Bears, Longhorns Meet for 96th Time

10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football

Oct. 31, 2005

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No. 2 TEXAS LONGHORNS (8-0, 5-0) at BAYLOR BEARS (4-4, 1-4)

Nov. 5, 2005 • FLOYD CASEY STADIUM • WACO, TEXAS • 11:30 A.M. CST

FOX SPORTS NET

BAYLOR HOSTS TEXAS ON FOX SPORTS NET

Baylor returns to action Saturday, Nov. 5, hosting second-ranked Texas for a Big 12 Conference South Division matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. CST kickoff at Floyd Casey Stadium.

The Bears (4-4, 1-4) suffered a 28-0 setback last Saturday at home against Texas Tech. That evening, the Longhorns (8-0, 5-0) rallied to defeat Oklahoma State 47-28 at Stillwater, Okla.

Saturday's game will be televised regionally on Fox Sports Net. Drew Goodman handles play-by-play duties, while Dave Lapham provides color analysis and John Rhadigan reports from the sideline.

BAYLOR-TEXAS SERIES

Baylor and Texas meet on the gridiron for the 95th time Saturday, the third-most played rivalry in Baylor football history behind TCU (103 meetings) and Texas A&M (102 meetings).

Texas leads the all-time series 68-22-4, and the Longhorns have won the last seven meetings since a 23-21 Baylor victory Nov. 1, 1997 in Waco. The Bears are 14-26-2 against the Horns in Waco, 12-16 at Floyd Casey Stadium. Texas' current seven-game winning streak against Baylor is the Longhorns' longest since a 13-gamer from 1958 to 1973. That run 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.

SERIES NOTES: This marks the 27th time the Bears have faced the Longhorns as a top-10 opponent; Texas has won 22 of the previous 26 such meetings with three Baylor victories (1951, 1978, 1984) and one tie (1941). Baylor's last victory over a top-10 UT team was a 24-10 victory at home against the sixth-ranked Longhorns in 1984. ... In 1941, Baylor tied top-ranked Texas 7-7 in a game later deemed to be the greatest upset in Southwest Conference history by Texas sportswriters. The Bears, at 3-3, dented the Longhorns' perfect 6-0 mark, snapping a 10-game UT winning streak that dated back to the previous season. ... The fifth-highest passing yardage game in Baylor history came against Texas when the Bears threw for 351 yards against UT in 1974. Neal Jeffrey finished the game 20-of-31 with all 351 yards, the fourth-best individual game total in school history. ... Lawrence Elkins snagged 12 receptions against the Longhorns in 1963 to tie the Baylor single-game record. ... Jerod Douglas galloped 210 yards on 20 carries against Texas in 1994 and established a Baylor single-game record which still stands. ... In 1989, Baylor defeated Texas 50-7, the most lopsided Bears' victory in the series. That also marks the fifth-most points scored by a Baylor team in a conference game and the fifth-largest margin of victory in a conference game. ... Baylor's second-largest margin of defeat was against Texas when the Longhorns shutout the Bears 77-0 in 1913. That also was the second-most points ever scored against a Baylor team.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR ...

• Baylor looks to post two conference wins in a season for the first time since 1995 when the Bears were 5-2 in the final season of the Southwest Conference.

• The Bears look for their first five-win season since going 7-4 in 1995.

• 2005 Thorpe Award candidate FS Maurice Lane has 346 career tackles (238 solos and 108 assists), fourth all-time at Baylor. He needs five tackles to match Kris Micheaux, who tallied 351 tackles from 1997 to 2000, for third on Baylor's all-time list.

• Lane should make his 43rd career start against Texas; he has started every game of his collegiate career in which he has played, a streak that is tied for the 12th-longest in Division I-A.

• Senior LG Lequalan McDonald should draw his 32nd straight start along the offensive line against Texas, while senior OS Willie Andrews should make his 32nd straight start in the secondary.

• WR Trent Shelton has at least one reception in 30 consecutive games, tied for the 13th-longest active streak in Division I-A and the longest at Baylor since Reggie Newhouse's school-record 34-game streak.

• Shelton ranks seventh all-time at Baylor with 93 career receptions. He needs five catches to move into a tie for sixth place.

• Shelton is tied for 13th all-time at Baylor with 1,106 career receiving yards. He needs one yard to move into sole possession of 13th place, 16 yards to move into 12th place and 68 yards to move into 11th place.

• Junior WR Dominique Zeigler is fifth on Baylor's career receptions list with 99. Zeigler needs one reception to become Baylor's fifth 100-reception player.

