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Baylor-Texas Tech football
5:44 p.m. — The clock winds down, and Baylor eschews its final time-out. That’s the ball game, as Tech rallies for a tough 35-28 win over a Baylor team that definitely gave the Red Raiders a scare.
5:42 p.m. — Former A&M Consolidated High School standout Detron Lewis has done a reasonable Mike Crabtree impersonation in the waning minutes. He snags a big first-down grab over the middle, and Tech is on the move again, at the BU 24.
5:39 p.m. — Tech unleashes a stream of blitzes, and drops Griffin for a sack on a 4th-and-5 play near midfield. The Red Raiders will regain possession at the BU 45 with 3:32 showing on the clock. Baylor needs a turnover from its defense to have any shot.
5:32 p.m. — Tech takes its first lead since the first quarter, as Harrell guns a pass over Tim Atchison’s head to Detron Lewis for a four-yard TD. Now it’s time to see if the Bears can regain the momentum it lost. Score: 35-28, Tech, 6:14 to play.
5:30 p.m. — I’ve mentioned Vincent Rhodes’ name a couple of times today. The senior defensive tackle has put together his best game of the year, and just dropped Shannon Woods for a loss in the backfield.
5:27 p.m. — A tough break for the Baylor offense, as Griffin tries to zip a pass into Thomas White, and it ricochets high into the air, where it’s picked off by Tech’s Brian Duncan. It was tough to tell whether a Tech defender got a hand on the pass as it came into White.
5:23 p.m. — After another long TV timeout, Mikail Baker gets very little on the kickoff return. Baylor will start at its own 18.
5:17 p.m. — Tempers are flaring, as Tech powers its way back to a tie. Baron Batch plunges into the end zone from three yards out, pushing ahead with a strong second effort after contact. After the play, during a review, Baylor players and coaches erupt in a heated exchange with the Tech players, apparently upset over Graham Harrell taking off his helmet after the play, which is an automatic penalty. Score: 28-all, 12:20 to play in the game.
5:09 p.m. — Baylor’s defense nearly came up with its third turnover of the game, as Tim Atchison appeared to pick off a Harrell pass that slipped in and out of the hands of his receiver. But an offsides penalty against the Bears wiped the play out, and the Red Raider drive is ongoing as we enter the fourth quarter. After three quarters of play, it’s still 28-21, Baylor.
5:03 p.m. — Griffin hits Kendall Wright for a three-yard gain, and the Bears will be forced to punt. It’s the first punt of the day for either team, and it’s a good one, as Derek Epperson drops it down at the 5-yard line. That’s where Tech will take over, with 2:53 left in the third.
5:02 p.m. — There’s a time-out on the field, with Baylor facing a third-and-12 from the 50.
4:51 p.m. — Tech pulls back within a touchdown, as Shannon Woods skies up and over the top of the BU defense for a one-yard scoring run. We’re in for what figures to be an entertaining finish. Score: 28-21, Baylor, 5:52 left in the third.
4:38 p.m. — Oh, and bad news for any Tech fans among the blog readers: Michael Crabtree appears to be done for this game, as he’s been spotted with a boot on his foot. And I don’t mean a cowboy boot.
4:36 p.m. — Think the Bears might smell blood in the water? They come right out of the box to score their fourth touchdown of the game, on a one-yard TD dive from Jacoby Jones. Ben Parks adds the PAT, and the Bears have a two-touchdown lead here in Lubbock. The big play on the drive was a 47-yard jaunt from Jay Finley, who with that run became the first Baylor player since Rashad Armstrong to post back-to-back 100-yard games. Score: 28-14, Baylor, 11:04 left in the third.
4:19 p.m. — Breaking down the halftime digits, here’s how it looks: Baylor’s running game racked up 148 yards on 27 carries, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Robert Griffin leads the way with 75 yards and two TDs, while Jay Finley has chipped in 54 yards on nine totes. If that’s not impressive enough, Griffin hasn’t missed a pass yet, hitting 7-of-7 for 42 yards and another score.
On the Tech side of the ledger, the Red Raiders have rushed for only three yards on two attempts, while completing 21 of 27 passes for 138 yards, with one TD and one interception.
Right now, the real difference in the game is turnovers: Tech has two, Baylor has none.
4:09 p.m. — And that’s the end of a wild first half. Score: 21-14, Baylor. I’ll bring you some halftime numbers in a matter of moments.
4:05 p.m. — Touchdown, Bears! Griffin lofts a short toss to Ernest Smith in the middle of the end zone for the score. Then on the two-point try, Griffin pushes his way out of a tackle attempt, then arcs a rainbow into the end zone that Kendall Wright somehow climbs the ladder to bring down. Holy-moly. Score: 21-14, Baylor, 1 second left.
