vs.

4/4 BAYLOR (1-0) vs. Lamar (1-0) Sept. 12, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | McLane Stadium (45,140) TV: FSN

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MEDIA INFORMATION Date Saturday, Sept. 12 | 6:30 p.m. CT Location Waco, Texas | McLane Stadium (45,140) TV FSN TV Talent Brendan Burke (pxp), Ben Leber (analyst), Christian Steckel (sideline) Radio ESPN Central Texas | Sirius/XM 81/81 Online Audio Listen Online Live Stats Ticket Info Purchase Tickets Game Notes Baylor Notes | Lamar Notes Twitter @BUFootball BAYLOR-LAMAR SERIES Series Baylor leads, 2-1 In Waco Tied, 1-1 In Beaumont Baylor leads, 1-0 First Meeting Sept. 8, 1979 - Baylor, 20-7 Last Meeting Sept. 5, 1981 - Lamar, 18-17 4/4 BAYLOR BEARS Record 1-0, 0-0 Big 12 Ranking 4 (AP), 4 (Coaches) Last Game Sept. 5, 2015 (won at SMU, 56-21) Head Coach Art Briles (Texas Tech, 1979) Career: 90-62 (13th season) BU Record: 56-34 (8th season) NR/NR LAMAR CARDINALS Record 1-0 Ranking NR (AP), NR (Coaches) Last Game Sept. 5, 2015 (won vs. Bacone College, 66-3) Head Coach Ray Woodard (Sam Houston State, 1988) Career: 27-32 (6th season) LU Record: 27-32 (6th season)

STORY LINES
• Baylor, the 2-time reigning Big 12 champion, welcomes Lamar for its home opener Saturday on FSN.
• The Bears scored the final 28 points to claim a season-opening win at SMU, 56-21, Friday.
• #AmericasTopOffense tallied 723 yards vs. the Mustangs (2nd-most in FBS for 2015) & 7th-most in BU history.
• Baylor has won 16 straight at home (tied best in nation) and not lost in Waco since Oct. 13, 2012, vs. TCU.
• Baylor has the nation's best home record since 2011 at 25-1.
• In home games, Baylor is 29-3 over the last 4 seasons and 35-10 in the Art Briles era.
• Baylor was 6-0 in the inaugural season at the on-campus, riverfront $266 million McLane Stadium.
• Baylor is looking to start a season 2-0 for the 6th-straight year, prior to that run BU hadn't accomplished the feat in back-to-back years since 1979-80.
• Baylor is 16-3 vs. in-state schools over the last 4+ seasons and has won 9 straight vs. Texas opponents.
• BU has won 22 of its last 23 games played in Texas and is 33-4 in the Lone Star State over last 4+ years.
• Baylor is the most successful Texas team since 2011 with a win percentage of .774 (41-12).
• Saturday's game will be the 4th-ever vs. Lamar. BU leads the all-time series 2-1 and is 1-1 in Waco.
• Baylor starts the season at No. 4 in both the preseason AP Top 25 and Amway Coaches Poll, setting a school-record for highest preseason listing.
• Baylor's been ranked in a school-record 34 straight AP Polls, FBS' 5th-best streak (Top 10 in 24 of last 27).
• Baylor is 5-2 €ˆin home openers in the Briles era, including 5 straight wins.
• Baylor is 30-8 when ranked under Briles, including a 17-0 mark in home games.
• Baylor has scored 60 or more points in 8 of its last 13 home games.
• Baylor has had 500 or more yards of total offense in 15 of the last 16 homes games.
• QB Seth Russell leads the nation in passing TDs (5), points responsible for (36) and yards per completion (25.07). The junior's total offense output of 435 is also 3rd-best nationally.
• WR Jay Lee leads the country in receiving TDs (3) and WR Corey Coleman is 4th in receiving yards (178).
• Jamal Palmer is 2nd-nationally with 4 TFLs, while LB €ˆGrant Campbell is 11th in the FBS and leads the Big 12 with 11 stops per game for #GangGreenBU.

