Bears Host Aggies for 103rd Battle of the Brazos

10/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football

Oct. 24, 2006

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GAME NINE

BAYLOR (4-4, 3-1)

vs. #22 TEXAS A&M (7-1, 3-1)

SATURDAY, OCT. 28, 2006 • 6:05 P.M. CDT

FLOYD CASEY STADIUM (50,000)

WACO, TEXAS

SERIES RECORD

Texas A&M leads 63-30-9

LAST MEETING

at Texas A&M 16, Baylor 13 (OT) [10.1.05]

COACHES

BAYLOR: Guy Morriss (TCU, 1973)

Record at Baylor: 15-27 (4th season)

Career Record: 24-41 (6th season)

Record vs. Texas A&M: 1-2

TAMU: Dennis Franchione (Pittsburg State, 1973)

Record at TAMU: 23-20 (4th season)

Career Record: 178-93-2 (24th season)

Record vs. Baylor: 2-1

BAYLOR/ISP RADIO NETWORK

John Morris, play-by-play

J.J. Joe, color analyst

Ricky Thompson, sideline

Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 161

INTERNET FEEDS

www.BaylorBears.com

BEARS HOST TEXAS A&M FOR 103rd BATTLE OF THE BRAZOS

Baylor returns to action Saturday, Oct. 28, hosting 22nd-ranked Texas A&M for the 103rd rendition of the Battle of the Brazos. Kickoff between the Bears and the Aggies is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. CDT at Floyd Casey Stadium.

The Bears (4-4, 3-1) rallied from an 18-point deficit in the game's final nine-plus minutes last Saturday to stun Kansas 36-35. It tied the largest fourth-quarter comeback in school history and gave Baylor its first-ever sweep of the Big 12 North portion of its schedule. Baylor is 3-2 at home this season, 2-0 in Big 12 play.

The Aggies (7-1, 3-1) also played a game that came down to the wire last Saturday. Texas A&M won 34-33 at Oklahoma State in overtime as the Cowboys missed an extra point that would have sent the game into a second overtime period. The Aggies are 2-0 on the road this season with one neutral-site game and 1-0 in Big 12 road games. The Aggies won at Kansas 21-18 three weeks ago.

BAYLOR-TEXAS A&M SERIES

Saturday is the 103rd meeting between Baylor and Texas A&M in football, the second most-played series in Baylor football history behind only TCU (104 meetings). The Aggies hold a 63-30-9 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to a 33-0 A&M victory in 1899. Texas A&M also leads the series 32-19-6 in games played in Waco.

SERIES NOTES: Each of the last two meetings were decided in overtime. Baylor posted a 35-34 victory in 2004 as Shawn Bell connected with Dominique Zeigler on a two-point conversion to snap the Bears' 18-game non-winning streak against the Aggies. Last season, Texas A&M held Baylor to a field goal in the first overtime possession and then won the game on Courtney Lewis' 13-yard TD run. Those were the first overtime games in the series' history. ... In 1936, Baylor and 14th-ranked Texas A&M battled to a scoreless tie in the Bears' first ever game against a ranked opponent. The following season, Baylor posted its first ever victory over a ranked opponent as the 15th-ranked Bears blanked the 13th-ranked Aggies 13-0. That also was Baylor's first game as a ranked team; it propelled the Bears to a 5-0 record and a No. 5 national ranking. ... A 21-21 tie in 1951 stopped Baylor's 4-0 season start. ... In 1965, Kenny Stockdale was 20-of-27 for 286 yards and two TDs as the Bears shutout the Aggies 31-0. That yardage total ranks 19th all-time at Baylor. ... In the 1979 Baylor victory, Mike Singletary recorded 22 tackles. That tally still ranks eighth in school history.

Overall: Texas A&M leads 63-30-9

Waco: Texas A&M leads 32-19-6

College Station: Texas A&M leads 29-10-3

Neutral Site: Texas A&M leads 2-1

Since Start of Big 12: Texas A&M leads 9-1

SERIES SUPERLATIVES

Most Points Scored, Baylor: 47 (1901)

Most Points Scored, Texas A&M: 73 (2003)

Most Points Scored, both teams: 83 (2003, TAMU 73-10)

Largest Margin of Victory, Baylor: 47-0 (1901)

Largest Margin of Victory, Texas: 73-10 (2003)

LAST MEETING

TEXAS A&M 16, BAYLOR 13 (OT)

OCT. 1, 2005 • KYLE FIELD • COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS

Courtney Lewis scored on a 13-yard toss sweep left as Texas A&M defeated Baylor 16-13 in overtime.

Baylor led 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter before the Aggies put together a 17-play, 86-yard drive that culminated in a 25-yard Todd Pegram field goal with 56 seconds remaining.

That sent the game to overtime. On the extra period's first play, Baylor's Shaun Rochon rushed 19 yards on an end-around to the Texas A&M 6. However, the Bears could not get into the end zone and settled for a 21-yard Ryan Havens field goal.

