A LOOK BACK: BAYLOR 21, TEXAS TECH 15
11/12/2020 5:24:00 PM | Football
Current Radio Analyst J.J. Joe Engineered Bears’ Last Win in Lubbock
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Watching Baylor quarterback Brad Goebel take a big shot from Texas Tech linebacker Charles Rowe and stay down on the field with a broken hand that ended his senior season, J.J. Joe froze as he heard the shouts of, "GET IN!"
"I'm chilling down on the opposite end of the field, about as far away as you can get, because I think we were backed up inside the 15-yard line," said Joe, a redshirt freshman on Baylor's 1990 team who now serves as an analyst on the radio broadcasts. "I was still third on the depth chart, so I was down there just shooting the bull with Robert Strait."
It was at that point, though, that he saw "heads turning towards me" on the sidelines and a surprising marching order of, "J.J., get in!"
With the injury to Goebel, who was elected to the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame this year, then-offensive coordinator Chuck Reedy passed over backup Steve Needham and handed Joe a field promotion from third team to QB1.
"I got a little action at Arizona State, and I had practiced well," Joe said. "Coach Reedy had told me during the week to stay ready. But, nothing changed. I was still third on the depth chart. And as far as reps in practice, I got a few more reps – I would go in a play or two in place of Needham – but not many. So, going into the game, I wasn't really expecting to play."
Instead, J.J. was at the controls when the Bears came back from an early deficit to knock off Texas Tech, 21-15, on Sept. 29, 1990, at Jones AT&T Stadium. That also happens to be the last win in Lubbock for Baylor (1-4, 1-4), which returns to Jones Stadium for the first time since 2008 for Saturday's 3 p.m. game against the Red Raiders (2-5, 1-5).
"I can't really explain it, but that's just a tough place to play," Joe said. "People would ask me, 'What's the loudest place you've been?' And I would always tell them Tech. There's just something about Tech. The fans are rabid, and that place just held sound. I remember trying to bark the signals, and you just couldn't hear yourself."
The first issue for J.J. in that game was simply finding his helmet, "because I'm not expecting to play."
"My helmet was over by the bench, but I don't even think I had a mouthpiece unless it was in my helmet. I ran over to the coach, but it was like everything was moving in slow motion at that point."
Trying to get the freshman quarterback's nerves under control, Reedy called a simple draw play run by David Mims on third-and-26 that netted just three yards. A bobbled snap and six-yard punt left Tech camped at Baylor's 16-yard line and already leading, 7-0.
Four plays later, this one took a wild turn when a 30-yard field goal attempt by Waco native and future Dallas Cowboys kicker Lin Elliott was blocked by Reggie Howard. A wild chase ensued that ended up with cornerback Malcolm Frank recovering for the Bears at Tech's 1-yard line, setting up a TD plunge by fullback Michael Moore.
Following the game, legendary Baylor coach Grant Teaff said of the blocked field goal: "No, we don't coach players to bat the ball downfield. I don't want anybody pushing a ball around when you can recover it."
Tech had blown a chance to put this game away early, missing two first-quarter field goals and suffering the first of five turnovers in the game when safety Michael McFarland picked off quarterback Robert Hall on a trip into the red zone.
"Call it character," Teaff said. "I've never seen so many bad things happen to a team that hung in there and won a game."
Joe wasn't asked to do too much in the game, completing 4-of-7 passes for 77 yards and adding 29 net yards rushing on nine attempts. But, on a 10-play, 80-yard drive in the second quarter, he scrambled for 22 yards on a third-and-9 play to pick up a critical first down and completed a 31-yard pass to Lee Miles that set up the go-ahead one-yard TD run by Eldwin Raphel.
"J.J. was just different," said Monte Jones, a four-year starter at guard opposite John Turnpaugh. "It's not like you would pick him out as a top-notch collegiate quarterback if he was in a big group of people, but he just had the intangibles and leadership that was evident pretty early on, even as a freshman."
Splitting carries among five different backs – six, if you count Miles picking up 45 yards on reverses – the Bears churned out 275 yards rushing on 66 carries (4.2-yard average). Raphel led the way with 66 yards on 17 totes, followed by Mims with eight carries for 50 yards and David Loeb with 47 yards on 12 attempts.