• Zeigler is 18th all-time at Baylor with 1,059 career receiving yards. He needs six yards to move into 17th place, 30 yards to move into 16th place, and 44 yards to move into 15th place.

• Zeigler has nine career TD receptions, tied for 10th all-time at Baylor. He needs one TD reception to move into a ninth-place tie and two TD receptions to move into a four-way tie for eighth.

• Zeigler has caught at least two passes in each of his last 18 appearances.

• Junior QB Shawn Bell ranks 13th all-time at Baylor with 2,606 career passing yards. He needs 45 yards to move into 12th place and 134 yards to moved into 11th place. With 394 yards, he would become Baylor's 11th 3,000-yard passer.

• Bell's 59.53 career completion percentage ranks 18th among active Division I-A quarterbacks, first all-time at Baylor.

• Bell is tied for fifth all-time at Baylor with 150 completions this season. He needs seven completions to move into a fourth-place tie, eight to move into a third-place tie, 23 to move into a second-place tie and 25 to break Don Trull's 1963 record of 174 completions.

• Junior RB Paul Mosley and sophomore RB Brandon Whitaker have combined for 245 touches this season without a fumble.

• Baylor's average starting field position has been its own 30 or better in seven of eight games this season, including a season-best of its own 43 against Iowa State.

• The Bears have scored 49 points off their opponents 20 turnovers while holding opponents to 26 points off their own 20 turnovers.

• Baylor is 7-3 under Morriss when scoring at least 24 points and 7-1 when holding the opponent under 20 points.

• Baylor's defense has allowed 23 or fewer points in six of eight games this season and fewer than 20 points in five of eight games this season.

• Baylor has held six of eight opponents this season to 10 or fewer second-half points.

• The Bears have forced 13 fumbles this season, the most by a Baylor team since the 2001 squad forced 22 fumbles.

• Baylor's defense has 11 interceptions on the season, the most by a Baylor team since the 2001 Bears also had 11 picks.

BAYLOR IN TELEVISED GAMES

Saturday's game is the 101st televised game in Baylor football history; the Bears are 37-61-2 all-time in televised games. Baylor is 1-4 in televised games this season and 2-8 in televised games under head coach Guy Morriss.

Saturday also is the Bears' fifth game this season on Fox Sports Net and their sixth televised game this season, the most televised Baylor games since playing six televised games in 1991. That season included a televised bowl game; this is Baylor's first season with at least six regular-season televised games since 1986.

This is the ninth consecutive season in which Baylor has played on Fox Sports Net. The Bears are 2-17 all-time on FSN with wins over North Carolina State (9/19/98) and Colorado (10/4/03).

BAYLOR AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS

Baylor is 38-146-5 all-time against ranked opponents, 22-126-1 when unranked and playing a ranked opponent. The Bears are 2-29 against ranked opponents since the inception of the Big 12 Conference (33-30 against 20th-ranked North Carolina State in 1998 and 35-34 in overtime against 16th-ranked Texas A&M last season).

Since the Associated Press began conducting weekly polls in 1936, Baylor has played at least one ranked opponent every season except 1987.

INJURY REPORT

Senior WR J Fields suffered a left knee injury during an Oct. 18 practice and is out indefinitely. Junior DT Corey Ford (right knee) is out due to a knee injury sustained against Samford.

MISSOURI GAME TIME SET

Kickoff time for Baylor's Nov. 12 game at Missouri has been set for 1 p.m. CDT. The game will not be televised.

DIFFICULT STRETCH CONTINUES FOR BEARS

Saturday's game against Texas is the sixth of seven consecutive games for the Bears against teams who have at least received votes in at least one of the two major polls at some point this season -- Texas A&M, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas and Missouri. In fact, of those seven opponents, only Nebraska and Missouri have not been ranked at some point this season.

BEARS AIM FOR FIRST FIVE-WIN SEASON IN A DECADE

Baylor enters Saturday's game at 4-4 on the season, the first four-win season at Baylor since the 1996 team finished 4-7. A win against Texas would give the Bears their first five-win season since going 7-4 in 1995. Since 1996, Baylor has finished with three wins four times, two wins three times and one win once.

FROM THE TEXAS TECH GAME ...

• Baylor failed to score first for the first time since the season opener against SMU.

• Baylor was held scoreless for the first time this season.

• Baylor held a Big 12 opponent without a first-half touchdown for the first time since holding Texas A&M to three first-half points in 2001 (34 games).

