norwood.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
