Football Preview: Kansas at Baylor

Sept. 30, 2002

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BAYLOR (2-2, 0-0) vs. KANSAS (2-3, 0-1)
Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000)
Waco, Texas
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2002 * 1:00 p.m. CDT

Baylor opens Big 12 Conference play when the Kansas Jayhawks visit Floyd Casey Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday. Baylor had an open date last week after defeating Tulsa, 37-25, the week before. Ironically, Kansas spent last weekend in Tulsa dispatching the Golden Hurricane, 43-33.

For the Bears, who have won three-straight home games, this is second of a three-game homestand.

SERIES
This is the sixth meeting between Baylor and Kansas and the Bears own a slight 3-2 edge. The Jayhawks won the last meeting, a 45-10 victory at Lawrence in 1999. Baylor has never lost to Kansas in Waco, winning 46-3 in 1989 and 31-24 in 1998.

COACHES
Kevin Steele (Tennessee, 1981) is 8-29 in his fourth season at Baylor. He is 0-1 against Kansas. Kansas' Mark Mangino (Youngstown State, 1987) is 2-3 in his first season as a head coach.

NEWHOUSE AMONG NCAA, BIG 12 LEADERS
Senior WR Reggie Newhouse, who has recorded 100 yards receiving in three of the Bears' four games, is third in the Big 12 in receptions per game (6.5, 14th nationally) and second in receiving yardage per game (105.0, 14th nationally).

Newhouse had eight catches for 164 yards at Cal, seven receptions for 119 yards against Samford and nine receptions for 120 yards versus Tulsa.

Newhouse is currently third at Baylor in career receptions (134), fourth in yardage (1,832) and tied for fourth in TD receptions (13).

FORMER JAYHAWK THOMPSON FACES FORMER TEAM
Junior WR J.T. Thompson, Baylor's third-leading receiving with eight catches for 61 yards, began his collegiate career at Kansas in 2000.

Thompson signed with the Jayhawks out of Kilgore High School and caught eight passes for 130 yards while playing in seven games for the Jayhawks as a true freshman. Thompson transferred to Kilgore Junior College for his sophomore season and signed with the Bears last February.

BEARS GET COMFORTABLE AT FLOYD CASEY
Baylor enters the Kansas game on a three-game home winning streak dating back to last season. The Bears have also won their last six non-conference games at Floyd Casey Stadium.

TURNOVERS FRUSTRATE BEARS
Baylor ranks last in the Big 12 and 109th nationally with a minus-8 turnover margin. Those mistakes have turned into opponent points, in some cases instantaneously. Opponents are averaging 14.5 points off turnovers, while the Bears are scoring just 2.5 points a game off takeaways.

NUMBERS UP ACROSS THE BOARD FOR BEARS
Baylor's NCAA statistical rankings are up for nearly every team offensive and defensive category. After finishing 103rd (310.5 ypg) last year in total offense, the Bears are currently 59th (376.2 ypg). Defensively, Baylor is 51st overall (340.8 ypg) after finishing 88th (418.2 ypg) last season. Below is the Bears' current NCAA ranking and corresponding 2001 finish:

Category    2001 (Rank) 2002 (Rank)Total Offense   310.5 (103) 376.2 (60)Scoring Offense 18.6 (101)  27.2 (59)Rush Offense    95.7 (108)  154.8 (59)Pass Offense    214.7 (63)  221.5 (57)Total Defense   418.2 (88)  340.8 (49)Scoring Defense 32.5 (91)   32.5 (97)Rush Defense    171.2 (73)  107.5 (30)Pass Defense    134.6 (91)  233.2 (82)

BEARS RACK UP SACKS VS. TULSA
After recording just one sack in the season's first three games, Baylor recorded six in the win over Tulsa. Junior DE Joe Simmons had two against the Hurricane, while sophomore DE Khari Long had one and a half.

RED ZONE SUCCESS
Baylor is fourth in the Big 12 with an 87 percent success rate in the red zone. The Bears have scored on 13-of-15 attempts inside the opponents 20, including 11 touchdowns. Turnovers have kept BU from scoring in their two unsuccessful red zone trips.

HOLD THAT BALL
Baylor is third in the Big 12 in time of possession, averaging 31:16 of possession time each game. The Bears have had the time advantage in three of its four games, including a season-high 35:18 against Cal.

GOLDEN AMONG BIG 12 SCORING LEADERS
Junior RB Jonathan Golden, thanks to a record-setting performance in the season's second game against Samford, is second in the Big 12 Conference and fifth nationally in scoring with 12.0 ppg.

Golden, who has eight touchdowns, tied a Big 12 record and set a Baylor one by scoring six touchdowns in the win over Samford.

Golden leads the Bears with a 65.8 rushing average and has rushed for over 90 yards in both home games this season (108 vs. Samford, 95 against Tulsa). His 100-yard effort against Samford was his first and the first by a Baylor back since Darrell Bush ran for 164 against North Texas in 1999.

KARAS 6th IN BIG 12 IN PASS EFFICIENCY
Sophomore QB Aaron Karas, who has won three of his four career starts, is sixth in the Big 12 with a passing rating of 124.7.

