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GAME 8
BAYLOR (3-4, 1-2)
vs
No. 18 TEXAS (5-2, 2-1)

Oct. 25, 2003 * 6:00 p.m. CDT
Floyd Casey Stadium (50,000)
Waco, Texas

Baylor returns home this weekend for a Big 12 Conference showdown with No. 18 Texas. Saturday's kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CDT at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears (3-4, 1-2) dropped a 28-21 decision at Kansas last Saturday, while the Longhorns (5-2, 2-1) defeated Iowa State 40-19 at Ames, Iowa. That was Texas' first game this season on an opponent's home field. The Longhorns defeated Rice 48-7 at Houston's Reliant Stadium and lost to Oklahoma 65-13 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Texas is ranked 19th nationally in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and 18th nationally in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The teams have played no common opponents this season.

SERIES
Baylor and Texas meet on the gridiron for the 93rd time Saturday, the third-most played rivalry in Baylor football history behind TCU (103 meetings) and Texas A&M (100 meetings). Texas leads the all-time series 66-22-4, and the Longhorns have won the last five meetings since a 23-21 Baylor victory Nov. 1, 1997 in Waco. The Bears are 14-25-2 against the Horns in Waco, 12-15 at Floyd Casey Stadium. Texas' current five-game winning streak against Baylor is the Longhorns' longest since a 13-gamer from 1958 to 1973. That run was ended with Baylor's 34-24 victory at Floyd Casey Stadium in 1974, dubbed the "Miracle on the Brazos." The series dates back to a 23-0 Texas victory Oct. 29, 1901 in Waco. Baylor and Texas have played every year since 1923, making this the longest continually running rivalry for Baylor football. Last year, Texas defeated Baylor 41-0 at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. The Longhorns were 49-10 winners at Floyd Casey Stadium two years ago.

COACHES
Guy Morriss (TCU, 1973) is 3-4 in his initial season at Baylor. In his third year as a collegiate head coach, Morriss has a 12-18 career record. Prior to arriving at Baylor, Morriss spent two seasons as head coach at Kentucky. This is his first meeting with Texas. Mack Brown (Florida State, 1974) is in his sixth season as head coach at Texas with a 54-17 record. Brown, who previously served as head coach at North Carolina, Tulane and Appalachian State, is 140-91-1 in 20 seasons as a collegiate head coach. He is 5-0 against Baylor.

QUICK NOTES
* Baylor's future opposition winning percentage of .778 (28-8) is second nationally behind only Texas A&M (.800, 28-7). Colorado is fourth at .714 (25-10).
* Baylor has just two scoring drives of more than four minutes this season.
* Baylor is 2-0 this season when rushing for two or more TDs, 1-4 when rushing for less than two TDs.
* WR Marques Roberts has caught TD passes in each of the last two games after just three TD receptions his first 27 games at Baylor.
* FS Maurice Lane has tallied double-digit tackles in five of seven games this season.
* QB Aaron Karas has completed at least 10 passes in 11 consecutive games.
* QB Aaron Karas has thrown at least one TD pass in four consecutive games.
* WR Robert Quiroga has caught at least one pass in 21 consecutive games.
* WR John Martin has caught at least one pass in six consecutive games played.
* WR Marques Roberts has caught at least one pass in nine consecutive games.

SEPULVEDA CATCHES NATIONAL EYE
P Daniel Sepulveda, who began punting last spring, has begun to catch the national eye. The Big 12 leader in punting average, Sepulveda, who ranks ninth nationally in that category, has been added to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation's top punter by the Augusta [Ga.] Sports Council. He joins Florida's Eric Wilbur as the only freshmen on the 38-man list, which will be pared to 10 semifinalists in early November. Baylor special teams' coach Mark Nelson is no stranger to having a punter considered for the Guy Award. Last season, Nelson's punter at Kentucky, Glenn Pakulak, was a finalist along with Tennessee's Dustin Colquitt and winner Mark Mariscal of Colorado. Sepulveda has also caught the eye of Matt Hayes, a columnist for The Sporting News. In the publication's latest issue, Sepulveda was selected as the punter for Hayes' Dream Team, a collection of difference-makers this season.

