Sept. 12, 2016

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21/19 BAYLOR (2-0) at Rice (0-2) Sept. 16, 2016 | 7 p.m. CT Houston, Texas | Rice Stadium (47,000) TV: ESPN

Watch | Listen | | Notes

MEDIA INFORMATION Date Friday, Sept. 16 | 7 p.m. CT Location Houston, Texas | Rice Stadium (47,000) TV ESPN TV Talent Adam Amin (pxp), Mack Brown (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline) Radio ESPN Central Texas | Sirius/XM 84/84 Online Audio Listen Online Live Stats Game Notes Baylor Notes | Rice Notes Twitter @BUFootball BAYLOR-RICE SERIES Series Baylor leads, 48-30-2 In Waco Baylor leads, 22-10 In Houston Baylor leads, 26-20-2 First Meeting Nov. 20, 1914 - Rice, 14-13 Last Meeting Sept. 26, 2015 - Baylor, 70-17 21/19 BAYLOR BEARS Record 2-0, 0-0 Big 12 Ranking 21 (AP), 19 (Coaches) Last Game Sept. 10, 2016 (defeated SMU, 40-13) Head Coach Jim Grobe (Virginia, 1975) Career: 112-115-1 (20th season) BU Record: 2-0 (1st season) NR/NR RICE OWLS Record 0-2 Ranking NR (AP), NR (Coaches) Last Game Sept. 10, 2016 (lost at Army, 31-14) Head Coach David Bailiff (Texas State, 1991) Career: 74-77 (13th season) Rice Record: 53-62 (10th season)

STORY LINES
- In its first road game of 2016, Baylor faces Rice Friday at 7 p.m. in Houston on ESPN.
- BU has opened 2-0 for the 7th-straight year with wins over Northwestern St. (55-7) and SMU (40-13).
- Baylor is playing its 114th season of football and 1st under acting head coach Jim Grobe.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € is playing its 1st game in Houston since Dec. 29, 2010 (L, 38-14 vs. Illinois in Texas Bowl)
- Baylor is looking to start a season 3-0 for the 6th-straight year, which would be a program first.
- BU leads the all-time series against Rice 48-30-2, including 7-straight wins since a loss in 1992.
- The Bears lead the series 26-20-2 in Houston, including wins in 8 of the last 9 Space City meetings.
- Baylor won at least 10 games for a 3rd-straight season, earned a program-high ranking of No. 2 and was 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl champions last season.
- Baylor returns 41 lettermen and 11 starters (4 o; 5 d; 2 st) from the 2015 squad.
- Baylor was 4-1 in true road games in 2015 and 5-1 away from Waco.
- Baylor is 11-3 in true road games over last 3 years, after going 7-17 in the previous 5 years.
- Baylor leads the Big 12 and is 12th nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 10.0 ppg.
- The Bears are 3rd in conference and 17th in FBS in scoring offense, averaging 47.5 ppg.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € has #AmericasTopOffense, which has led the NCAAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € in total and scoring offense for past 3 years.
- Averaging 517.0 yards of offense in 2016, BU is ranked 4th in Big 12 and 24th nationally.
- Giving up just 241.5 yards per game, the Bears lead Big 12 and rank 16th nationally in total defense.
- Baylor led all FBS teamsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € in TD drives of 2 min. or less in each of the last 2 seasons - 49 a year ago & 41 in 2014. The Bears have 8 such drives in the first two games of 2016.
- Baylor moved up 2 spots to No. 21 in the APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Top 25 and stayed at No. 19 in the Amway Coaches Poll.
- BU's been ranked in a school-record 52 straight AP Polls, FBS' 4th-best streak.
- Baylor has won 18-consecutive regular-season non-conference games, dating back to 2010.
- Baylor is 20-5 vs. in-state schools over last 5+ seasons and has won 13 of last 15 vs. Texas foes.
- BU has won 29 of its last 33 games played in Texas and is 40-7 in the state over the last 5+ seasons.
- Senior RBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Shock Linwood (3,618 yds.) is 48 yards away from breaking Walter Abercrombie's school rushing record of 3,665. He also needs 2 rushing TDs to set a new BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € career mark.