Baylor's inability to get into the end zone in overtime was a continuation of missed red-zone opportunities that plagued the Bears all day. Six times in regulation, Baylor penetrated the Texas A&M red zone but managed only 10 points. The Bears were stopped on fourth-and-one once, fumbled once and missed two field goals.

The end result was a bitter loss for Baylor, which out-gained Texas A&M 347-287. The Aggies put together an 11-play, 61-yard drive late in the third quarter. Prior to that drive, Baylor's defense had limited the Aggies to 67 yards of offense and three first downs on 29 total plays.

Baylor scored on its opening drive, thanks to a Havens 26-yard field goal. The key play in the drive was a Paul Mosley 57-yard run on third-and-one that put the Bears at the Aggies' 14.

After an exchange of punts, the Aggies answered with a five-play, 45-yard drive that ended with Jorvorski Lane's 1-yard TD run. One play prior to Lane's scoring run, Lewis fumbled the ball through the side of the end zone for an apparent Baylor touchback. However, Lewis, whose knee had not yet touched the ground, was ruled down before the fumble. The play was not eligible for review.

Baylor regained the lead on its first drive of the second half when Shawn Bell connected with Trent Shelton from three yards out, giving the Bears a 10-7 lead.

QUICK NOTES

• A win over Texas A&M would give Baylor ... its first four-win conference season since the Bears went 5-2 in 1995, the final season of the Southwest Conference ... victories in four consecutive conference home games for the first time since defeating SMU, Houston and Texas in 1992 and Texas Tech in the first home game of the 1993 season ... a record above .500 through nine games for the first time since 1995 (6-3).

• Baylor is tied for fourth nationally with 21 turnovers forced. Baylor has forced 50 turnovers since the start of the 2005 season, second nationally among Division I-A teams.

• Baylor has out-scored its opponents 128-62 in the first half over the last nine games and held the lead at halftime in seven of those nine games.

• Baylor has led at some point in every game this season.

• Baylor leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth nationally with 14 interceptions.

• 21 of Baylor's 30 offensive scoring drives have lasted less than three minutes.

• Seven of Baylor's 30 offensive scoring drive have been less than one minute in duration (four have been less than 40 seconds).

• Baylor has logged 19 plays longer than 40 yards this season in eight games, including 11 in Big 12 play. The Bears totaled 11 plays longer than 40 yards in 11 games last season.

• Five of Baylor's six longest plays this season have come in the last two games, including three against Texas.

• Baylor has committed 28 offensive penalties on 23 drives this season. Only 10 times have the Bears overcome an offensive penalty to gain a first down (twice by virtue of a defensive penalty). Only five times has Baylor overcome an offensive penalty to score on that drive without benefit of a defensive penalty.

• Baylor did not commit an offensive penalty in the Kansas game.

• QB Shawn Bell has passed for at least 200 yards and recorded at least one TD pass in 10 straight games, both school records.

• Bell's career interception percentage of .0190 is the lowest of any active Division I-A quarterback with at least 500 attempts.

• WR Trent Shelton has caught at least one TD pass in a school-record five consecutive games. He has six TD catches in that five-game span.

• LB Joe Pawelek leads all NCAA Division I-A freshmen with 7.8 tackles per game, 0.9 more than any other freshman in the Big 12.

BAYLOR ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT SEVEN

Six individuals, including football standouts Mike Hughes, Loyie "Buddy" Humphrey and J.J. Joe, track's Deon Minor, women's basketball star Carol Reeves-Brandenburg and baseball's Steve Smith comprise the Baylor University Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2006 and will participate in on-campus enshrinement activities Oct. 27-28. Football and track standout Weldon Bigony will join the Hall of Fame's Wall of Honor.

A dinner will be held for the 2006 Hall of Fame and Wall of Honor class on Friday and all seven will be recognized during pre-game activities prior to the Baylor-Texas A&M football game on Saturday.

Baylor's Athletic Hall of Fame, organized in 1960, recognizes and honors individuals whose participation and contributions enriched and strengthened the university's athletics program. Athletes are required to wait 10 years after completing their eligibility before being eligible to be considered for this honor.

Since coach Floyd "Uncle Jim" Crow and baseball's Teddy Lyons comprised the hall's first class in 1960 through this year's class, 156 former Baylor student-athletes have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The Wall of Honor, established in 2000, boasts nine total honorees.

BAYLOR-TEXAS TECH GAME TIME SET

Baylor's Nov. 4 game at Texas Tech has been selected for broadcast on Fox Sports Net. Kickoff between the Bears and the Red Raiders is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT at Jones SBC Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.

BELL NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Baylor senior quarterback Shawn Bell was named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Missouri strong safety David Overstreet earned defensive honors, while Texas place kicker Ryan Bailey was honored on special teams. Bell also was named Big 12 offensive player of the week by the San Antonio Express-News.

