Oct. 8, 2007
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GAME SEVEN
BAYLOR (3-3, 0-2) at No. 20 KANSAS (5-0, 1-0)
SATURDAY, OCT. 13, 2007 • 11:30 A.M. CDT
MEMORIAL STADIUM (50,071)
LAWRENCE, KAN.
SERIES RECORD
Baylor leads 5-3-0
COACHES
BAYLOR: Guy Morriss (TCU, 1973)
Record at Baylor: 18-34 (5th season)
Career Record: 27-48 (7th season)
Record vs. Kansas: 1-1
KANSAS: Mark Mangino (Youngstown State, 1987)
Record at Kansas: 29-35 (6th season)
Career Record: 29-35 (6th season)
Record vs. Baylor: 1-2
BAYLOR/ISP RADIO NETWORK
John Morris, play-by-play
J.J. Joe, color analyst
Ricky Thompson, sideline
Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 161
FOX COLLEGE SPORTS TELEVISION
Dan McLaughlin, play-by-play
Richard Baldinger, color analyst
INTERNET FEEDS
www.BaylorBears.com
BAYLOR TRAVELS TO KANSAS
Baylor returns to action Saturday, Oct. 13, traveling to Lawrence, Kan., for a Big 12 Conference inter-division game at No. 20 Kansas. Kickoff between the Bears and the Jayhawks is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. CDT at Memorial Stadium on the Kansas campus. This is Baylor's second Big 12 road game of the season, while it is Kansas' Big 12 home opener.
Saturday's game will be televised regionally on Fox College Sports Central, available in the Waco area on Time Warner Cable channel 430. Fans outside the Waco area should check with their local cable or satellite provider for availability.
The Bears (3-3, 0-2) have dropped two straight following a 43-23 loss at home against Colorado last Saturday. Baylor is 1-2 on the road this season, winning at Buffalo and falling at TCU and at Texas A&M.
The Jayhawks (5-0, 1-0) have won five straight and eight of their last nine dating back to last season after a 30-24 victory at 24th-ranked Kansas State last Saturday. This is the second consecutive week Baylor has faced a team that defeated a ranked opponent the previous week. Kansas is ranked 20th in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and in this week's USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll. The Jayhawks' five-game winning streak is the longest by a Kansas team since the 1995 squad opened 7-0.
BAYLOR-KANSAS SERIES
Baylor and Kansas meet on the gridiron for the ninth time Saturday, the sixth as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bears hold a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series, including a 3-2 edge since the inception of the Big 12 in 1996.
The series dates back to a 22-0 Kansas victory at Lawrence in 1971. The teams did not meet again until Baylor won both ends of a home-and-home series in 1988 and 1989. The Bears won the first Big 12 meeting 31-24 in Waco (1998) but lost the next season 45-10 at Lawrence.
SERIES NOTES: The home team has won each of the five meetings as Big 12 foes. ... Four of five meetings as Big 12 foes, including each of the last three, were decided by seven or fewer points. ... Two of the top six single-game individual passing efforts in Baylor history were against Kansas: 394, Shawn Bell, 2006 (third); and 359, Aaron Karas, 2002 (sixth). ... Baylor's 2002 win snapped a 29-game Big 12 losing streak for the Bears that spanned four seasons. In fact, from Nov. 2, 1997, to Oct. 3, 2003, Baylor managed two Big 12 wins; both were against Kansas. ... The winning team has scored at least 27 points in each of the last seven meetings.
Overall: Baylor leads 5-3
Waco: Baylor leads 4-0
Lawrence: Kansas leads 3-1
Neutral Site: Never Met
Since Start of Big 12: Baylor leads 3-2
SERIES RESULTS
1971 at Kansas 22, BAYLOR 0 Sept. 18
1988 BAYLOR 27, at Kansas 14 Sept. 10
1989 at BAYLOR 46, Kansas 3 Sept. 23
1998 at BAYLOR 31, Kansas 24 Oct. 10
1999 at Kansas 45, BAYLOR 10 Nov. 6
2002 at BAYLOR 35, Kansas 32 Oct. 5
2003 at Kansas 28, BAYLOR 21 Oct. 18
2006 at BAYLOR 36, Kansas 35 Oct. 21
LAST MEETING
BAYLOR 36, KANSAS 35
OCT. 21, 2006 • FLOYD CASEY STADIUM • WACO, TEXAS
Shawn Bell's 10-yard TD pass to Dominique Zeigler with 68 seconds remaining capped the third-largest comeback in Baylor history as the Bears rallied from 18 points down in the fourth quarter for a 36-35 Homecoming victory.