QUICK NOTES
- 2016 marks a new era as acting head coach Jim Grobe takes the reins of the Baylor football program. Grobe's four decades on the sidelines include 20 seasons and 112 career wins as a head coach at Ohio, Wake Forest and now Baylor.
- Including walk-ons, Baylor has played a total of 32 freshmen in 2016, 19 redshirt freshmen & 13 true freshmen.
- Baylor hasn't lost a game in September since 2012 (9/29 vs. WVU) and is 10-0 since.

OVERALL SUCCESS:
- Baylor opened the season 2-0 for the seventh-straight season.
- Baylor has won 52 games over the past 5-plus years (best in Big 12), as well as 2 Big 12 titles and 3 bowl games.
- In last 45 games BU has just 7 losses, 5 to top 15-ranked teams (and 5 away from home).
- Baylor has now been bowl-eligible in 6-straight years for the 1st time in school history.

#AMERICASTOPOFFENSE SUCCESS:
- While not putting up the record-breaking numbers of the past 3 years, Baylor's offense has still been potent.
- The Bears didn't start fast against SMU (3 pts. on first 6 drives), but scored on 5 of their next 8 possessions.
- In less than a half of work against Northwestern State, Baylor's first team offense racked up 340 yards of offense and scored on all seven of its possessions (5 TDs, 2 FGs).
- Baylor is 2nd team in FBS history to lead nation in scoring (48.1 ppg in 2015) in 3 straight seasons (1979-81 BYU), according to ESPN Stats & Info.
- #AmericasTopOffense in 2015: No. 1 nationally in Scoring (48.1) and Total Offense (616.2), 2nd in Rushing (326.7), 3rd in Pass Efficiencyà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (170.8) and First Downsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (29.5).

DEFENSIVE SUCCESS:
- For 2016, the Bears have switched to a 3-4 defense and it has had much success in the first two games.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € has been especially good against the pass, leading the Big 12 and ranking 4th in FBSà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € in team pass efficiency defense (65.30), while giving up 130.0 yards per game through the air, which ranks 2nd in league and 16th in nation.
- While the offense struggled early against the Mustangs, the defense kept the game close, forcing 4 turnovers.
- Safety Orion Stewart was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week with 8 tackles and 2 INTs vs. SMU.
- Despite not forcing a turnover against Northwestern State, Baylor's defense allowed only 78 yards of offense to the Demons, which currently is the leading mark in the country. For the game, Baylor forced 13 punts and 11 3-and-outs.
- Phil Bennett's defense has forced at least one turnover in 28 of its last 31 games and 59 of 67 games (83 INTs, 56 FR).
- Baylor's D has forced multiple turnovers in 43 of 67 games (with 37-6 record).
- Baylor forced at least 2 turnovers in 9 of 13 games of 2015 and has done so in 1 of 2 games in 2016.

RUSHING SUCCESS:
- For 2-straight games, the Bears have rushed for 275 yards, which is tops in the Big 12 and 16th in the nation.
- BU's ground attack has been spread evenly between 3 RBs (Shock Linwood, Terence Williams and JaMycal Hasty).
- Each of those 3 RBs is averaging 66.0 ypg, while QB Seth Russell is also a threat to run with 43 yds and a TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € vs. SMU.
- Baylor has rushed for a TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € in 30-straight games, the longest streak among Power Five conference teams.
- Baylor led all Power Five schools in rushing in 2015: 326.7 yards per game.
- Baylor's backfield has produced six 1,000-yard rushers in the last five seasons.

O-LINE EXCELLENCE:
- Baylor is 1 of only 6 teams in the country to have not allowed a sack in 2016.
- Despite 4-first time starters, the wall is protecting Seth Russell and helping BU lead the Big 12 in rushing.
- Baylor's 2015 o-line led the Big 12 and ranked 15th nationally by giving up just 15 sacks in 13 games (1.15 per game).
- Baylor has accounted for 4 straight Big 12 Offensive Linemen of the Year (Spencer Drango 2015 & 2014[co], Cyril Richardson 2013 & 2012).
- BU has had at least one All-American o-lineman in seven of the last eight years.

