Aug. 25, 2000
Editor's Note: Articles such as this one by Dave Campbell appear in each edition of the Baylor Bear Insider Report, available upon membership in the Baylor Bear Foundation. For information on joining the Bear Foundation, click here.
The Baylor Bears wrapped up their two-a-day workouts this past Saturday and moved within a dozen days of the season opener of their year 2000 campaign.
They did so on FanFest Saturday, a hot day that cooled a bit late in the afternoon when the players took the field. Kevin Steele's front-line Bears played only a few plays and escaped any significant injuries, which was a primary objective.
And, yes, starting quarterback Greg Cicero continued to look good although his appearance was strictly of the cameo variety.
That season opener for the Bears will come against the Mean Green of the University of North Texas on the Thursday evening of Aug. 31 (7 p.m. kickoff) at Fouts Stadium in Denton, before what NTS officials and Denton community leaders are aiming to be a full house of just over 30,000 spectators. At least, that is their goal, and they are beating all the bushes in North Texas in an effort to reach it. It they reach it, it will be the largest crowd ever to see the Mean Green play at home.
But whether they reach it or not, Kevin Steele has to be apprehensive, knowing just how pumped the Mean Green adrenaline will be that night. This will be a collision of two teams that was rarely exposed to the sweet smell of success last year, but that was last year.
As Steele told Baylor Bear Foundation fund drive leaders this past Saturday, "This is not a 1 and 10 team. Last year's team was a 1 and 10 team. This is a new (Baylor) team and we're excited about what is going to take place in Denton."
AS THE BEARS completed their demanding two-a-day practices Saturday and prepared for the start of Baylor classes this week, they paused to elect team captains for this fateful year 2000 journey. Their choices: senior tailback Darrell Bush, senior middle linebacker Kris Micheaux and senior cornerback Daniel Wilturner.
Perfect.
And that also was the operative word for what happened a couple of days earlier. John Garrett, the 6-1, 219-pound conversation piece from nearby Mart High School, who is rugged, rapid and relentless, was declared eligible to play right away by the NCAA Clearing House.
News of that decision ended a long fingers-crossed wait for Steele, who long has craved an NCAA green light for the all-stater, blue-chipper and summer all-star game standout. Until that green light finally flashed, Garrett was in jeopardy of sitting out the season while wearing the "partial qualifier" tag.
"When John found out, he was all smiles, he was pretty excited," said Steele who a few days earlier had moved Garrett from strong safety to an outside linebacker position. Will he play right away? "Let's not let expectations get too high too early where John is concerned," the coach cautioned. "That wouldn't be fair to him. But in answer to your question, we have to find ways to get our athletes on the field, and he's an athlete, I'll assure you of that. He's such a POSITIVE young man."
Because of a series of nagging injuries and the sheer lack of numbers, linebacker has been a primary concern for the defense, so much so that Steele last week move Garrett from strong safety, Billy Crawford from defensive end and Jack Wallace from the secondary to linebacker positions. True-freshman Garrett does not solve the depth problem there but he certainly eases it.
ALL THREE OF THE BEARS' newly-elected captains are from the Houston area and each sat out his true freshman season for one reason or another (Bush and Micheaux were redshirted and Wilturner sat out the season to establish his eligibility), and over the years each has grown and developed into a Bear who commands great respect.
Bush is a Jersey Village product who came to Baylor stamped as something special, having accounted for 5,686 career yards and scored 47 touchdowns. At the time, his rushing total ranked second all-time for Class 5A ranks in Texas. Only Converse Judson's Jerod Douglas, another Baylor Bear, accumulated more rushing yards during his schoolboy years.
Bush, 5-9 and 195, will go into his senior season at Baylor having rushed for 1,732 yards, eighth best in Bruin history. If he had true breakaway speed, he undoubtedly would rank higher. But never mind. Statistics didn't prompt Bush's teammates to name him a team captain. What he brings to the table for each game, each practice, each meeting, sets him apart. He's a total effort guy, a non-complainer, durable, ever ready. "Darrell Bush is a man," Kevin Steele likes to say, and by their actions at the ballot box Saturday Bush's teammates endorsed the coach's words.
