Aug. 17, 2001

Waco, Texas - A day before Baylor's first major scrimmage of the fall, Head Coach Kevin Steele put his team through a demanding, up-tempo practice Friday afternoon as the competition for playing status heats up.

"It wasn't a scrimmage practice," Steele said, "but it felt like it. It was a very, very intense, high-tempo practice. There were a lot of snaps taken out there today. Some of our more experienced players said afterwards that it was the most positive, high-intensity practice that they had been around in a long, long time.

"They were flying around nine hundred miles an hour out there. I think they had fun out there today. We've got to scrimmage tomorrow, and they're worn pretty thin."

Saturday afternoon's scrimmage is the buildup from five days of two-a-day practices.

"We need to settle some issues," Steele said. "There needs to be a juggling of the depth chart to re-intensify this competitiveness we've developed. We'll be able to make some better decisions based on the scrimmage."

Two-a-days continue through Sunday. Classes on the Baylor campus begin Monday. The Bears open the 2001 season Sept. 8 at home against Arkansas State.