4:05 p.m. — Replay confirms it: Griffin was down at the 1. The play clock is pushed back to 10 seconds. The Bears will try to punch it in.
4:01 p.m. — Wow. Talk about your crazy plays. Griffin scrambles right, shakes out of an attempted sack, then scrambles all the way back to the other sideline and stretches out for the goal line as he’s being pulled down. The ball slips out of his hand and is knocked out of the end zone by Tech for what is ruled on the field as a touchback. But the play is under review, and on the replay it looks as if Griffin’s left knee was down at the 1-yard line. There are 6 seconds left in the half.
3:59 p.m. — The Bears take a time-out, facing a second-and-goal from the Tech 6-yard line with 20 seconds on the clock before the half. Will the Bears be able to put one in the end zone?
3:53 p.m. — Huge play for the Baylor defense, as Leon Freeman knocks the ball out of Harrell’s hand, and Vinnie Rhodes recovers for the Bears at the Tech 16 with 1:27 left in the half. Baylor will get another chance to take a lead into halftime.
3:47 p.m. — Baylor mounts a strong drive, but can’t come away with any points, as Ben Parks’ 29-yard field goal try flutters to the right, no good. It’s still 14-13 Tech, with 1:39 remaining before halftime.
3:40 p.m. — Baylor is running with some serious authority, as Jay Finley and Robert Griffin just broke off runs of 11 and 25 yards, respectively. (Though Griffin’s was partially brought back due to a hold). If I were the Bears, I’d run it until the wheels fall off.
3:34 p.m. — Baron Batch scurries into the end zone on a one-yard TD run, and Tech’s world-famous promotion winner Matt Williams adds the PAT to push the Raiders back on top. Score: 14-13, Tech, 7:18 remaining in the second quarter.
3:26 p.m. — Tech converts for the first down anyway, as Harrell finds Baron Batch for a 19-yard gain.
3:25 p.m. — Vinnie Rhodes picks up a rare sack for Baylor, setting up a third-and-long for the Red Raiders.
3:22 p.m. — How rugged was BU’s rushing attack in the opening quarter? Baylo piled up 79 yards on 16 carries, which equates to about 320 yards over the course of an entire game.
3:15 p.m. — It’s early yet, but might there be an upset brewing on the West Texas prairie? Robert Griffin befuddles the Tech defense with a fake to Jacoby Jones, then keeps the ball and easily scoots 13 yards for the go-ahead TD. However, Ben Parks pushes the PAT try left. Score: 13-7 Baylor, 7 seconds left in the first.
3:11 p.m. — How about a little pride of the Waco High Lions? Waco High ex Antonio Johnson picks off a Harrell toss over the middle, giving Baylor the ball at the Red Raider 34 with 1:40 to play in the first. It’s the first career interception for Johnson, who as Baylor sports information guru Larry Little said, has a ways to go to catch his counterpart Joe Pawelek.
3:03 p.m. — On third-and-goal from inside the 1, Griffin plows ahead for the touchdown, his 12th rushing score of the season. That was a solid opening drive for the Bears, who especially looked good running the ball. Score: 7-7, 3:13 left in the opening quarter.
2:58 p.m. — Robert Griffin and the Bears look poised to respond to Tech’s score, with a first down at Tech’s 16. Baylor has already picked up two fourth downs so far.
2:50 p.m. — Baylor will open with nice field position, at its own 48 after a 30-yard runback from Mikail Baker, plus a face-mask penalty against the Raiders.
2:46 p.m. — Harrell sits back in the pocket, waits, waits, waits some more, has a sandwich, then finds Eric Morris for a six-yard TD in the back of the end zone. Score: 7-0 Tech, 10:29 left in the first.
2:42 p.m. — The Red Raiders are on the move, with a first down at the Bears’ 34. Graham Harrell has plenty of time to survey the field, with little pass rush from Baylor.
2:35 p.m. — Baylor won the toss, and deferred to the second half. The Bears will kick off to start the game.
2:24 p.m. — I’m out here in Lubbock, your faithful in-game Waco Trib blogger, for the first time in my life. It’s the season finale for the Bears, and they’ll definitely need to play well to upset the seventh-ranked Red Raiders. It’s a cool, brisk afternoon with a pretty hefty wind whipping in from the west. Fortunately, I’m in the press box. (Yay!)
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Ellis a nice surprise
Coming into the season, it looked like redshirt freshman forward Fred Ellis would only play a limited role for the Bears.
But he’s been a nice surprise early this season, finishing with 10 points in 10 minutes in a win over Jacksonville, and recording eight points and six rebounds in 17 minutes in Thursday night’s win over Providence.
