Bears Renew Old SWC Rivalry With Rice

9/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football

Sept. 3, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

GAME TWO

BAYLOR (0-1) vs. RICE (0-1)

SATURDAY, SEPT. 8, 2007 • 6:00 P.M. CDT

FLOYD CASEY STADIUM (50,000)

WACO, TEXAS

SERIES RECORD

Baylor leads 44-30-2

LAST MEETING

at Baylor 34, Rice 6 (Nov. 18, 1995)

COACHES

BAYLOR: Guy Morriss (TCU, 1973)

Record at Baylor: 15-32 (5th season)

Career Record: 24-46 (7th season)

Record vs. Rice: 0-0

RICE: David Bailiff (Texas State, 1981)

Record at Rice: 0-1 (1st season)

Career Record: 21-16 (4th season)

Record vs. Baylor: 0-1

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

OLD FOES MEET IN 2007 HOME OPENER

Baylor returns to action Saturday, Sept. 8, hosting former Southwest Conference foe Rice. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT at Floyd Casey Stadium. This is the first meeting between Baylor and Rice since 1995, the final season of the Southwest Conference.

BAYLOR-RICE SERIES

Baylor and Rice meet for the 77th time Saturday. Despite the fact that the teams have not met since 1995, this still is the fourth most-played series in Baylor football history, behind only TCU (105 meetings), Texas A&M (103 meetings) and Texas (96 meetings). The Bears hold a 44-30-2 edge in the all-time series; Baylor has won the last three and seven of the last 10 meetings.

Rice won the first meeting, a 14-13 decision Nov. 20, 1914, in Houston. After Baylor's 26-0 victory at Rice the following season, the teams did not meet again until 1919. The series took a hiatus in 1923 but resumed in 1924 and continued each season until the disbandment of the Southwest Conference following the 1995 season.

Baylor and Rice concluded their respective regular seasons against one another each year from 1924 until 1975, save three seasons -- 1943, 1944 and 1963. In 1943 and 1944, Baylor did not field a team due to World War II. In 1963, Baylor's traditional Thanksgiving weekend game against SMU was postponed until the first Saturday of December due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The Bears and Owls met Thanksgiving Day each season from 1924 to 1928. From 1976 to 1995, Baylor and Rice met either the second or third Saturday of November every season except 1991, when they met Oct. 12. This is the first time the teams have ever met prior to Oct. 8.

Baylor, which currently has won three straight against Rice, enjoyed a seven-game winning streak in the 1980s and a five-game winning streak in the 1960s. At no other point has either team won more than three straight meetings; Rice has enjoyed four three-game winning streaks. Both ties in the series were 7-7 dead-heats at Rice Stadium (1925, 1948).

Overall: Baylor leads 44-30-1

Waco: Baylor leads 19-10

Houston: Baylor leads 25-20-2

SERIES NOTES

• This is the fourth most-played series in Baylor football history (75 previous meetings).

• Baylor has more wins against Rice (44) than any other program other than TCU (49).

• The Bears and the Owls played at least once every season in which both schools fielded teams from 1924 to 1995 (72 seasons).

• Rice has never won more than three consecutive meetings, accomplishing that feat four times.

• Baylor, which currently is on a three-game winning streak, has enjoyed streaks of five games in the 1960s and seven games in the 1980s.

• This is the earliest in the season and the earliest calendar date on which Baylor and Rice have ever met. The teams have met prior to Nov. 12 only six times previously -- Oct. 8, 1915; Oct. 11, 1919; Oct. 9, 1920; Oct. 8, 1921; Oct. 14, 1922; Oct. 12, 1991.

• Rice attempted only 12 rushes against Baylor in 1976, the fewest rushes ever against a Baylor team.