• Fewest first-half points Baylor has allowed against Texas Tech since holding the Red Raiders scoreless in a 9-7 Baylor victory in 1995.

• QB Shawn Bell's first-quarter interception snapped a streak of 151 consecutive passes without an interception. His last interception was in the third quarter at Army (Sept. 17).

• WR Mikail Baker established a career high with three receptions.

• WR Queito Teasley established a career high with two receptions.

• CB Anthony Arline's second-quarter interception was his third of the season and the fourth of his career.

• CB C.J. Wilson's second-quarter interception was his fourth of the season. That's the most in one season by a Baylor player since Derrick Cash had five in 2001.

• FS Dwain Crawford established a career high with four tackles.

HOME ATTENDANCE CLIMBS

Last Saturday's attendance of 43,525 for the Texas Tech game was the 26th-largest crowd in Floyd Casey Stadium history and the largest since 45,112 fans showed for the Nov. 9, 1996, game against Texas A&M. It was the eighth-largest FCS crowd ever for a game not involving Texas or Texas A&M and the second-largest FCS crowd ever for a Texas Tech game.

Through three home games, Baylor's season home attendance total stands at 120,975 for an average of 40,325. That would rank fifth all-time at Baylor and would be the largest home attendance average since the Bears averaged 40,456 over four games in 1995. Baylor has averaged 40,000-plus only five times -- 1974 (40,560; five games), 1975 (41,180; five games), 1979 (40,510; five games), 1991 (40,061; six games) and 1995.

The largest five-game attendance average at Baylor came in 1975. Baylor needs to average 42,463 over the final two games (Texas and Oklahoma State) to eclipse that mark.

Baylor's Oct. 22 game at Oklahoma drew a crowd of 83,456, the fifth-largest crowd ever to watch a Baylor game. The four larger crowds were two games at Michigan and two games at Ohio State.

EVIDENCE OF IMPROVEMENT

In Baylor's three seasons under head coach Guy Morriss, the Bears have improved in 12 of the 14 major team statistical categories tracked by the NCAA. The lone category in which Baylor ranks lower this season than it did in 2002 is passing offense and pass efficiency offense. The Bears were 41st nationally in that category in 2002 and rank 76th in that category entering Saturday's game against Texas. In pass efficiency offense, the numbers are virtually the same; the 2002 squad posted a rating of 111.6 (85th nationally), while the 2005 Bears have a 111.7 rating (86th nationally).

Here a comparison of Baylor's numbers from 2002 to 2005:

CATEGORY 2002 NCAA BIG 12 2005 NCAA BIG 12

Scoring Offense 16.8 115 12 22.0 83 10

Total Offense 334.9 95 11 328.9 89 8

Passing Offense 231.5 47 6 207.1 76 9

Rushing Offense 103.4 105 11 121.8 86 9

Pass Efficiency Offense 111.6 85 10 111.7 86 8

Scoring Defense 41.3 114 11 20.5 33 7

Total Defense 405.2 89 10 333.8 32 7

Passing Defense 251.6 93 10 203.3 41 4

Rushing Defense 163.6 69 7 130.5 40 10

Pass Efficiency Defense 147.0 107 11 98.9 8 2

Turnover Margin -1.42 115 12 -0.13 t-59 7

Kickoff Returns 16.3 115 12 25.6 13 3

Punt Returns 8.0 91 11 11.8 28 4

Net Punting 26.6 117 12 36.8 23 4

ROCHON FINDS WAYS TO SCORE

With his 98-yard kickoff return for a TD Oct. 22 at Oklahoma, WR/KR Shaun Rochon became the first player in Baylor history to score on a punt return and a kickoff return in the same season. He also is the first player in Big 12 and Baylor history to score on a punt return, a kickoff return, a rush and a reception in the same season.

ANDREWS NEARS RETURNS MARK

Senior OS Willie Andrews enters Saturday's game against Texas with 878 career punt return yards. He needs nine yards to break Baylor's career mark set by Gerald McNeil (1980-83). Andrews already owns Baylor's career records for total kick returns (157), total kick return yards (2,525), kickoff returns (67) and kickoff return yards (1,647). He ranks second in punt return yards and third in punt returns, needing 12 to break that mark.

With 51 return yards on three career interception and seven yards on one rushing attempt in 2003, Andrews also enters Saturday's game with 2,583 career all-purpose yards. He needs 24 yards to crack Baylor's career top 10 list. Andrews would have the fewest rushing and receiving yards of any player in Baylor's career top 10 (seven). Of the others in Baylor's top 10, Del Shofner (1954-56) had the next fewest rushing and receiving yards with 1,954.