A product of China Spring [Texas] High School, Bell established Baylor single-game records for completions (33), yards (394) and touchdown passes (5) in the Bears' remarkable 36-35 victory over Kansas last Saturday. Baylor rallied from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit, tying the largest fourth-quarter in school history.

Bell was 13-of-17 for 222 yards and three touchdowns in the game's final 10 minutes, including a 10-yard scoring strike to Dominique Zeigler with 68 seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winner. It marked the fifth time in Bell's career and second time this season that Baylor trailed or was tied in the fourth quarter and Bell led the Bears to victory. Bell also became the first player in school history with consecutive 300-yard passing games.

It was a career day for Bell, who also established Baylor single-season records for yards (2,322) and touchdown passes (18) during the Kansas game. Bell's first touchdown pass of the game was the 33rd of his career, breaking the Baylor all-time record previously held by Cody Carlson.

On the season, Bell is 227-of-363 for 2,322 yards and 18 touchdowns. His career completion percentage of 60.96 ranks fifth nationally among active Division I-A quarterbacks with at least 800 attempts.

BAYLOR AMONG NATION'S FASTEST-STRIKING OFFENSES

Through the first eight games of the season, Baylor has 11 touchdown drives of less than two minutes and 11 touchdown drives of five plays or less. The Bears are tied for sixth nationally in most TD drives of less than two minutes. Baylor is tied for ninth in most TD drives of five plays or less.

MOSLEY QUIETLY CLIMBS RUSHING YARDAGE CHART

RB Paul Mosley often gets over-looked in Baylor's spread offense. However, the senior became just the 15th player in school history to eclipse the 1,500-yard rushing plateau during last Saturday's game against Kansas.

Mosley has tallied 1,570 yards rushing while at Baylor, the 11th-best career total in school history. He needs 144 yards to pass Larry Hickman (1956-58) for 10th on Baylor's all-time list.

DON'T LEAVE, YOU MIGHT MISS SOMETHING

Baylor's 36-35 victory over Kansas last Saturday marked the fourth time in eight games this season that the game was decided in the final two minutes of the game (includes overtime). This has happened eight times in Baylor games since the start of the 2004 season.

DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE GAME-DECIDING SCORE/EVENT TIME

10/23/04 Iowa State L 26-25 Hicks 5-yard TD run 0:41

10/30/04 Texas A&M W 35-34 Bell-Zeigler 2-point conversion OT

10/1/05 at Texas A&M L 16-13 Lewis 13-yard TD run OT

10/22/05 at Oklahoma L 37-30 OU TD/Baylor fails to score 2OT

9/16/06 at WSU L 17-15 Langley 17-yard FG 0:09

9/23/06 Army L 27-20 Army TD/Baylor fails to score OT

10/7/06 at Colorado W 34-31 Bell-Shelton TD pass/Pawelek INT 3OT

10/21/06 Kansas W 36-35 Bell-Zeigler 10-yard TD pass 1:08

OFFENSE PICKS UP STEAM

After averaging just 14.8 points per game in its first four Division I-A contests this season, Baylor's offense has averaged 33.7 points per game over the last three games. The Bears have scored 30-plus points in three consecutive games for the first time since 1991 (Missouri, 47; at SMU, 45; at Houston, 38).

Baylor also has scored 30-plus points in three consecutive conference games for the first time in school history. This marks only the ninth time in the program's 105-year history that the Bears have scored 30-plus points in three consecutive games against any opponent (1901, 1910, 1916, 1922, 1928, 1929, 1987, 1991, 2006). The last time Baylor scored 30-plus points in four consecutive games was in 1922.

BAYLOR TURNS OVER A NEW LEAF

Baylor ranked 113th nationally in turnover margin and forced just nine opponent miscues over the 11-game 2004 campaign. The Bears' defense has forced 50 turnovers (30 interceptions, 20 fumble recoveries) since the start of the 2005 season, second nationally among Division I-A teams. Baylor has come up with at least one turnover in 18 of 19 games since the start of the 2005 season, including 10 straight dating to last year's game against Texas.

Over Guy Morriss' first two seasons on the Baylor sideline, Baylor's defense forced 34 turnovers in 23 games, compared to the 50 it has totaled over the last 19 outings.

Here is a look at teams nationally with the most turnovers forced since the start of the 2005 season:

1. TCU, 51

2. BAYLOR, 50

Miami (Ohio), 50

4. Texas, 49

5. Southern California, 48

Louisiana Monroe, 48

7. Southern Mississippi, 47

Louisiana Tech, 47

Boise State, 47

10. Tulsa, 46

West Virginia, 46

Western Michigan, 46

BELL CONTINUES TO RE-WRITE RECORDS BOOK

QB Shawn Bell likely will end his career at Baylor as the owner of nearly every statistical passing record in the program's history. Bell broke seven single-game, season and career records during last Saturday's win over Kansas.