SERIES SUPERLATIVES

Most Points Scored, Baylor: 48 (1983)

Most Points Scored, Rice: 41 (1953)

Most Points Scored, both teams: 86 (1984, BU 46-40)

Largest Margin of Victory, Baylor: 48-14 (1983)

Largest Margin of Victory, Rice: 32-0 (1934)

BAYLOR BESTS vs. RICE

Rushing Attempts

31, Pinkie Palmer, 1968 (115 yards)

Rushing Yards

197, Jerod Douglas, 1995 (28 carries)

Receptions

8, Gerry Moore, 1958 (123 yards)

Receiving Yards

142, Austin Gonsoulin, 1958 (5 receptions)

Passing Attempts

37, Buddy Humphrey, 1958 (22 completions, 387 yards)

Passing Completions

22, Buddy Humphrey, 1958 (37 attempts, 387 yards)

Passing Yards

387, Buddy Humphrey, 1958 (22 completions, 37 attempts)

Passing Touchdowns

3, Tom Muecke, 1984 (11 completions, 27 attempts, 253 yards)

3, Tom Muecke, 1985 (18 completions, 27 attempts, 306 yards)

TEAM BESTS

Rushing Attempts: 76 (1975)

Rushing Yards: 432 (1979)

Passing Attempts: 38 (1958, 1989)

Passing Completions: 22 (1958)

Passing Yards: 387 (1958)

Total Offense: 574 (1958)

BAYLOR vs. CONFERENCE USA

Baylor is 103-88-10 all-time against teams currently playing as members of Conference USA. The vast majority of those games -- 182 of the 201 -- have been against former Southwest Conference members Houston (14-13-1), Rice and SMU (35-36-7). Baylor also is 5-4 against Tulsa, 3-3 against Tulane, 2-0 against UTEP and 0-2 against UAB.

BAYLOR IN HOME OPENERS

Baylor is 77-23-5 all-time in home openers, including a 39-18 mark since moving to Floyd Casey Stadium in 1950. The Bears are 5-5 in their last 10 such contests after a 17-7 loss to TCU last season. Baylor has won three straight home openers when not starting the season at home.

QUICK NOTES

• Only twice since 1993 has Baylor started 0-2 (1999, 2003). The Bears started 0-2 four times in nine seasons from 1984 to 1992.

• Baylor is 6-2 all-time in home openers following a season-opening road loss. The only losses were in 1962 (a 19-0 loss at Houston followed by a 24-14 loss to Pittsburgh) and in 1999 (a 30-29 loss at Boston College followed by a 27-24 loss to UNLV).

• The Bears are 2-2 against non-Big 12 Conference former Southwest Conference foes since the league's disbandment following the 1995 season. Both wins were against SMU (2003, 2005) and both losses were against TCU (2006, 2007).

• Baylor is 5-3 against non-Big 12 teams from Texas during head coach Guy Morriss' tenure.

• Baylor is 117-61-2 all-time in September, including a 9-6 mark under head coach Guy Morriss.

• The Bears are 2-2 all-time on Sept. 8, including a 2-0 mark at Floyd Casey Stadium.

• Baylor has forced at least one turnover in 21 of the last 24 games.

• Baylor is one of only seven Division I-A schools with a student-athlete who previously played professional baseball. QB Michael Machen played two seasons with the Atlanta Braves organization and one season with the Baltimore Orioles organization. The other schools are Arizona State, Connecticut, Illinois, San Diego State, Temple and Troy

• 93 of the 114 student-athletes on Baylor's roster hail from Texas. The other 21 players are from 10 other states -- Louisiana (5), California (4), Florida (4), Georgia (2), Alabama (1), Arizona (1), Colorado (1), Kansas (1), New Jersey (1), Oklahoma (1).

• One year after losing 32 seniors, including 24 fifth-year players, Baylor's 2007 roster features 70 underclassmen -- 44 of whom are either true (24) or redshirt (20) freshmen -- and just 16 seniors.

LAST TIME vs. RICE

BAYLOR 34, RICE 6

Nov. 18, 1995 • Floyd Casey Stadium • Waco, Texas

Baylor turned in a dominating defensive effort and never trailed en route to a 34-6 victory over Rice in the final Southwest Conference game ever played at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears defense reached the end zone once more than the Owls' offense, which was limited to a pair of field goals on the day.

Jerod Douglas tallied 197 yards on 28 rushes for the fourth-best rushing performance in school history. Douglas put the Bears on the board with a 28-yard scoring run at the 8:28 mark in the first quarter. It was the first of his two rushing scores on the day; he also had a 6-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.

