GAME 1

BAYLOR vs. LIBERTY

September 2 | 6:00PM CT | McLane Stadium | Waco, Texas
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Game Notes: Baylor | Liberty | Big 12 | Big South

STORY LINES

• Baylor opens the 2017 season under head coach Matt Rhule in a national TV game against Liberty.
• Baylor is playing its 115th season of football and first under Rhule, who completed a successful four year term at Temple from 2013-16. Baylor holds a 588-557-44 (.513) record all-time.
• Baylor assistant coaches own 37 combined years of NFL experience, the most in college football.
• Baylor has won 8 straight openers and has started the last 7 years with at least 2 straight wins.
• Baylor has won 19-consecutive regular-season non-conference games, dating back to 2010.
• Baylor and Liberty have never met on the gridiron. BU holds a 3-0 record against Turner Gill, including wins over Kansas (2010-11) & Buffalo (2007).
• Baylor hasn't lost a game in September since 2012 (9/29 vs. WVU) and is 8-0 since.
• Baylor is 1 of 6 teams currently to appear in a bowl game every year since 2011 and win at least 4 of the 6 bowl games (Boise State, Alabama, Clemson, Texas A&M, Mississippi State).
• Baylor is 14-4 in the $266 million McLane Stadium, with an average scoring margin of +20.6 points.
• Baylor has the nation's 6th-best home record since 2011 at 33-5, which is the best in the Big 12.
• Baylor is 21-7 vs. in-state schools over last 5+ seasons and has won 14 of last 18 vs. Texas foes.
• The Bears have won 32 of last 39 played in Texas and are 43-10 in the state over last 5+ seasons.
• Baylor has had seven consecutive seasons with a 1,000 yard rusher including junior Terence Williams (1,048 yds) who is back for 2017 as one of four returning 1K rushers in the Big 12.
• Baylor football has completed more than 900 hours of community service since January 2017.
• The Bears capped the 2016 season with a Cactus Bowl win in their program-record seventh straight bowl appearance. BU had a program record 7+ wins in a season for the 7th straight year in 2016.
• Baylor's 39 victories since 2013 are the second-most in the Big 12 behind only Oklahoma (41).
• Just two months on the job, Rhule and his staff signed 27 players in February, a class that ranked 3rd in the Big 12. The Bears signed 20 players from the state of Texas, tops in the Big 12.
• BU has 21 former players with NFL teams during the preseason, representing 17 different NFL teams.

MORE STORY LINES
- With Kyle Fuller's selection by Houston in 2017, Baylor has had at least one NFL draft pick for nine straight years. The Bears have had 25 players selected since 2011, including eight offensive linemen in the last nine years.
- Chris Platt leads the Baylor receiving corps with a reception in six straight games and 12 of the last 13 contests.
- On the 2017 squad, 30 players have at least one college start to their credit, 17 on the Baylor defense and 13 on offense.
- Baylor is 68-11 since 2008 when scoring 30 or more points in a game.
- Liberty linebackers coach Josh Bookbinder is a Baylor grad and the grandson of legendary coach Grant Teaff.

UP NEXT
The Bears host UTSA next week at McLane Stadium. The meeting will be the first between Baylor and the Roadrunners. The UTSA program was started in 2011 and is led by second-year head coach Frank Wilson. UTSA earned the first bowl berth in program history in 2016 and finished the season 6-7. Baylor will travel to the Alamodome in 2018.

NEW ERA AT BAYLOR
Baylor enters a new era in 2017 with head coach Matt Rhule taking the helm of the program. Rhule came to Baylor from Temple, where he led the Owls to consecutive 10-win seasons and a 2016 American Athletic Conference championship with two bowl berths. Rhule spent four seasons as Temple head coach picking up 28 victories in his tenure.

RHULE'S PLAN TO WIN
In his four seasons as a head coach, Matt Rhule's teams have had tremendous success when reaching specific bench marks both offensively and defensively. Known for putting together strong defensive teams, Rhule's teams have had large amounts of success when hitting a few key offensive checkpoints.

Scoring First 22-8
Scoring on First Drive 10-1
Leading at Half 23-6
150+ rushing yards 20-7
200+ rushing yards 13-3
Scores 30+ points 20-2
Scores 40+ points 7-1

BAYLOR COACHING DEBUTS
Matt Rhule is aiming to become the second-straight Baylor head coach to win his debut game after acting head coach Jim Grobe won the opener in 2016. Baylor head coaches are 13-10-3 all-time in the first game and had lost four in a row and 6-of-7 until 2016.

SOLOMON IN SEASON OPENERS
Anu Solomon will be making his fourth career start in a season-opening game. He posted a 2-1 record at Arizona in the first game of the season from 2014-16. A native of Kalihi, Hawaii, Solomon passed for 867 yards (289.0 ypg) with eight touchdowns and only two interceptions in the three openers for the Wildcats. He would be one of only four quarterbacks nationally to start four season openers (John Wolford, Wake Forest; Tyler Rogers, New Mexico St.; Brandon Silvers, Troy).

SNOW BRINGS ONE OF NATION'S TOP DEFENSES
Following Matt Rhule to Baylor is defensive coordinator Phil Snow. A 38-year coaching veteran, Snow organized one of the top defenses in the country at Temple over the last four seasons. Since 2013, Snow's Temple unit ranked third nationally in red zone touchdown percentage (47.2 percent). Additionally, the Owls' defense allowed only 21.5 ppg in that stretch, the 10th lowest mark in Division I. Snow has served as a defensive coordinator for 26 seasons during his career at eight different stops.