At 6-6, he can play inside or outside for the Bears, and has shown a knack for getting rebounds and throwing accurate passes. With Ellis, Quincy Acy and LaceDarius Dunn coming off the bench, the Bears have shown solid depth.
It’s also a treat for the Sacramento (Calif.) native to play at the 76 Classic in Anaheim.
“This is the first time that a lot of my family gets to see me play,” Ellis said. “It’s a great experience, especially to go back home and see some different people and then play in a big tournament.”
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New Baylor football practice facility
In case you missed John Werner’s story in the Friday paper, he’s got an up-close profile of the Baylor football program’s new $34 million jewel, the Highers Athletic Complex on University-Parks Drive.
For a photo slide show of the accomodations, click here to check out some photos. Below, watch WacoTrib.com videographer Chris Oliver’s video tour of the facility:
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Baylor/Big 12 Podcast, Nov. 25, 2008
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Pawelek making case for All-American
Joe Pawelek is having the best year for a Baylor linebacker since James Francis in 1989.
Francis made All-American that season, and Pawelek is certainly making his case this year.
Pawelek is leading the Big 12 and ranks third nationally with 11 tackles per game, but what really makes him stand out is six interceptions, a school record for a linebacker.
Pawelek said he never had more than one interception in a season before now.
“I don’t really have any explanation for the interceptions,” Pawelek said. “We all kind of laugh about it because it’s not supposed to happen.”
Baylor coach Art Briles believes Pawelek’s interceptions are the result of instincts and intelligence.
“Joe is uncanny,” Briles said. “He studies the game of football and understands the situations you have to be in. He does a great job of anticipating what the offense is going to do.”
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Acy a dunking, rebounding machine
PHOTOS
- gallery: Check out photos from Bears' win
He dunks, he rebounds and he brings the crowd to its feet.
Baylor freshman Quincy Acy has made a huge impression during his first three games.
Hitting all five shots Saturday against Southern, Acy set a Big 12 record by hitting 18 straight shots this season. He broke the old record of 17 straight field goals by Texas A&M’s DeAndre Jordan last season.
Eleven of Acy’s shots have come on dunks, including three against Southern. But the biggest thing he gives Baylor is an aggressive rebounding presence. He leads the Bears with 21 rebounds in three games, and many of them have come on sheer will.
The Bears haven’t had anyone quite like Acy in a long time, and he’s going to be a big factor as the season progresses.
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Baylor/Big 12 podcast, Nov. 18, 2008
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Let’s make this a habit
I just walked into the sports writer’s dream: a 3 p.m. weekday game.
Baylor is playing Centenary this afternoon at the Ferrell Center as part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.
Let’s not make this a one-time thing. Let’s do this every time.
I admit it would probably cut the crowds in half, and businesses around town would suffer because their employees are sneaking out of work early. But this is great for deadlines, and I think the Trib would go for it.
I pitched the idea to Baylor coach Scott Drew, and he just kind of chuckled. Hey, it was worth a try.
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Baylor vs. Texas A&M liveblog
6:02 p.m. — Szymanski runs the final play of the game 3 yards to the Aggie 11 and the Bears wrap up the 41-21 victory. A couple of minutes after it ends, there’s a modest swarm of students onto the field. Once again, the final score is Baylor 41, Texas A&M 21, as the Baylor seniors get a big win in their final home game.
5:58 p.m. — Baylor recovers an onside kick by the Aggies at the 41, but A&M is offsides and the Bears get the ball at the 36. The Bears start the game’s final series with Robert Griffin at quarterback, but with two minutes remaining, Blake Szymanski comes in as the signal caller.
5:53 p.m. — A&M makes the score a bit more respectable as Johnson hits Jeff Fuller on a 5-yard TD five plays after the punt block. The Aggies again go for the two-point conversion, but no luck this time. Baylor 41, Texas A&M 21; 3:34 left in the fourth quarter.
5:45 p.m. — A&M sends the house when Derek Epperson punts and the Aggies get the block. DeMaurier Thompson for A&M comes up with the ball at the Baylor 25 with 5:51 left.
5:39 p.m. — A&M gets its second score of the game, going 50 yards in three plays and capped by Jorvorskie Lane’s 1-yard run over the left side with 8:49 to go. The big play was a 37-yard toss to the 1 from Johnson to Ryan Tannehill. Baylor defensive back Krys Buerck was hurt on that play. A&M for whatever reason chose to go for the two-point conversion. Johnson hit Jeff Fuller on a slant play for the conversion. Baylor 41, Texas A&M 15; 8:49 to play in the fourth quarter.
5:34 p.m. — Baylor turns the ball over on downs at the 50 after Kendall Wright can’t come up with the catch at around the 20 on fourth-and-2. There’s 10:07 to play.