#WIDERECEIVERU SUCCESS:
- Baylor has had 11 different players catch a pass in 2016, but is led by KDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Cannonà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (28-straight games with a catch), who has five catches for 139 yards and 2 TDs. Cannon's reception streak is tied for 10th-longest active streak in the nation.
- Since 2009 BU's receiving corps has totaled: 6 NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draftees, 1 Biletnikoff Award winner, 5 All-Americans, 17 All-Big 12 honors and 6 1,000-yard seasons.

SPECIAL TEAMSà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € IMPROVEMENT:
- Acting head coach Jim Grobe has stressed specials teams throughout his tenure and the work has paid off.
- The Bears are 3rd in the Big 12, allowing only 15.6 yards per kickoff return, after ranking 7th a year ago (23.05).
- Meanwhile, BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € ranks 5th in Big 12 and 37th nationally with 11.44 yards per punt return, after ranking 9th and 113th in 2015 (4.27).

RANKINGS SUCCESS:
- Baylor has been ranked in 52 straight AP Polls, the 4th-longest streak nationally (Top 15 in 43 of last 47 polls).
- Baylor has won 7 games over AP/Coaches/BCS/CFP top 10 teams since 2011.
- Baylor is 8-1 vs. AP Top 25 opponents at home over last 5 seasons.
- Baylor and Alabama are the only teams to beat at least 1 Top 10 team in each of last 5 years.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € is 12-9 overall vs. APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Top 25 teams since 2011.

HOME SUCCESS:
- Baylor has the nation's best home record since 2011 at 31-3.
- In home games, Baylor is 35-5 over the last 6-plus seasons.
- Baylor is 12-2 in the $266 million McLane Stadium, with an average scoring margin of + 27.1 points.
- Baylor is averaging 50.9 points per game and 613.4 yards per game in 2+ years at the riverfront stadium.

ROAD SUCCESS: BU has won 17 of last 22 games played outside of Waco.

NEUTRAL SUCCESS: BU has won 7 of last 9 neutral-site games.

CONFERENCE SUCCESS:
- Baylor boasts the most wins (52) and conference titlesà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (2, tied) in the Big 12 Conference over the last five-plus years.
- BU's three-year overall record of 34-7 and league mark of 22-5 are the best among Big 12 schools.

IN-STATE SUCCESS:
- BU has won 29 of its last 33 games played in Texas and is 40-7 in the state over last 5-plus years.
- Baylor is 20-5 vs. in-state schools over last 5-plus seasons and has won 13 of last 15 vs. Texas foes.

LATE-SEASON SUCCESS: Baylor has compiled an FBS-best 23 winsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (23-7) in November and December since 2011 (7-1 in Dec.).

NFL DRAFT SUCCESS:
- Baylor had 6 players selected in the 2016 NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft, the seventh-most among NCAA schools and most of any Big 12 or Texas program.
- Baylor's 22 NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks over the last 6 years tops all Texas schools.
- BU's 5 first-round NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks over last 6 years is the Big 12's most.

MOREà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € ONà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € #AMERICASTOPOFFENSE:
- Baylor has scored 20+ points in the first half in 23 of 28 games since start of the 2014 season.
- Baylor has topped 400 yards of offense 63 times in the 67 games since 2011 -- that is 2nd in the nation (Oregon, 64).
- Baylor has scored 30+ points in 53 of its last 60 contests.
- Baylor scored touchdowns on its first drive in 11 of 13 games last year and started with one against NSU.
- Baylor has had a 1,000-yard rusher in 6 straight seasons (Jay Finley-2010; Terrance Ganaway-2011; Lache Seastrunk-2012, 2013; Shockà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Linwood-2014, 2015; Johnny Jefferson-2015).
- Baylor is 46-3 over the last 6 seasons when leading at halftime.
- Baylor has led at the half in 17 of its last 21 games.

OFFENSIVEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € STANDOUTS
- In his first two games back from an injury in October 2015, QBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Seth Russell, a senior, has thrown for 424 yards and 6 TDs on 40-of-67 passing.. Russell improved to 10-0 in his career as a starter. In his 10 career starts, Russell has thrown 40 TD passes (4.0 TD passes/game) and only 8 interceptions. The Garland, Texas, product is the Baylor career leader in pass efficiency (171.3) and total offense yards/play (8.929). He also ranks: second in passing yards/attempt (9.516), yards/completion (16.13), third in TD/interception ratio (3.8) and passing TDs (46), fifth in interception percentage (.0304), sixth in completion percentage (.590) and 15th in passing yards (3,759) for his career.
- Senior RBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Shock Linwood is a Maxwell, Doak Walker, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose, Senior Bowl and Rotary Lombardi watch list member. He is a veteran with 39 games played (third-most on squad) and 27 career starts (second-most on team). The Linden, Texas, native is just 48 yards away from becoming BU's all-time leading rusher, after racking up 156 yards on 27 carries in the season's first two games.
- Senior Cà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Kyle Fuller has garnered a place on the Rimington Trophy, Outland Trophy, Senior Bowl and Rotary Lombardi watch lists in 2016. He has played 41 career games (most on team) and started 28 (most on squad). The Wylie, Texas, product is a three-year starter and helps anchor a young o-line that has allowed no sacks in the first two games.
- Junior WRà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € KDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Cannon is on watch lists for the Biletnikoff and Tyler Rose awards. He is the most experienced receiver on the squad and ranks third all-time on school's career yards-per-game (72.75) and seventh in yards-per-reception (16.56) lists, while being ninth in TDs (16) and yards (2,037). The Mount Pleasant, Texas, product has a 28-game reception streak (every game of career), which is tied for the 10th-longest active streak.

DEFENSIVE STARS
- DEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € K.J. Smith is a fourth-year junior lineman. He is a technically sound veteran with 13 career starts and 28 games played on a young defensive line. He has played in every game over the past two seasons, including eight starts in 2014 as a redshirt freshman. He has 6 tackles, 1 sack and 2 TFLs in the first two games.
- Senior NBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Travon Blanchard suffered a knee injury during fall camp and has missed the first two games of the year. He started all 13 games a year ago earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches. The Orange, Texas, native is a quick, rangy, playmaker at hybrid linebacker/safety spot and is expected to return for the Rice game.
- Junior LBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Taylor Young has been recognized on watch lists for the Bednarik, Butkus and Rotary Lombardi awards this fall. He is a returning All-Big 12 linebacker and starting WLB in 12 of 13 games in 2015. The DeSoto, Texas, product is a powerful, compact, leader with 22 starts and 27 games played. He was the 2014 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year. Young has 8 tackles, 1 sack and 3.5 TFLs in the two opening games.
- DBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Ryan Reid was recently selected to the Senior Bowl watch list. He is a fifth-year senior cornerback. The Dallas, Texas, native is a veteran with 26 career starts (third-most on team) and 34 career games played (sixth on squad). He was named preseason All-Big 12 by Lindy's. Reid suffered an injury early in the SMUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € game and did not return.

SPECIALà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € TEAMS CONTRIBUTORS
- Junior PK Chris Callahan has made 29 of his last 37 FGs, after starting his career 1-of-6. His 258 career points scored now rank 2nd in program history. On the year, Callahan is 4-for-4 on FGs and is one of only nine players in the country to have not missed, while kicking four or more field goals.
- Pà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Drew Galitz, a sophomore, had breakout day against SMU, punting 5 times for an average of 48.4. For the season, he fourth in the Big 12 and 28th nationally with an average of 43.4 yards per punt
- Punt returner Tony Nicholson, a redshirt freshman, made his debut against Northwestern State. The Grand Prairie, Texas, native is ranked third in the Big 12 and 15th in the country with a 14.5 punt return average.

BIGà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 12'S BESTà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € PROGRAMà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € SINCEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 2013
Baylor's three-plus year record of 34-7 and league mark of 22-5 are the best among Big 12 schools. The Bears have also won two conference championships since 2013.

