Sept. 10, 2001
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BAYLOR at MINNESOTA
H.H.H. Metrodome (64,172)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
September 15, 2001 * 7:00 p.m. (CDT)
The Skinny
After taking a 24-3, season-opening victory over Arkansas State, Baylor hits the road for the first time in 2001 to play Big Ten Conference foe Minnesota (1-1) at the Metrodome (64,172).
Series
Baylor trails the series with Minnesota, 0-1, after losing the first meeting between the two last season in Waco, 34-9.
Coaches
Kevin Steele (Tennessee, 1981) is 4-19 in his third season at Baylor. He is 0-1 against Minnesota.
Minnesota's Glen Mason (Ohio State, 1972) is 23-26 in his fifth season as the Gophers' head coach and 82-90-1 in his 16th head coaching season overall. Mason is 1-2 all-time against Baylor, including an 0-2 record as the head coach at Kansas (1988-96).
Baylor vs. the Big Ten
Baylor is 2-9-1 all-time against current members of the Big Ten Conference. The Bears are 1-0 vs. Illinois, 1-2 vs. Indiana, 0-1-1 vs. Michigan, 0-1 vs. Michigan State, 0-1 vs. Minnesota, 0-2 vs. Ohio State, 0-1 vs. Penn State and 0-1 vs. Purdue.
Bear Defense Shines vs. ASU
Baylor's defense turned in its best performance in six years to help key the Bears' 24-3 season-opening win over Arkansas State.
The 172 yards and three points allowed against the Indians were the fewest by Baylor since the 1995 team gave up 138 yards in a 14-0 shutout at North Carolina State.
ASU's 66 rushing yards were the fewest by a Bear opponent since Texas Tech gained just 62 on the ground in 1997.
Newhouse Hits 100 Again
Junior WR Reggie Newhouse began the 2001 season like he finished 2000: with 100 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Newhouse caught five passes for 102 yards and a score against Arkansas State. It was his fourth career 100-yard receiving day and his second-straight dating back to last season. He also has caught a touchdown pass in three-straight games.
The son of former Dallas Cowboy Robert Newhouse now needs just 192 more yards to become the 19th player in Baylor history with 1,000 yards career receiving. He is already ninth on Baylor's career list for yards per reception (52 rec./808 yards/15.54 avg.).
Bears Eye 2-0 Start
Baylor is attempting to start 2-0 for the first time since opening 3-0 in the 1996 season.
Baylor Sack Happy
After recording just nine sacks a year ago, the Baylor defense collected five in the win over Arkansas State. A.C. Collier, Ethan Kelly, Aaron Lard and Greg Wade were credited with one each, while Kevin Stevenson and Shaun Jackson both received credit for a half-sack.
Ironmen On The O-Line
C Joe Jackson has started 26-straight games and 30 total in his career. Fellow senior, RT Greg Jerman, has 28 career starts on the Baylor offensive line.
Baylor-ASU Tidbits
* For Bears - OL Antoine Murphy, WR Robert Quiroga, LB Stephen Sepulveda, LB Jack Wallace - made their first career starts against the Indians.
* Randy Davis, who started a pair of games at receiver in 1999, made his first defensive start against ASU at right cornerback.
* Converted linebacker Derrick Cash made his first start at free safety. He responded by returning an interception 73 yards for a touchdown. It was the 11th-longest interception return in Baylor history.
* RB Melvin Barnett gained a career-high 95 yards on 16 carries. His previous best was 27 yards at Kansas in 1999.
Cicero Returns
The Arkansas State game marked the return of QB Greg Cicero, who missed most of the 2000 season after breaking his collarbone against Minnesota in the first quarter of the second game.
Cicero, who has led Baylor to wins in both games he has finished, was a modest 13-of-30 for 168 yards with a touchdown and an interception against ASU.
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.
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.
No Rest For Bears
For just the second time in 18 seasons, Baylor will not have an open date during the regular season. This season and the 1998 season are the only two since 1984 that has had the Bears playing 11-consecutive weekends during the regular season.
Baylor is one of just nine I-A schools not to have an open date this season.
Bear Captains Named
A pair of seniors, SS Samir Al-min and C Joe Jackson, have been selected by teammates as captains for the 2001 season.
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.
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.
Baylor Injury List
Here's an updated list at Baylor's injuries heading into the Minnesota game: Matt Amendola, DB -- Knee (r) -- Out indefinitely
Charles Bungert, OL -- Shoulder (l) -- Doubtful
A.C. Collier -- Hip (r) -- Probable
Kerry Dixon, WR -- Shoulder (r) -- Out 2-4 weeks
Jamaal Harper, LB -- Knee (r) -- Out for season
Derek Long, OL -- Neck -- Out 2-4 weeks
Khari Long, DL -- Shoulder (r) -- Out 1-3 weeks
Chedrick Ricks, RB -- Shoulder (l) -- Questionable
Chris Sipes, OL -- Ankle (r) -- Probable
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.
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.
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.
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.
Turnovers Key BU Wins
Under Head Coach Kevin Steele, Baylor is 4-0 when winning the turnover battle.
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.
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 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.
BU has been flagged four times or less in 9-of-23 games under Steele.
Baylor Through the Years
Baylor is 494-457-43 since beginning football play in 1899 ... Baylor has had winning seasons in nine of the last 15 campaigns ... The school record for wins came in 1980 when the conference champion Bears won 10 games ... Baylor has 16 seasons of eight-or-more wins and five of nine-or-more victories ... The Bears' last eight-win season came in 1991 and the last nine-win mark in 1986.
Bears Close in on Win No. 500
Baylor needs six more wins to join the 500-win club all-time. The Bears are 494-457-43 since beginning football play in 1899.
Entering the 2001 season, 48 schools have reached the 500-win plateau.
Baylor Football on the Air
The Baylor Radio Network provides Bear broadcasts to 19 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). KCEN carries the show at 10:30 p.m. Sundays while Fox shows it at 1:00 p.m. Wednesdays.
Bears in the NFL
Nine former Baylor players made opening day NFL rosters, including 2000 Bear defensive back Baltimore Ravens.
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