5:28 p.m. — Baylor lineman Leon Freeman gets called for a face mask in which Jerrod Johnson’s helmet comes flying off. With the penalty stepped off, A&M sets up at the 14. A couple of short pass plays gets A&M to the 2, but on first down Joe Pawelek steps in front of Johnson’s pass in the end zone and gets his second interception of the game. Baylor takes over with 13:23 to play.
5:22 p.m. — The third quarter ends with A&M moving the ball well and getting to the BU 29, but it’s going to be too little, too late.
5:17 p.m. — Well, that didn’t take long. On fourth down and a yard, Jacoby Jones goes wide right and races down the sideline for yet another touchdown. The four-play, 27-yard drive took 1:51. Baylor 41, Texas A&M 7; 1:41 to go in the third quarter.
5:14 p.m. — On first down, Jerrod Johnson’s pass is broken up and Joe Pawelek has another interception. The Bears take over at the A&M 27 with 3:33 to go in the third quarter.
5:12 p.m. — Jay Finley blasts through an opening for a 12-yard touchdown run with 3:38 to play in the third quarter. The Bears went 99 yards in nine plays, using 4:02. Baylor 34, Texas A&M 7; 3:38 left in the third quarter.
5:06 p.m. — The Bears move the ball downfield in crisp fashion, but after crossing midfield, there’s an A&M injury. Defensive lineman Lucas Patterson is carted off the field with an air cast on his leg.
4:53 p.m. — After a big sack of Johnson on second down by Baylor, A&M gets new life on a pass interference call to move up to the Aggie 40. But on third-and-2, Keondra Smith can’t pull in a short pass and the Aggies have to punt. Brantly gets a terrific roll on his punt into the wind. It’s downed at the 1.
4:45 p.m. — Baylor gets four yards on its next drive; the first three-and-out of the game for the Bears. Epperson punts 43 yards and a short return will put A&M at the 28 with 10:16 to go in the third quarter.
4:50 p.m. — The Aggies go a quick three-and-out. Brantly punts it 37 yards into the strong wind and the Bears will start at their own 26.
4:45 p.m. — The Bears have good field position as the short kick into the wind and a 15-yard return by Kyle Mitchell gets BU started at its own 44. The first two plays get next to nothing, but on third-and-nine Griffin scrambles right and unloads a 55-yard bomb to Thomas White, who spins around, regains his footing and scores. Baylor is rolling now, needing just three plays and 1:34 to find the end zone. Baylor 27, Texas A&M 7; 13:26 left in third quarter.
4:41 p.m. — A&M is going to kick off into the wind to start the second half.
4:30 p.m. — Looking at the first-half numbers, Baylor is dominating the stats as expected with a 20-7 lead. The Bears have had the football for 18 minutes, 19 seconds, to A&M’s 11:41. The Bears have already gained 259 yards on 39 plays, with 136 of those yards on the ground. A&M has 151 total yards to this point.
Running back Jay Finley has 71 yards on 11 carries to lead the Bears’ ground attack. Griffin, meanwhile, has rushed for only 15 yards on eight totes because of 18 yards on losses. The Bears have converted five of their eight third downs, compared with 2-of-6 for the Ags.
Both quarterbacks are 7-for-13 passing, though Griffin has a touchdown toss while Johnson has two picks.
4:23 p.m. — Baylor runs a couple of safe plays that don’t go very far to run out to get the game to halftime. Jerrod Johnson has looked good at times, particularly on a couple of runs late in the second quarter, but his fumble was huge and the interceptions killed two drives.
4:20 p.m. — Jerrod Johnson tries to hit Jeff Fuller on a deep pass with time winding down, but the ball pops up and Jordan Lake cradles it for an interception at the 26 with 48 seconds to play.
4:15 p.m. — But it’s a quick response as well by the Bears, who get a fabulous diving catch by Kendall Wright in the end zone on a 31-yard pass by Griffin into the wind with 1:30 left in the half. On the 78-yard, eight-play drive, Griffin made two big runs for first downs. Baylor 20, A&M 7; 1:30 left in second quarter.
4:07 p.m. — The Aggies waste little time responding to the Bears’ TD. A leaping catch by Mike Goodson on a 51-yard pass from Jerrod Johnson that looked overthrown, set A&M up at the BU 1. Three plays later, Jorvorskie Lane bulled over the left side for a touchdown to get A&M on the board. The drive went 65 yards in six plays and took 2:32 off the clock. Baylor 13, A&M 7; 4:03 left in the second quarter.
