Oct. 22, 2001
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Game 7: TEXAS TECH at BAYLOR
Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000)
Waco, Texas * HOMECOMING
October 27, 2001 * 2:00 p.m. (CDT)
The Skinny
Baylor (2-4, 0-4 Big 12) celebrates homecoming by welcoming in-state rival Texas Tech (3-3, 1-3 Big 12) ... Last week, the Bears lost a hard-fought, 33-17 road game at second-ranked Oklahoma ... Baylor's defense produced eight sacks against the Sooners, the most any league school has allowed in a Big 12 game this season ... The Red Raiders came close to upsetting Nebraska on the road before dropping a 41-31 decision ... Tech is the first Baylor opponent in four weeks to enter the game unranked. Texas A&M (24th), Nebraska (4th) and Oklahoma (2nd) were all nationally-ranked when the Bears lined up against them ... According to USA Today's Jeff Sagarin, Baylor has played the nation's fifth-toughest schedule to date ... Three of Baylor's last four games were on the road, but four of its last five are at home.
Coaches
Kevin Steele (Tennessee, 1981) is 5-23 in his third season at Baylor. He is 0-2 against Texas Tech.
Texas Tech's Mike Leach (BYU, 1983) is 10-9 in his second season as the Red Raiders' head coach. He is 1-0 against Baylor.
Series
Baylor leads the all-time series, 32-26-2, since winning its first meeting against Texas Tech in 1929, 34-0. The two have met every year since 1956.
Texas Tech has won the last five meetings and eight of the last 10. The Red Raiders won last year in Lubbock, 28-0.
Homecoming on the Brazos
This marks Baylor's 69th homecoming contest. The Bears are 33-31-4 in their 68 previous homecoming games and have won eight of their last 12 homecomings.
Texas Tech is Baylor's homecoming opponent for the first time and will be the Bears' 12th different homecoming opponent. TCU (31 times) and Texas A&M (20) have been the Bears' most frequent homecoming guests.
BU Tops NCAA In Recoveries
Baylor continues to lead the nation in fumble recoveries with 14. That figure has helped the Bears rack up 18 total defensive takeaways, which is tied for 13th nationally.
Baylor's 18 takeaways is tied with Nebraska for second in the Big 12, behind Oklahoma's 23.
The Bears have capitalized on the turnovers as well, averaging a touchdown a game (6.2 ppg) off of takeaways.
Baylor Sack Happy
Baylor's improved defense was on display at Oklahoma, as the Bears posted eight sacks against an offense that had allowed just seven in its first six games.
Baylor is second in the Big 12 with 3.3 sacks a game. The Bears currently have 20 sacks through six games.
It took Baylor just three games to exceed its sack total from a year ago (nine). Junior DE A.C. Collier leads the Bears with four sacks, while sophomore DE Aaron Lard is second with three.
BU Faces Consecutive Top 5
For the first time since 1959, Baylor played back-to-back games against teams ranked in the AP top five.
A week after facing then-No. 4 ranked Nebraska, the Bears hooked up with second-ranked Oklahoma.
The last time Baylor played consecutive top-five foes was John Bridgers first season as head coach, when the Bears lost to third-ranked Texas (13-12) and fourth-ranked Southern Cal (17-8).
Ranked Foes Become Routine
For the second-straight season, Baylor played a stretch of three-consecutive games against ranked opponents. The Bears played Texas A&M (No. 24), Nebraska (No. 4) and Oklahoma (No. 2) in succession. Last year, Baylor faced No. 1 Nebraska, No. 22 Texas and No. 1 Oklahoma in a row.
Prior to 2000, the last time Baylor had played a trio of ranked foes in a row was 1959, when the Bears played 15th-ranked TCU, third-ranked Texas and fourth-ranked Southern Cal.
Baylor Injury List
Here's an updated list at Baylor's injuries heading into the Texas Tech game:
Player, Pos., Injury, Status
Damian Davis, WR, Ankle (l), Probable
Jamaal Harper, LB, Knee (r), Out for season
Matt Johnson, DB, Knee (r), Questionable
Robert Quiroga, WR, Ankle (r), Questionable
Joe Simmons, DE, Knee (l), Doubtful
Bears Getting In Their Snaps
Baylor has averaged over 73 snaps in its first six games, thanks in large part to its new hurry-up offensive attack. The Bears are on pace to record their most snaps in a season since 1986 (892 snaps/81.1 a game).
The Bears' 84 offensive snaps against New Mexico were the most by Baylor since 1997, and the five-game total of 440 is the highest in any six-game stretch since 1995.