The comeback tied Baylor's 1936 21-18 victory at Texas as the program's biggest fourth-quarter comeback as the Bears scored 19 points in the game's final 9:22 to stun the Jayhawks.
The game-winning TD pass was Bell's fifth of the day, breaking a Baylor single-game record which he already shared with three others but has since been broken. Bell also established Baylor single-season and career TD pass records during the game.
Baylor's chances to snap an eight-game Homecoming losing streak looked slim when Anthony Webb intercepted Bell with 12:40 remaining in the fourth. The Bears got the ball back at the 10:38 mark, but Bell missed on a first-down pass attempt. From that point on, though, Bell was 13-of-17 for 222 yards and three TDs, the first of which was a 42-yard strike to Trent Shelton on third-and-12.
Baylor got the ball back at the 5:33 mark and quickly marched 84 yards on four plays, culminating in a 4-yard Bell-to-Mosley TD pass. The key play in the drive was a swing pass to Zeigler that resulted in a 60-yard gain to the Kansas 4. The Bears scored on the next play, but the two-point attempt failed leaving the deficit at 35-30.
After forcing Kansas into a three-and-out, the Bears regained possession with 2:43 remaining. Baylor's game-winning drive covered 58 yards in nine plays. The key play on the drive was Zeigler's diving catch falling out of bounds at the Kansas 10 on third-and-10. Baylor scored on the next play.
Dwain Crawford intercepted Adam Barmann's fourth-and-22 pass on the game's final play.
Bell finished 33-of-55 for 394 yards, establishing Baylor records for completions and yards in a game. 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.
Zeigler finished with seven catches for 122 yards, while Shelton snagged six receptions for 104 yards and two scores.
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 8-26 against teams from the North with only three victories (Texas, 1997; Texas A&M, 2004; Oklahoma State, 2005) against teams from the South.
Five of Baylor's eight victories against Big 12 North teams have come under head coach Guy Morriss. Those eight wins are as follows: Iowa State (1996), Kansas (1998), Kansas (2002), Colorado (2003), Iowa State (2005), Kansas State (2006), Colorado (2006) and Kansas (2006). Baylor has won four of its last seven against Big 12 North opponents, including a perfect 3-0 slate against North teams last season.
QUICK NOTES
• Baylor is 10-11-2 all-time when 3-3, including a 6-8-1 mark when following a loss and a 3-3-1 record with a two-game losing streak.
• Baylor is 200-195-21 all-time in October, including a 6-14 mark under head coach Guy Morriss.
• Baylor is 46-48-4 all-time on the second Saturday of October, including a 7-6 mark on Oct. 13.
• Baylor has forced at least one turnover in 26 of the last 29 games, including 17 games with at least two turnovers forced in that time.
• Baylor's defense has held the opposing offense without a first-quarter touchdown in 18 of the last 28 games, including 14 first-quarter shutouts in that time.
• Baylor has out-scored its opponents 41-20 in the first quarter through six games this season.
• Baylor has been flagged 37 times for 304 yards through this season's first six games. Last year, the Bears were penalized 50 times for 520 yards through the first six games.
• Baylor's defense has logged 13 quarterback sacks through six games this season after recording only 11 sacks in 12 games last year.
• One year after losing 32 seniors, including 24 fifth-year players, Baylor's 2007 roster features 71 underclassmen -- 45 of whom are either true (25) or redshirt (20) freshmen -- and just 17 seniors.
TEXAS GAME TIME REMAINS UNSET
Game time for Baylor's Oct. 20 game against Texas has not yet been set, as of Monday, Oct. 8. According to the Big 12 Conference office, ABC has advised the league office that it will utilize the first of three potential "six-day selections" for the Oct. 20 games. Fox Sports Net, ESPN and Versus also will televise games that day and hold the same games for potential broadcast. Game time for the Oct. 20 games will not be determined until after the Oct. 13 games.