4:02 p.m. — Robert Griffin makes a great pitch to running back Jacoby Jones on third-and-4 from the 12, and Jones goes untouched into the end zone for the Bears’ first TD. The drive went 74 yards in eight plays and took 3:47 off the clock.Baylor 13, Texas A&M 0: 6:39 left in the second quarter.
3:56 p.m. — After David Gettis drops what appeared to be a sure touchdown pass from Griffin at A&M’s 25, Griffin finds wide receiver Ernest Smith on the next play at the Ags’ 29 for a 44-yard gain. Smith wrestled the ball away from the Aggie defender for a great catch.
3:53 p.m. — On third-and-10, A&M’s Jerrod Johnson fires a strike … into the arms of Baylor’s Dwain Crawford, who was running alongside intended target Ryan Tannehill. Baylor takes over at its 27-yard line.
3:45 p.m. — Despite the great field position, the Bears can’t punch it in as A&M linebacker Matt Featherston knocks away Robert Griffin’s pass on third-and-goal from the 11. Baylor gets another field goal from Ben Parks, this time from 28 yards out. Baylor 6, Texas A&M 0; 12:13 left in the second quarter.
3:38 p.m. — Jerrod Johnson, on a third-and-29 from A&M’s own 5 after being called for intentional grounding on the previous play, scrambles and fumbles around the 15 when he’s stripped by defensive end Zac Scotton. BU’s Leon Freeman pounces on it at 21 and it’s the Bears’ ball.
3:34 p.m. — Where’s the offense? Baylor moves just 18 yards on its next possession and Derek Epperson punts away to the 16, where Jordan Pugh returns it eight yards with 20 seconds left on the clock in the first quarter. On A&M’s last play of the quarter, Jerrod Johnson goes back to pass and is sacked defensive end Leon Freeman for a loss of 8 yards.
End of first quarter: Baylor 3, Texas A&M 0.
3:28 p.m. — Nothing doing for A&M this time with a quick three-and-out. Brantly got a good roll on his punt, which rolled down to the 25. Baylor takes over with 3:29 to go in the first quarter.
3:23 p.m. — Baylor looked pretty crisp moving the football on its first drive until the Bears reached the Ags’ 19. Jay Finley ripped off a 30-yard to get to the Aggies’ 44-yard line. On a third-and-1 at the A&M 31, Jacoby Jones bolted for nine yards.
But after that, QB Robert Griffin got dropped for a 10-yard loss on a keeper and a holding penalty on Jason Smith negated a decent pass play. Baylor settled for a 42-yard field goal by Ben Parks with 5:29 left in the first quarter. Baylor 3, A&M 0.
3:11 p.m. — The Aggies got off to a bad start when Bradley Stephens stepped out of bounds at the 13 while fielding a short kickoff that appeared headed out of bounds. The drive stalled at the Baylor 47 and Justin Brantly punted 33 yards into the wind where it was fair caught.
3:04 p.m. — Baylor won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. A&M will be on offense to start the game and will be headed into the wind to start the game.
3 p.m. — With a stiff north wind and gusts of up to 30 mph blowing across the field, the Bears and Aggies are about to get under way today at Floyd Casey Stadium for the 105th meeting of the “Battle of the Brazos.”
It’s also Senior Day and the 20 Baylor seniors were recognized in pregame ceremonies.
If the offenses for both teams don’t dominate, it’ll be interesting to see how punters Derek Epperson and Justin Brantly fare today. A&M’s Brantly, who leads Big 12 punters with a 45.9-yard average, and Epperson, who’s third with a 44.3-yard average, figure to be tested when kicking into the teeth of that wind.
Each of them have a league-best 16 punts of 50 yards or more. Depending on which direction they’re kicking will determine if either can add to that total today.
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Through the crowd again
Baylor broke from tradition by entering the game through the crowd against Missouri two weeks ago instead of entering the field through the tunnel.
On Saturday against Texas A&M, only the 20 Baylor seniors came through the crowd to enter the field. The rest of the team came through the tunnel.
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Rare for Bears to be favored over Aggies
I did a double-take when I saw Baylor was an eight-point favorite over Texas A&M Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium.
I’m used to the Aggies being 20- or 30-point favorites.
But I think it shows how much things have changed. The Aggies (4-6) have a slightly better record than Baylor (3-7), but A&M has been blown out a lot more often. The latest was a 66-28 loss to Oklahoma in which the Aggies gave up their most points ever at Kyle Field.
Though the Bears have a worse record, they’ve had more chances to win games in the fourth quarter.
Regardless of the point spread, I think we’re going to see a lot of offense. Both teams have good young quarterbacks in Baylor’s Robert Griffin and Texas A&M’s Jerrod Johnson, and both defenses need help.
