Bears Travel to Texas Tech
11/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
GAME 9
BAYLOR (3-5, 1-4) vs. TEXAS TECH (5-3, 3-2)
Nov. 6, 2004 • 1:00 p.m. CDT
Jones SBC Stadium (52,702) • Lubbock, Texas
Baylor returns to action Saturday, Nov. 6, traveling to Lubbock, Texas, for a Big 12 Conference intra-division match up against Texas Tech. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST at Jones SBC Stadium.
The Bears (3-5, 1-4) are coming off the program's biggest victory since joining the Big 12 in 1996, a 35-34 overtime win against 16th-ranked Texas A&M at home last Saturday. The Red Raiders (5-3, 3-2) posted a 35-25 victory at Kansas State that night. Texas Tech is listed among teams also receiving votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll this week. The Raiders are the "26th" team in the Coaches Poll.
Saturday's game is the 63rd all-time between Baylor and Texas Tech on the gridiron. The Bears hold a 32-29-1 advantage in the series, which dates back to a 34-0 Baylor victory Nov. 2, 1929, in Waco. However, Tech has won each of the last eight meetings, including a 62-14 decision last season at Floyd Casey Stadium.
The Bears are in their second season under the direction of head coach Guy Morriss, who has compiled a four-year career record of 15-28 and a 6-14 mark in two seasons at Baylor. Mike Leach, a 1983 Brigham Young graduate, is in his fifth season with the Red Raiders. Leach has compiled a 36-23 career record, all coming at Texas Tech.
BAYLOR-TEXAS TECH SERIES
This is the 63rd meeting between Baylor and Texas Tech. The Bears lead the all-time series 32-29-1, but the Red Raiders have won the last eight meetings. The Bears' last victory over Tech was a 9-7 triumph at Floyd Casey Stadium in 1995. The Raiders were 62-14 winners last year in Waco. The series dates back to Nov. 2, 1929, a 34-0 Baylor victory at Waco. The teams have met every season since 1956.
SERIES NOTES: Tech's current eight-game series winning streak is the Raiders' longest against the Bears. Baylor enjoyed an 11-game winning streak from 1947 to 1960. ... Baylor scored 21 fourth-quarter points in its 42-28 victory over Texas Tech in 1968. It was the most points a Baylor team had ever scored in the fourth quarter, a mark which has been matched four times since. ... Last year, Baylor and Tech combined for 35 first-quarter points, tied for the sixth-highest scoring quarter in Baylor football history. ... In 1980, the Bears held the Red Raiders to minus-36 yards rushing on 47 attempts, the second-best defensive performance by a Baylor squad and the school modern record (since 1950). ... Last season, Maurice Lane registered 23 tackles against Tech, tied for the fifth-best single-game performance in school history and the most since Mike Singletary had 23 stops against the Raiders in 1979. ... Two of the six longest kick returns in Baylor history have come against Texas Tech. Robert Quiroga tied the school record with a 100-yard kickoff return last season, and Bill Coleman's 91-yard punt return in 1942 remains tied for third in school history. ... Of Baylor's 28 all-time 300-yard passing games, four came against Tech: 377 in 1986 (fourth), 347 in 1989 (seventh), 315 in 1983 (tied-16th) and 304 in 1998 (26th). ... When Bob Trout snagged 10 receptions for 119 yards against Tech in 1951, he became the first Bear to reach double figures in catches in a single game. ... Greg Hawthorne's 80-yard run in 1977 remains tied for the second-longest rush in school history. ... Gary Blair rushed for 199 yards on 30 carries against the Raiders in 1976, the third-best single-game total at Baylor.
ANDREWS, BELL EARN BIG 12 HONORS
OS/KR Willie Andrews and QB Shawn Bell earned Big 12 Conference player of the week honors following Baylor's 35-34 overtime upset of 16th-ranked Texas A&M.
Andrews, who tallied 164 return yards on six chances, was named Co-Special Teams Player of the Week by the league office. His career-long 59-yard kickoff return late in the fourth quarter set up Baylor's game-tying TD drive in the game's final three minutes. Named Defensive Player of the Week after Baylor's 37-14 defeat of North Texas, Andrews becomes the first Bear to earn conference player of the week honors twice in the same season.
Bell, who established a school record with 32 completions and tied another school mark with four TD passes, was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week by The Dallas Morning News. It was the first start of the season for Bell and just his third as a collegian. Bell connected with Dominique Zeigler for a game-tying TD pass in the first overtime and then found Zeigler again on the ensuing game-winning two-point conversion. He was 16-of-23 for 139 yards and three TDs in the fourth quarter and overtime. Bell finished the game 32-of-50 for 262 yards and no interceptions.
