Through the Years: The 1979 Team
11/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 1, 2004
Led by a high-octane offense and a stingy defense, 25 seasons ago the Baylor football team put together one of its most impressive football campaigns ever, finishing the year with an 8-4 record and earning the program its first trip to the Peach Bowl. The Cinderella season was capped off with a 24-18 upset of Clemson as Baylor won its fifth bowl game in program history.
Following a season opening 20-7 win against Lamar, the 1979 squad opened Southwest Conference play against Texas A&M in the second game of the year. Baylor did all its damage in the second quarter against the Aggies, outscoring Texas A&M 17-0 in the frame as the Bears rolled to a 17-7 victory in front of 48,500 in Waco.
Abercrombie, who is now executive director of the "B" Association, Baylor's student-athletes alumni group, led the offensive attack for the Bears in the win, rushing for 137 yards and one touchdown. Mike Singletary, who would fast become a household name around the country, had a stellar defensive effort in the win and was named Sports Illustrated's National Defensive Player of the Week for his play.
Baylor headed into its showdown with No. 1 Alabama 2-0; however, the Crimson Tide responded with a 45-0 win over the Bears as BU dropped to 2-1 on the season.
The loss did not dampen the Bears' spirit; however, as Baylor responded to the loss with a 27-17 win over Texas Tech to go 2-0 in SWC play for the first time since 1963. This time, Mickey Elam, a former Texas Tech player, provided the offensive fireworks for Baylor, rushing for 109 yards while throwing for 55 more and a touchdown.
Once again, the second quarter proved to be the difference maker as Baylor outscored the Red Raiders 17-0 in the frame. In fact, it was a trend that would continue throughout the season. For the year, Baylor dominated its opponents in the second quarter, outscoring its opponent 106-15 over the course of the year.
After a tough 13-10 loss to Houston, Baylor rebounded with a 24-21 win over SMU in what could have been the most exciting game of the season for Baylor. After falling behind 14-0 early, Baylor responded to take a 24-21 lead as the clock began to tick down in the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs mounted a pair of drives in the final minutes of the game; however, Baylor's Max McGeary blocked a pair of field goals in the final minutes as Baylor held on for an exciting win in front of 65,101 in Dallas.
Riding the emotional high of the win over SMU, Baylor stepped out of conference to shut-out Army 55-0 in the Bears next game. In the record-setting game, Baylor amassed 621 yards of total offense and scored the most lop-sided win since Baylor defeated Arkansas 60-13 in 1929.
The defense turned in its usual stellar performance against the Cadets as well, collecting eight turnovers in the shut-out as Baylor moved to 5-2 on the season.
Baylor's strong defensive effort continued in a 16-3 win over TCU in front of 36,250 in Waco. Abercrombie led the ground attack with 106 yards rushing as Robert Bledsoe connected on three field goals to move to the top of Baylor's list for most career field goals. After the offense grabbed an early lead, the defense did the rest of the work, shutting-out the Horned Frogs through the final three quarters.
Turnovers cost Baylor in a loss against Arkansas as the Razorbacks rallied for 20 fourth quarter points to defeat the Bears 29-20 in Fayetteville as the loss knocked Baylor out of contention for the SWC title.
The Bears rebounded to defeat Rice 45-14 to close out the season undefeated at home before falling to Texas 13-0 in Austin to close out the regular-season. However, Baylor's talented offense and stingy defense were invited to show of their skills to a national television audience as the Bears were invited to face No. 18 Clemson in the Peach Bowl.
In the 24-18 win over the Tigers, the defense showed why it was ranked as one of the nation's best throughout the year. In front of a sellout crowd at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium, Baylor's Andrew Melontree made several outstanding defensive plays to keep the score close as the Bears' Doak Field intercepted a pass with 19 seconds left to secure the win.
Brannan was named the offensive MVP of the game as his 24-yard touchdown pass to Radar Holt gave the Bears the lead late in the fourth quarter.
The season saw several Bears earn conference and national honors. Singletary, a junior that season, earned consensus All-American honors for the second consecutive year and was named the SWC Defensive Player of the Year. The numbers Singletary put up that season were mind-boggling as he finished the year with 188 tackles with six pass deflections and an interception.
Melontree and offensive guard Billy Glass also earned first-team all-conference honors as Abercrombie led the team in rushing in 1979, gaining 886 yards on 171 carries during the year. Brannan, who was a true freshman, led the aerial attack for Baylor on the season, tossing for 601 yards and two touchdowns.
The 1979 campaign proved to be a springboard for Baylor as the Bears finished the 1980 season undefeated in the conference and climbed to as high as No. 6 in the national rankings. And although the 1980 squad might be the one Bears fans remember most, it's the 1979 team that set the tone for one of the most historic seasons in Baylor history.
