Bears Host Wildcats to Open Big 12 Play

9/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football

Sept. 26, 2006

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GAME FIVE

BAYLOR (1-3, 0-0)

vs. KANSAS STATE (3-1, 0-0)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30, 2006 • 6:00 P.M. CDT

FLOYD CASEY STADIUM (50,000)

WACO, TEXAS

SERIES RECORD

Kansas State leads 5-0

LAST MEETING

Kansas State 38, Baylor 10 [11.1.03]

COACHES

BAYLOR: Guy Morriss (TCU, 1973)

Record at Baylor: 12-26 (4th season)

Career Record: 21-40 (6th season)

Record vs. K-State: 0-1

K-STATE: Ron Prince (Appalachian State, 1992)

Record at K-State: 3-1 (1st season)

Career Record: 3-1 (1st season)

Record vs. Baylor: 0-0

BAYLOR/ISP RADIO NETWORK

John Morris, play-by-play

J.J. Joe, color analyst

Ricky Thompson, sideline

Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 159

INTERNET FEEDS

www.BaylorBears.com

BEARS HOST KANSAS STATE TO OPEN BIG 12 PLAY

Baylor returns to action Saturday, Sept. 30, hosting Kansas State. This is the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. Kickoff between the Bears and the Wildcats is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT at Floyd Casey Stadium.

The Bears (1-3, 0-0) dropped a 27-20 overtime decision to Army at home last Saturday. Baylor is 1-2 at home this season.

The Wildcats (3-1, 0-0) lost at home to eighth-ranked Louisville 24-6 last Saturday. Kansas State joined Baylor as the only Big 12 teams to lose at home on the weekend. The Baylor game is Kansas State's first road game this season.

BAYLOR-KANSAS STATE SERIES

This is the sixth meeting between Baylor and Kansas State with the Wildcats winning each of the previous five meetings. The Bears have faced Kansas State fewer times than any other Big 12 Conference school.

Kansas State leads the series 4-0 as Big 12 foes with two wins in Waco (49-6 in 1998 and 44-10 in 2002) and two wins at Manhattan (48-7 in 1999 and 38-10 in 2003). The only other meeting was in 1969 as the Wildcats posted a 45-15 victory in Waco.

Baylor has scored five touchdowns against Kansas State in five meetings; three of those were on special teams. In the 1969 meeting, the Wildcats twice snapped over the punters head and the Bears recovered in the end zone for touchdowns. In the 2003 meeting, Robert Quiroga returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

The Bears' only two offensive touchdowns were a Darrell Bush TD run in 1999 and a Greg Cicero-to-Shane Williams TD pass in 2000. Baylor has never scored a first-half offensive touchdown against Kansas State.

Overall: Kansas State leads 5-0

Waco: Kansas State leads 3-0

Manhattan: Kansas State leads 2-0

Neutral Site: Never Met

Since Start of Big 12: Kansas State leads 4-0

SERIES NOTES

• Kansas State has out-scored Baylor 224-48 in the first five meetings, scoring at least 38 points in each game.

• Baylor has faced Kansas State fewer times than any other Big 12 school.

• Baylor has scored more special teams touchdowns (three) than offensive touchdowns (two) in the previous five meetings.

• Kansas State has never allowed a first-half offensive touchdown against Baylor.

• The last meeting featured a 98-yard kickoff return by Robert Quiroga, the fourth-longest in Baylor history.

SERIES RESULTS

1969 Kansas State 45, BAYLOR 15 Sept. 20

1998 Kansas State 49, BAYLOR 6 Nov. 7

1999 Kansas State 48, BAYLOR 7 Oct. 30

2002 Kansas State 44, BAYLOR 10 Oct. 26

2003 Kansas State 38, BAYLOR 10 Nov. 1

LAST MEETING

Baylor battled heavily favored Kansas State tooth-and-nail for 50 minutes before a pair of long Darren Sproles runs midway through the fourth quarter set up touchdowns that allowed the Wildcats to pull away in a 38-10 K-State victory.

Kansas State took a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, answering a 28-yard Kenny Webb field goal with a 22-yard pass from Ell Roberson to James Terry. Baylor answered quickly, though, as Robert Quiroga took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.

The Wildcats recaptured the lead in the waning seconds of the second quarter on another Roberson-to-Terry scoring pass, this one from 14 yards out.