QUICK SLANTS ...
•Saturday's game against Texas Tech is one of seven Baylor contests in its final nine of the 2004 season against teams that participates in a bowl game last season. Only Iowa State and Texas A&M did not.
•Baylor's 2004 Big 12 foes are a combined 45-19 (.703) heading into games this weekend. Six of the eight have been ranked at some point this season and all eight are at least .500 on the season. Four of the Bears' five Big 12 South opponents are ranked in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, and the fifth -- Texas Tech -- is the first team among those also receiving votes.
•Baylor's win last week against 16th-ranked Texas A&M marked the highest-ranked opponent Baylor has defeated since knocking off 12th-ranked Colorado in 1991. It also marked the highest-ranked conference opponent the Bears have beaten since Baylor upended 10th-ranked Arkansas 29-14 in 1986.
•Through eight games, Baylor quarterbacks have completed 61.4 percent of their passes. The Bears established a school record last year, completing 56.7 percent of their pass attempts.
•DL Paul Howard began his collegiate career at Texas Tech.
•Baylor's 22 turnovers this season have led to 75 points for the opponent. Meanwhile, the Bears have scored just 21 points off eight opponent turnovers.
•Baylor QBs have thrown at least one TD in nine consecutive games, dating back to the 2003 season-finale against Oklahoma State. That marks the longest such streak at Baylor since a 10-game streak that encompassed the final three games of 1986 and the first seven games of 1987.
•Baylor QBs also have thrown 15 TD passes this season, the most at Baylor since the 1998 squad had 18 TD passes and tied for sixth in school history (five shy of the program record set in 1983).
•The Bears have completed 189 passes this season, fourth all-time at Baylor and 45 shy of the 2001 team's school record.
•Baylor is 3-0 under head coach Guy Morriss when scoring at least 30 points, 4-1 when scoring at least 27 points.
•The Bears have scored 25 or more points in three consecutive games for the first time since the 1994 season when they tallied 27 at Southern California, 42 at TCU and 44 against SMU.
•RB Paul Mosley has 39 carries of five-plus yards on the year out of 92 total carries, including 13 that have gone for 10-plus yards. Mosley leads all Baylor ball carriers with 4.7 yards per tote.
•WR Trent Shelton has caught at least one pass in 19 consecutive games with at least two catches in 12 consecutive contests. Shelton's consecutive games with a catch streak is the longest by a Bear since Reggie Newhouse closed his Baylor career with a 34-game streak that spanned the entire 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons.
•LB Justin Crooks is third in the Big 12 with 8.4 tackles per game; he also is third in the conference among linebackers. Crooks has averaged 9.2 tackles per game in five Big 12 contests.
•Crooks has recorded four or more tackles in 19 straight games and five or more tackles in 17 of the last 18 games. He has started 21 straight games for the Bears.
•OS Willie Andrews has been credited with five or more tackles in 15 of his last 17 outings and four or more tackles in 10 of his last 11 games. He has started 20 consecutive games for Baylor.
•OL Quintin Outland has started 34 consecutive games for the Bears along the offensive line and played in all 43 games of his BU career.
LAST-PLAY WINS
Last Saturday's 35-34 overtime victory over 16th-ranked Texas A&M marked just the fourth time in school history that Baylor has won on the game's final play from scrimmage, three of which have come in the past three seasons:
• 1983 at Arkansas (24-21) -- Marty Jimmerson 24-yard FG
• 2001 vs. New Mexico (16-13 OT) -- Daniel Andino 24-yard FG
• 2002 vs. Kansas (35-32) -- Daniel Andino 33-yard FG (kickoff ensued)
• 2004 vs. Texas A&M (35-34 OT) -- Shawn Bell-to-Dominique Zeigler two-point pass
BAYLOR OFFENSE HEATS UP
Over the past three games, Baylor has averaged 396.3 yards of total offense with 105.7 yards per game on the ground and 290.7 yards through the air. In that time, the Bears have scored 10 touchdowns (three rushing, seven passing) and have averaged 29.0 points per game. It marks the first three-game conference stretch in which Baylor has scored at least 20 points in all three games since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996.
Baylor signal-callers Shawn Bell and Dane King have been remarkably consistant during that run, combining for a 141.36 QB rating with seven TDs and only one interception. Meanwhile, Baylor's top three receivers -- Trent Shelton (18 catches, 146 yards, 1 TD); Marques Roberts (19 catches, 243 yards, 2 TDs); and Dominique Zeigler (21 catches, 237 yards, 4 TDs) -- have benefited from the QBs hot hands. TE Marcus Venus also has nine catches for 74 yards in that time.