BAYLOR-KANSAS CONNECTIONS
• Kansas' roster features 27 players from Texas, three fewer than it features from Kansas.
• Baylor OG James Barnard is a product of Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kan. Barnard also attended Coffeyville [Kan.] Community College.
• Baylor QB Michael Machen also spent one season (2004) at Coffeyville Community College.
WHITAKER RECEIVES ATTENTION FROM BACKFIELD
RB Brandon Whitaker established career highs with 11 catches for 166 yards against Colorado, both Baylor single-game records for a non-receiver. He previously held the single-game receptions record for a non-receiver with nine catches at Washington State last season. Whitaker's receptions total tied for fifth in school history and was one shy of the overall school record. Meanwhile, his yardage total tied for eighth all-time at Baylor.
Whitaker also broke Baylor's career receptions mark for a non-receiver in the Colorado game. His third catch of the game was the 78th of his career, breaking the previous mark held by FB Jeffrey Murray (1986-89). Whitaker now has 86 career catches for 584 yards. He currently ranks 13th on Baylor's overall career receptions list and needs 14 catches to become the seventh player in school history with at least 100 career receptions.
This season, Whitaker leads the Bears with 24 receptions; he also ranks fourth on the team with 227 yards receiving and is tied for second on the team with two touchdowns receiving.
OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY VASTLY IMPROVED
After giving up 36 sacks in 12 games last season, Baylor's offensive line has shown vast improvement through the first six games of the 2007 season. The Bears' quarterbacks have been sacked only seven times in six games.
Baylor's offensive line did not allow a sack against Texas A&M nor against Colorado. The Texas A&M game was the first time a Baylor quarterback was not sacked since the 2004 North Texas game, snapping 35-game streak. After not allowing a sack against Colorado, Baylor's offensive line has not allowed a sack in consecutive games since accomplishing the feat in three straight games during the 1995 season (at Miami, at SMU, Rice). Furthermore, the Bears threw 86 passes in the Texas A&M and Colorado games. Baylor has called 87 consecutive pass plays without allowing a sack.
From 1998 through 2006, Baylor quarterbacks were sacked 328 times in 113 games (2.9 per game), allowing at least 25 sacks each season and a high of 52 sacks in a 12-game 2002 schedule. This season, the Bears are allowing only 1.2 sacks per game. More impressively, the Bears' quarterbacks were sacked once every 11.3 pass attempts from 1998 through 2006; this season, they have been sacked once every 23.3 pass attempts.
GETTIS CATCHES FIRE
Sparked by a career-long, 69-yard reception early in the fourth quarter two weeks ago at Texas A&M, WR David Gettis has suddenly become a go-to target for QB Blake Szymanski. Gettis followed his 88-yard performace at Texas A&M with an even better game against Colorado, recording career highs for receptions (8) and yards (99). Gettis had 11 career catches for 151 yards entering the Texas A&M game. He has 10 catches for 187 yards in the last two games.
Gettis also had 126 yards in kickoff returns against Colorado, establishing a career high with 225 all-purpose yards. That was the best single-game all-purpose yardage total by a Baylor player in the Guy Morriss era and the best by any Bear since Jerod Douglas' school-record, 257-yard performance at Oklahoma in 1997.
LAKE MAKES NAME FOR HIMSELF
FS Jordan Lake ranks sixth in the Big 12 and is tied for 56th nationally with 9.2 tackles per game. A sophomore from Houston's Memorial High School, Lake leads the Big 12 and ranks 11th nationally in tackles among defensive backs. Lake also is fifth in the Big 12 and tied for 38th nationally with 5.5 solo tackles per game.
Lake, who was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following the Bears' 34-21 victory at Buffalo, has 55 tackles on the season, including 34 solo stops and 1.0 tackle for loss. Along with two interceptions and two passes broken up, Lake has forced two fumbles and recovered two others.
SZYMANSKI ALREADY NEARING SEASON TOUCHDOWNS LIST
With 15 touchdown passes through the season's first six games, QB Blake Szymanski already is nearing Baylor's all-time, single-season touchdown passes list. He enters Saturday's game at Kansas tied with Larry Isbell (1950) for third place on Baylor's all-time single-season touchdowns passing list. Szymanski needs one touchdown pass to tie Terry Southall (1966) for second place. Shawn Bell established Baylor's single-season record last season with 19 touchdown passes.