"We were just smashing them and putting in fresh backs," Jones said. "I don't think people understand how tough those running backs have to be. I'd see Eldwin Raphel get hit so hard, and he would just jump right back up. J.J., too, and they weren't that big. They'd just get destroyed, but kept going. It was crazy."
Tech had a chance to pull off a comeback victory, closing to within 21-15 on a touchdown and two-point conversion with 3:28 remaining. But, the Bears kept the ball on the ground and picked up three first downs, running out the rest of the clock and ending the game with two kneel-downs by Joe.
Rowe, who had a fumble recovery and interception, said Joe "had good legs under him and used his speed. He reminds me of (Arkansas quarterback Quinn) Grovey. He was a beast for them."
The win over Tech ended an emotional week for the Bears, who finished 6-4-1 that year before back-to-bowl games in Teaff's last two seasons. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman John Karkoska had died of a total system failure just minutes before a 13-9 win over Sam Houston State, and the team had bused down to Houston for the funeral just four days before the Tech game.
"We were pretty motivated because of all of that," said Jones, who helps on his family's ranch near Houston. "We were all fresh, because we didn't practice that whole week. We just went down there and took it out on them."
NOTABLE: In addition to Goebel, Joe and Teaff, Baylor Hall of Famers off that 1990 team included defensive linemen Santana Dotson and Robin Jones, wide receiver Melvin Bonner and safety Mike Welch, who had one of the Bears' three interceptions. . . . Tech running back Anthony Lynn, the game's leading rusher with 114 yards on 22 carries, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. . . . Baylor linebacker Le'Shai Maston and Tech quarterback Robert Hall were high school teammates for a 1988 Dallas Carter team that is considered one of the best in Texas schoolboy history. Maston, who picked off a Hall pass in the end zone, is now the Crowley ISD Police Chief after 20 years with the Dallas Police Department. . . Baylor kicker Jeff Ireland, who was 3-for-3 on extra points and missed a 52-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half, is now the assistant GM of the New Orleans Saints and was formerly head of scouting with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins' GM.
Baylor Bear Insider
Watching Baylor quarterback Brad Goebel take a big shot from Texas Tech linebacker Charles Rowe and stay down on the field with a broken hand that ended his senior season, J.J. Joe froze as he heard the shouts of, "GET IN!"
"I'm chilling down on the opposite end of the field, about as far away as you can get, because I think we were backed up inside the 15-yard line," said Joe, a redshirt freshman on Baylor's 1990 team who now serves as an analyst on the radio broadcasts. "I was still third on the depth chart, so I was down there just shooting the bull with Robert Strait."
It was at that point, though, that he saw "heads turning towards me" on the sidelines and a surprising marching order of, "J.J., get in!"
With the injury to Goebel, who was elected to the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame this year, then-offensive coordinator Chuck Reedy passed over backup Steve Needham and handed Joe a field promotion from third team to QB1.
"I got a little action at Arizona State, and I had practiced well," Joe said. "Coach Reedy had told me during the week to stay ready. But, nothing changed. I was still third on the depth chart. And as far as reps in practice, I got a few more reps – I would go in a play or two in place of Needham – but not many. So, going into the game, I wasn't really expecting to play."
Instead, J.J. was at the controls when the Bears came back from an early deficit to knock off Texas Tech, 21-15, on Sept. 29, 1990, at Jones AT&T Stadium. That also happens to be the last win in Lubbock for Baylor (1-4, 1-4), which returns to Jones Stadium for the first time since 2008 for Saturday's 3 p.m. game against the Red Raiders (2-5, 1-5).
"I can't really explain it, but that's just a tough place to play," Joe said. "People would ask me, 'What's the loudest place you've been?' And I would always tell them Tech. There's just something about Tech. The fans are rabid, and that place just held sound. I remember trying to bark the signals, and you just couldn't hear yourself."
The first issue for J.J. in that game was simply finding his helmet, "because I'm not expecting to play."
"My helmet was over by the bench, but I don't even think I had a mouthpiece unless it was in my helmet. I ran over to the coach, but it was like everything was moving in slow motion at that point."