The single-game records that fell were completions (33), yards passing (394) and touchdown passes (5); he also tied the single-game mark for attempts (55).

Bell's first TD pass of the game was the 33rd of his career, breaking Cody Carlson's previous Baylor record. Bell, who broke Baylor's single-season completions record during the Texas game, also established single-season marks for yards passing (2,322) and touchdown passes (18) during the Kansas game.

Here is a look at Baylor records established by Bell with the previous mark in parentheses:

• career TD passes -- 37 (32, Cody Carlson)

• career completions -- 545 (425, Jeff Watson)

• career attempts -- 894 (802, Jeff Watson)

• career completion percentage -- .610 (.591, Aaron Karas)

• career TD-INT ratio -- 2.176 (1.538, Adrian Burk)

• career INT percentage -- .0190 (.0337, Jeff Watson)

• career 200-yard games -- 16 (12, Don Trull)

• career Big 12 wins as a starter -- 6 (2, Jermaine Alfred and Aaron Karas)

• season yards passing -- 2,322 (2,284, Cody Carlson, 1986)

• season TD passes -- 18 (16, Terry Southall, 1966)

• season completions -- 227 (190, Shawn Bell, 2005)

• season attempts -- 363 (337, Terry Southall, 1966)

• season completion percentage -- .625 (.598, Aaron Karas, 2002)

• season 200-yard games -- 8 (7, Don Trull, 1963)

• season 300-yard games -- 2 (tied, Neal Jeffrey, 1973; Cody Carlson, 1986)

• season Big 12 wins as a starter -- 3 (2, Shawn Bell, 2005)

• single-game yards passing -- 394 vs. Kansas, 2006 (387, Buddy Humphrey vs. Rice, 1958)

• single-game TD passes -- 5 vs. Kansas, 2006 (4, five times by four players)

• single-game completions -- 33 vs. Kansas, 2006 (32, Shawn Bell vs. Texas A&M, 2004)

• single-game attempts -- 55 vs. Kansas, 2006 (tied, Tom Muecke at TCU, 1984)

• single-game completions percentage, min. 40 attempts -- .640 (32-of-50) vs. Texas A&M, 2004 (.610 [25-of-41], Brad Goebel at Houston, 1987)

BELL BAYLOR'S MOST PRODUCTIVE BIG 12 QUARTERBACK

QB Shawn Bell earned his sixth career victory as a starter in a Big 12 game last Saturday against Kansas, eclipsing the total number of Big 12 victories by all other Baylor quarterbacks since the league's inception. In fact, Bell has more Big 12 wins this season than any other Baylor quarterback had in his career.

Bell is 6-9 (.400) as a starter in Big 12 games, including a loss at Oklahoma State in 2004 in which he played less than one quarter due to a broken hand. He has wins against Texas A&M (2004), Iowa State (2005), Oklahoma State (2005), Kansas State (2006), Colorado (2006) and Kansas (2006). Bell also is the only Baylor quarterback to ever win a Big 12 road game.

Ten other quarterbacks have started a Big 12 game for Baylor. That decad combined for a 5-64 record, posting a .072 winning percentage.

Only three other Baylor signal callers have won a Big 12 game: Aaron Karas (Kansas, 2002; Colorado, 2003), Jermaine Alfred (Iowa State, 1996; Kansas, 1998) and Jeff Watson (Texas, 1997).

THE BEAR HAWKS

Baylor's defense has taken on a persona as ball hawks, forcing 50 turnovers since the start of the 2005 season and 20 this season. The Bears lead the Big 12 and rank fifth nationally with 14 interceptions this season.

Fourteen different Bears have have played a part in Baylor's 21 turnovers forced this season. Senior All-America and Thorpe Award candidate CB C.J. Wilson has picked off four passes, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Here is a look at Baylor's 2006 totals for interceptions, fumbles forced and fumble recoveries:

Player INT FF FR Total

C.J. Wilson 4 0 0 4

Jordan Lake 1 2 1 4

Anthony Arline 1 1 1 3

Dwain Crawford 3 0 0 3

Nick Moore 0 2 1 3

Alton Widemon 0 0 2 2

James Todd 2 1 0 3

Joe Pawelek 1 0 0 1

Jake La Mar 1 0 0 1

Corey Ford 1 0 0 1

Vincent Rhodes 0 0 1 1

Julian Hill 0 1 0 1

Maurice Linguist 0 1 0 1

Jeremy Williams 0 0 1 1

Team Totals 14 8 7 29

JOE PAW PLAYS OLDER THAN AGE

Freshman All-America candidate LB Joe Pawelek has quickly made a name for himself on an all-ready strong Baylor defense.

Through the first eight games of his redshirt-freshman season, Pawelek leads the Bears with 62 tackles, including 36 solo efforts. He also has nine quarterback hurries (best on the team), 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, one interception and three passes broken up.

Pawelek leads all NCAA Division I-A freshmen with 7.8 tackles per game, 0.9 stops per contest more than any other freshman in the Big 12. He is eighth in the league and tied for 78th nationally in tackles per game regardless of class.