BELL ENTERS SEVERAL CAREER CHARTS

QB Shawn Bell ranks high in several of Baylor's career passing lists. He ranks 13th in passing yardage (2,606), 10th in attempts (467), 10th in completions (278), first in completion percentage (.595) and first in touchdown-to-interception ratio (16-7, 2.286).

DEFENSE BEARS DOWN IN SECOND HALF

Baylor's defense has shown a trend of improving as the game progresses through eight contests this season. The Bears have allowed just 68 second-half points (not including overtime) this season for an average of 8.5 points per game. In fact, the Bears have allowed only five second-half touchdowns in the last six games, three of which came in the final 10-plus minutes against Texas Tech. Baylor has out-scored its opponents 94-68 in the second half this season.

Through eight games, Baylor's defense has allowed just 161.0 second-half yards per game on 36.8 plays per second half for an average of 4.4 yards per play. Compare that with the 2004 Baylor defensive unit, which allowed 206.8 second-half yards per game on 32.8 plays per game for an average of 6.3 yards per play. In fact, subtract the numbers from the North Texas game in which the Bears held the Mean Green to 30 second-half yards on 24 plays and Baylor's 2004 defensive unit allowed 224.5 second-half yards per game on 6.7 yards per play.

THIRD-AND-LONG TOUGH SPOT FOR BEARS

While Baylor's defense has been one of the league's toughest this season, third-and-long has been a tough spot for the unit. Through eight games, Baylor opponents have faced 77 third-down situations of seven yards or more to convert; they have converted 19 times (24.7 percent). Another six times, the opponent converted a first down on the subsequent fourth-down play, meaning that opponents have sustained drives 25 of 77 times when facing third-and-long against the Bears (32.5 percent).

Baylor's opponents have scored 12 times on the 21 drives in which they have gained a first down after facing a third-and-long situation -- eight touchdowns and four field goals. The Bears have surrendered two touchdowns this season on third-and-long.

Opponents are 33-of-46 (71.7 percent) on third-down conversions when faced with fewer than six yards to move the chains.

AS FIRST DOWN GOES, SO GO THE BEARS

Much of Baylor's success this year can be directly connected to the team's success on first down. The Bears enter Saturday's game against Texas averaging 4.2 yards per first down play with a completion percentage of 59.4 on such downs. QB Shawn Bell is 51-of-82 (62.2 percent) on first down for 389 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.

However, the telling numbers are the vast differences between Baylor's first-down statistics in its four wins and its four losses. In the four wins, the Bears averaged 5.5 yards per first-down play, including 4.5 yards per first-down rush and a 76.6 completion percentage (32-of-42) with four touchdown passes and only one interception. In the four losses, the Bears averaged 2.9 yards per first-down play, including 2.7 yards per first-down rush and a 46.3 completion percentage (25-of-54) with one touchdown and three interceptions.

LANE CLIMBS CAREER TACKLES CHART

Senior FS Maurice Lane enters Saturday's game against Texas with 346 career tackles, fourth all-time at Baylor. He needs five tackles to match Kris Micheaux (1997-00) for third on Baylor's all-time list. Lane has 18 career double-digit tackle outings.

Here is a look at Baylor's career tackles chart:

Player Seasons Solo Asst TT

1. Mike Singletary 1977-80 351 311 662

2. Ray Berry 1983-86 231 149 380

3. Kris Micheaux 1997-00 214 137 351

4. Maurice Lane 2002-05 238 108 346

5. James Francis 1986-89 198 136 334

6. Doak Field 1977-80 164 166 330

7. Thomas Everett 1983-86 204 121 325

8. Gary Joe Kinne 1986-89 179 144 323

9. Mike Welch 1986-90 190 129 319

10. Joe Campbell 1977-80 170 146 316

THREE AMIGOS: PART SIX

WRs Dominique Zeigler (35), Shaun Rochon (31) and Trent Shelton (30) give Baylor three receivers with at least 30 receptions each this season, just the sixth Baylor trio to do so. Last season, Zeigler (55) and Shelton (38) joined Marques Roberts (40) to accomplish the feat.

Zeigler, Rochon and Shelton are on the verge of reaching the combined 100-reception plateau. It would be just the ninth time in Baylor history in which the Bears' top three receivers combined for at least 100 receptions.