In six career outings dating back to last season, Karas has now posted combined totals of 84-of-138 passing (61 percent) for 1,194 yards, 9 TDs, 5 interceptions and a 145.4 efficiency rating. He has thrown for 200 yards in four of the six games.

DAVIS KICK RETURNS BIG VS. TULSA
Senior DB Randy Davis, who ranks among Baylor career top 10 in all kickoff return categories, just missed school single-game records against Tulsa with five returns for 172 yards (34.4 ypr) against the Golden Hurricane. Kalief Muhammad set school records with six returns for 175 yards against TCU in 1993.

He is currently fifth in the Big 12 in kickoff returns with a 24.8 average.

Davis, the only player in Bear history with a pair of 90-yard kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career, is seventh all time at Baylor with a 22.45 ypr average.

BEAR TIDBITS
* When facing third down and six-yards-or-less, Baylor is converting 60 percent of the time (15-of-25). When having to go seven-yards-or-more, the Bears have only been successful 26 percent of time (9-of-34). Overall, Baylor is converting 41 percent of the third down conversions (24-of-59), good for sixth in the Big 12.

* BU is averaging 9:22 of first-quarter possession time through its first four games.

* Four Bears - Reggie Newhouse, Robert Quiroga, Charles Radford and J.T. Thompson - have caught at least one pass in each game this season.

BEARS FACE TOUGH SCHEDULE
Half of Baylor's 12 2002 opponents (Colorado, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech) participated in bowl games last season.

Baylor's 2002 opponents went a combined 73-67 (.521) in 2001 and are 31-23 (.574) this season. Five of the Bears' 12 opponents are currently ranked in the AP Top 25.

BEAR CAPTAINS NAMED
Four seniors, DT Ethan Kelley, DE Charles Mann, WR Reggie Newhouse and DT Kevin Stevenson, have been selected by their teammates as captains for the 2002 season.

GARRETT ON BUTKUS WATCH LIST
Junior LB John Garrett is one of 11 Big 12 players on the 67-man, preseason Butkus Award 'watch list.'

Garrett currently leads the team with 27 tackles and five tackles for loss. Garrett was named honorable mention All-Big 12 last year after finishing third in tackles with 89. He has started 16 of his first 21 games as a Bear.

Since 1986, the Butkus Award has been given annually to the nation's best collegiate linebacker.

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 pitcher who as a member of the 1976 World Champion Cincinnati Reds won the National League's Rookie of the Year award.

- 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.

- DL Lorenzo Davis is the cousin of 14-year NBA veteran Derrick McKey.

- LB Jamaal Harper is a cousin of Kenyon Martin, who plays for the NBA's New Jersey Nets.

- Freshman TE Iris Williams has a pair of notable family members. Uncle Elvis Patterson won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, while cousin and former Baylor standout Fred Miller is a starting offensive lineman for the Tennessee Titans.

- Freshman WR Trent Shelton is the nephew of San Francisco 49er receivers coach George Stewart.

BAYLOR INJURY UPDATE
Here's an updated list at Baylor's injuries heading into the Tulsa game:

Player, Pos.        Injury      StatusAnthony Arline, DB  Knee (l)    OutMichael Gary, DB    Knee (r)    Out for seasonRyan Jeffrey, WR  Shoulder (r)    Out for seasonAaron Lard, DL      Knee(r)     Doubtful

TURNOVERS KEY BU WINS
The Bears are 6-1 under Kevin Steele when winning the turnover battle. Baylor's lone loss when having a turnover advantage was last season against No. 4 Nebraska, when the Bears were a +1 but lost 48-7.

SINGLETARY UP FOR 10 GREATEST COLLEGIANS
CBS Sports will televise a one-hour special this fall on 'College Football's Ten Greatest Players.' Baylor great Mike Singletary is one of approximately 200 candidates that will be voted on by coaches, media, former Heisman Trophy winners, members of the College Football Hall of Fame and Division I athletic directors. Additionally, fans can vote for their favorite players at cbs.sportsline.com. The program will air Nov. 29, at 1:30pm, ET.

OVER THE AIR
Bear football games can be heard live on the Baylor Radio Network. The network includes 18 affiliates across Texas, including flagship stations KRZI-AM (1660/1580) and KLRK-FM (92.9) in Waco. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his eighth season. Former Baylor football standouts Walter Abercrombie and Ricky Thompson are in their third season providing analysis.

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.BaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.

BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including eight Big 12 schools.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, will air weekly throughout Central Texas and other outlets. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott-Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable 18).

BEARS CLOSE IN ON WIN NO. 500
Baylor needs three more wins to join the 500-win club all-time. The Bears are 497-465-44 since beginning football play in 1899.

Entering the 2002 season, 50 schools had reached the 500-win plateau.

NEXT UP...
The Bears play their third straight home game Oct. 12 when they host Texas A&M. Kickoff at Floyd Casey Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.

Football Preview: Kansas at Baylor

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Jamaal Harper

Trent Shelton

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Football Preview: Kansas at Baylor

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