Least Penalty Yards In Big 12
One sign of the discipline Kevin Steele has brought to the Bear football program is the low penalty numbers. Baylor has committed just 37 penalties (6.2 per game) through six games this season, the second-lowest total in the Big 12. The Bears lead the league in fewest penalty yards a game with 45.7.
Baylor committed just 128 combined penalties in Steele's first two seasons, its lowest two-season penalty total since 1973-74 (112). The Bears finished 1999 with its lowest penalty total (57) in nearly 30 years.
Bear QBs Standing Tall
Baylor has allowed just 13 sacks in six games, a remarkable figure given the number of passes the Bears have attempted (229). That's comes out to a sack every 17.6 pass attempts.
A year ago, Baylor allowed 42 sacks and attempted 359 passes, for one sack every 8.5 attempts.
Baylor-Oklahoma Tidbits
* Randy Davis returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, the sixth-longest kickoff return in Baylor history. It was Davis' second career kickoff return for touchdown and made him the first player in Bear history with two career returns of 90-or-more yards.
* The Bears sacked Sooner QB Jason White eight times, which is most sacks by any league team in a Big 12 game this season.
The Ball Is In The Air
Baylor's offense has taken to the passing game in an unprecedented manner. Averaging 38.2 pass attempts and 18.7 completions per game, the Bears are on a pace that would shatter the school season records in both categories.
After attempting 47 passes against New Mexico and 40 at Iowa State in back-to-back weeks, the 2001 squad became the first team in school history to attempt 40-or-more passes in consecutive games. Baylor has attempted 40 passes in three of its five games.
Also, BU has notched two of the school's top five pass completion totals against ISU and UNM. The 27 completions at the Cyclones was the third-highest total in Bear history, while the 25 catches against the Lobos tied for the fifth-highest total.
BU Adds U.S. Decal To Helmet
Baylor has added two decals - one of the U.S. flag and another of a black cross - to the back of its helmet in remembrance of the terrorist attacks upon America.
Turnovers Key BU Wins
For the first time under Head Coach Kevin Steele, Baylor lost a game in which it had won the turnover battle. Nebraska had five turnovers to Baylor' s four in it's win in Waco.
The Bears are now 5-1 under Steele when winning the turnover battle. The Bears have an overall turnover margin of +2 this season. BU is +4 this season in its two wins, but is -2 in its four losses.
Newhouse Catching On
Junior WR Reggie Newhouse leads Baylor and is among the Big 12 leaders in receptions with 28 for 295 yards.
The son of former Dallas Cowboy Robert Newhouse is currently 15th all-time at Baylor with 75 receptions. His 1,001 career receiving yards make him just the 19th player in Baylor history with 1,000 yards career receiving.
In game two against New Mexico, Newhouse grabbed a career-high eight passes, the most receptions in a game by a Bear in three years.
AFCA Recognizes BU Academics
For the fifth time in six years, the American Football Coaches Association recognized Baylor for producing one of the top football teams in America in terms of academic performance.
The Bears were one of 28 schools nationally to receive the AFCA's award for graduating over 70 percent of its players.
BU Leads Big 12 In Grad Rates
According to the latest NCAA graduation rates, Baylor's football team has posted an 82 percent success rate in this category, far higher than the rest of the Big 12 and the NCAA division I average (48 percent).
Nebraska was second among Big 12 football programs with a 50 percent graduation rate, while Baylor's fellow Big 12 South foes came in at 46 (Texas Tech), 45 (Oklahoma State), 42 (Texas), 38 (Texas A&M) and 17 percent (Oklahoma).
Ironmen On The O-Line
C Joe Jackson has started 31-straight games and 35 total in his career. Fellow senior, RT Greg Jerman, has 33 career starts on the Baylor offensive line.
Gold Rush
Floyd Casey Stadium was awash in gold during Baylor's season-opening win over Arkansas State, thanks in large part to the efforts of two local women.
More than 17,000 "Gold Rush" shirts were sold through the work of Debbie Sartain and Nell Hawkins, who organized the athletic department's goal of encouraging the Baylor faithful to wear bright yellow shirts to Bear athletic events.
Bears Close in on Win No. 500
Baylor needs five more wins to join the 500-win club all-time. The Bears are 495-461-43 since beginning football play in 1899.
Entering the 2001 season, 48 schools have reached the 500-win plateau.
Starting At Home
2001 marked the first time since 1997, and just the second since 1994, that Baylor had opened a season at home. The Bears began the 1998 season at Oregon State, the 1999 season at Boston College and the 2000 campaign at North Texas.
Steele Gets Neighborly Visit
Baylor's Kevin Steele got a chance to visit with his high-profile neighbor, President George W. Bush, on Aug. 30th.