TEAM QUICK €ˆHITS
• Baylor has appeared in 5-straight bowl games for the 1st time in school history.
• Baylor won a school-record 11 games, claimed its second-straight Big 12 title and earned a second-consecutive trip to a BCS/New Year's Six bowl game in 2014.
• Baylor returns 51 lettermen and 18 starters (8 o; 9 d; 1 st) from last season's squad.
• Baylor has led the FBS €ˆin total offense and scoring offense each of the past 2 years, averaging 581.5 yards and 48.2 points a season ago.
• Baylor is playing its 8th season under head coach Art Briles and its 114th season in program history.
• Baylor is only the 2nd school to repeat as Big 12 champions - OU in `06-08.
• Baylor is 27-4 over its last 31 games.
• Baylor's 4 losses in its last 31 games were all away from home; three vs. top-15 teams.
• BU is 1 of only 2 schools (Alabama) in the country to have wins over top 10 teams in each of past 4 seasons.
• Baylor is 12-5 in games decided by 7 points or less in the last 5 seasons.
• Baylor is 8-0 vs. AP Top 25 opponents at home over last 4 seasons.
• Baylor secured its first-ever back-to-back conference championships and the eighth conference title in school history (Southwest Conference: 1915, 1922, 1924, 1974, 1980, 1994; Big 12 Conference: 2013, 2014).
• Baylor won 11 games in back-to-back seasons for first time in school history.
• BU tied a school-record with 8 conference victories in 2014. BU had 8 league wins in two other seasons: 1980 & 2013.
• Baylor scored at least 20 points before halftime in 14 of its last 15 games.
• Baylor is 37-3 over the last 5 seasons when leading at halftime.
• Baylor is 36-1 when leading by 10+ points at the half during the Briles era.
• Art Briles earned his 55th win at BU €ˆvs. K-State in 2014 to become the 3rd-winningest coach in BU history.
• The Bears have now been ranked in 5 straight seasons for the 1st time since being ranked in 5 straight from 1953-57.

OFFENSE
• Baylor set a school record for yards per play vs. SMU €ˆwith 10.48.
• Baylor ranks 6th nationally and 3rd in the Big 12, after putting up 423.0 yards of passing offense vs. SMU.
• BU's 24.88 yards per completion ranks 2nd in FBS and leads the conference.
• After racking up 300 yards against the Mustangs, Baylor ranks 14th in the country and 1st in the Big 12 in rushing.
• Baylor's 56 points against SMU €ˆranks 16th-best nationally and 2nd in the league.
• The Bears played both Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham at QB and the pair combined for a 219.79 passing efficiency, which ranks 11th in the FBS and leads the Big 12.
• #AmericasTopOffense in 2014: No. 1 nationally in scoring (48.2), total offense (581.5) and first downs (30.1) and 4th in passing (365.9 ypg).
• Baylor tied with Oregon for the FBS lead in 2014 with 41 touchdown drives of two minutes or less and had 4 vs. SMU.
• Baylor boasts the nation's only returning 1,000-yard receiving duo in 2015: Corey Coleman (64-1,119-11) and KD €ˆCannon €ˆ(58-1,030-8).
• BU €ˆreturns its entire starting O-line from the Cotton Bowl Classic, entire backfield & 10 of 13 receivers from 2014.
• Baylor's O-line returns 6 lineman with 8 or more career starts entering 2015.
• Baylor has scored 40+ points in 36 of its last 46 games and has scored 30+ points in 41 of its last 46 contests.
• Baylor has scored in 101 straight games -- previous school record was 89 games from €ˆDec. 31, 1979 - Oct. 23, 1987.
• Baylor has topped 400 yards of offense 50 times in the 53 games since 2011 - that mark leads the nation.
• Baylor has gained 500+ yards in 21 of 27 games since 2013, including 13 games with 600+ yards in that span.
• Baylor reached 600 yards of offense in 5 games in 2014 and its 2015 opener. BU has 33 such games in its history (28 in Briles era).
• Baylor topped 700 yards of total offense vs. SMU (723). It was the 10th time in program history to accomplish the feat.
• Baylor has topped the 50-point mark 21 times since 2011, the most in FBS.
• Baylor is 18-1 since the start of 2012 when attempting 50 or more rushes.
• Baylor set an NCAA record in 2013 with 681 pts. in 13 games. BU's 52.4 points/game were tied for fourth-most all-time.