Rice managed a pair of second-quarter field goals to pull within one point at 7-6, but the Bears out-scored the Owls 27-0 over the game's final 36 minutes. Fullback Shawn Washington capped an 11-play, 55-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run 83 seconds before the half to give Baylor a 14-6 lead.

Douglas' third-quarter score pushed the Bears lead to 21-6, and Adrian Robinson returned a Rice fumble 26 yards for a touchdown with 5:06 to play in the game. Rice fumbled again on its next offensive play, and the Bears recovered. Three plays later, Baylor tailback Dexter Ford alertly picked up a botched snap and raced eight yards for a touchdown.

Baylor finished the day with 254 yards rushing. The Bears needed only 13 passes, tallying 74 yards through the air.

BAYLOR-RICE CONNECTIONS

• Baylor assistant head coach Kasey Dunn and Rice head coach David Bailiff worked together at TCU during the 2003 season. Dunn was the Frogs' cornerbacks coach, while Bailiff was the defensive coordinator.

• Rice assistant coach (running backs) Darrell Patterson was Baylor's linebackers coach in 2002.

BAYLOR-RICE SERIES FULL OF HISTORY

• Baylor recorded four interceptions against Rice in 1956. The Bears tallied 160 yards in return yards, still a school record. Two of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns, one of only four times in school history Baylor has recorded two in one game.

• Seven times in school history, a Baylor player has intercepted three passes in one game. Three of those seven were against Rice: Mike Nelms in 1975, Kevin Hancock in 1984 and Mike Welch in 1987.

• John Curtis' 86-yard punt return for a touchdown against Rice in 1950 was the third-longest in school history at the time and still ranks fifth in school history.

• In 1958, Baylor established a school record with 387 yards passing. It remained the record for 26 years and still ranks third all-time at Baylor.

• Buddy Humphrey was 22-of-37 for 387 yards in the 1958 game, establishing Baylor's single-game yards passing record. It stood until last season, when Shawn Bell tallied 394 yards against Kansas. Baylor lost the 1958 game against Rice, meaning Humphrey's mark is still the school record in a losing effort.

• In 1955, Bobby Jones connected with Del Shofner for an 84-yard touchdown pass that, at the time, was the second-longest pass and the longest touchdown pass in school history. Currently, it is tied for the seventh-longest pass all-time at Baylor.

• Jack Wilson's 89-yard punt against Rice in 1940 was the second-longest in school history.

• A Baylor player has recorded at least four rushing touchdowns in a game four times in school history, including Robert Strait's four-TD effort against Rice in 1993. Strait's mark was tied for the school record until Jonathan Golden tallied five rushing scores against Samford in 2002.

• Baylor rushed for 432 yards against Rice in 1979. That was the school record until the Bears tallied 482 yards rushing against SMU in 1993 and still ranks second in school history.

• Jerod Douglas rushed for 197 yards on 28 carries against Rice in 1995, the fourth-best rushing total in school history and the last time a Baylor player eclipsed 170 yards in a game.

• Pinkie Palmer tied his own school record with 31 rushing attempts against Rice in 1968. That mark has since been eclipsed five times.

• Walter Abercrombie's 79-yard run against Rice in 1980 remains the fifth-longest run in school history.

• Bubba Hicks established a school-record with a 60-yard field goal at Rice in 1975. Hicks also established a Baylor record that day with four field goals; that mark has since been matched four times.

• Three of the four longest field goals in Baylor history have been against Rice. In addition to Hicks' 60-yarder, Jeff Ireland made a 58-yarder in 1991 and Mark Mahler made a 55-yarder in 1987.

• Baylor established a school record with 103 total offensive plays (72 rushing, 31 passing) at Rice in 1976. Baylor also was penalized 16 times for a school-record 157 yards in that game.