SPECIAL SPECIAL TEAMS
Baylor's special teams have been the strongest facet of the game this season for the Bears. The special teams have produced two scores this season, both on blocked punts. CB James Todd's block against UAB in the season opener resulted in a safety. Todd also recovered CB Michael Boyd's block in the end zone last week at Kansas. Baylor's 1980 squad holds the school mark for blocks in a season with 13 (punts and placements). P Daniel Sepulveda leads the Big 12 and ranks ninth nationally in punting average (45.3 yards per punt), and CB Willie Andrews is 22nd nationally with 22.6 yards per kickoff return (fifth in the Big 12). Andrews also is tied for fourth all-time at Baylor with 23 kickoff returns this season, and his 589 yards on those returns ranks third in school history.

GARRETT SACK HAPPY
With three sacks last week at Kansas, LB John Garrett moves into a tie for seventh all-time at Baylor with six sacks on the season. He is 4.5 sacks shy of Matthew Pearson's school record, established in 1992. Garrett's sack total is the best by a Bear since A.C. Collier had a half-dozen in 2001. No Bear has tallied seven or more sacks in a season since Scotty Lewis had seven in 1993.

ARMSTRONG CLIMBS BAYLOR RUSHING CHARTS
With 80 yards rushing last week at Kansas, RB Rashad Armstrong moved into 18th place all-time at Baylor in single-season rushing yardage. He now has 691 yards on the season, the most by a Bear back since Darrell Bush scampered for 693 yards in 1997. With three more yards rushing, Armstrong will have rushed for more yards than any Baylor player in a decade (Brandell Jackson, 899 in 1993). In just 19 games and 12 starts, Armstrong has rushed for 1,338 yards in his Baylor career. That ranks 19th in school history, and he needs just 216 yards to crack the top 10. Armstrong and CB Willie Andrews are also poised to crack Baylor's single-season all-purpose yardage top 10. Through seven games, Armstrong has 838 all-purpose yards, while Andrews has 822. Kalief Muhammad had 1,166 yards in 1996 and currently ranks 10th in Baylor history.

ARMSTRONG AMONG NATIONAL RUSH LEADERS
RB Rashad Armstrong ranks third in the Big 12 Conference and 23rd nationally with 98.7 yards rushing per game. He also leads the conference with 159 carries, and Baylor is 3-1 this season when he rushes for at least 100 yards and/or scores a rushing touchdown. Here are some other key notes on Armstrong: * Rushed for 100-plus yards in five of last nine games ... * Rushed for 100-plus yards in three of last five Big 12 games ... * 166 yards vs. Colorado ranks 13th all-time at Baylor, most since 1995 ... * 37 carries vs. Colorado ties for second all-time at Baylor, most since 1975 ... * Tied for eighth all-time at Baylor with five career 100-yard rushing games ...

YOUNGER SEPULVEDA KEEPS BOOMING 'EM
P Daniel Sepulveda leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks ninth nationally, averaging 45.3 yards per punt. In 49 punts, Sepulveda has tallied 2,221 yards with 14 punts going 50-plus yards and two punts going 60-plus yards. He has also placed 13 punts inside the 20 and three punts inside the five with two coffins. Sepulveda's average is just off the school record of 46.35, established by Ty Atteberry in 1996. Against Texas A&M, Sepulveda punted nine times for an average of 47.8 yards per punt. He posted a net average of 47.1 yards per punt with four inside the 20 and three of 50-plus yards, including a game-high 55-yarder. Against Kansas, Sepulveda had punts of 60 and 61 yards, the last of which was a career long. Sepulveda's punting has made Baylor the Big 12's top-ranked punting team in terms of net yards per punt. The Bears average 40.1 net yards per punt, 13th nationally.