Szymanski established a Baylor record for touchdown passes by a sophomore in the season's third game. With three touchdown passes at Buffalo, Szymanski surpassed Cody Carlson's previous school mark for touchdowns by an underclassman (Carlson's record was 12 in 1983).
Through the season's first six games, Szymanski is on pace for 304 completions, 3,630 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes, all of which would shatter Baylor's single-season records. The only player in Baylor history to throw for at least 400 yards in a game, Szymanski has accomplished the feat three times this season. He also has tied Neal Jeffrey's school record of three career games with at least 300 yards passing.
PAWELEK CONTINUES TO ANCHOR BEARS' DEFENSE
LB Joe Pawelek, a Freshman All-America selection in 2006, has continued his stellar play at middle linebacker in this, his sophomore campaign. Through five games, Pawelek has averaged 8.0 tackles per game to tie for ninth in the Big 12 Conference, tied for seventh among league linebackers.
Pawelek has 48 tackles on the season, including 19 solo efforts and 6.5 stops behind the line. He has 2.0 sacks, one pass break up, one quarterback hurry, a fumble forced and a fumble recovery.
INSIDE RECEIVERS FEAST
Inside and and slot receivers have accounted for 38.5 percent of Baylor's receptions this season (60 of 156), 40.0 percent of Baylor's receiving yards (737 of 1,841) and 40.0 percent of Baylor's touchdown receptions (6 of 15).
IR Justin Akers ranks second on the team in receptions (24) and first in yards (278), while IR Brad Taylor is third in receptions (18) and second in yards (271). Akers leads the team with four touchdown receptions, while Taylor is one of three Bears with two touchdown grabs. SR Justin Fenty is sixth on the team in receptions (12) and seventh in yards (114). IR Kyle Mitchell also has three catches for 19 yards, IR Eddy Newton has three receptions for 37 yards, and IR Joe Bennett has one catch for 18 yards.
BEARS HAVE 20/20 VISION
In five seasons under head coach Guy Morriss, Baylor has established a bit of a vicenary rule on the scoreboard. The Bears are 16-12 when scoring at least 20 points and 2-22 when scoring less than 20 points since the start of the 2003 season. Likewise, the Bears are 10-3 when holding the opponent to fewer than 20 points and 8-31 when allowing 20 or more points in that time.
FIRST-QUARTER DEFENSIVE SUCCESS CONTINUES
Baylor's defense allowed just 57 first-quarter points in 12 games last season, averaging 4.8 points per game allowed in the opening period. Two of the seven first-quarter touchdowns allowed by the Bears last season were scores by the opponent's defense, meaning Baylor's defense allowed only 3.6 first-quarter points per game. The Bears' defense allowed only six first-quarter touchdowns (two of which were followed by missed extra points) and one field goal. No team scored more than one offensive touchdown, only two scored more than once -- Texas Tech (offensive touchdown and field goal) and Oklahoma (offensive and defensive touchdown).
That success has carried over to the 2007 season as the Bears have allowed only four first-quarter scores and only two first-quarter touchdowns through the first six games. Baylor held TCU, Texas State and Buffalo scoreless in the opening period. The Bears allowed one first-quarter touchdown against Rice and one first-quarter field goal at Texas A&M; Colorado managed a touchdown and a field goal in the first quarter.
In 28 games since the 2005 season opener at SMU, Baylor has held the opponent without a first-quarter offensive touchdown 18 times with 14 first-quarter shutouts. Texas Tech last season and Colorado this season are the only opponents to record more than one first-quarter offensive score during that time. Baylor has not allowed multiple first-quarter offensive touchdowns since UAB scored three first-quarter touchdowns in the 2004 season opener, a span of 39 games. The Bears have held the opponent without a first-quarter offensive touchdown 22 times and scoreless 16 times in those 38 games.
NOTES FROM THE COLORADO GAME
• Most first-quarter points allowed (10) by Baylor's defense since last year's Oklahoma State game (10).
• Most first-half points allowed (27) by Baylor's defense since last year's Oklahoma State game (38).
• Colorado's 54-yard field goal to end the first half was the first field goal of 50-plus yards against Baylor since Texas' Kris Stockton made a 50-yarder in 1999.