That momentum carried over to the second half for Kansas State. Joe Rheem split the uprights from 44 yards away with 11:08 remaining in the third, and Roberson found Terry for a third touchdown pass, this one covering 39 yards, with 6:54 remaining in the quarter.

Kansas State put the game away in the fourth. After holding Sproles to 33 yards on his first 16 carries, the Bears watched the Big 12 rushing leader gallop 73 yards on his 17th tote. That set up a 1-yard Ayo Saba scoring plunge with 8:25 to play. After a Baylor three-and-out, Sproles burst 52 yards, again to the Bears' 1, setting up a Roberson 1-yard keeper.

Baylor drove to the K-State 1 on the game's final drive, but the Bears were denied the end zone on a fourth-and-goal dive by Brandon Whitaker.

BAYLOR IN CONFERENCE OPENERS

Baylor is 44-41-4 (.517) all-time in conference openers, but 2-8 in Big 12 Conference openers. The Bears' lone wins in Big 12 openers came in 2002 (def. Kansas 35-32) and in 2003 (def. Colorado 42-30). Baylor has never opened Big 12 play against Kansas State.

This is the first time since the 2003 Colorado win that Baylor has opened Big 12 play at home. The Bears are 2-2 when opening Big 12 play at home.

In 79 seasons as a member of the Southwest Conference, Baylor was 42-33-4 (.557) in league openers. The Bears won six of their last seven, 10 of their last 12 and 14 of their last 17 such SWC games.

QUICK NOTES

• A win against Kansas State would give Baylor consecutive victories in conference games (defeated Oklahoma State 44-34 in 2005 finale) since defeating SMU and Rice in 1995.

• Baylor has not allowed a first-quarter point in five straight games.

• The Bears have out-scored their opponents 84-17 in the first half over the last five games.

• Baylor (11) is one of only 12 schools nationally to have produced at least 11 turnovers this season. Oklahoma (11) is the only other Big 12 school to have done so.

• Baylor's defense is tied for 12th nationally with six interceptions, tied with Missouri for the Big 12 lead.

• In 12 offensive scores this season, Baylor has two scoring drives of more than two minutes, 30 seconds (3:26 at Washington State, 5:40 vs. Army).

• Of Baylor's 12 offensive scoring drives, five have been less than one minute in duration (three have been less than 40 seconds).

• Baylor has registered six plays longer than 40 yards this season in four games. The Bears totaled 11 plays longer than 40 yards in 11 games last season.

• Baylor's opponent scored 17 points in two of the Bears' three losses this season. The Bears have lost three straight and 11 of their last 12 when either team scores 17 points. The lone win in that time was a 24-17 victory against Texas State in 2004. The 11-of-12 stretch dates back to the 1990 season when the Bears defeated Rice 17-16 and SMU 52-17.

• QB Shawn Bell has passed for at least 200 yards in six consecutive games. This feat has been accomplished only once before in Baylor history. Don Trull had a string of seven consecutive games with at least 200 yards passing during the 1963 season.

• Bell has completed at least one TD pass in six straight games, the second six-game streak of his career. No Baylor signal caller has recorded TD passes in seven straight game since 1987, when redshirt freshman Brad Goebel did so in the season's first seven games.

• LB Joe Pawelek leads all Big 12 freshmen with 6.5 tackles per game.

• FS Jordan Lake is tied for the Big 12 lead with two fumbles forced, most of any freshman in the league.

BAYLOR-KANSAS STATE CONNECTIONS

• Kansas State defensive line coach Mo Latimore served as an assistant coach at UTEP (1984-1988) along with Baylor safeties coach Larry Hoefer.

• Kansas State wide receivers coach Pat Washington served as a running backs coach on Chuck Reedy's Baylor staff in 1994.

• Kansas State's roster features 18 players who prepped at Texas high schools, and the following five with Baylor players:

Kansas State player High School Baylor player

RB Leon Patton Cedar Hill DE Geoff Nelson

DB Courtney Herndon Dallas-Lincoln LB Antonio Jones

WR Antonio Brown Mesquite OS Maurice Linguist

OL Greg Wafford Lancaster ROV Marlon Price

WR Andrew Richards Keller RB Mario Price

BAYLOR vs. BIG 12 NORTH

Most of Baylor's success in the Big 12 Conference has come against teams from the North Division. The Bears are 5-25 against teams from the North with only three victories (Texas, 1997; Texas A&M, 2004; Oklahoma State, 2005) against teams from the South.