Steele lives near Crawford, Texas, where Bush owns a ranch. A friend in the Secret Service arranged a meeting between the two, part of which took place at the Western White House and part aboard Air Force One shortly before Bush returned to Washington following his August vacation.
Family Ties
A number of Bears have noteworthy family connections:
- WR Reggie Newhouse is the son of former Dallas Cowboy RB Robert Newhouse.
- The father of FB Jonathan Evans, Dr. Tony Evans, is the host of a nationally syndicated daily radio program which can be heard on 250 stations in the U.S. and in 40 countries. He is founder and president of The Urban Alternative, a national organization seeking spiritual renewal in urban America through the church. He also serves as chaplain for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.
- WR John Martin is the son of Dave Martin, current associate AD at Oklahoma State and one-time interim commissioner of the Big 12.
- QB Josh Zachry is the son of Pat Zachry, a 10-year major league veteran who as a member of the 1976 World Champion Cincinnati Reds won the National League's Rookie of the Year award.
- Freshman CB Michael Boyd is the cousin of former Baylor standout Thomas Everett, a two-time All-SWC performer and winner of the inaugural Thorpe Award in 1986.
- Freshman DL Lorenzo Davis is the cousin of 14-year NBA veteran Derrick McKey.
- Freshman LB Jamaal Harper is a cousin of Kenyon Martin, who plays for the NBA's New Jersey Nets.
BU Walk-on Program Strong
Two current scholarship Bears, starting left tackle Jon Erickson and second-team quarterback Josh Zachry, were former walk-ons who earned their scholarships.
Baylor currently has nearly 60 walk-ons in its non-scholarship program. In the last two years alone, seven walk-on student-athletes have earned athletic scholarships. The Bears even have a specific scholarship, the Williams M. Harman III Memorial Scholarship, that is designated for a former non-scholarship player.
Bears Face Tough Schedule
Seven of Baylor's 11 2001 opponents (Iowa State, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Nebraska) participated in bowl games last season.
Baylor Football on the Air
The Baylor Radio Network provides Bear broadcasts to 18 stations throughout the state of Texas. For a list of affiliates, click here.
Baylor Games on the Internet
The radio call from all of Baylor's games can be heard live on the internet on Baylor's official online website, www.GoBaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.
Bear Captains Named
A pair of seniors, SS Samir Al-Amin and C Joe Jackson, have been selected by teammates as captains for 2001.
Inside BU Sports TV Show
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, will air weekly throughout Central Texas and other regional outlets. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox SportsNet Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable channel 18).
Late Starters
After opening the 2000 season on Aug. 31, Baylor didn't start its 2001 season until Sept. 8. It was the Bears' latest opener since starting the 1998 season on Sept. 12.
Capers Speaks To Bears
Houston Texans' head coach Dom Capers addressed the Baylor football team two days before the Bears opened the 2001 season with a 24-3 win over Arkansas State.
Capers, who was in town as the featured speaker at Waco's annual Kickoff Luncheon, is a close friend of Baylor's Kevin Steele. Steele and Capers were both assistants at the University of Tennesse in the 1980s and Steele coached linebackers under Capers at the NFL's Carolina Panthers.
Preseason BU Honors
LB John Garrett and WR Reggie Newhouse were named honorable mention All-America by Street & Smith.
DL Kevin Stevenson (Lindy's) and P Adam Stiles (The Sporting News) were both named second-team All-Big 12.
Teaff To Join Hall Of Fame
Former Baylor coach Grant Teaff, who became the Bears' winningest coach from 1972-92, has been selected to join the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame in December.
Teaff compiled a 128-105-6 record while leading the Bears to a pair of Southwest Conference championships and eight bowl games. While posting 12 winning seasons, Teaff, who still resides in Waco and currently serves as the executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, guided six of his Baylor squads to season-ending national rankings.
Teaff joins sixth previous Baylor additions to the Hall of Fame: Barton Koch, Jim Ray Smith, Lawrence Elkins, Bill Glass, Morley Jennings and Mike Singletary.
Bears in the NFL
Nine former Baylor players made opening day NFL rosters, including 2000 Bear defensive back Gary Baxter (Baltimore Ravens).
Player, Pos., NFL Team
Gary Baxter, DB*, Baltimore Ravens
Ray Crockett, DB, Kansas City Chiefs
Santana Dotson, DT, Green Bay Packers
Albert Fontenot, DE, San Diego Chargers
Daryl Gardener, DT, Miami Dolphins
Kelvin Garmon, OL, Dallas Cowboys
Fred Miller, OT, Tennessee Titans
Justin Snow, TE, Indianapolis Colts
Derrius Thompson, WR, Washington Redskins
* - 2000 Baylor letterman