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Baylor/Big 12 Podcast, Nov. 11, 2008
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BU exhibition crowd stunning
I’ve been to exhibition games for the Baylor men’s basketball team that hardly drew any fans. You could usually count them in a matter of minutes.
But that certainly wasn’t the case Saturday night at the Ferrell Center.
The Bears drew 5,876 fans for their exhibition game against Tarleton State. Baylor gave them a show as they buried the Texans, 76-44.
That’s really a stunning number of fans for a game that doesn’t even count in the standings. But it shows how much interest there is in the Bears, who have nearly their entire team back after reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years.
It’s a good sign for the rest of the season. Don’t be surprised if many of their Big 12 games sell out.
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Baylor-Texas football
The fifth-ranked Longhorns puts the finishing touches on a 45-21 win over Baylor here at Memorial Stadium. Colt McCoy threw for 300 yards and five TDs, including two to Quan Cosby, who caught eight balls for 111 yards after missing last week’s loss to Texas Tech. Texas (9-1, 5-1) remains undefeated against Baylor (3-7, 1-5) under Mack Brown. The loss also officially elminates Baylor from bowl contention with two games left to play. Be sure to pick up a Sunday Tribune-Herald or check out wacotrib.com for all the coverage from today’s game.
2:18 p.m. — UT’s Ryan Bailey connects on a 30-yard field goal, upping the Longhorn advantage to 45-14 with 5:47 left to play.
2:10 p.m. — Colt McCoy’s day appears to be done, as backup John Chiles has taken the field in mop-up duty.
2:05 p.m. — Epperson will get a chance to add to his punting average, as Baylor’s offense can’t pick up a first down again.
2:00 p.m. — Bonk! UT’s Hunter Lawrence ricochets a 20-yard field goal try off the left upright, and the Longhorns fail to add to their score. It’s still 42-14 with 12:58 left to play. Baylor would certainly like to put together a couple of good drives here in the final quarter.
1:52 p.m. — UT’s cannon blast, which sets off a near sonic boom with each firing, signals the end of the third quarter. Score: 42-14 Texas, end of three.
1:50 p.m. — That penalty, combined with a sack, proved costly, as Baylor couldn’t pick up the 40 yards or so it needed on 4th down. The Bears have had a number of big plays today, with a couple of long runs by Griffin and a long TD catch from Wright, but they haven’t been able to string together enough little ones.
1:47 p.m. — Griffin dances into the end zone on a keeper around left end, but a chop-block penalty wipes it out. Art Briles is hot after the flag.
1:45 p.m. — Robert Griffin pops one for 63 yards on first down, and the Bears quickly move into scoring position.
1:42 p.m. — Colt McCoy finds his buddy Jordan Shipley for a 15-yard TD pass, after scrambling away from BU’s pass rush. It’s kind of been an up and down day for McCoy, given the two interceptions he’s thrown, but when he’s been good, he’s been really good. That’s 5 TD passes on the day for the Heisman Trophy contender. Score: 42-14 Texas, 2:59 left in the third.
1:38 p.m. — Texas calls time-out, facing 4th-and-1 from the Baylor 17. Have I mentioned UT’s offensive line yet today? I really should. They’re getting a big push every snap, leading to about a seven or eight-yard rushing average for the Horns.
1;29 p.m. — Another three-and-out for the Bears, as Griffin fails to hit his receivers on a couple of deep throws downfield. Griffin is just 4 of 15 today, with 1 TD and 1 pick-six.
1:22 p.m. — Colt McCoy finds Brandon Collins wide open over the middle for a 40-yard TD connection. Baylor must’ve missed had a busted coverage on that play. UT’s offense is too good not to take advantage of such mistakes. Score: 35-14 Texas, 9:45 left in the third.
1:17 p.m. — Baylor opens with a three-and-out in the third quarter, bringing Epperson out to punt. The Ray Guy Award semifinalist nails a 53-yarder, and UT will take over at its own 25.
12:48 p.m. — Oh, those tricky Bears. On the final play of the first half, the Bears get the ball to Wright, a former high school QB, and he launches a wobbly but pretty good deep pass toward the back of the end zone. A pack of receivers (including Robert Griffin) are down there, and Thomas White and David Gettis both get their hands on it before Gettis pulls it in out of the back of the end zone. Art Briles and the Bears stayed on the field for a couple of minutes before retreating to the locker room, apparently demanding a video review. Score: 28-14 Texas at the half.
12:46 p.m. — Baylor’s Mr. Everywhere on defense, Joe Pawelek, picks off an off-target throw from McCoy and then Baylor picks up an extra 15 yards when UT is called for a horse-collar penalty on Pawelek’s return. There’s one second left in the half.
12:44 p.m. — Baylor can’t rekindle its fourth-down magic, as the Longhorn D-line applies heavy pressure and brings Griffin down for a sack.