Baylor's victories against North teams are as follows: Iowa State (1996), Kansas (1998), Kansas (2002), Colorado (2003), Iowa State (2005).

A TALE OF TWO HALVES

The dissimilitude of Baylor's offensive production from the first half to the second half this season has been unequivocal. The Bears have led at the half in all four games but have won only once. Here is a comparison of Baylor's offensive production (first half vs. second half) in three games against Division I-A opponents this season.

FIRST HALF SECOND HALF

26 POINTS 16

33 FIRST DOWNS 23

527 YARDS 355

100 PLAYS 93

5.3 YARDS/PLAY 3.8

32-80 RUSHING 30-19

2.5 YARDS/RUSH 0.6

43-86-1-447 PASSING 45-63-2-336

50.0 COMP. PCT. 71.4

6.6 YARDS/PASS 5.3

NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME FOR THE BEARS

Baylor is 8-8 under the lights during head coach Guy Morriss' three-plus seasons. Conversely, the Bears are 4-18 in that time in day games (kickoff prior to 5 p.m.).

BELL ESTABLISHES BAYLOR COMPLETIONS RECORD

With 26 completions last Saturday against Army, QB Shawn Bell established Baylor's all-time career completions record. Bell now has 431 career completions, passing Jeff Watson (425, 1994-97). Bell completed his 425th pass in 695 career attempts, 103 fewer than did Watson.

Bell also moved into sixth place on Baylor's career yards passing chart. He now has 4,155 career yards and needs 187 yards to pass Neal Jeffrey for fifth place.

Bell has tallied at least 200 yards passing in six consecutive games, joining Don Trull (seven straight in 1963) as the only Baylor quarterbacks to ever reach the 200-yard plateau in at least four consecutive games.

The Army game was Bell's 11th career game with at least 200 yards passing. He joined Trull (12) and Cody Carlson (11) as the only Baylor quarterbacks with at least 11 games of 200-plus yards passing.

Bell has completed at least one touchdown pass in six consecutive games, dating back to the 2005 Missouri game. This is the second six-game streak of his career; his previous run was snapped by Texas Tech last season. The last time a Baylor quarterback had TD passes in more than six consecutive games was the first seven games of the 1987 season (Brad Goebel).

DEFENSE STINGY IN FIRST QUARTER

Baylor has not allowed a first-quarter point in five straight games. That is the longest streak by a Baylor team since the Bears held seven consecutive opponents scoreless in the first quarter during the 1990 and 1991 seasons (last two games of 1990 and first five of 1991).

The last team to score in the first quarter against Baylor was Missouri last season (seven points). Baylor has not allowed more than one first-quarter score since Oct. 2, 2004, when Texas scored two touchdowns. In 22 games since, Baylor has surrendered only eight first-quarter touchdowns. The Bears have out-scored their opponents 92-36 in the first quarter since the start of the 2005 season, allowing only four touchdowns in those 15 games, and 47-0 over the last five games.

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 11-7 when scoring at least 20 points and 1-19 when scoring less than 20 points since the start of the 2003 season. Likewise, the Bears are 8-3 when holding the opponent to fewer than 20 points and 4-23 when allowing 20 or more points in that time.

Baylor's lone victory when scoring less than 20 points since the start of the 2003 season was in Morriss' first victory with the Bears -- a 10-7 win over SMU at Floyd Casey Stadium.

The Bears have lost 17 consecutive games when not scoring at least 20 points. In fact, since 1995, Baylor has won a game when scoring less than 20 points only four times: 14-0 at North Carolina State in 1995, 14-13 at Louisville in 1996, 16-13 in overtime vs. New Mexico in 2001 and the 2003 SMU game.

Baylor has lost six consecutive games when the opponent scores at least 20 points, including last Saturday's overtime loss to Army. The last time the Bears allowed 20-plus points and won was a 28-23 victory at SMU to open the 2005 season.

SHELTON, ZEIGLER CONTINUE TO CLIMB CHARTS

WRs Trent Shelton and Dominique Zeigler soon will be able to claim the epithet of Baylor's all-time best receiving duo. The two have combined for 253 receptions as teammates. That ranks second in school history behind only the 265 receptions amassed by teammates Reggie Newhouse and Robert Quiroga during the 2000, 2001 and 2002 seasons.

