A week of rest will do a football player well. At least, that's the case with Bryce Petty and his injured back.
Baylor head coach Art Briles told reporters on Tuesday that the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year would play in the team's game at Buffalo on Friday night.
Petty sat out last Saturday in Baylor's 70-6 victory over Northwestern State after suffering the injury in the opener against SMU. The signal-caller was hit squarely in the back by a defender on the Bears' first offensive series against the Mustangs in the season opener and was hobbled for the rest of the game.
"I'm not promised tomorrow, I'm not promised Saturday's game. If it comes down to it and I can play Saturday, I'm going to play Saturday," Petty told CFB 24/7 last week. "I can guarantee you this, if Sunday comes and I could have played Saturday, but didn't because I was playing it safe there's no way I would be ok with that. It is important to look at from a future standpoint by protecting my body, but at the same time I can't hurt it any worse."
Briles tempered expectations prior to Saturday's game, saying that his quarterback would need to show dramatic improvement in order to play. Based on Tuesday's practice, it appears he did.
Despite the absence of Petty behind center, Baylor had no issues dispatching their FCS foe. Backup Seth Russell made his first career start and threw for 438 yards and five touchdowns. He also added a score on the ground.
Petty threw for 4,200 yards last season with a 32-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The senior is considered one of the top NFL draft prospects in the country at his position.
The Bears have a bye week after travelling to Buffalo on Friday and then open Big 12 play at Iowa State on Sept. 27.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter @BryanDFischer.