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 six 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 -- 127 receptions (Dominique Zeigler - 55, Trent Shelton - 37, Marques Roberts - 35)

• 2005 -- 96 receptions (Dominique Zeigler - 35, Shaun Rochon - 31, Trent Shelton - 30)

ZEIGLER, SHELTON CLIMB BAYLOR CAREER RECEPTIONS LIST

Junior WRs Trent Shelton and Dominique Zeigler enter Saturday's game against Texas steadily climbing Baylor's career receptions chart. Zeigler is fifth with 99 receptions, while Shelton is seventh with 93. Shelton is tied for 13th all-time at Baylor with 1,106 career receiving yards, while Zeigler is 18th with 1,059.

BAYLOR SECONDARY AMONG NATION'S BEST

Through games of Oct. 29, Baylor ranks second in the Big 12 Conference and eighth nationally with a pass efficiency defense rating of 98.92. The Bears have allowed only seven passing touchdowns with 11 interceptions; opposing quarterbacks have completed just 50.3 percent of their passes for 203.2 yards per game.

Baylor intercepted only four passes in 11 games last season; the Bears have more than doubled that total through eight games this fall. Six different players have interceptions this season, including five different defensive backs. CBs C.J. Wilson has four picks, tops in the Big 12 and tied for 13th nationally. and CB Anthony Arline has three picks, fourth in the Big 12 and tied for 38th nationally. DT M.T. Robinson has the 11th interception.

The Bears rank fourth in the Big 12 and 41st nationally in pass defense yardage (203.2 ypg).

DEFENSE AS A WHOLE STACKS UP WELL NATIONALLY

Entering the Texas game, Baylor ranks seventh in the Big 12 and 32nd nationally with 333.8 yards allowed per game. The Bears have allowed 20.5 points per game, seventh in the conference and 33rd nationally. Baylor's rush defense ranks 40th nationally, allowing 130.5 yards per game.

Prior to yielding 37 points to Oklahoma two weeks ago, Baylor held six consecutive opponents to 23 or fewer points, the longest such run since the 1991 team had a six-game streak to open the season.

Baylor is 7-1 under head coach Guy Morriss when holding the opponent under 20 points. The lone loss was a 16-13 overtime defeat at Texas A&M earlier this season.

BAYLOR IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Through games of Oct. 29, Baylor ranks eighth (89th nationally) in total offense (328.8 ypg), ninth (86th) in rushing offense (121.8 ypg), ninth (76th) in passing offense (207.1 ypg), eighth (86th) in passing efficiency (111.7) and 10th (83rd) in scoring offense (22.0 ppg).

In special teams, the Bears are fourth (23rd) in net punting (36.8 ypp), fourth (28th) in punt returns (11.8 ypr) and third (13th) in kickoff returns (25.6 ypr). Baylor ranks seventh (t-59th) in turnover margin (minus-0.13 per game).

Individually, several Bears appear in this week's rankings. RB Paul Mosley is 11th in rushing (70.6 ypg), while RB Brandon Whitaker is 19th (43.5 ypg). QB Shawn Bell is seventh in passing efficiency (114.27), eighth in passing yardage (185.8 ypg) and ninth in total offense (182.8 ypg). WR Dominique Zeigler ranks ninth in receptions per game (4.3), while WRs Shaun Rochon (3.9) and Trent Shelton (3.8) are 12th and 15th, respectively. In receiving yards per game, Zeigler (55.0) ranks 10th and Shelton (47.6) ranks 16th.

Defensively, CB C.J. Wilson leads the Big 12 (t-13th nationally) with 0.50 interceptions per game, while CB Anthony Arline (0.38) is fourth (t-38th). FS Maurice Lane is eighth with 8.1 tackles per game, second in the conference among defensive backs. Elsewhere in tackles per game, LB Jamaal Harper (7.4) is tied for 16th, LB Colin Allred (6.9) is tied for 21st and OS Willie Andrews (5.0) is tied for 46th. DE Marcus Foreman averages 4.8 tackles per game, fourth among defensive linemen; DE Montez Murphy (4.0) is tied for ninth among defensive linemen. Allred is tied for eighth in sacks per game (0.56) and tied for sixth in fumbles forced per game (0.3) along with Murphy, Foreman and DT Michael Gary. Lane is tied for third with 0.3 fumbles recovered per game. Wilson and CB James Todd are tied for third with 1.1 passes defended per game each.