• Colorado's 54-yard field goal to end the first half was the longest against Baylor since SMU's John Stewart made a 55-yarder to end the first half in 1993.
• Most points Baylor has allowed in a home game since Texas scored 62 points in 2005.
• Most points Baylor has allowed in a home game against an unranked opponent since Texas Tech scored 62 points in 2003.
• RB Brandon Whitaker's 62-yard, second-quarter reception was the longest of his career.
• Whitaker established career highs with 11 receptions and 166 yards receiving, both school records for a non-receiver. His reception total tied for the fifth-best total in school history and was one shy of the school record, while his yardage total ranked tied for the eight-best total all-time at Baylor.
• Whitaker produced Baylor's first 100-yard receiving game since Dominique Zeigler's 180-yard performance against Texas A&M last season.
• WR David Gettis established career highs with eight receptions and 99 yards receiving.
• QB Blake Syzmanski set school records with 36 completions, 60 pass attempts and 428 yards of total offense.
• Szymanski, the only player in Baylor history to ever throw for 400-plus yards in a game, finished with 410 yards passing, the third-best, single-game total in school history behind only his 412 yards against Rice and 411 yards against Texas State earlier this season.
• Szymanski joined Neal Jeffrey as the only players in school history with three career 300-yard passing games.
• SS Brandon Stiggers' fourth-quarter interception was the first of his career.
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Baylor has recorded 14 non-offensive scores in 52 games under head coach Guy Morriss, notching at least one such score in each of Morriss' four seasons.
• 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. Oklahoma -- Braelon Davis 56-yard fumbler return (forced by Davis)
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, but the last three seasons it has reversed that trend. The Bears' defense has forced 68 turnovers (38 interceptions, 30 fumble recoveries) since the start of the 2005 season to rank third in the Big 12 and tied for ninth nationally among Division I-A teams in that span. Baylor has come up with at least one turnover in 26 of 29 games since the start of the 2005 season, including 17 games with two or more.
Baylor forced 34 turnovers over 23 games in Guy Morriss' first two seasons, compared to the 68 it has totaled over the last 29 outings. Here's a look at the teams with most turnovers forced over the last three seasons:
TURNOVERS GAINED 2005 2006 2007 TOTAL
1. TCU 40 26 14 80
2. Boston College 18 37 19 74
Louisiana Tech 31 29 14 74
Western Michigan 25 34 15 74
5. South Florida 30 25 18 73
6. Oklahoma 23 32 14 69
Texas 27 32 10 69
West Virginia 31 24 15 69
9. Baylor 29 27 12 68
Florida 31 29 8 68
Louisiana-Monroe 26 34 8 68
12. Southern California 38 22 7 67
Southern Mississippi 34 25 8 67
14. Miami (Ohio) 35 22 9 66
Oregon 32 22 12 66
Boise State 26 31 9 66
17. Nevada 23 37 5 65
18. Georgia 29 30 4 64
Missouri 24 28 12 64
FORMER WALK-ONS EARN SCHOLARSHIPS
Six senior walk-on members of the Baylor football team were awarded scholarships for the 2007-08 academic year: OG Ricky Hasoon, LB Daniel Lopez, CB Ralph Rodriguez, OL Ted Tanner, SS Zach Jones and FB Keegan Vann.
At the end of spring practice, the Baylor staff also placed junior WR Thomas White on scholarship. Including the seniors receiving scholarships prior to the start of the season, Baylor's 2007 roster features eight walk-ons who have earned scholarships.
Since Morriss' arrival in 2003, 30 Bears have gone from walk-on to scholarship status.
BAYLOR AMONG NATION'S BEST COLLEGES
Baylor University ranks as the nation's 75th-best institute for higher learning, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2008 "America's Best Colleges" edition. Baylor is ranked third among Big 12 Conference schools, trailing only Texas (44th) and Texas A&M (62nd). Last year, Baylor was the fourth-ranked Big 12 school but leap-frogged Colorado (79th) in this year's rankings.
Other Big 12 schools ranked were: Iowa State (t-85th), Kansas (t-85th), Missouri (t-91st), Nebraska (t-91st), Oklahoma (108th) and Kansas State (124th). Oklahoma State and Texas Tech were considered "third tier" schools and were, therefore, not ranked numerically.