Shelton (128) and Zeigler (125) enter the Kansas State game fifth and sixth, respectively, in career receptions. Next on the list is fourth-place Robert Quiroga (131; 2000-03). Reggie 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; 1980-83) and Lawrence Elkins (144; 1962-64).

Shelton enters the Kansas State game fifth all-time at Baylor with 1,499 career receiving yards. He needs 486 yards to pass Melvin Bonner (1,984; 1989-92) for fourth place.

Zeigler enters the Kansas State game 10th all-time at Baylor with 1,330 career receiving yards. He needs 61 yards to pass Charles Dancer (1,390; 1972-73) for ninth place and 64 yards to pass Bruce Davis (1,393; 1980-83) for eighth place.

WHITAKER CATCHES ON

RB Brandon Whitaker is second on the Baylor team with 19 receptions this season. With 4.75 receptions per game, Whitaker ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 49th nationally. Whitaker is seventh nationally in receptions per game among running backs.

Whitaker established career highs with nine receptions for 56 yards against Washington State. His nine receptions were the most by a Baylor running back since Charles Perry accomplished the feat at Houston in 1987. Only Derek Davis (10 vs. Texas A&M, 1970) has caught more passes out of the backfield in a single game.

WILSON PLAYS SET-UP MAN

Three of CB C.J. Wilson's four interceptions this season have led to Baylor touchdowns. His interception against TCU was followed by a four-play, 35-yard touchdown drive. His first interception against Northwestern State was followed immediatedly by a 46-yard Shawn Bell-to-Trent Shelton touchdown pass. Wilson took care of the scoring himself with his second interception against Northwestern State, returning it 52 yards for a touchdown.

Wilson's two-pick night against Northwestern State was the first multiple-interception game of his career and the first by a Baylor player since Samir AL-AMIN against Southern Illinois in the 2001 season finale. Wilson's pick six was the first by a Baylor defensive back since Al-Amin returned both interceptions in that Southern Illinois contest.

Wilson has recorded at least one interception in three of four games this season, in four of his last six games and six of his last nine games.

With five interceptions last season and four picks this season, Wilson is one shy of joining Jackie Allen (1966-68), Howard Fields (1976-79) and Vic Vines (1979-82) in a tie for 10th on Baylor's all-time career list.

TURNOVERS COSTLY FOR BEARS

While Baylor is tied for sixth nationally with 11 turnovers forced, the Bears' seven turnovers committed have been quite costly. Six of the seven turnovers have come in the opponent's territory, including four inside the opponent's 30 yard line.

Interestingly, no opponent drive following a Baylor turnover has lasted longer than three plays. Two of those drives, though, ended in opponent touchdowns. Two other opponent ensuing drives resulted in turnovers, one of which Baylor returned for a touchdown.

Baylor did not commit a turnover against Army; it was the Bears' first turnover-free game since the 2004 game at Texas Tech.

2006 BAYLOR TURNOVERS

OPP. TURNOVER SPOT ENSUING OPPONENT DRIVE

TCU Mosley fumble TCU 16 3-play drive, punt

TCU Bell INT TCU 21 3-play drive, TD

NSU Bell INT NSU 40 3-play drive, INT

WSU Bell INT WSU 17 3-play drive, punt

WSU Teasley fumble BU 34 3-play drive, TD

WSU Bell INT WSU 29 2-play drive, fumble returned for TD

WSU Teasley fumble WSU 49 end of game

SHELTON EXTENDS CONSECUTIVE RECEPTIONS RECORD

WR Trent Shelton has recorded at least one reception in a Baylor record 37 consecutive games. Shelton's streak is the fifth-longest among active players in Division I-A. He also has recorded at least two receptions in 14 consecutive games.

WR Dominique Zeigler has recorded at least one reception in 24 consecutive games, tied for the 14th-longest streak in Division I-A. In fact, Zeigler has recorded at least two receptions in each of those 24 games. Zeigler did not play against Northwestern State, nor did he play against Oklahoma in the 2004 season finale.

Baylor is the only team in the nation with two receivers with active streaks of 22-plus games.