DEFENSE
• Baylor posted 11 tackles for loss at SMU, which was the 8th-most in the country and the 2nd-best effort in the Big 12.
• Phil Bennett's D has forced multiple turnovers in 34 of 53 games.
• Baylor's defense is 29-5 under Bennett when recording 2+ takeaways.
• Baylor's defense has forced at least 1 turnover in 17 straight games. (14-3 in that stretch)
• Baylor has allowed 14 or fewer points in 12 of its last 27 games and 5 of 13 games in 2014.
• Baylor has recorded three or more sacks in 9 of the last 14 games.
• BU forced at least 1 turnover in 17-straight games.
• Bennett's defense has forced multiple turnovers in 23 of its last 34 games (28-6 record in that span).
• Baylor's D has 3 or more turnovers in 11 games since 2013 & has won 23 of its last 24 with 3+ takeaways.
• Baylor is 19-1 when forcing 3+ turnovers during the Briles era.
• 3 defensive starters (Beau Blackshear, Andrew Billings & Orion Stewart) are Waco natives.

INDIVIDUAL QUICK €ˆHITS
OFFENSE
• QB €ˆSeth Russell ranks 10th nationally in yards per attempt (12.53) and 15th in passing efficiency (203.6)
• WR Corey Coleman ranked seventh nationally with 111.9 receiving yards/game & 12th (led Big 12) with 11 TDs in 2014.
• Shock Linwood ranked 2nd in Big 12 in rushing yards (1,252) and TDs (16, 14th NCAA) in `14.
• Linwood set the BU freshman and sophomore rushing records & gave BU a 5th-straight season with a 1,000-yard rusher.
• OL Spencer Drango was named a 2014 consensus All-America, Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year and Outland Trophy semifinalist.

DEFENSE
• DE €ˆShawn Oakman ranked 10th nationally in TFL €ˆ(1.5/gm) & 15th in sacks €ˆ(.85/gm) in 2014.He led BU with 19.5 TFLs and 11.0 sacks in 2014. He needs just 3 sacks to set the BU €ˆschool record (Daryl Gardener, 15.0).
• LB €ˆGrant Campbell is 12th in the country with 8.0 solo tackles.

SPECIAL €ˆTEAMS
• Sophomore PK Chris Callahan made 17 of his last 20 FGs, after starting his career 1-of-6.
• P €ˆDrew Galitz made his debut against SMU €ˆand had two punts for an average of 48.0 yards, including a 53-yarder.
• With that effort BU €ˆis 4th in the country and 1st in the conference in net punting at 48.0 yards.

BRILES' UNIQUE SYSTEM IS AMERICA'S TOP OFFENSE
Art Briles' unique, record-breaking offense has led the nation in total offense (581.5 ypg 2014, 618.8 ypg 2013) and scoring (48.2 ppg 2014, 52.4 ppg 2013) in each of the last two seasons. Baylor's offense is the only one in the country to rank among the top-four in total offense each of the last four years. To start 2015, Baylor is second in total offense at 723.0 ypg and tied for 16th in scoring at 56.0 ppg.

THE BRILES OFFENSE: €ˆA unique, up-tempo spread attack with origins in Bill Yeoman's `Houston Veer' (perhaps most identifiable by wide splits of receivers and a power running game), Art Briles has honed his offensive system over the past four decades as a high school and collegiate coach; it's a balanced offense, not to be confused with more common pass-heavy spread attacks. The Briles offense is also in use at Bowling Green (head coach Dino Babers) and Tulsa (head coach Philip Montgomery) under former Briles assistants.