After not starting the TCU and Washington State games, Pawelek has started five straight contests. He has averaged 8.7 tackles per game in six starts, including career highs of 14 stops and 11 solo efforts at Colorado. His one interception ended Baylor's 34-31 triple-overtime victory against the Buffaloes.

YOUNG LINEBACKER CORPS TACKLES PROBLEMS

Baylor's three main linebackers -- Joe Pawelek, Nick Moore and Antonio Jones -- rank first, second and sixth, respectively, on Baylor's tackles chart. The trio has combined for 142 tackles, including 70 solo stops, for an average of 17.8 tackles per game.

Jones and Pawelek both are redshirt freshmen. Moore, a junior, played all 11 games last season after transferring to Baylor from Georgia Tech; however, he never started a game until this season.

BAYLOR HAS 20/20 VISION

In three-plus seasons under head coach Guy Morriss, Baylor has established a bit of a vicenary rule on the scoreboard. The Bears are 13-8 when scoring at least 20 points and 2-19 when scoring less than 20 points since the start of the 2003 season. Likewise, the Bears are 9-3 when holding the opponent to fewer than 20 points and 6-24 when allowing 20 or more points in that time.

Baylor's lone victories when scoring less than 20 points since the start of the 2003 season came in Morriss' first victory with the Bears -- a 10-7 win over SMU at Floyd Casey Stadium -- and a 17-3 win over Kansas State ealier this season that snapped a 17-game losing streak when scoring less than 20 points.

In fact, since 1995, Baylor has won a game when scoring less than 20 points only five times: 14-0 at North Carolina State in 1995, 14-13 at Louisville in 1996, 16-13 in overtime vs. New Mexico in 2001, the 2003 SMU game and this season against Kansas State.

Baylor's 34-31 victory at Colorado snapped a six-game losing streak for Baylor when its opponent scores at least 20 points. However, Colorado scored only 17 points in regulation. Last Saturday's win against Kansas was the Bears' first when allowing 20-plus points since a 28-23 victory at SMU to open the 2005 season.

Furthermore, Baylor is 10-11 under Morriss when holding the opponent to fewer than 20 first downs and 5-16 when the opponent records at least 20 first downs.

KANSAS COMEBACK AMONG BEST EVER

Baylor rallied from an 18-point deficit in the game's final 9:22 to defeat Kansas 36-35. It tied for the largest fourth-quarter comeback in school history, matching the 18-0 deficit erased in the Bears' 21-18 victory at Texas in 1936. It also tied that 1936 game for the third-largest deficit overcome at any point in a game. Each of the two larger deficits -- 21 points vs. SMU in 1980 and 19 points vs. Fresno State in 1993 -- both were in the second quarter.

SHELTON, ZEIGLER: BAYLOR'S BEST RECEIVER DUO EVER

WRs Trent Shelton and Dominique Zeigler claimed the epithet of Baylor's all-time best receiving duo earlier this season. Shelton and Zeigler have combined for 298 receptions as teammates, breaking the previous Baylor record of 265 receptions amassed by teammates Reggie Newhouse and Robert Quiroga during the 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons.

Zeigler (150) enters the Texas A&M game third in career receptions at Baylor, while Shelton (148) is fourth. Newhouse (1999-02) holds the all-time Baylor mark at 183. The only other Baylor receivers to amass at least 100 career receptions are Gerald McNeil (163), Lawrence Elkins (144) and Quiroga (131).

Shelton enters the Texas A&M game fifth all-time at Baylor with 1,880 career receiving yards. He needs 105 yards to pass Melvin Bonner (1,984; 1989-92) for fourth place and 120 yards to join McNeil, Newhouse and Elkins as the only Baylor receivers to reach the 2,000-yard plateu.

Zeigler enters the Texas A&M game sixth all-time at Baylor with 1,635 career receiving yards.

SEVERAL BEARS AMONG ACTIVE NCAA CAREER LEADERS

• QB Shawn Bell ranks first in interception percentage (.0190), 14th in attempts (894), 15th in completions (545) and 15th in completion percentage (60.96).

• WR Dominique Zeigler ranks 14th in receptions (150).

• WR Trent Shelton is tied for 15th in receptions (148).

• CB C.J. Wilson is tied for 13th in interceptions (9) and ranks 19th in interception return yards (152).

• P Daniel Sepulveda is tied for first in punts (254), ranks first in punting yardage (11,450), fourth in punts per game (6.0) and third in average (45.08).

SHELTON EXTENDS CONSECUTIVE RECEPTIONS RECORD

WR Trent Shelton has at least one reception in a Baylor record 41 consecutive games. Shelton's streak is tied for the third-longest among active players in Division I-A. He also has recorded at least two receptions in 18 consecutive games and at least one TD reception in five straight games.

