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Baylor running back Shock Linwood won't play in Cactus Bowl

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
Shock Linwood is Baylor's all-time leading rusher. (Getty)
Shock Linwood is Baylor’s all-time leading rusher. (Getty)

Has Baylor running back Shock Linwood been influenced by the decisions of LSU RB Leonard Fournette and Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey?

First reported by the Waco Herald-Tribune, Linwood won’t play in Baylor’s Cactus Bowl matchup vs. Boise State and devote time to prepare for the NFL. A Baylor spokesperson confirmed the news to ESPN.

While Fournette and McCaffrey have missed time in 2016 because of injuries, Linwood missed a game for disciplinary reasons this season. He was suspended for Baylor’s Nov. 12 game vs. Oklahoma because of what interim coach Jim Grobe termed “attitude issues.” Linwood reportedly shoved an assistant coach during Baylor’s blowout loss to TCU.

Linwood has 138 carries for 751 yards in 2016, though he’s gotten just 14 carries for 47 yards in the past two games after rushing 24 times for 110 yards vs. Kansas State on Nov. 19. RB Terence Williams is the team’s leading rusher with 160 carries for 945 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The senior ran for 1,329 yards and 10 scores in 2015 and had 1,252 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2014. Linwood’s 4,213 yards are the most career rushing yards in Baylor history. He passed former record-holder Walter Abercrombie in the Bears’ Week 3 win over Rice.

While Linwood’s sentiments for skipping the bowl game could be similar to Fournette’s and McCaffrey’s, his decision is a bit less understandable. Both Fournette and McCaffrey are going to be early-round picks in the NFL draft. You can’t say the same about Linwood, especially after a turbulent senior season. While teams have seen all they need to on game film from Fournette and McCaffrey, one more game for the vault of a possible later-round pick isn’t a bad thing.

Or maybe Linwood just wants to get the season over with — a sentiment that would certainly make some NFL executives queasy. Baylor is heading into the Dec. 27 Cactus Bowl on a six-game losing streak. The Bears opened the season 6-0 but finished 6-6 after losing six-straight conference games.

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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!