TWO-TIME CHAMPS RETURN ROSTER LOADED WITH VETERANS
Baylor's experience was on display in the opening win against SMU €ˆas only 3 of 22 starters logged their first career start. Every member of the starting offense had a least one start to his credit. Not only does Baylor boast a veteran-laden roster in 2015, it's a squad full of players wearing multiple Big 12 championship rings. The Bears return 30 veterans who have lettered on back-to-back Big 12 championship teams (and another 22 who lettered on a single championship team in 2014). That's 52 lettermen with at least one ring. Baylor's powerful offensive machine, which has led the nation in total offense and scoring each of the past two seasons, returns its entire starting offensive line from the 2015 Cotton Bowl, its entire backfield and 10 of 13 receivers from 2014.

BAYLOR D-LINE: "SCARY GOOD"
Baylor's defensive line is loaded with talented veterans and features a five-man rotation that Phil Steele termed, €ˆ"one of the best defensive lines in the country." The quintet, of which ESPN said, "has the potential to be scary good -- and also just plain scary," is made up of senior All-American Shawn Oakman, a trio of All-Big 12 honorees in junior Andrew Billings and seniors Beau Blackshear and Jamal Palmer, and 2014 Freshman All-American K.J. Smith, and has combined for 132 career games, 356 tackles, 94.5 TFL and 34.5 sacks. The line ranked seventh nationally in rushing yards-per-play allowed in 2014, giving up just 3.15 per-rush. The 2015 edition is ranked third nationally by Lindy's, fourth by Athlon and fifth by Phil Steele. "This is a unit loaded with size, speed and experience," according to ESPN.com.

NATION'S TOP RECEIVING DUO
Baylor's potent 1-2 receiving punch of junior All-American Corey Coleman and sophomore KD €ˆCannon €ˆ(2014 Freshman All-American) is the nation's only returning 1,000-yard receiving duo in 2015. In the 2015 opener, both receivers eclipsed 100 yards receiving with Coleman grabbing five catches for 178 yards and 1 TD €ˆand Cannon hauling in 3 balls for 104 yards. Last season Coleman totaled 64 catches, 1,119 yards and 11 TDs in just 10 games (111.9 yards/game) and Cannon (described by Sporting News as "the next great receiver in the college game") had 58 for 1,030 and 8 TDs. Coleman was named "College Football's Most Freakish Athlete" by NFL.com, and the duo was listed 1-2 on "College Football's Most Explosive Player" listing by NFL.com.

VETERAN O-LINE PROTECTING NEW QB
Baylor's offensive line has six linemen with nine or more career starts (Spencer Drango 36, Desmine Hilliard 18, Kyle Fuller 14, Blake Muir 13, Jarell Broxton 9, Pat Colbert 9). The line allowed just 1.54 sacks-per-game during its 2014 championship run [see chart below]. The 2015 line is ranked the nation's No. 2 unit by Lindy's, No. 4 by Athlon and No. 6 by Phil Steele.

SACKS-PER-GAME ALLOWED:
2015: 1.00 (1 for 6 yds in 1 game) - 26th
2014: 1.85 (24 for 152 yds in 13 games) - 4th
2013: 1.69 (22 for 113 yds in 13 games) - 4th
2012: 1.46 (19 for 92 yds in 13 games) - 5th
2011: 2.23 (29 for 175 yds in 13 games) - 8th

BIG €ˆ12'S TOP €ˆTEAM €ˆSINCE €ˆ2013
En route to back-to-back Big 12 titles, the Bears racked up matching 8-1 league records. That combined record of 16-2 is far and away tops in the Big 12 since the start of 2013.