WR Dominique Zeigler has recorded at least one reception in 28 consecutive games, tied for the 12th-longest streak in Division I-A. In fact, Zeigler has recorded at least two receptions in each of those 28 games.

Baylor is the only team in the nation with two receivers with active streaks of 25-plus games.

CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A RECEPTION, ACTIVE DIVISION I-A PLAYERS

45 - Steve Odom Sr. WR Toledo

44 - Vincent Marshall Sr. WR Houston

41 - Trent Shelton Sr. WR BAYLOR

41 - Johnny Quinn Sr. WR North Texas

41 - Brian Leonard Sr. FB Rutgers

38 - Ryne Robinson Sr. WR Miami (Ohio)

32 - Shaun Herbert Sr. WR Northwestern

31 - Dwayne Jarrett Jr. WR Southern California

31 - Calvin Johnson Jr. WR Georgia Tech

31 - Craig Davis Jr. WR Louisiana State

29 - Marcus Monk Jr. WR Arkansas

28 - Dominique Zeigler Sr. WR BAYLOR

28 - John Broussard Sr. WR San Jose State

28 - Eric Deslauriers Sr. WR Eastern Michigan

WILSON AMONG NATIONAL INTERCEPTION LEADERS

CB C.J. Wilson is tied for the Big 12 Confence lead with four interceptions. He is one of only 30 players nationally with at least four interceptions this season. Wilson is tied for 19th nationally with 0.50 interceptions per game.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Anthony Arline's 40-yard fumble recovery returned for a touchdown against Washington State was Baylor's second non-offensive score of the game, third of the season and 16th in 43 games under head coach Guy Morriss.

Here is a list of Baylor's 16 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

• 2005 vs. Oklahoma State -- Colin Allred 25-yard interception return

• 2006 vs. Northwestern State -- C.J. Wilson 52-yard interception return

• 2006 at Washington State -- punt snap through back of end zone

• 2006 at Washington State -- Anthony Arline 40-yard fumble return (forced by Jordan Lake)

BEARS CONVERT TURNOVERS TO POINTS

Baylor has scored on 11 of the 21 turnovers it has forced over the season's first eight games.

Eight of Baylor's last 17 interceptions have led to scores, including six touchdowns and two returned for touchdowns. Two of those interceptions were on the game's final play. Three of those 16 interceptions were in the 2005 season finale against Oklahoma State.

Baylor has recorded three interceptions in a game three times this season and four times in the last nine contests.

OPPONENT INT RETURN SPOT RESULT

Oklahoma State Jamaal Harper 15 yards OSU 1 TD: Mosley 1 run

Oklahoma State Colin Allred 25 yards OSU 0 TD: Allred 25 INT return

Oklahoma State Dwain Crawford 6 yards BU 32 6-play drive, punt

TCU C.J. Wilson 46 yards TCU 20 TD: Bell 21 pass to Baker

NW State C.J. Wilson 0 yards TCU 46 TD: Bell 46 pass to Shelton

NW State C.J. Wilson 52 yards BU 48 TD: Wilson 52 INT return

NW State Jake La Mar 5 yards NSU 48 3-play drive, punt

Washington St. C.J. Wilson 0 yards BU 15 3-play drive, punt

Washington St. James Todd 0 yards WSU 49 3-play drive, end of half

Kansas State Dwain Crawford 4 yards KS 21 5-play drive, FG

Kansas State Dwain Crawford 0 yards BU 41 1-play drive, INT

Kansas State Jordan Lake 0 yards BU 0 3-play drive, punt

Colorado Corey Ford 0 yards CU 33 3-play drive, FG

Colorado Anthony Arline 0 yards BU 19 TD: Bell 17 pass to Payne

Colorado Joe Pawelek 0 yards BU 0 end of game

Texas James Todd 0 yards BU 31 3-play drive, fumble

Kansas Dwain Crawford 11 yards BU 30 end of game

SEPULVEDA EYES NCAA PUNTING RECORDS

P Daniel Sepulveda enters the Texas A&M game with 254 career punts for 11,450 yards, an average of 45.08 yards per punt. He is on pace to break former Texas A&M punter Shane Lechler's NCAA Division I-A record for yards per punt with at least 250 career punts (44.69, 1996-99). His average also is better than Ray Guy's (44.7 on 200 punts, Southern Mississippi, 1970-72).

Sepulveda reached the 11,000-yard plateau during the Colorado game, becoming only the 15th player in NCAA history to accomplish the feat.

With 85 career punts of at least 50 yards, Sepulveda is four shy of breaking the NCAA record held by Brian Smith (Mississippi, 1983-86).

Sepulveda has averaged 40.0 yards per punt 33 times in games with at least four punts. He needs four more such games to match the NCAA record shared by Lechler and former Ryan Plackemeier (Wake Forest, 2002-05).

NOTES FROM THE KANSAS GAME

• Baylor allowed multiple first-quarter scores for the first time since Oct. 2, 2004, when Texas scored two TDs, snapping a streak of 25 consecutive games.