SHOCK ON VERGE OF RUSHING RECORDS
Baylor senior Shock Linwood is the nation's second-leading active rusher and on the cusp of becoming Baylor's all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing TDs.

STEWARTà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € NAMEDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € BIGà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 12 DEFENSIVEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € PLAYERà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € OFà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € THEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € WEEK
Safety Orion Stewart was recognized as the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week Monday. Stewart, a senior, had eight tackles (five solo), two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown to help Baylor defeat SMU, 40-13, Saturday in Waco. The Waco, Texas, product set a new career-high with the two INTs and upped his career total to eight with a pair of return TDs. Stewart's first interception came in the second quarter with SMU looking to build on a 6-3 lead. He slid in front of SMU QB Ben Hicks' pass into the end zone to end the scoring threat for the Mustangs. In the third quarter, Stewart jumped an SMU out route on the sideline and returned it 33 yards for the touchdown to put BU in front 26-6.

THE BAYLOR SYSTEM IS AMERICA'S TOP OFFENSE
Baylor's unique, record-breaking system has set the standard for offense in contemporary college football. For three-straight seasons, Baylor has led the nation in both Total Offense (616.2 ypg in 2015, 581.5 ypg 2014, 618.8 ypg 2013) and Scoring (48.1 ppg in 2015, 48.2 ppg 2014, 52.4 ppg 2013), just the second program in NCAA history to do soà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (first since BYU 1979-81).

THE BAYLOR OFFENSE: à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € A 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); it's a balanced offense, not to be confused with more common pass-heavy spread attacks. The Baylor offense is also in use under former Art Briles assistants at Syracuse (head coach Dino Babers), Texasà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert) and Tulsa (head coach Philip Montgomery).

BAYLOR'S DISRPUTIVE GANGGREEN DEFENSE
BU's defensive impact has improved under sixth-year D-coordinator Phil Bennett. Over the last three seasons, in which Baylor has posted a Big 12-best 34-7 record and won two league titles, the Bears D has increased its sacks and tackles-for-loss totals. In 2016, the Bears have debuted a 3-4 look that has resulted in a stifling defensive effort through two games.

RICE SERIES HISTORY
- Baylor and Rice will meet for the 81st time Friday. Winners of seven straight against Rice, Baylor leads the series 48-30-2. Rice is the second former Southwest Conference rival on Baylor's 2016 schedule (Baylor defeated SMU, 40-13, on Sept. 10). Prior to Baylor and Rice leaving the Southwest Conference in 1996, the series with the Owls had been played continuously for 71 years (with the exception of World War II) as conference rivals.
- Since moving into the Big 12 Conference in 1996, Baylor is 10-0 in non-conference games against former Southwest Conference (non-Big 12) rivals -- 6-0 vs. SMU and 4-0 vs. Rice.
- Friday will be just the fifth series meeting since the Southwest Conference disbanded.
- In 2010's last series meeting in Houston, Robert Griffin III passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns to lead Baylor to a 30-13 win over Rice on a rain-soaked Saturday night that included a weather delay of about an hour. The Bears outgained Rice 456 to 296.
- Baylor's coaching connections with Rice also run deep as former defensive coach Larry Hoeffer (2003-10) is the Rice safeties coach and former director of operations Jerry Pickle (1986-2007) is on the Owls' operations staff.

SERIES NOTES: Baylor is 22-10 at home vs. Rice and has won five straight series meetings in Waco ... Since 1974, Baylor holds an 21-5 series advantage over Rice ... Baylor is 10-4 vs. Rice when ranked, winning nine of the last 10 such meetings with the lone loss in that stretch coming in Waco during the 1991 season, 20-17 (last Owl victory in Waco). The first meeting in the series was in 1914 (a 14-13 Rice victory).

BEST IN TEXAS
Baylor has posted the best record among in-state programs over the last five-plus years, a 52-15 mark [see list below]. The Bears are also 20-5 head-to-head vs. Texas schools since 2011, and boast an overall 40-7 record in games played in the Lone Star State.