`WIDE RECEIVER U' RANKED NATION'S TOP CORPS
Art Briles' offense continues to attract and develop standout receivers that produce eye-popping results. Over the last five years (2010-2014), Wide Receiver U has graduated eight receivers to the NFL, produced four All-Americans and 19 All-Big 12 honors and totaled five 1,000-yard seasons. Prominent alums include Antwan Goodley (Cowboys), Josh Gordon (Browns), Tevin Reese (Bengals), Terrance Williams (Cowboys) and Kendall Wright (Titans), and the current corps boasts All-American Corey Coleman and 2014 Freshman All-America KD €ˆCannon.

The 2015 edition of #WRU, labeled €ˆ"the deepest, most terrifying receiving corps in the country" by SB Nation, is ranked the nation's top receiving unit by Athlon, Lindy's and SportsOnEarth (second by Phil Steele).

BU €ˆLEADING €ˆNATION IN €ˆ50-POINT €ˆGAMES €ˆSINCE €ˆ2013
With its 56 points against SMU, the Bears continued to lead the nation in 50-point outings since 2013.

MOST €ˆ50-Point Games Since 2013
Baylor 12
Oregon 12
Ohio State 11
Arizona State, Texas A&M, Florida State 9

BAYLOR'S RETURN TO PROMINENCE UNDER BRILES
It's no secret that Art Briles has rebuilt Baylor's football program back to national prominence, but most impressive is how quickly and pronounced the transformation happened (Briles is third on the BU €ˆcareer wins list).

THE €ˆNATION'S MOST €ˆBALANCED €ˆOFFENSE
Baylor has ranked among the nation's top 15 in both rushing and passing yards in three of the past four years. Additionally, BU has rushed on more than 54 percent of plays over the last four seasons.

OPPORTUNISTIC €ˆDEFENSE
Baylor's defense under coordinator Phil Bennett has demonstrated a knack for making big plays at key moments to contribute to the Bears' winning ways over the past four-plus seasons. In four-plus years under Bennett, Baylor's D has recorded at least one takeaway in 48 of 53 games - a total of 111 takeaways (68 interceptions, 43 fumbles recovered). Overall under Bennett, Baylor is 29-5 when recording two or more takeaways.

BAYLOR'S POWERFUL OFFENSE ALSO CRAZY FAST
In 2014, Baylor's up-tempo offense led the nation in plays/game €ˆ(87.5), TD drives of one minute or less €ˆ(24), TD drives of two minutes or less (41, tied with Oregon) and fewest seconds-per-play in the first half €ˆ(18.0). The Bears, called "the best quick-strike offense in college football" by ESPN, also led the NCAA in TDs of 40 or more yards (19) and TD €ˆthrows of 25 or more yards €ˆ(24). In 2013, Baylor's offense led the nation in seconds-per-play €ˆ(16.7), TD drives of one minute or less (29), TD drives of two minutes or less €ˆ(60) and most plays of 40 yards or more (37). [all stats via ESPN Stats & Info]

OWNING €ˆTHE €ˆLONE €ˆSTAR €ˆSTATE
Baylor has racked up a 16-3 record vs. in-state foes over the last four-plus years, including victories in its last nine meetings with other Texas schools. The Bears have also been successful against any opponent when the game has been played in the Lone Star State, boasting a 22-1 record over its last 23 games and a 33-4 mark in contests over the last four-plus years in Texas.

LAMAR €ˆSERIES HISTORY
• Baylor and Lamar meet for the fourth-time Saturday. The Bears lead the all-time series, 2-1, while things are all tied up 1-1 when the series is played in Waco. This will be the first game in the series since 1981 - the last year of three-straight years that the two teams played.
• The two teams last played to open the 1981 season with Lamar taking an 18-17 win in Waco on a last-second field goal.
• The Bears and Cardinals first met on Sept. 8, 1979, with BU taking a 20-7 victory in Waco.
• The next year, Baylor dominated Lamar 42-7, on Sept. 13, 1980, in the only meeting played in Beaumont.
• Lamar's football program was discontinued in 1990 and did not return until 2010.