• Most first-half points allowed by Baylor since Oct. 2, 2004, when Texas scored 37 first-half points.

• Baylor had two receivers with at least 100 yards receiving (Dominique Zeiger [122] and Trent Shelton [104]) for the first time since the 1998 game at Texas Tech (Morris Anderson [130] and Derrius Thompson [119]).

• IR Thomas White's 34-yard first-quarter reception was the longest of his career.

• CB Queito Teasley's 59-yard second-quarter kickoff return was the longest of his career.

• P Daniel Sepulveda established a Baylor record for career punts; he now has 254 career punts.

WILSON, SEPULVEDA AMONG KIPER'S TOP SENIORS

CB C.J. Wilson and P Daniel Sepulveda were ranked among the nation's top five seniors at their respective positions by ESPN.com's Mel Kiper. Wilson was listed No. 4 at cornerback, while Sepulveda was listed No. 2 at punter.

BEARS HONOR FORMER ASSISTANT COACH ADAMS

Baylor's jerseys feature black TA patches in 2006. These patches are in memorial of former defensive line coach Tom Adams, who passed away Aug. 2 after a battle with cancer.

Adams served as Baylor's defensive line coach during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. While with the Bears, Adams coached 2004 NFL draftee Khari Long and 2004 Associated Press All-Big 12 defensive end Montez Murphy.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Two years after fielding the nation's second-youngest football team, Baylor's 2006 hopes may well rest on the shoulders of its 33 seniors, 25 of whom are fifth-year players. Of those 33 seniors, 16 were listed No. 1 at their respective position on the Bears' preseason depth chart -- eight on offense, six on defense as well as its No. 1 place-kicker and punter.

The Baylor roster featured an average of just 17.3 seniors over its first 10 seasons in the Big 12 and only once prior to 2006 had the Bears carried more than 20 seniors (the 2002 roster listed 22 seniors) on the squad.

WILSON NAMED TO THORPE AWARD WATCH LIST

Senior All-America candidate CB C.J. Wilson, who earned first-team 2005 All-Big 12 honors from six media outlets at cornerback, is one of 33 players named to the 2006 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. Wilson is one of four Big 12 players selected to the list, joining Texas' Michael Griffin, Missouri's David Overstreet and Oklahoma's Reggie Smith. The list was derived through a point system based on 10 preseason All-American teams.

SEPULVEDA NAMED TO GUY AWARD WATCH LIST

P Daniel Sepulveda is one of six members on the Greater Augusta Sports Council's 2006 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List, comprised of the top non-graduating finalists from the previous year and Sepulveda, the award's 2004 winner.

Sepulveda, who was selected as the nation's No. 1 punter by The Sporting News in its 2006 preview magazine, ranked second in the Big 12 and third nationally with a 46.18-yard punting average in 2005 en route to All-America and All-Big 12 honors. That averaged ranked as the second-best single-season average in Baylor history, just ahead of his 2004 mark of 46.0 ypp.

The Ray Guy Award is presented to the nation's best collegiate punter as determined by a national selection committee made up of sports writers, college football coaches and sports information directors, former punters and members designated by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. Wake Forest's Ryan Plackemeier won the 2005 Ray Guy Award.

BELL NAMED TO MANNING AWARD WATCH LIST

QB Shawn Bell was among 22 student-athletes named to the 2006 Manning Award Watch List, announced Aug. 23 by the Sugar Bowl Committee. Bell joins Iowa State's Bret Meyer and Nebraska's Zac Taylor as the only Big 12 Conference quarterbacks on the list. Also on the list is Washington State's Alex Brink, who the Bears faced Sept. 16 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash.

The Manning Award was created in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning and will be presented to the recipient following the holiday bowl season. It is the only quarterback award which takes into consideration the candidates' bowl performances.

The winner will be determined by a select panel of national media covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings.

DUAL-SPORT ATHLETES

Baylor's 2006 roster features four dual-sport athletes: WR David Gettis, LB Joe Pawelek, WR Carl Sims and WR Queito Teasley.

Gettis is one of the nation's top-rated 400-meter runners in track. Pawelek is a catcher on Baylor's baseball team; he sat out the 2006 season as a redshirt. Sims appeared in 10 games at guard for Baylor's basketball team during the 2005-2006 campaign. Teasley earned All-Big 12 honors in the long jump and was a member of Baylor's 2006 Big 12 champion 4x100-meter relay team.

CB Braelon Davis and WR Dominique Zeigler both ran track previously in their time at Baylor. Davis was a sprinter; Zeigler competed in the high jump. Both Davis and Zeigler earned All-Big 12 honors in track.

THE GRADUATES

Baylor is one of 10 schools in Division I-A with at least six graduates on its 2006 football roster, according to research conducted by Tony Neely at the University of Kentucky. Auburn leads the way with 11, followed by Notre Dame and Texas Tech (nine each); Miami, Fla. (eight); Boston College, Louisiana Tech and Penn State (seven each); and Baylor, Kentucky and West Virginia (six each).