Trying to get the freshman quarterback's nerves under control, Reedy called a simple draw play run by David Mims on third-and-26 that netted just three yards. A bobbled snap and six-yard punt left Tech camped at Baylor's 16-yard line and already leading, 7-0.
Four plays later, this one took a wild turn when a 30-yard field goal attempt by Waco native and future Dallas Cowboys kicker Lin Elliott was blocked by Reggie Howard. A wild chase ensued that ended up with cornerback Malcolm Frank recovering for the Bears at Tech's 1-yard line, setting up a TD plunge by fullback Michael Moore.
Following the game, legendary Baylor coach Grant Teaff said of the blocked field goal: "No, we don't coach players to bat the ball downfield. I don't want anybody pushing a ball around when you can recover it."
Tech had blown a chance to put this game away early, missing two first-quarter field goals and suffering the first of five turnovers in the game when safety Michael McFarland picked off quarterback Robert Hall on a trip into the red zone.
"Call it character," Teaff said. "I've never seen so many bad things happen to a team that hung in there and won a game."
Joe wasn't asked to do too much in the game, completing 4-of-7 passes for 77 yards and adding 29 net yards rushing on nine attempts. But, on a 10-play, 80-yard drive in the second quarter, he scrambled for 22 yards on a third-and-9 play to pick up a critical first down and completed a 31-yard pass to Lee Miles that set up the go-ahead one-yard TD run by Eldwin Raphel.
"J.J. was just different," said Monte Jones, a four-year starter at guard opposite John Turnpaugh. "It's not like you would pick him out as a top-notch collegiate quarterback if he was in a big group of people, but he just had the intangibles and leadership that was evident pretty early on, even as a freshman."
Splitting carries among five different backs – six, if you count Miles picking up 45 yards on reverses – the Bears churned out 275 yards rushing on 66 carries (4.2-yard average). Raphel led the way with 66 yards on 17 totes, followed by Mims with eight carries for 50 yards and David Loeb with 47 yards on 12 attempts.
"We were just smashing them and putting in fresh backs," Jones said. "I don't think people understand how tough those running backs have to be. I'd see Eldwin Raphel get hit so hard, and he would just jump right back up. J.J., too, and they weren't that big. They'd just get destroyed, but kept going. It was crazy."
Tech had a chance to pull off a comeback victory, closing to within 21-15 on a touchdown and two-point conversion with 3:28 remaining. But, the Bears kept the ball on the ground and picked up three first downs, running out the rest of the clock and ending the game with two kneel-downs by Joe.
Rowe, who had a fumble recovery and interception, said Joe "had good legs under him and used his speed. He reminds me of (Arkansas quarterback Quinn) Grovey. He was a beast for them."
The win over Tech ended an emotional week for the Bears, who finished 6-4-1 that year before back-to-bowl games in Teaff's last two seasons. Redshirt freshman offensive lineman John Karkoska had died of a total system failure just minutes before a 13-9 win over Sam Houston State, and the team had bused down to Houston for the funeral just four days before the Tech game.
"We were pretty motivated because of all of that," said Jones, who helps on his family's ranch near Houston. "We were all fresh, because we didn't practice that whole week. We just went down there and took it out on them."
NOTABLE: In addition to Goebel, Joe and Teaff, Baylor Hall of Famers off that 1990 team included defensive linemen Santana Dotson and Robin Jones, wide receiver Melvin Bonner and safety Mike Welch, who had one of the Bears' three interceptions. . . . Tech running back Anthony Lynn, the game's leading rusher with 114 yards on 22 carries, is in his fourth season as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. . . . Baylor linebacker Le'Shai Maston and Tech quarterback Robert Hall were high school teammates for a 1988 Dallas Carter team that is considered one of the best in Texas schoolboy history. Maston, who picked off a Hall pass in the end zone, is now the Crowley ISD Police Chief after 20 years with the Dallas Police Department. . . Baylor kicker Jeff Ireland, who was 3-for-3 on extra points and missed a 52-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half, is now the assistant GM of the New Orleans Saints and was formerly head of scouting with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins' GM.
BEAR JACKS 🔊
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