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

41 - Steve Odom Sr. WR Toledo

40 - Vincent Marshall Sr. WR Houston

40 - Johnny Quinn Sr. WR North Texas

38 - Brian Leonard Sr. FB Rutgers

37 - Trent Shelton Sr. WR BAYLOR

34 - Clark Harris Sr. TE Rutgers

29 - Dwayne Jarrett Jr. WR Southern California

28 - Ryne Robinson Sr. WR Miami (Ohio)

28 - Shaun Herbert Sr. WR Northwestern

27 - Caleb Spencer Sr. WR Nevada

26 - Craig Davis Jr. WR Louisiana State

26 - Marcus Monk Jr. WR Arkansas

25 - D'Juan Woods Jr. WR Oklahoma State

24 - Dominique Zeigler Sr. WR BAYLOR

24 - Calvin Johnson Jr. WR Georgia Tech

23 - Eric Deslauriers Sr. WR Eastern Michigan

22 - Brandon Allen Jr. WR New Mexico State

BAYLOR IN BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Through games of Sept. 23, Baylor ranks 10th in the Big 12 and 84th nationally in total offense (308.0 ypg). The Bears are 10th in the Big 12 and 56th nationally in total defense (318.5 ypg). Here is a look at how Baylor ranks in the conference/nation:

Scoring Offense: 11th/72nd (22.3 ppg)

Total Offense: 10th/84th (308.0 ypg)

First Downs: 9th (73)

Rushing Offense: 12th/119th (29.8 ypg)

Passing Offense: 2nd/14th (278.3 ypg)

Pass Efficiency Offense: 8th/56th (128.22)

Third-Down Efficiency: t-6th/t-43rd (42.1 pct.; 24-of-57)

Fourth-Down Efficiency: 10th/t-100th (20.0 pct.; 1-of-5)

Red Zone Efficiency: 10th (72.7 pct; 8-of-11, 6 TD)

Sacks Allowed: 9th/t-76th (2.3 spg)

Scoring Defense: 9th/t-40th (17.8 ppg)

Total Defense: 10th/56th (318.5 ypg)

First Downs Allowed: 10th (68)

Rushing Defense: 7th/44th (109.0 ypg)

Passing Defense: 8th/t-81st (209.5 ypg)

Pass Efficiency Defense: 10th/75th (130.59)

Third-Down Efficiency: 10th/73rd (38.9 pct.; 21-of-54)

Fourth-Down Efficiency: t-6th/t-53rd (50.0 pct.; 2-of-4)

Red Zone Efficiency: t-4th (77.8; 7-of-9, 4 TD)

Tackles for Loss: 9th/67th (5.5 tpg)

Sacks: 11th/67th (1.5 spg)

Penalties: 12th/118th (9.5 ppg)

Penalty Yardage: 12th/119th (91.8)

Opponent Penalty Yardage: 2nd (74.2 ypg)

Time of Possession: 11th/102nd (27:53 avg.)

Kickoff Returns: 4th/13th (26.8 ypr)

Punt Returns: 10th/91st (5.9 ypr)

Net Punting: 9th/96th (31.7 ypp)

Field Goals: 2nd (80.0 pct.; 4-of-5)

PAT Percentage: 12th (90.0 pct.; 9-of-10)

Turnover Margin: 1st/t-18th (+1.00)

OTHER BEARS IN BIG 12 AND NATIONAL RANKINGS

• QB Shawn Bell ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 19th nationally with 256.0 yards of total offense per game. Bell also ranks eighth in the Big 12 and 53rd nationally with a 127.52 passing efficiency rating.

• Four Baylor players rank 13th or better in the Big 12 in receptions per game: WR Trent Shelton is second in the league and 11th nationally (6.5 rpg), RB Brandon Whitaker is fifth in the league and seventh nationally among running backs (4.8), WR Dominique Zeigler is ninth in the Big 12 (4.3) and IR Terrance Parks is 13th (4.0).

• Shelton ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 27th nationally with 80.8 yards receiving per game. Zeigler ranks 12th in the Big 12 (49.3) and Parks ranks 22nd in the league (37.0).

• CB C.J. Wilson leads the Big 12 and is tied for fourth nationally with 1.0 interceptions per game. Wilson also ranks third in the Big 12 with 1.3 passes defended per game.

• ROV Jake La Mar and CB James Todd are tied for 13th in the Big 12 with 0.3 interceptions per game each.

• IR Queito Teasley ranks 10th in the Big 12 with 7.6 yards per punt return. Teasley also ranks fourth in the conference and 29th nationally with 25.8 yards per kickoff return.