SEVERAL BAYLOR DEFENDERS ENJOY CAREER NIGHTS

Four Baylor defenders had strong outings Saturday against 22nd-ranked TCU. CB Josh Bell, in his first career start, had a career-high nine tackles (eight solos) and a career-best two pass breakups. FS Jordan Lake had a career-high eight tackles, all solos, in his first career start. DE Jason Lamb had a career-high tying seven tackles (four solos), while DT Vincent Rhodes also was credited with a career-high tying six stops (three solos) against the Horned Frogs.

SMITH SIDELINED WITH KNEE INJURY

LT Jason Smith sustained a strained MCL late in the first half of Saturday's loss at 22nd-ranked TCU. Smith, who has more career starts (21) than any other player on the Baylor roster, is expected to miss two-to-three weeks. A product of W.T. White High School in Dallas, Texas, Smith has more starts than all other Baylor offensive linemen combined.

WHITAKER EYES RECEPTIONS MARK

RB Brandon Whitaker enters the Rice game 11 receptions shy of cracking Baylor's career receptions top 10 list; he has 65 career catches for 365 yards and one touchdown.

Whitaker also needs 12 receptions to tie Jeffrey Murray's school record for career receptions by a non-receiver. Murray tallied 77 receptions as a fullback from 1986 to 1989. Whitaker has recorded 30 receptions in each of the past two seasons. He established career highs with nine receptions for 57 yards at Washington State last season.

BEARS HISTORICALLY SUCCESSFUL IN SEPTEMBER

Baylor is 117-61-2 all-time in September, including a 9-6 mark under head coach Guy Morriss. The Bears have posted an above-.500 record in three of Morriss' first four seasons.

The Bears have played at least one game within the year's ninth month each season since 1933. Baylor's first September game was a 17-5 loss to Trinity College in Dallas during the 1902 season. The Bears won 23 consecutive September games from 1927 to 1946 and 18 conseuctive September contests from 1950 to 1961.

Baylor has played at least three September games and gone winless only twice, going 0-3 in 1978 and going 0-4 in 1999. Interestingly, the Bears' two September ties came in consecutive weeks during the 1975 season -- a 10-10 draw at home against Auburn and a 14-14 dead-heat at ninth-ranked Michigan.

BAYLOR HAS 20/20 VISION

In four-plus seasons under head coach Guy Morriss, Baylor has established a bit of a vicenary rule on the scoreboard. The Bears are 13-11 when scoring at least 20 points and 2-21 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 6-29 when allowing 20 or more points in that time.

NOTES FROM THE TCU GAME

• Baylor suffered its first shutout since the 2005 season and its first in a road game since the 2002 season. It was Baylor's first shutout loss in a season opener since a 13-0 loss at seventh-ranked Nebraska in 1990. Coincidentally, the 1990 loss also was the only other time Baylor has ever played a game on Sept. 1.

• Baylor has lost 22 consecutive road games against ranked opponents. The Bears' last victory against a ranked opponent on the road was a 9-5 decision at 24th-ranked Arkansas in 1991.

• After yielding 180 yards on 27 plays (6.7 ypp) in the first quarter, the Baylor defense allowed 206 the rest of the game (4.3 ypg), including a combined 83 in the second and third quarters.

• The Bears tallied 55 pass attempts, tying the 2006 Kansas game for the second-highest total in school history and one pass shy of the school record established at TCU in 1984.

• Baylor played 16 freshmen, including seven true freshmen.

• Seven Bears made the first starts of their careers: OG James Barnard, CB Josh Bell, DT Trey Bryant, OT Jordan Hearvey, FS Jordan Lake, C J.D. Walton, SS Jeremy Williams.

• WR Ernest Smith established career highs for receptions (4) and yards receiving (38).

• IR Justin Akers established career highs for receptions (3) and yards receiving (36).

• QB Blake Szymanksi established career highs for attempts (47).

• QB Tyler Beatty made his first career appearance as he came into the game with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter.

2007 CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED

Senior RB Brandon Whitaker, senior DS Jonathan Weeks and sophomore LB Joe Pawelek were elected 2007 Baylor football team captains. The trio was elected by their teammates.

A three-year letterman and the team's offensive captain, Whitaker will enter his senior season 317 yards shy of becoming the 28th Bear to rush for 1,000 or more career yards. He was Baylor's third-leading receiver in 2006 with 30 receptions for 192 yards and one touchdown.