12:42 p.m. — Texas calls time-out with Baylor facing a 4th-and-11 from the UT 34 yard line. The Bears moved into Longhorn territory thanks to a pass-interference penalty against the Horns on a deep downfield throw to Wright.
12:36 p.m. — It’s a rerun of the Cosby Show. Who says he’s hurt? Quan Cosby, the former Mart flash, snatches a pass over the middle from McCoy and takes it in to complete a 26-yard TD play. Unless Baylor is able to put together something really special in these final two minutes, Texas will take a hefty amount of momentum into the locker room. Score: 28-14 Texas, 1:58 left in the half.
12:34 p.m. — With a 1st-and-10 from the Baylor 45 and 2:34 left before the halftime break, Texas calls a time-out to talk things over.
12:31 p.m. — The Bears can’t pick up a first down and will have to punt for the second time today. Epperson gets off a sky-high boomer that goes for 50 yards, and UT will regain possession at its own 27.
12:24 p.m. — UT kicker Hunter Lawrence pushes a 44-yard field goal try wide right, but the Longhorn defense does what the offense couldn’t and puts points on the board. On first down, Griffin tries to gun a pass out to Wright in the flat and the ball goes off the receiver’s hands and up into the air, where it was picked off by UT’s Ryan Palmer and returned 22 yards for a touchdown. Score: 21-14 Texas, 6:06 left in the second quarter.
12:15 p.m. — And the Bears have come to play for the second straight week against a ranked opponent. Griffin launches a 55-yard TD pass to Wright on third down, and suddenly we’re all tied up here in Austin. With Griffin and Wright, Baylor has a couple of big-time playmakers set up for the next three years beyond this one. Yep, that’s right — these guys are true freshmen. Score: 14-14, 9:01 left in the second.
12:11 p.m. — On one of Baylor’s patented quick-read passes, Griffin finds Kendall Wright in the flat, and the freshman breaks off a gain of 34 yards to the UT 38. The play is actually ruled a run, as Wright caught the ball nearly in his own end zone.
12:07 p.m. — Texas goes three-and-out, and is forced to punt. The punt is an ugly worm-burner that somehow works out beautifully for the Horns, as BU’s Joe Bennett lets it roll by, and it’s downed at the 4-yard-line of the Bears.
12:01 p.m. — After a failed third-down pass attempt from Griffin to Larry Washington, BU makes the most of fourth down. Griffin tucks the ball away on a keeper and jumps through a crease on the left side of the line, putting the Bears on the board. Score: 14-7, 12:59 remaining in the second quarter.
11:57 a.m. — Baylor hasn’t been able to muster much rushing yardage up the middle of this stout Longhorn defense. Facing 3rd-and-goal from the 1, the Bears call time-out. I think they’ll look to pass here, or at least use Griffin on a roll-out, with a run-pass option. But then again, what do I know?
11:51 a.m. — The last play of the first quarter ended with a bang for Baylor. La Mar pounded McCoy with a vicious hit, and cornerback Krys Buerck took advantage of the errant pass, picking it off and returning it 46 yards to the UT 6-yard-line.
11:49 a.m. — Baylor’s second fourth-down try isn’t as successful. On a 4th-and-11, Griffin lofts one into the end zone intended for Wright, but the receiver can’t come down with the ball amidst heavy coverage from UT’s Earl Thomas. It appears as if the refs are going to “let them play” when it comes to pass coverage, as Wright was definitely bumped a bit by Thomas on that pass.
11:45 a.m. — Baylor had success converting on fourth down last week, and the Bears pull it off on their first try today. Robert Griffin connects with Kendall Wright for a 6-yard gain on 4th-and-4 from the UT 38, and the Bears are on the move.
11:41 a.m. — Correction, Texas is fifth in the nation in the AP poll, though the Horns are fourth in the standings that really matter: the BCS rankings.
11:37 a.m. — The Longhorns march right back downfield and score again, with McCoy executing a near-perfect bootleg and lofting a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Greg Smith. Texas is showing why it’s No. 4 in the nation and a four-touchdown favorite. Score: 14-0 Texas, 4:35 left in the first quarter.
11:26 a.m. — Baylor picks up one first down on a personal-foul penalty against UT, but does nothing else. Then on the punt, BU’s Jake La Mar nails Texas punt returner Jordan Shipley after a fair-catch signal for a costly penalty. It appeared on that first possession that the Bears might be a little rattled by the 90,000 or so burnt orange-wearing DKR disciples here in attendance.
11:18 a.m. — With forever and a day with which to survey the field, Colt McCoy takes his time and finds Quan Cosby on a 35-yard scoring strike. Baylor is going to be in a heap of trouble if it can’t establish more of a pass rush than it’s shown on UT’s first possession.