KRIS MICHEAUX IS another Jersey Village product (and how long has it been, I wonder, since two of Baylor's team captains have come from the same high school?) who made almost all of the so-called "blue-chip" selections as a senior. By his own yardstick he stands 6 feet half inch tall and weighs 266 pounds, which is about 36 to 40 pounds more than he weighed when he first put on the green and gold in 1996.
How much does Kevin Steele think of Kris Micheaux? This will give you an idea. When fullback/tailback Derek Lagway broke his kneecap last spring in a motorcycle accident, sidelining him for this 2000 season, I suggested to Steele that things could always be worse.
"What if that had been Greg Cicero?" I pointed out to the coach. Yes, he agreed, "or Kris Micheaux."
On the day before Micheaux was named a team captain last week, I asked Steele for an update on him. What kind of two-a-days has he had?
"Kris is having a very good two-a-days," Steele replied. "He's a real team leader. And there are not many 266-pound linebackers in America who can run like he can. But the biggest thing is, playing linebacker is all about understanding defenses and how everything fits. Kris has so much fluidity in the fits now because he understands the defense so well, what everybody on the defense is doing."
AND HOW DOES Micheaux regard his role and that of the other seniors as he prepares to begin his final season at Baylor?
"The seniors have to take the lead. We can't be followers anymore," he replied. "We have to go out there and show the young guys by example, set the tempo."
As for himself, "I feel a tremendously lot stronger, and a lot smarter this season. When I first got here, I was just playing on my talent. Now I know blocking schemes better. I know how to put myself into position to make plays. I feel like I'm in good shape, very good shape. Coach Steele conditions us every day. This is my fifth two-a-days (at Baylor). It's always been hard work, a lot of guys flying around, a lot of bumps and bruises. And just real tiresome on the legs."
This year, he said, "The defense has to win on first down, put them (BU opponents) in long-yardage situations. And the offense really has to move the ball. I just know we have a lot of guys who are very excited about this season. They're guys who badly want to win. The drive is here, the foundation is here.
"I predict this defense will be 100 percent better this season by the simple fact that we have a lot of guys now who run to the ball and who make plays. They're eager to make plays. And our defensive coaches are not afraid to pin their ears back and let us blitz."
CORNERBACK DANIEL WILTURNER, the third captain in Baylor's triumvirate of leadership, provides the most unexpected ascension to the top. He is a product of Houston's James Madison High School, a 5-8, 173-pound senior who first attracted attention as a schoolboy tailback by rushing for 1,000 yards as a junior and 1,400 yards as a senior and being named on the All-HISD team.
If he was highly sought at recruiting time, I don't remember it. His grades weren't that good, recruiters said. But Kansas signed him that February of his senior year and he was thought to be Lawrence-bound until late spring when the Jawhawks abruptly decided to release him from his letter, leaving him free to sign with another school. And about the time of the high school all-star game -- "early August," recalls Baylor assistant coach Robert James -- Baylor coach Chuck Reedy decided to offer him a scholarship.
I remember hearing that bit of news and saying to myself, "well, that's a wasted scholarship."
Boy, was I wrong. Because Daniel Wilturner has become a steady, speedy, top-flight cornerback. Gary Baxter, who starts at the other cornerback position, has gotten more media attention and probably more rave notices from pro scouts. He ranks at the very top of NFL charts for cornerback prospects.
BUT THOSE WHO KNOW best will assure you Wilturner also is the real thing. He led the Bears with three pass interceptions last year. One of them he returned 52 yards for a TD against Oklahoma State. He also returned an interception 46 yards against A&M, and raced 63 yards for a touchdown with a blocked field goal against the Aggies. He had eight tackles against Colorado, including six solo stops.
When Kris Micheaux said last week, "Our defensive backs are really good, and getting better every day," he surely included Daniel Wilturner in that group. A leader on the field, reliable now in the classroom, Wilturner will play that captain's role proudly and well.
Incidentally, he was the last player signed in his recruiting class that year. Matt Amendola was the last player signed in his class. And Bobby Hart was the final recruit landed by the Bears this past February. All three now look as good as an IRS refund. Call it football's interesting example of how the last can be first.
AS THE CLOCK ticked down on two-a-days last week, Steele answered these questions for the INSIDER:
Q: How many more scrimmages now before playing the first game? Steele: "We were planning to have one full scrimmage and a mini, but I don't know. We've had so many guys getting banged up a little, having to miss practice time. I'm concerned. We've been very physical out there."