AFCA SALUTES BAYLOR FOR GRADUATION RATE
Baylor was one of 34 NCAA Division I-A schools to have its football program honored with the 2007 Academic Achievement Award by the American Football Coaches Association.
In the most-recent AFCA survey, four institutions registered graduation rates of 90 percent or more for their 2001-02 freshman football class, including Northwestern and Notre Dame, which earned top honors from the Touchdown Club of Memphis with their 95 percent marks.
Baylor joined Big 12 schools Nebraska, Texas and Texas Tech among the 32 institutions who received honorable mention recognition with a graduation rate of 70 to 90 percent. Baylor also was recognized in the AFCA's 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006 surveys.
2007 SCHEDULE FEATURES EIGHT 2006 BOWL TEAMS
After playing seven of 12 games a year ago against teams that went on to earn bowl invitations, Baylor will face eight 2006 bowl teams this season, including six of its eight Big 12 opponents. But, that's nothing new for coach Guy Morriss' program, as 28 times in his first 46 games (including 25 of 32 Big 12 contests) along the Baylor sideline he's faced an opponent who ended the season in a bowl game.
The Bears' 2007 opponents combined for an 85-67 (.559) record a year ago and eight earned bowl bids -- TCU (Poinsettia champion), Rice (New Orleans), Texas (Alamo champion), Kansas State (Texas), Texas A&M (Holiday), Texas Tech (Insight champion), Oklahoma (Fiesta) and Oklahoma State (Independence champion). Baylor's eight 2007 Big 12 foes went 60-43 (.583) a year ago and recorded all three of the league's bowl wins.
Six of Baylor's eight losses in 2006 came at the hands of eventual bowl-bound teams while it knocked off Texas Bowl participant Kansas State, 17-3, and bowl-eligible Kansas, 36-35.
Over Morriss' four seasons in Waco, his teams have tackled the nation's 55th- (2003), sixth- (2004), 28th- (2005) and 49th- (2006) most-difficult schedules according to the NCAA.
FOOTBALL OPERATIONS HEADED TO CAMPUS IN 2008
Ground was broken May 10, 2007, on the Alwin O. and Dorothy Highers Athletics Complex and the Simpson Athletics and Academic Center, a $34 million complex that will integrate the Baylor athletics department and football program into the campus environment for the first time since the late 1950s.
The lead gift for the privately funded project and the largest single gift in school history is from the estate of Alwin O. Highers Jr. of Alexandria, La. A native Texan and a 1939 Baylor business graduate, Mr. Highers was well known as the owner of Alexandria's Dr Pepper Bottling Co. He also was a dedicated supporter of Baylor athletics and in particular its football program, until his death in 2003. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, who still resides in Alexandria.
The focal point of the Highers Athletics Complex will be the 96,300-square-foot Simpson Athletics and Academic Center, which will be built on University Parks Drive adjacent to Baylor's Mayborn Museum Complex and the university's other athletic facilities that are part of the Julie and Jim Turner Riverfront Athletic Complex on the Brazos River.
A Baylor University graduate and generous Baylor supporter, Bob R. Simpson is a co-founder, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of XTO Energy Inc. of Fort Worth. His leadership at XTO has been recognized by numerous publications, including Barron's ("30 most respected CEO's in the world," March 27, 2006), Oil & Gas Explorer ("Executive of the Year," March 2006), Institutional Investor ("Best CEOs," January 2006), BusinessWeek ("The BusinessWeek Top 50 Performers," April 2006) and Forbes ("2,000 Leading Companies in the World," April 17, 2006).
Simpson earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance, with magna cum laude honors, in 1970 and his MBA in 1971.
The first floor of the Simpson Athletics and Academic Center will include functions that are currently housed at Floyd Casey Stadium, such as a main athletics training room, equipment room, football team locker room, coaches' locker room and weight room. Floor two will hold administrative offices, the football office and meeting rooms, as well as an academic center which will benefit all Baylor student-athletes.
The Highers Athletics Complex will include three football practice fields, two with a natural surface and the other with artificial turf. Construction will take approximately 18 months and is expected to be completed by July 2008.