WIN-LOSS RECORDS (since 2011):
Baylor 52-15
Houston 49-19
TCU 46-20
Texas A&M 45-22
Texas 38-28

BEARS MAKEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € HABIT OFà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € BEATINGà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € TOP 10 TEAMS
Baylor is the one of only two schools (Alabama) to have wins over Top 10 teams in each of the past five seasons.
(rankings AP/Coaches/BCS or CFP).

2011: Beat 5th/5th/5th Oklahoma, 45-38
2012: Beat 2nd/2nd/1st K-State, 52-24
2013: Beat 12th/8th/10th Oklahoma, 41-12
2014: Beat 9th/12th/- TCU, 61-58
Beat 9th/9th/9th Kansas State, 37-28
2015: Beat 4th/4th/6th Oklahoma State, 45-35
Beat 10th/11th/10th North Carolina, 49-38

NATION'S MOST BALANCED OFFENSE
Baylor annually ranks among the nation's leaders in both passing and rushing. The Bears rush more often than pass, and have run the ball on 58.1 percent of plays over the last five seasons.

BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € LEADINGà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € NATION INà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 50-POINTà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € GAMESà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € SINCEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 2013
After opening the year with 55 points against Northwestern State, the Bears continue to lead the nation in 50-point outings since 2013.

MOSTà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 50-Point Games Since 2013
Baylor 18
Oregon 16
Ohio State 12

BAYLOR'S POWERFUL OFFENSE ALSO CRAZY FAST
After two games it appears, Baylor will continue a three-plus year period of dominance in scoring quickly. The Bears have had eight TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € drives under two minutes in the first two games of the year. In 2015, BU led the nation in plays per game (84.8), TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € drives of two minutes or less (49), fewest seconds per play (17.7) in the first half and TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € throws of 25 or more yards downfield (16). In 2014, Baylor led the nation in plays/gameà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (87.5), TD drives of one min. or lessà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (24), TD drives of two min. or less (41) and fewest seconds-per-play in the first halfà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (18.0). The Bears also led the NCAA in TDs of 40 or more yards (19) and TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € throws of 25 or more yardsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (24). In 2013, Baylor led the nation in seconds-per-playà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (16.7), TD drives of one minute or less (29), TD drives of two minutes or lessà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (60) and most plays of 40 yards or more (37). [all stats via ESPN Stats & Info]

BAYLOR'Sà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € OFFENSIVEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € STREAKS
- Baylor has topped 500 yards of offense 51 times in the 67 games since 2011, which leads the nation.
- Baylor has gained 500+ yards in 30 of 41 games since 2013, including 20 games with 600+ yards in that span.
- Baylor has scored 30+ points in 53 of its last 60 contests and 40+ points in 46 of its last 60 games.
- Baylor has scored 50+ points 18 times since 2013, and 27 times since 2011, both most among all FBS teams.
- Baylor has scored in 115 straight games -- previous school record was 89 games fromà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Dec. 31, 1979 - Oct. 23, 1987.
- Baylor reached 600 yards of offense in 5 games in 2014 and in 8 of 13 games of 2015. BU has 39 such games in its history (35 since 2008).
- Baylor topped 700 yards of total offense in five games in 2016 (SMU, 723; LU, 785, Rice 793;OSU, 700; UNC, 756). BU has accomplished the feat 14 times in program history.

BACKFIELD BECOMINGà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € FOUR-HEADEDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € MONSTER
Through the first two games of 2016, Baylor has displayed a balanced rushing attack with Shock Linwood, Terence Williams and JaMycal Hasty all producing over 130 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, QBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Seth Russell showed his running ability against SMUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € with seven rushes for 43 yards and a touchdown.

GANGGREEN DEFENSE AMONG LEAGUE'S BEST
It's hard to overstate the role Baylor's defense has had in the Bears' success the last three-plus seasonsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (Big 12-best 34-7 record and two league titles). Phil Bennett's D ranks among the Big 12 and national leaders in several key per-snap categories and takeaways.

UPà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € NEXT
Following the road game at Rice, Baylor will return home to open Big 12 play against Oklahoma State on Sept. 24. The game at McLane Stadium will start at 6:30 p.m. CTà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € and be televised by FOX.