Actions speak louder than words. They always have. They always will.

The ideal candidate to become Baylor’s alpha wide receiver has been senior Denzel Mims. After all, he had the track record with a 1,000-yard season 2017.

He took a step back in 2018 behind Jalen Hurd to where he would disappear in some games.

However, Saturday against UTSA put him on the path to seizing the moniker. He’s not there yet. But the work he’s put in over the last year has contributed to that.”

A 7-reception 101-yard 3-touchdown day provided the argument in Baylor's 63-14 victory Saturday afternoon at seething hot McLane Stadium. It was fortified by how well he blocked.

You don’t become an alpha by only catching the football. It’s an all-encompassing task. The little things complete the package.

“Of course, I feel like I can deliver more,’’ Mims said. “I need to do things like [blocking] in order for us to get going. I need to set the tone for the receivers and show them that if I can do it, you can do it.’’

If you remember how Hurd evolved into the alpha, it was driven by his selflessness. He began his Baylor career converting from running back to wide receiver.

As the season progressed, he turned into a pretty dependable downfield blocker for the running game or serving as part of a convoy for other receivers. Then he added short-yardage running duties to his role.

Mims won’t be doing the latter. Yet you have to create the vibe by example you set on and off the field.

Since we can’t see what he does on the practice field or off the practice field and we only get to see him 12/13 times a season let’s go with the 12/13. Well in this case, let’s look at this one.

The first sign you saw something was on Trestan Ebner’s 55-yard run. Mims did his job and stayed with his assignment and executed some really good blocks to assist on the play.

The second was his blocking on Charlie Brewer’s 5-yard touchdown run. Brewer and him were just getting started from a pitch-and-catch standpoint. He had already delivered Baylor’s first score on a 9-yard reception.

“I don’t want to seem selfish,’’ he said. “If they can block for me, I can block for them.”

His other two receptions were Mims circa 2017. On the 30-yarder, Mims showed great concentration as he straddled the sideline to come up with the grab and then stayed inside in the near pylon to complete the play. Good thing he did too because he waved off the Baylor coaches who wanted to take him out and substitute Tyquan Thornton after the previous play. Mims appeared a little woozy.

The 26-yard scoring play came off a slant. He ran that route crisply as he made a hard cut, got inside the UTSA defender and then turned it up a notch to run away from everybody else.

Rhule said Mims growth over the last year - like staying in for that aforementioned play -- has been extraordinary because of the selflessness that he has shown and the willingness to work on every part of his game to become that type of player who will be a leader.

“He’s always been a physical player, but he’s embraced effort,’’ Rhule said. “The preparation, and even some of those catches he made today going back for the ball, all the different types of catches and ball skills required.

“Pleased with him a lot of different area. And he a lot more to do. But so far, I think he’s come a long way.’’

Any kind of personality can take over a leadership role. You hear coaches all the time talk about how this or that player leads by example or how this player uses his emotions to push teammates.

For Mims, he’s more on the quiet side. He will pick his spots when he shows his emotions. However, he’s the kind of guy that will have to show it to others.

He put together a pretty solid fall camp. Excitement was building. It had reached a point where the talk had become exhausting and it was time.

For whatever reason, we’re in a world where there is such a rush to crown somebody a label. If you don’t have an automatic label, that probably means you’re not worthy of receiving one later in the season.

The rush goes against what Rhule has preached ever since he arrived in December 2017. There is a process to everything. There is a process to becoming a really good football team. There is a process to earning leadership roles. There is a process in learning how to deal with both.

Mims put together a workmanlike opener against SFA. That wasn’t the game to judge him. UTSA never challenged Baylor. But Mims showed he was one of the top three players on the field.

“Just being 100 percent and buying in what [Rhule] wants us to do,’’ Mims said. “And just listen to what he’s saying and let him coach me up.’

As the challenges become greater, that’s when you will find out more. It will start with Iowa State and for that matter will continue for the rest of the Big 12 season. There’s going to be a game where he will need to deliver from start to finish.

Of course, you can point to the game-winning score against Oklahoma State. No argument there. However, he had no impact on that game until them.

This is about setting a tone. And it doesn’t have to culminate in a game-winning score. It can be several big receptions that keep scoring drives alive. It could be big blocks that help others succeed. That’s what alphas do.

Just let this story unfold a little longer. It has a chance to be what everyone wants.

As is often said around here, “Trust the process.’’