Oct. 8, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game 5: NEBRASKA at BAYLOR
Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000)
Waco, Texas
October 13, 2001 * 1:00 p.m. (CDT)
The Skinny
After a two-game road swing, Baylor (2-2, 0-2 Big 12) returns to Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000) to host Nebraska (6-0, 2-0 Big 12) ... The Bears lost a hard-fought 16-10 decision at Texas A&M last week ... The Cornhuskers improved to 6-0 last week with a 48-14 home win over Iowa State ... Nebraska is ranked fourth this week in both the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and by Associated Press ... Three of Baylor's next four opponents are ranked in the AP top 11 (No. 4 Nebraska, No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 11 Texas) ... Nebraska has been ranked in all but one of seven previous meetings against the Bears (1956) ... Five of Baylor's final seven regular-season games are at home.
Series
Nebraska leads the all-time series, 6-1, since winning its first meeting against Baylor in 1936, 20-0. Six of the previous seven meetings have been in Lincoln, with the Huskers holding a 5-1 lead in those games.
Baylor's lone win over Nebraska was in 1956 (26-7). Nebraska won its only previous Waco meeting, 49-21, in 1997. Last year, the then-No. 1 ranked Cornhuskers defeated Baylor, 59-0, in Lincoln.
Coaches
Kevin Steele (Tennessee, 1981) is 5-21 in his third season at Baylor. He is 0-1 against Nebraska.
Nebraska's Frank Solich (Nebraska, 1966) is 37-7 in his fourth season as the Cornhuskers' head coach. He is 1-0 all-time against Baylor.
Frazier, Steele Reunion
One of the most decorated players in Nebraska football history, and the former Cornhusker assistant coach who recruited him, once again face NU when Baylor running backs coach Tommie Frazier and Head Coach Kevin Steele lead the Bears into action Saturday.
Frazier was a four-year starter at quarterback and led Nebraska to a pair of national championships (1994 and 1995). In 1995, he was a consensus first-team All-American, won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting.
Sport magazine named Frazier one of the 10 greatest college football players of the century. In 1996, Nebraska retired his No. 15 jersey.
Steele coached linebackers at Nebraska from 1989-94, where he earned a reputation as one of the nation's top evaluators and recruiters of talent.
Baylor D Tough In Texas
Baylor's defense has been strong in the Bears' three games played within the Lone Star State. BU's lone poor defensive effort came at Iowa State.
Against Arkansas State, New Mexico and Texas A&M, Baylor's defense has produced numbers that would rank among the nation's best. The Bears 10.7 points allowed in those games would rank sixth nationally, while total defense (302.7) would rank 27th, rushing defense (94.7) would rank 17th and pass efficiency defense (101.8) would rank 27th.
The Ball Is In The Air
Baylor's offense has taken to the passing game in an unprecedented manner. Averaging 39 pass attempts and 21.5 completions per game, the Bears are on a pace that would shatter the school season records in both categories. Accuracy has also been high, as Baylor's 55.1 completion percentage would rank among the top five totals in school history.
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.
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 was tied for the fifth-highest total.
Bear QBs Standing Tall
Baylor has allowed just five sacks in four games, making the Bear among the national leaders in sacks allowed per game (1.25).
BU is tied for 18th nationally with Iowa State in that category, and trail only Nebraska (1.0) among Big 12 schools.
Baylor Sack Happy
It took Baylor just three games to exceed its sack total from a year ago (nine). The Bears currently have 12 sacks through four games. Sophomore DE Aaron Lard and junior DE A.C. Collier are tied for the team lead with two each.
Turnovers Key BU Wins
Under Head Coach Kevin Steele, Baylor is 5-0 when winning the turnover battle. The Bears have a +4 turnover margin this season in their two wins, but are -3 in their two losses.
Baylor-Texas A&M Tidbits
* Baylor's 10-3 halftime lead was its first halftime lead over a Big 12 team since 1998 (vs. Oklahoma State).
* A&M's 16 points were the fewest allowed by Baylor against a league foe since the Big 12 was formed in 1996.
* Baylor held a Big 12 opponent to just one touchdown for the first time since 1998 (vs. Colorado).
* RB Chedrick Ricks saw his first action of the season against A&M and rushed five times for 17 yards. He had missed the first three games with a shoulder injury.
* K Adam Stiles booted a career-long 50-yard field goal against the Aggies. It marked Baylor's first 50-yarder since the 1999 game at A&M (Kyle Atteberry, 52 yards).
BU Adds U.S. Decals 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.
Newhouse Catching On
Junior WR Reggie Newhouse leads Baylor and is among the Big 12 leaders in receptions with 23 for 238 yards through three games. He has caught at least five passes in each game this season.
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.
The son of former Dallas Cowboy Robert Newhouse now needs just 56 more yards to become the 19th player in Baylor history with 1,000 yards career receiving.
Bears Getting In Their Snaps
Baylor has averaged nearly 75 snaps in its first four games, thanks in large part to its new hurry-up offensive attack.
The Bears' 84 offensive snaps against New Mexico were the most by Baylor since 1997, and the four-game total of 299 is the highest in any four-game stretch since 1996.
Baylor Injury List
Here's an updated list at Baylor's injuries heading into the Nebraska game:
Player, Pos., Injury, Status
Matt Amendola, DB, Knee (r), Out indefinitely
Jamaal Harper, LB, Knee (r), Out for season
Anthony Krieg, RB, Thigh (r), Probable
Aaron Lard, DE, Shoulder (l), Probable
Charles Mann, DE, Ankle (l), Probable
Andrew Obriotti, TE, Back, Questionable
Greg Wade, LB, Knee (r), Questionable
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).
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.
Penalties Down Under Steele
One sign of the discipline Kevin Steele has brought to the Bear football program is the low penalty numbers. Baylor has committed just 22 penalties (5.5 per game) through four games this season.
Baylor has committed just 128 penalties in the last two seasons combined, its lowest two-season penalty total since 1973-74 (112). The Bears finished 1999 with its lowest penalty total (57) in nearly 30 years.
Ironmen On The O-Line
C Joe Jackson has started 29-straight games and 33 total in his career. Fellow senior, RT Greg Jerman, has 31 career starts on the Baylor offensive line.
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.
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.
Bear Captains Named
A pair of seniors, SS Samir Al-min and C Joe Jackson, have been selected by teammates as captains for 2001.
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 495-459-43 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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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