MULTIPLE TURNOVERS EQUALS WINS
Matt Rhule defenses have forced two or more turnovers in 23 of 51 (45%) career games. His teams own a 17-6 record with two or more turnovers forced, have won 12 of the last 14, seven of the last eight and four straight games when doing so. Rhule's teams are 7-0 when forcing four or more turnovers and 9-3 when creating three or more.

RHULE TEAMS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER
In Matt Rhule's four seasons as head coach, he has sealed the deal when leading or tied entering the fourth quarter. Rhule-coached teams have won 25 straight games when leading or tied entering the fourth, and are 26-4 overall. All four losses came in his first season as head coach at Temple in 2013. When leading entering the fourth quarter, he has won 23 straight games and is 24-3 overall with all three losses coming in 2013 as well.

SHUTOUTS UNDER RHULE AND SNOW
Defenses coached by Phil Snow under head coach Matt Rhule have posted four shutouts, all since 2014. Those teams have notched three shutouts in the last 12 games and two in the last four, including a rare set of back-to-back shutouts on Nov. 4 at UCONN and Nov. 19 at Tulane in 2016. Rhule's teams have never been shutout on offense.

KILLING THE CLOCK
When Matt Rhule coached teams grab a seven-point lead at any point during a game, they consistently convert it into a victory. With a seven-point lead at any point during a game, they are 27-8, have won six straight and 24 of the last 27. In the fourth quarter with a seven-point lead, his teams are 27-1 and have won 26 straight. When holding a 10-point lead at any point, Rhule has won six straight. With a 14-point lead, he has won 23 straight. Up 17, Rhule has won 19 straight. When leading by 20 or more he has won 16 straight.

NFL EXPERIENCE ABOUNDS
Six coaches on the Baylor staff have 38 years combined experience in the National Football League, including head coach Matt Rhule (New York Giants, 2012). That total ranks fourth in college football. Four of the five coaches on offense spent time in the NFL including co-offensive coordinators Jeff Nixon (10 years) and Glenn Thomas (seven years). Bob Bicknell has 10 years of experience with four different teams. Phil Snow was a Detroit assistant for four seasons. George DeLeone has spent six seasons in professional football over three stints. Rhule, DeLeone and Bicknell have all served as NFL offensive line coaches. BU's 37 years of NFL coaching by its assistant coaches lead the country.

BIG 12'S BEST HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE
In the final years at Floyd Casey Stadium and since the opening of McLane Stadium, the Bears have been nearly unbeatable in Waco. At its new home on the Brazos River, the Bears are 14-4, which ranks as the top winning percentage (.875) for any stadium in the country. BU also leads the Big 12 in home winning percentage at home since 2012 at .839.

ANU AMONG NATION'S ACTIVE LEADERS
Baylor senior quarterback Anu Solomon enters 2017 and his final season of collegiate competition as one of the top statistical passers active among all FBS programs. Solomon ranks seventh nationally with 555 career completions, while also ranking 10th nationally in both passing yards (6,922) and touchdowns (49). He has made 27 starts and played in 30 games in his career.

REINFORCEMENTS ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE
With three upperclassmen expected to man key spots on the offensive line, Baylor head coach Matt Rhule could turn to as many as three newcomers for reps on the offensive line. Sophomore tight-end-turned-offensive-lineman Sam Tecklenburg could start at either left guard or center. True freshman Ryan Miller is penciled in as the starting center. The Bears could also get a major contribution from true freshman Xavier Newman at one of the guard spots. Josh Malin moved from tight end over the summer as well and will be a key reserve at tackle.

CONSISTENT RUNNING GAME
Baylor's offense has churned out eight 1,000-yard rushers since 2010 - the second-best total in FBS. The Bears have had at least one player rush for 1,000 or more yards for a program-record seven consecutive seasons including junior Terence Williams' 1,048 yards in 2016. Williams was the 12th player in Baylor history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

SENIORS SET TO GUIDE DEFENSE
First-year head coach Matt Rhule is counting on seniors K.J. Smith and Taylor Young to guide the defense in 2017. The duo has combined to start 54 games over their first three seasons including 29 starts for Young and 25 for Smith. Smith led the Bears with 7.5 sacks in 2016 en route to being named first-team All-Big 12. With 12 career sacks, he is tied for ninth in BU history. Young, a two-time All-Big 12 selection, has piled up 265 career tackles and has a shot to break into the Baylor all-time top 10 with another strong season.

FROM BAYLOR BASKETBALL TO FOOTBALL -- PART II
Following a very successful four-year basketball career as a guard/forward at Baylor, Ishmail Wainright is making the move to tight end with the Bears in 2017 -- he hasn't played football since the ninth grade in 2009. The transition is similar to BU basketball all-time leading rebounder Rico Gathers, who was drafted as a tight end in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys after playing hoops from 2012-16. Wainright was a key piece in BU's 99 wins during his career, which are tied for third most in a four-year span. His 91 individual wins are tied for fifth most in program history by a player. With Wainright's help, the Bears made the NCAA Tournament in a program-record four straight seasons with two Sweet 16 appearances (2013-14, 2016-17). The Kansas City, Mo. native averaged 18.5 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his career.

BEST IN TEXAS
Baylor has posted the best record among in-state programs over the last six years, a 57-21 mark [see list below]. The Bears are also 21-8 head-to-head vs. Texas schools since 2011, and boast an overall 53 11 record in games played in the Lone Star State.

Baylor 57-21
Houston 56-23
TCU 51-26
Texas A&M 51-27
Texas 41-35

COMPLETE NOTES