ROBERTS CRACKS RECEPTIONS LIST TOP 10
WR Marques Roberts moved into 10th place all-time at Baylor with his 84th career reception during the Texas A&M game. He is now 16 receptions shy of becoming just the fifth player in school history with 100 career receptions. Roberts snagged his 11th career TD reception against the Aggies, moving into a sixth-place tie all-time at Baylor. He also stands 14th in school history with 1,093 yards receiving and needs 80 yards to crack the top 10 in that category. With six TD receptions this season, Roberts has equaled the seventh-best season total in school history; he has the most TD receptions at Baylor since Reggie Newhouse had eight in 2001.
UN-BELL-IEVABLE
QB Shawn Bell has posted a 134.52 passing efficiency rating this season, completing 58 of 86 passes (67.4 percent) for 451 yards and six TDs with no interceptions. That rating ranks fifth in the Big 12 Conference. He does not have enough attempts to qualify for the NCAA rankings, but his 134.52 mark would rank 33rd nationally. Bell needs 15.0 attempts per game to qualify; entering the Texas Tech game, he has averaged 12.3 attempts per game. He would need 34 attempts against Tech to qualify nationally in next week's rankings and 64 attempts over the final three games (21.3 per game) to qualify at season's end.
Meanwhile, Bell has gone 132 consecutive attempts without an interception, dating back to a second-quarter pick against Oklahoma last season in his first career start. That is the only interception of his career in 184 attempts. Bell's current streak ranks as the second-longest active streak in the nation behind only Omar Jacobs of Bowling Green (179).
NCAA DIVISION I-A ACTIVE STREAKS -- CONSECUTIVE PASSES WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION
1. Omar Jacobs, Bowling Green179
2. Shawn Bell, Baylor132
3. Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt123
4. Omar Duarte, UTEP121
5. Charlie Frye, Akron120
6. Sefan Lefors, Louisville104
7. James Pinkney, East Carolina93
THREE AMIGOS: ROBERTS, SHELTON, ZEIGLER
WRs Dominique Zeigler (43 receptions), Trent Shelton (33 receptions) and Marques Roberts (33 receptions) give the Bears a solid receiving corps. The trio has combined for 109 receptions, becoming just the eighth Baylor trio to combine for 100 or more receptions in a season. In fact, this is only the fifth time a Baylor team has produced three receivers with at least 30 receptions each.
With three games remaining, the Three Amigos have a legitimate chance to become the first trio in school history with 40 or more receptions each.
Here is a look at the eight seasons in which Baylor's top three receivers have combined for 100 or more receptions along with the four seasons in which those three receivers had at least 30 receptions each:
• 1963 -- 129 receptions
• 1964 -- 127 receptions (Lawrence Elkins - 50, Ken Hodge - 35, Harlan Lane - 32)
• 1966 -- 109 receptions (Tommy Smith - 41, Paul Becton - 38, Jack Eisenhart - 30)
• 1983 -- 113 receptions
• 1998 -- 107 receptions (Morris Anderson - 37, Derek Lagway - 37, Derrius Thompson - 33)
• 2001 -- 129 receptions (Reggie Newhouse - 61, Andra Fuller - 36, John Martin - 32)
• 2002 -- 140 receptions
• 2004 -- 109 receptions (Dominique Zeigler - 43, Trent Shelton - 33, Marques Roberts - 33)
BAYLOR SCHEDULE AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST
Through games of Oct. 30, Baylor's schedule ranks second nationally behind only Notre Dame (51-24, .680). The Bears' Division I-A opponents' cumulative record is 47-23 (.671). Baylor's future opposition strength of schedule (19-5, .792) is fourth nationally, trailing only Minnesota (14-2, .875), Notre Dame (19-3, .864) and Texas A&M (20-4, .833).
Not only is Baylor's schedule among the nation's elite, the Bears' opponents also play tough schedules. In fact, seven Baylor opponents rank in the nation's top 41 for cumulative Division I-A opposition: Texas A&M (third), Oklahoma (eighth), Texas (13th), Texas Tech (20th), Oklahoma State (24th), Nebraska (33rd) and 37th.
ANDREWS CLIMBS KICK, PUNT RETURN CHARTS
OS Willie Andrews continues to rapidly move up Baylor's career kick and punt return records charts. Andrews enters the Texas Tech game as Baylor's career record holder in total kick return yards (kickoff and punt returns). Andrews has tallied 1,858 yards in his career -- 1,298 yards in kickoff returns and 560 yards in punt returns.