FAMILY AFFAIR
The Bears' 2007 roster includes the sons of six former Baylor football standouts, three of whom were All-Americans during their Baylor careers. True freshmen Matt Singletary, V.J. McElroy and Chris Francis join three other sons of Baylor legacies already in the program--sophomore offensive guard Sam Sledge, redshirt freshman receiver Ben Randle and sophomore running back Tony Anderson, who must sit out the season as a transfer from I-AA Southeast Missouri State.
Singletary's father, Mike, was a three-time All-American and two-time Davey O'Brien Award winner who is enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame after standout playing careers at Baylor and with the NFL's Chicago Bears. McElroy's father, Vann, was a two-time All-America defensive back at Baylor who went on to play in two Pro Bowls with the NFL's Los Angeles Raiders. The younger Francis' father, James, earned 1989 All-America and Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors and was a first-round NFL Draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals.
David Sledge was an All-Southwest Conference performer for the Bears in 1978. Alfred Anderson, the third-leading rusher in school history, and Ervin Randle, an eight-year NFL veteran with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, were Baylor teammates in the early 1980s.
COACHING STAFF FEATURES FIVE NEW FACES
In the off-season, Baylor's coaching staff underwent a makeover as five new faces were added, and the dean of the Bears' staff, Larry Hoefer, was promoted to defensive coordinator.
After spending the past three seasons as running backs coach at the University of Arizona, Kasey Dunn is Baylor's new assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach. Former University of Houston All-America wide receiver Jason Phillips will coach the Bears' inside receivers and serve as recruiting coordinator after helping his alma mater to three bowl games in four seasons. Morriss also hired former University of Houston safeties coach Clay Jennings, a graduate of Waco's La Vega High School, as Baylor's cornerbacks coach.
Cornell Jackson, who coached running backs at the University of New Mexico the past two years and has 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, is the Bears' new running backs coach. Eric Schnupp joined the staff as tight ends and assistant offensive line coach after working three seasons in a similar position at West Texas A&M. He will assist Morriss with the offensive line.
Hoefer, the only remaining member of Morriss' original staff, was named the Bears' defensive coordinator in late February when Bill Bradley was hired as secondary coach of the NFL's San Diego Chargers.
Lee Hays returns for his second season as Baylor's offensive coordinator and will also tutor the Baylor signal callers in 2007, while Gary Kinne (linebackers) and Don Wnek (defensive line) are back for their second and third seasons, respectively, in the Baylor program.
The 2007 Baylor coaching staff boasts more than 160 years of experience at the professional, collegiate and high school levels. Seven members of Baylor's staff played NCAA Division I football and five played professional football.
BAYLOR CONTINUES TO IMPROVE UNDER MORRISS
Introduced as Baylor's 24th head football coach on Dec. 11, 2002, Guy Morriss inherited a proud program that had fallen on hard times and produced just 13 victories in the six seasons (1997-2002) prior to his arrival. He and his staff have already posted more wins both overall (18) and in Big 12 play (seven) in five years than the Bears registered in the seven previous years (17 overall/four Big 12) before Morriss' Central Texas arrival.
Morriss has directed Baylor to seven of its 11 all-time Big 12 Conference victories and its only two conference road wins, while improving the Bears' league win total in each of the last three seasons. He owns a 18-33 record in five seasons at Baylor and is 27-47 in seven seasons as a head coach overall.
OVER THE AIR
Bear football games can be heard live on the Baylor/ISP Sports Radio Network. The network includes nine 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 with 21 years' experience in the Baylor broadcast booth and in his 13th 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
Houston KKHT-FM 100.7
Dallas/Fort Worth WBAP-AM 820
Jacksonville KXAL-FM 100.3
Lubbock KJAK-FM 92.7
Lufkin KYBI-FM 101.9
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, 4 p.m. CT) and the College Channel (Waco cable 18).
UP NEXT ...
Baylor returns to action Saturday, Oct. 20, hosting Texas for a Big 12 Conference South Division game at Floyd Casey Stadium. Game time has not yet been established as ABC has advised the Big 12 Conference that it will utilize the first of three potential "six-day selections" for the Oct. 20 games; therefore, game time will not be determined until after the Oct. 13 games.
Texas leads the all-time series 70-22-4. The Longhorns have won nine consecutive meetings with four shutouts in that span.