P Daniel Sepulveda ranks second (seventh) with 45.1 yards per punt. Rochon would rank sixth nationally and tops in the Big 12 in kickoff return yardage (30.8 ypr), but he does not have enough returns (eight in eight games) to qualify for the rankings (1.2 per game needed). Andrews ranks eighth (42nd) in punt return yardage (10.2 ypr) and fourth (45th) in kickoff return yardage (24.1 ypr). PK Ryan Havens is fourth (t-21st) with 1.5 field goals made per game; he is 15th with 6.5 points per game, ninth among place kickers. In all-purpose yardage, Rochon (84.5) ranks 14th, while Mosley (82.4) ranks 18th.

SHELTON KEEPS STREAK ALIVE

WR Trent Shelton enters the Texas game having caught at least one pass in 30 consecutive games, the longest such string for a Bear since Reggie Newhouse ended his career with a 34-game streak (2000-2002). Shelton's streak is the 13th-longest active streak nationally and the second-longest in the Big 12. Here is a look at the longest active streaks nationally:

45 - Charles Sharon, WR, Bowling Green State

44 - Jovon Bouknight, WR, Wyoming

38 - Chris Francies, WR, UTEP

37 - Derek Hagan, WR, Arizona State

37 - Bill Sampy, WR, Louisiana-Lafayette

36 - Mark Philmore, WR, Northwestern

35 - Garrett Mills, TE, Tulsa

34 - Nichiren Flowers, WR, Nevada

33 - Steve Odom, WR, Toledo

32 - Johnny Quinn, WR, North Texas

32 - Mark Simmons, WR, Kansas

31 - Vincent Marshall, WR, Houston

30 - Trent Shelton, WR, BAYLOR

30 - Brian Leonard, FB, Rutgers

30 - Tres Moses, WR, Rutgers

30 - Jeff Webb, WR, San Diego State

28 - Martin Nance, WR, Miami (Ohio)

27 - Martin Nance, WR, Miami (Ohio)

27 - Jared Ellerson, WR, Minnesota

ANDREWS, BELL, SEPULVEDA AMONG CAREER ACTIVE LEADERS

OS Willie Andrews, QB Shawn Bell and P Daniel Sepulveda all rank among the NCAA's top career active leaders in sundry statistical categories.

Andrews is tied for third in career punt returns (90), fifth in punt return yardage (878), 13th in punt returns per game (2.1), 20th in punt return yardage per game (20.4), eighth in kickoff returns (67), ninth in kickoff return yardage (1,647) and 12th in yards per kickoff return (24.6).

Bell ranks 18th in career completion percentage (59.53). Sepulveda is tied for eighth in total punts (188), eighth in punt yardage (8,359), fifth in punts per game (6.1) and third in yards per punt (44.46).

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Shaun Rochon's 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown Oct. 22 at Oklahoma was Baylor's 12th non-offensive score in 31 games under head coach Guy Morriss. It also was Rochon's second non-offensive score this season; he also had an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown against Samford, Baylor's first punt return (non-block) for a touchdown in 20 years. Here is a look at the 12 non-offensive scores under Morriss:

• 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)

• 2005 vs. Samford -- Jamaal Harper 29-yard fumble return (forced by Colin Allred)

• 2005 vs. Samford -- Shaun Rochon 85-yard punt return

• 2005 at Oklahoma -- Shaun Rochon 98-yard kickoff return

SEPULVEDA NAMED TO RAY GUY WATCH LIST

Junior P Daniel Sepulveda was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, the Greater Augusta [Ga.] Sports Council announced recently. Sepulveda, a product of Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas, became the first sophomore to win the award given to the nation's top punter last season. Through eight games this year, Sepulveda ranks seventh nationally with 45.1 yards per punt.

The Guy Award Watch List will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in early November. The national voting body then will vote for the three finalists to be announced in early December. The winner will be announced Dec. 8 as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN.

BELL NAMED TO AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM

Junior QB Shawn Bell was among 12 student-athletes named to the American Football Coaches Association's 2005 Good Works Team, the AFCA announced recently. Bell, the first Baylor student-athlete ever so honored, is one of three signal-callers on the team, joining D.J. Shockley of Georgia and Vince Young of Texas. Four Big 12 Conference student-athletes were so honored as Nebraska WR Mark LeFlore and Kansas State FB Victor Mann also were honored.

The two teams, a Division I-A team and a combined team from Divisions I-AA, II, III and the NAIA, honor players for their dedication and commitment to community service. From 1992-1996, the Good Works Team was selected by the College Football Association. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA began selecting the teams.

SPECIAL SPECIAL TEAMS

The strongest facet of Baylor's squad in Guy Morriss' two seasons on the sideline has arguably been its special teams play. After recording four scores in 2003, the Bears' 20