Baylor's 2007 special teams captain is another senior, Weeks, who joined the program as a walk-on long snapper in 2004 and has gone on to handle those chores for the Bears in 30 of the last 34 games. He was rewarded for his special teams work with a scholarship by the Baylor staff in January 2005.

Pawelek will captain the Bears' defense as a sophomore after earning freshman All-America honors in 2006. He led the Bears in tackles with 86 stops (46 solos), while playing in every game with 10 starts as a rookie en route to 2006 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors from multiple media outlets.

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.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Baylor has recorded 14 non-offensive scores in 47 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)

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.

The Baylor football program was also 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.

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 (15) and in Big 12 play (seven) in four years than the Bears registered in the six previous years (13 overall/three 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 15-32 record in four seasons at Baylor and is 24-46 in six seasons as a head coach overall.

GETTING BETTER YEAR-BY-YEAR

Over the last four seasons Baylor has improved its national standing in 11 of the 14 major team statistical categories tracked by the NCAA. The categories in which the Bears ranked lower nationally in 2006 than they did in 2002, the year prior to Guy Morriss' arrival, were rushing offense, total defense and rushing defense.

Those improvements have obviously made the Bears more competitive. In 2002, Baylor lost five games by at least 40 points, but it has had just six such setbacks in four seasons under Morriss and three of those came in his first year.

Here's a look at Baylor's NCAA and Big 12 statistical rankings in the year prior to Morriss' arrival compared to its standing at the end of his fourth season along the Bears' sideline:

CATEGORY 2002 NCAA 2006 NCAA

Scoring Offense 16.8 115 23.6 59

Total Offense 334.9 95 315.2 86

Passing Offense 231.5 47 275.0 11

Rushing Offense 103.4 105 40.2 119

Pass Eff. Offense 111.6 85 123.42 59

Scoring Defense 41.3 114 32.6 110

Total Defense 405.2 89 408.2 110

Passing Defense 251.6 93 217.1 83

Rushing Defense 163.6 69 191.1 113

Pass Eff. Defense 147.0 107 130.78 73

Turnover Margin -1.42 115 -0.58 97

Kickoff Returns 16.3 115 22.8 22

Punt Returns 8.0 91 7.6 80

Net Punting 26.6 117 39.0 3

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 two-plus seasons it has reversed that trend. The Bears' defense has forced 58 turnovers (32 interceptions, 26 fumble recoveries) since the start of the 2005 season to rank second in the Big 12 and tied for 13th nationally among Division I-A teams in that span. Baylor has come up with at least one turnover in 21 of 24 games since the start of the 2005 season, including 15 with two or more.

Baylor forced 34 turnovers over 23 games in Guy Morriss' first two seasons, compared to the 58 it has totaled over the last 24 outings. Here's a look at teams nationally with the most turnovers forced over the last two seasons:

TURNOVERS GAINED 2005 2006 2007 TOTAL

1. TCU 40 26 4 70

2. Louisiana Tech 31 29 6 66

3. Louisiana-Monroe 26 34 2 62

4. Nevada 23 37 1 61

Southern California 38 22 1 61

Western Michigan 25 34 2 61

7. Florida 31 29 0 60

Georgia 29 30 1 60

Southern Mississippi 34 25 1 60

Texas 27 32 1 60

11. Boise State 26 31 2 59

Boston College 18 37 4 59

13. Baylor 29 27 2 58

Oklahoma 23 32 3 58

Oregon 32 22 4 58

West Virginia 31 24 3 58

17. Miami (Ohio) 35 22 0 57

Missouri 24 28 5 57

South Florida 30 25 2 57

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.

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, Sept. 15, hosting Texas State at Floyd Casey Stadium. Kickoff between the Bears and the Bobcats is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT.

This is the first meeting between Baylor and Texas State since a 24-17 Bears' victory Sept. 11, 2004, at Floyd Casey Stadium. Baylor is 6-0 all-time against Texas State. The teams first met Oct. 4, 1909.