Aug. 21, 2008
Read official "View From The Hill" blog about fall practice
WACO, Texas- Baylor closed preseason drills Thursday night with a 90-minute scrimmage at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears will begin their regular game-week schedule Friday in preparation for the Aug. 28 season opener against 23rd-ranked Wake Forest. Kickoff between the Bears and the Demon Deacons is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT at Floyd Casey Stadium; the game will be televised nationally on FSN.
Three quarterbacks - Kirby Freeman, Robert Griffin and Blake Szymanski - worked equal time under center. Griffin connected with Mikail Baker on a 54-yard pass that set up a one-yard Ray Sims touchdown plunge for the scrimmage's first score. Freeman had a 24-yard touchdown pass to Thomas White, and Szymanski hit Justin Akers for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Jacoby Jones added a one-yard touchdown run.
Baylor's defense forced three turnovers. Jordan Lake and Tim Atchison both had interceptions, while Sam Shalala forced a fumble that was recovered by Alex Kushneir.
The Bears return to the practice field Sunday afternoon. Until further notice, all Baylor practices are closed to the public. [Briles quotes below.]
NOTES: Seven former walk-ons have been awarded scholarships for the 2008-09 academic year: Joe Bennett, Carter Brunelle, Ty Findley, Chris Greisenbeck, Ryan Roberts, Sam Sledge and Larry Washington. €¦ Season and single-game tickets for Baylor's seven home games are available for purchase (www.BaylorBears.com, 254.710.1000 or at the Floyd Casey Stadium ticket office). Several season-ticket options are offered with prices at $145 per ticket for the seven-game home schedule.
BAYLOR HEAD COACH Art Briles - Aug. 21, 2008
Breaking down the quarterbacks:
"They all possess different tangibles that we need on the table. Kirby (Freeman) is a fifth year guy; played a lot of games at Miami and went to a bowl game. He has a lot of experience. Blake (Szymanski) played a lot of games last year - started every game, threw for 2800 yards and 26 TDs. He's a very polished quarterback, intelligent with the football. Robert (Griffin) is kind of the X factor. He's a very dynamic, impact player. It's a different level. You really don't know when he needs to get into the fire and that's the thing we need to determine."
On his football team as a whole:
"Since day one, these guys have been eager. They're anxious and they've got a lot of want to. They're hungry in the aspect that they want to win €¦ Young people are fun to be around because they have hope; they have faith; they have dreams. I like being around those types of people."
On the Highers Athletic Complex:
"We're going to go tour the facilities tomorrow. I'm very excited to get over there and look at it. I'm even more excited to get our players over there. Once we get them on campus, I think it will really tie us in with the student body."
On freshman quarterback Robert Griffin:
"He's a fearless competitor. He has a lot of confidence and having ability will bring you confidence. He's not afraid of challenge; not afraid of an opportunity. I think it's really benefited him having these two older guys around (Szymanski and Freeman) that he can watch how they study and how they understand what's going on. A lot of times, being young, you think it's just going to happen. Well it just doesn't happen. You have to make it happen. And he's learned that."
One thing he expects from his team:
"We need to play fearless and play with confidence. There are a lot of steps that we could take, but we don't want to skip eight to get to ten. We want to take it one step at a time. We need to come out of the gates and be a positive football team on both sides of the ball and special teams."
On Wake Forest:
"They've really been a dominate football team for the last two years €¦ These guys know what they're doing. They've got nine starters back on defense, so they have a lot of experience on the defensive side of the ball. They led the nation in defensive turnovers and defensive scoring. They know what they're doing. It's not like they've got a lot of questions to answer during fall camp. They're staying healthy, staying fresh. They're going to come to Baylor and see what they've got."