BAYLOR BIG 12'S YOUNGEST TEAM
Baylor's depth chart features nine true freshmen for the Texas game, including starters RT Nick Pace and DT Quincy Jenkins. No team in the Big 12 has more true freshmen on its depth chart than Baylor. Including redshirts, Baylor's two-deep roster features 16 freshmen, also tops in the conference. In all, the Bears have 25 freshmen and sophomores on the two-deep.

KARAS FOURTH AMONG ACTIVE BIG 12 PASSERS
QB Aaron Karas ranks fifth among active Big 12 signal callers in career passing yardage with 3,473 yards. Oklahoma State's Josh Fields (5,004 yards) is the active leader and ranks 10th all-time in the Big 12. Fields is followed by Texas Tech's B.J. Symons (4,051), Kansas State's Ell Roberson (3,699), Kansas' Bill Whittemore (3,549) and Karas. Former Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury holds the Big 12 record with 12,429 career passing yards.

QUIROGA ALSO AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS
WR Robert Quiroga is seventh among active Big 12 receivers with 116 career receptions. Oklahoma State's Rashaun Woods is the active and overall leader with 248 snags, an all-time Big 12 record.

SCHEDULE FACTS
Seven of Baylor's 12 2003 opponents (North Texas, Colorado, Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) participated in bowl games last season. Eight of the Bears' 2003 opponents (including Texas A&M) finished at or above .500. Baylor's 2003 opponents went a combined 88-53 (.624) in 2002. Five of the Bears' 12 opponents are currently ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Furthermore, the Big 12 boasted three teams in the top five spots of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll. Baylor and Iowa State both have all three - Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas - on their respective schedules. The Bears and the Cyclones are the only teams in the nation to have three preseason top-five teams on their schedules.

FIELDS, JOHNSON SELECTED AS CAPTAINS
Senior C Cedric Fields and senior CB Matt Johnson were selected as team captains for the season. Fields is a three-year letterman from Corsicana, Texas. Johnson hails from Pearland, Texas, and has earned three letters.

BEARS CLAIM WIN NO. 500
Baylor captured win No. 500 in the program's 101-season history with its 27-6 victory over Sam Houston State. The Bears began playing football in 1899; Baylor is 501-475-43 all-time. Through games of Sept. 20, 2003, 56 Division I-A teams have reached 500 victories. TCU and Wyoming reached the plateau earlier this year. Miami, Fla., and Baylor reached the plateau Sept. 27. North Carolina State (497), Fresno State (494) and South Carolina (493) all have a chance at win No. 500 this season. Baylor is the eighth Big 12 school to reach 500 wins. Iowa State (459), Oklahoma State (460), Texas Tech (453) and Kansas State (420) trail the Bears in all-time victories.

BU LEADS BIG 12 IN GRADUATION RATES
According to the June 2003 NCAA graduation rates, Baylor's football team has posted a 77 percent success rate in this category, the best figure in the Big 12 and far above the NCAA division I average (52 percent). Texas Tech was second among Big 12 football programs with a 73 percent graduation rate, followed by Nebraska (67), Texas A&M (59), Iowa State (50), Missouri (50), Texas (50), Oklahoma State (48), Kansas State (44), Kansas (43), Colorado (38) and Oklahoma (6).

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 ninth season. Former Baylor football standouts Walter Abercrombie and Ricky Thompson are in their fourth 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 four 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). IBS also airs Wednesdays on College Sports TV; check local listings for time.

NEXT UP...
Baylor returns to the Sunflower State next weekend for a showdown with Kansas State at KSU Stadium in Manhattan. This will be the fifth meeting between the two schools, the fourth as Big 12 Conference foes. Kansas State has won all four meetings, including a 45-15 decision at Waco in 1969. The Wildcats were 44-10 winners last season at Floyd Casey Stadium. Baylor's lone previous trip to Manhattan resulted in a 48-7 K-State victory in 1999.