But few of the injuries are series. As of the end of last Saturday's scrimmage, Steele said only reserve offensive tackle Derek Long (redshirt freshman) and reserve defensive tackle Brandon Thompson (senior) were being counted out of the North Texas opener. Long lamed a knee last week and is probably out for three or four weeks. Thompson is recovering nicely from the neck injury he suffered in a scrimmage in mid-August but the coaches will not rush him back to the rough stuff.
"Brandon (former tight end) is new to that position but he's one of the strongest guys on the team, he's a good prospect," said Steele in discussing Thompson's future as a defensive tackle. "He could redshirt this season. At full speed he's a powerful man. So we'll see." Thompson has grown up to become a 6-2, 298-pound Bear of a man.
Q: As of now, are you satisfied with the progress the team has made? Steele: "If you look at the team as untested, which is the case, you would say yes. The way we're practicing, all the things we have been able to put in (offensively and defensively), I feel good about that. But the proof is in the pudding. If all our starters and backups were returnees, if they had all played, you'd say we're better now. But when you have as many young guys playing as we do, you can have all the confidence in the world in them but you still don't know how they'll react once they get out there and the pressure's on. There are no absolutes."
Q: Not counting Brandon Thompson, you have seven seniors who look like they'll play a lot on defense, and four on offense. The seniors on defense are linebackers Kris Micheaux and McKinley Bowie, backs Gary Baxter, Daniel Wilturner, Allen Pace and Odell James, and end Eric Clay. The seniors on offense are tackle Tyshaun Whitson, tailbacks Darrell Bush and Elijah Burkins and wideout Martin Dossett. The question is, does it look like the seniors are stepping up, setting a proper pace for this team? Steele: "We've had a good two-a-days and to a large degree it has been because of the leadership our seniors are showing. And also because of the leadership our offensive line is showing. And Greg Cicero.
"And I also have to mention some of those young guys on defense -- Matt Amendola (safety), Anthony Simmons (linebacker), Derrick Cash (linebacker). They play every snap wide open. You'd better watch out, they can make you look bad."
Q: At the moment, no true freshman is listed in the two-deep. By the time the North Texas game arrives, do you expect some of the true freshmen to have made their way up to a starting job or a top reserve status? Steele: "I think you could list John Garrett at linebacker, Stephen Sepulveda (a walk-on) at linebacker, Danielle McLean and Marcus Stenix at safety, Bobby Hart and Matt Johnson at cornerback, Jonathon Golden at tailback, and Marques Roberts and John Martin at wide receiver. But you should put an asterisk by their names and simply note they could see playing time early, on special teams, etc."
But that is not to suggest the coaches are not still impressed with a number of the other newcomers. In coaching conversations of late, the names of new linebackers Billy Crawford and Jack Wallace, offensive linemen Ryan McDaniel (6-5, 293) and Brad Schlueter (6-4, 271), wideout Robert Quiroga, defensive ends Khari Long and David Wren and linebacker Michael Tolbert keep popping up. That's particularly true where Quiroga and Tolbert are concerned. But a hand injury has held Quiroga back and the others are just not ready yet.
Q: How would you assess Greg Cicero now as a quarterback? What sets him apart? Steele: "Cicero is a student of the game, he's a winner. He's capable of taking a group of guys and making them better. His throwing is very accurate. His presence has improved our offense a lot. I'd say he's enabled us to put in 55 to 60 percent more offense this year."
Q: And who will be the No. 2 quarterback? Steele: "As of today it's very, very close (between redshirt freshman Guy Tomcheck and junior Michael Odum. It's still a decision I have to make and I'm not ready to disclose it."
Q: How would you assess your two young quarterbacks at this time? Steele: "Aaron Karras (true freshman) is a leader, very accurate when he throws, he's what we thought he would be. He wants to redshirt and as of now he will redshirt." Karras is 6-1 and 191, a blue-chipper from Spring.
"Kerry Dixon (true freshman) is extremely, extremely intelligent and very accurate on his passing. He runs well. He's been a surprise. We had thought we would move him to another position -- defensive back, wideout maybe. But now we don't plan to move him. He's going to stay at quarterback."
Editor's Note: Articles such as this one by Dave Campbell appear in each edition of the Baylor Bear Insider Report, available upon membership in the Baylor Bear Foundation. For information on joining the Bear Foundation, click here.