Andrews is one of only seven players in school history to eclipse the 1,000-yard plateau for career kickoff return yardage. He enters the Texas Tech game third on Baylor's career list, just 34 yards behind second-place Martin Dossett (1,332 yards; 1999-2002). Kalief Muhammad (1993-1996) holds the school mark at 1,425.
Andrews also ranks third all-time at Baylor in yards per kickoff return (24.96), tied for fifth in total kickoff returns (52), tied for fifth in total punt returns (62), seventh in punt return yards (560), and eighth in yards per punt return (9.03).
Last season, Andrews established school season records for total kick returns (55) and total kick return yards (873). He also set school single-game marks with eight kickoff returns for 196 yards against Texas A&M.
OPPORTUNISTIC BEARS FIND WAYS TO SCORE
When Braelon Davis intercepted an Iowa State pass on the Cyclones' two-point attempt and returned it 100 yards for a defensive two-point conversion, it marked the ninth time under the direction of head coach Guy Morriss (since the beginning of the 2003 season) the Bears have posted a non-offensive score:
•2003 vs. UAB -- James Todd blocked punt for safety
•2003 vs. Colorado -- Jamaal Harper 7-yard fumble return (forced by Derrick Cash)
•2003 at Kansas -- James Todd blocked punt recovery in end zone (blocked by Michael Boyd)
•2003 at Kansas State -- Robert Quiroga 98-yard kickoff return
•2003 vs. Texas Tech -- Robert Quiroga 100-yard kickoff return
•2003 vs. Oklahoma State -- Willie Andrews 30-yard fumble return (forced by John Garrett)
•2004 vs. Texas State -- Justin Crooks 9-yard fumble return (forced by Montez Murphy)
•2004 vs. North Texas -- Braelon Davis blocked punt recovery in end zone (blocked by Davis)
•2004 vs. Iowa State -- Braelon Davis defensive PAT (interception return)
SEPULVEDA THIRD NATIONALLY IN PUNTING
Through games of Oct. 30, P Daniel Sepulveda is third in the NCAA statistical rankings with 46.67 yards per punt. A Ray Guy Award nominee, Sepulveda trails only Michigan State's Brandon Fields (48.11) and Colorado's John Torp (47.05).
Of Sepulveda's 42 punts this season, 16 have traveled at least 50 yards, four have traveled at least 60 yards, and another was kicked from the opponent's 40 and coffined at the 3. Sepulveda has placed 15 punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line and five punts inside the five with one coffin. Against Missouri, he placed five punts inside the Tigers' 20, a career best.
The Dallas, Texas, native is third in school history with 42 career punts of 50-plus yards, 32.6 percent of his punts and six shy of Ron Stowe's school record. He is tied for fourth in school history with seven career punts of 60-plus yards, 5.4 percent of his punts and three shy of Kyle Atteberry's school record.
Sepulveda established the school single-season record with 26 punts of 50-plus yards last season, including three punts of 60-plus yards (tied for fourth at Baylor). He has at least one punt of 50 or more yards in 19 of his 20 career games.
PARKS RECEIVES TIME AWAY FROM QUARTERBACK
Redshirt freshman QB Terrance Parks is not waiting for his number to be called at signal caller to get on the field. Parks has played several snaps at receiver; he also has several runs on QB draws out of the shotgun. He has caught six passes for 79 yards, including a career-long 34-yarder against Texas A&M. Parks also has rushed 10 times for 25 yards, including his first career TD against Iowa State.
NOTES FROM THE TEXAS A&M GAME
•Baylor's victory marked the Bears' first against Texas A&M since 1985 when Baylor defeated the Aggies 20-15 in Waco. Texas A&M leads the all-time series 62-30-9, 32-19-6 in Waco.
•The Baylor victory marked the first time the Bears defeated a ranked opponent since knocking off 20th-ranked North Carolina State 33-30 in 1998.
•The Bears' victory ended Texas A&M's 13-game winning streak in the series, dating back to a 20-20 tie at College Station in 1990.
•Baylor moved to 38-143-5 all-time against opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, 22-123-1 when unranked and playing a ranked opponent.
•Baylor ended its 22 consecutive-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
•Baylor improves to 2-2 all-time in overtime games, posting its first extra-session victory since a 16-13 victory over New Mexico in 2001.
•Baylor's fumble recovery in the second quarter ended a streak of 19 consecutive quarters without forcing a turnover. The Bears' last forced turnover was Maurice Lane's interception of a North Texas pass on the final play of the first half (Sept. 25).