• WR Mikail Baker is third in the Big 12 and 19th nationally with 27.7 yards per kickoff return.

• PK Ryan Havens ranks sixth in the Big 12 with 1.0 field goals per game.

• P Daniel Sepulveda ranks third in the Big 12 and 19th nationally with a 43.4 yards per punt average.

• LBs Nick Moore and Joe Pawelek are tied for 14th in the conference with 6.5 tackles per game. Pawelek is tops among freshmen in the league.

• FS Jordan Lake is tied for the Big 12 lead with 0.5 fumbles forced per game.

WILSON AMONG NATIONAL INTERCEPTION LEADERS

CB C.J. Wilson leads the Big 12 Confence with four interceptions and is one of only five players nationally with at least four interceptions this season. Wilson is tied for fourth nationally with 1.0 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 38 games under head coach Guy Morriss.

The 2005 Bears produced four such scores, including both punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns by return specialist Shaun Rochon, a 29-yard fumble return touchdown by Jamaal Harper and a 25-yard interception return touchdown by LB Colin Allred.

The 2004 Bears forced just nine turnovers and Baylor ranked No. 113 nationally in turnover margin at minus 1.36 per game. But, in 2005, Baylor forced 29 opponent miscues (13 fumbles and 16 interceptions) to rank No. 30 nationally in turnover margin at plus 0.45 per game.

Through games of Sept. 16, Baylor ranks second in the Big 12 and tied for 17th nationally in turnover margin at plus-1.00 per game.

• 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

INTERCEPTIONS LEAD TO TOUCHDOWNS OF LATE

Five of Baylor's last nine interceptions have led to touchdowns, including two returned for touchdowns. Three of those nine interceptions were in the 2005 season finale against Oklahoma State.

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 LaMar 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

NOTES FROM THE ARMY GAME

• Baylor's 77-yard scoring drive in the first quarter was its longest scoring drive of the season both in terms of yardage and in time of possession (5:40).

• Army's third-quarter punt return for a TD was the first allowed by a Baylor team since 2004 (at Oklahoma State).

• Three Bears made their first career starts: IR Joe Bennett, DE Jason Lamb and CB Alton Widemon.

• OS Maurice Linguist and LB Nick Moore both established career highs with 11 tackles each.

• DE Jason Lamb recorded two tackles for loss, a career best.

BEARS SCHEDULE AMONG NATION'S TOUGHEST

Baylor's 2006 composite schedule (includes past and future opponents) is tied for the nation's 15th-toughest through games of Sept. 23. The Bears' schedule is listed as the toughest in the Big 12 Conference.

The Bears' 11 Division I-A opponents are 21-12 this season for a .636 winning percentage. Baylor opponents played each other twice this season; TCU defeated Texas Tech and Texas A&M defeated Army. That gives Baylor's opponents a 21-10 adjusted record for a .677 adjusted winning percentage.

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.

BAYLOR NAMES TRIO CAPTAINS FOR 2006

By vote of their teammates, QB Shawn Bell, CB C.J. Wilson and WR Dominique Zeigler serve as Baylor captains for the 2006 season. Bell also served as a captain in 2005.

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 31 seniors, 25 of whom are fifth-year players. Of those 31 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. Also on the list are Purdue's Dave Brytus, Georgia's Gordon Ely-Kelson, Virginia Tech's Nic Schmitt, Kansas' Kyle Tucker and Florida's Eric Wilbur.

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

BAND OF BROTHERS

Baylor is one of six Division I-A schools with at least three sets of brothers on its football roster. The Bears' brothers are the Thad and Yancy Boatner, Jake and Luke La Mar, and Desmond and Quincy Jenkins.

BYU sports six sets of brothers, most of any program in the nation. Army, UCLA and Virginia Tech have four sets each; UCLA's total includes one set of three brothers. Baylor and North Carolina State both have three sets.

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 KKDL-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 travels to Boulder, Colo., to face Colorado in Baylor's first Big 12 Conference road game of the season. Kickoff between the Bears and the Buffaloes is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. MDT (2:30 p.m. CDT).

This is Baylor's first trip to Folsom Field since a 34-0 loss in 2002. Baylor is 5-8 all-time against Colorado, including a 1-3 mark since the inception of the Big 12 Conference. The Bears won the last meeting, a 42-30 decision in head coach Guy Morriss' first Big 12 game in 2003.