2006 BAYLOR BEARS WHO HAVE COMPLETED UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES

QB Shawn Bell May 2006 B.S.Ed., physical education

OT Travis Farst May 2006 B.S., communication studies

IR Andrew Heard * May 2004 B.S., communication studies

OS Maurice Linguist August 2006 B.S., communication studies

RB Mario Price August 2006 B.S.Ed., health science studies

CB James Todd May 2006 B.S., communication studies

* - Texas Tech graduate

BEARS TAP TEXAS TALENT POOL

Baylor leads the Big 12 Conference with 111 former Texas high school athletes on its 2006 football roster, according to research by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. The Bears also rank first in the conference with 40 student-athletes from Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex high schools. The other 14 Bears hail from Louisiana (three), California (two), Oklahoma (two), Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia (one each).

SCHOOL DFW TEXAS

BAYLOR 40 111

Texas 27 105

Texas Tech 24 99

Texas A&M 14 91

Oklahoma 30 53

Oklahoma State 17 53

Missouri 10 25

Kansas 11 23

Kansas State 9 18

Iowa State 5 15

Colorado 7 14

Nebraska 2 7

AFCA HONORS BAYLOR FOR GRADUATION RATE

Baylor was one of 29 NCAA Division I-A schools nationally to have its football program honored with the 2006 Academic Achivement Award by the American Football Coaches Association. The AFCA has honored Baylor for its football graduation rates seven times since 1996.

Six institutions registered graduation rates of 90 percent or more for their freshman football classes of 2000-2001, including SMU, which earned top honors from the Touchdown Club of Memphis with its 100 percent mark. Baylor joined Big 12 schools Iowa State, Nebraska and Texas Tech among the 23 institutions who received honorable mention recognition with a graduation rate of 70 percent or higher.

The overall graduation rate of the survey-record 104 schools that responded was 58 percent. Since the NCAA began tracking graduation rates in 1991, the Baylor football program has averaged a 65.3 percent rate and seven times in the last nine years it has recorded a 60.0 percent or higher mark.

FORMER WALK-ONS EARN SCHOLARSHIPS

Five senior members of the Baylor football team who began their careers as walk-ons have been awarded scholarships for the 2006-07 academic year, head coach Guy Morriss announced at the end of the Bear's Aug. 18 practice.

OS Bryan Bays, FB Damon Dotson, FS Bennett Hoefer, WR Craig Munn and RB Mario Price were rewarded by the Bears' staff. Hoefer, who will graduate in May 2007, is the only one of the five who is not a fifth-year senior. Price earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor in August.

Since Morriss' arrival in Waco, 22 walk-ons have earned scholarships, 11 of which are on the Bears' 2006 roster. The most notable walk-on turned scholarship recipient is P Daniel Sepulveda, who won the 2004 Ray Guy Award as the nation's top collegiate punter. Sepulveda, who had not punted since early in his high school career, walked-on as a linebacker and became Baylor's top punter as a redshirt freshman in 2003. He was placed on scholarship by Morriss after earning second-team All-Big 12 honors in January 2004.

OVER THE AIR

Bear football games can be heard live on the Baylor/ISP Sports Radio Network. The network includes 11 affiliates across Texas, including flagship stations ESPN KRZI-AM (1660) in Waco. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his 12th season as the signature voice of Baylor Athletics. Former Baylor football standouts J.J. Joe (color analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline reporter) complete the broadcast team.

BAYLOR/ISP SPORTS FOOTBALL RADIO NETWORK

Abilene KYYW-AM 1470

Amarillo KIXZ-AM 940

Big Spring KBST-AM 1490

Dallas/Fort Worth WBAP-AM 820

Dallas/Fort Worth KVCE-AM 1160

Houston KKHT-FM 100.7

Jacksonville KXAL-FL 100.3

Lubbock KJAK-FM 92.7

Lufkin KYBI-FM 101.9

San Antonio KRPT-FM 92.5

Waco (Flagship) KRZI-AM 1660 ESPN

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 College Sports TV network. CSTV currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including four Big 12 schools and the conference office.

BAYLOR GAMES ON THE INTERNET

The radio call from all of Baylor's games can be heard free of charge live on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com.

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 (Sunday, 11 p.m. CT), Fox Sports Southwest (Wednesday, 1 p.m. CT), College Sports Television (Friday, 1 p.m. CT) and the College Channel (Waco cable 18).

UP NEXT ...

Baylor hits the road Saturday, Nov. 4, for the first of two consecutive games away from Waco. The Bears travel to Lubbock, Texas, for a Big 12 South showdown at Texas Tech. Kickoff between the Bears and the Red Raiders is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net.

Texas Tech has won each of the past 11 meetings. Baylor has not won at Lubbock since 1990.