• Baylor registered 16 tackles for loss, a season high.
•The Bears were flagged nine times for 91 yards, both season highs.
•Baylor recorded four sacks, a season high, after only 10 sacks in the season's first seven games. Meanwhile, Texas A&M had surrendered only four sacks all season entering the game.
•QB Shawn Bell recorded multiple career highs in his first start of the season and the third start of his career. He set personal marks in completions (32), attempts (50), passing yards (262) and touchdown passes (four); he also had a career-long 34-yard pass.
• DT Klayton Shoals made his first career start.
• OS Willie Andrews' 59-yard kickoff return was a career best, his previous high was 58 yards earlier this season against UAB. Also, his 33-yard punt return in the first quarter was the second-longest of his career. He had a 38-yarder earlier this season against Texas.
• P Daniel Sepulveda's 64-yard punt in the second quarter was his fourth punt this season of 60 or more yards, fourth in school history.
•DE Khari Long's punt block in the third quarter was the first of his career. The block was recovered by Montez Murphy; however, the return yardage is credited to Long as a punt return.
•DB Braelon Davis recorded his first career interception in the third quarter. It also was the first interception thrown this season by Texas A&M QB Reggie McNeal in 206 pass attempts. Davis also posted a career high with five tackles.
•DB James Todd recovered his first career fumble in the fourth quarter.
•WR Dominique Zeigler recorded career-highs in receptions (12), yards receiving (121) and TD receptions (two). His 32-yard reception on his first TD catch was the longest of his career.
•WR Terrance Parks recorded a career-high in receiving yards with 40 on the night.
•LB Michael Tolbert recorded a career-high three tackles for a loss.
•LB Colin Allred recorded career highs with nine tackles and two tackles for loss.
•LB Justin Crooks recorded a season-high four tackles for a loss.
•DL M.T. Robinson recorded a career-high two tackles for a loss.
BAYLOR AMONG NATION'S YOUNGEST TEAMS
With 96 underclassmen out of 135 players on its 2004 roster, Baylor ranks as the second-youngest team in Division I-A football behind only SMU. The Bears are 71.1 percent underclassmen, while SMU is 76.1 percent (86 of 113). Only one school has more underclassmen on its roster: Army, which lists 120 underclassmen on a roster of 178 players. North Carolina (92 of 135) is the only other team with at least 90 underclassmen.
Baylor's depth chart features 29 underclassmen out of 50 spots (two-deep at 25 positions). Nine underclassmen are listed as starters at their respective positions: QB Shawn Bell, WR Dominique Zeigler, DT Klayton Shoals, DE Marcus Foreman, OS Maurice Linguist, CB Braelon Davis, CB Anthony Arline, P Daniel Sepulveda and DS Jonathan Weeks.
BAYLOR AGAIN RANKS HIGH IN GRADUATION RATES
For the fifth time in the Big 12 Conference's nine-year history, Baylor University posted the highest student-athlete graduation rate of any league institution, according to figures released Oct. 22 by the NCAA.
The Bears' most-recent graduation rates, for the freshman class of 1997-98, is 78 percent, a school record by four points over the previous high of 74 percent in 2000. That figure is also 8 points higher than Baylor's general student population and 16 points better than the NCAA Division I national average of 62 percent.
Baylor also graduated a Big 12-best 76 percent of its male student-athletes and a league-high 82 percent of its female student-athletes. Five Baylor programs recorded 100 percent graduation rates and another five teams recorded a mark of at least 75 percent for the survey period. The Baylor football program produced a Big 12-leading 88 percent graduation rate, marking the fifth time in the league's history it has set the standard for classroom excellence.
The NCAA graduation-rates study has tracked entering classes of student-athletes annually since 1991. The study is a product of the Student Right To Know Act, a federal law that requires institutions to provide graduation-rate data to prospective student-athletes, parents, high-school coaches and counselors as part of the recruiting process. The percentage is derived from the number of freshmen on athletic aid in the 1997-98 school year who earned their degree in six years.
In addition to leading the Big 12 in graduation rates five times, Baylor ranked second on three other occasions. All-told, 88 percent of Baylor student-athletes who exhausted their eligibility and entered school from 1988-89 through 1997-98 have left with degree in hand according to the NCAA study.
NEXT UP...
Baylor travels to Stillwater, Okla., for its final road game of the 2004 season Saturday, Nov. 13, at Oklahoma State. The Bears and the Cowboys are scheduled for a 1 p.m. CST kickoff at Boone-Pickens Stadium.