11:09 a.m. — After a short kickoff to open the game from Ben Parks, Texas will start its opening drive at the 35.
10:53 a.m. — In recognition of next week’s Veterans Day holiday, the University of Texas has conducted several moving pregame ceremonies before the game today. It’s always important to remember the true heroes of our nation — those soldiers who have served in our armed forces, defending our freedom. Football is fun, but it’s not war.
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Watch out for Shipley
After a career riddled with injuries, Texas receiver Jordan Shipley has emerged as one of the biggest threats in the Big 12.
Besides quarterback Colt McCoy, Shipley is the guy Baylor has to be aware of most Saturday in Austin.
Shipley has caught 64 passes for 779 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s also returned eight kickoffs for a 32-yard average and a touchdown, and returned his only punt for a 45-yard touchdown last week against Texas Tech.
I’d put him right up there with Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin as an all-around threat.
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Baylor/Big 12 Podcast, Nov. 5, 2008
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BU baseball pitching in to help
The Baylor baseball team has typically had a strong bullpen under head coach Steve Smith. But now the team is displaying a more important type of strong-armed relief.
Baylor’s baseball players, coaches and support staff will spend this weekend in League City, Texas, performing hurricane relief work in areas ravaged by Ike in early September. The Bears will be working with the group Christians Organized for Relief Efforts (CORE), and will perform various jobs, including house cleaning, tree and debris removal, sheetrock and flooring removal and a myriad of construction projects.
“Our players and coaches are looking forward to providing assistance to people hit so hard by Hurricane Ike,” Smith said. “It’s wonderful to have a program like CORE to coordinate not just our group, but groups from all over the country.”
Two Houston-area churches established CORE in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Baylor has three players plenty familiar with the Houston area — Raynor Campbell of Katy, Andrew Cooley of Conroe and Aaron Miller of Channelview.
The Bears will leave Waco Friday afternoon and return Sunday.
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Breaking down Big 12 tie-breakers
With the Big 12 South football race headed to the wire, I’ve been asked by several people to explain the league’s tie-breaking procedures.
According to the Big 12 media guide, this is how it goes:
If two teams are tied, the winner in the game between them will advance to the Big 12 championship game.
If three teams are tied, it gets more complicated. Here’s the tie-breaking order.
- The records of the three teams will be compared against each other.
- The records of the three teams will be compared within their division.
- The records of the three teams will be compared against the next highest placed teams in their division in order of finish (4 through 6).
- The records of the three teams will be compared against all common conference opponents.
- The highest ranked team in the BCS poll following the last Big 12 regular season game will advance to the conference championship game.
It’s all pretty confusing. Hopefully, somebody will win it outright.
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Texas still reeling from loss
As far as I know, no one had died. But that didn’t stop the funeral procession in Longhorn Country.
I attended Texas’ weekly press luncheon Monday, and it was rather evident that the Longhorns hadn’t yet recovered from Saturday’s epic 39-33 loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock. The general feeling from the players was one of doom and gloom, and really, why wouldn’t it be? The defeat — the truest definition of a last-second loss if there ever was one — was still less than 48 hours old. And of course it was a loss that could potentially cost UT a shot at a national championship.
As much as Baylor fans would like to hope the hangover effect for UT leads to some flat and uninspired play on Saturday in Austin, I doubt that’ll happen. By the time mid-week rolls around, the Longhorns will be awash in preparation for the Bears, and will likely be eager to hit the field again to put the memories of last week behind them.
“We have to move on,” UT coach Mack Brown said. “We have no other choice.”
Besides, the Bears have their own heartbreaker to get over. Sure, the ramifications of BU’s 31-28 loss to No. 14 Missouri aren’t quite the same as they were for the Longhorns, but certainly the sting of defeat didn’t hurt any less for the Bears.
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Baylor-Missouri football
5:10 p.m. — 14th-ranked Missouri runs out the clock and survives with a 31-28 win. It’s a tough loss for the Bears, who certainly played well enough to win and showed some true heart with their fourth-down heroics.
5:07 p.m. — All good things must come to an end. Robert Griffin’s 3rd-down pass is intercepted by Missouri linebacker Brock Christopher, the freshman’s first INT of the year. Baylor made a noble effort, but will fall agonizingly short.
5:04 p.m. — Wolfert isn’t fazed, booting a 34-yarder through the uprights. Baylor will have 2:31 on the clock to work with to try to get into field goal position, or even better, score a touchdown. Except the Bears won’t have any time-outs to work with, having spent them all defensively. Score: 31-28 Mizzou, 2:31 left in the fourth.
5:02 p.m. — Baylor uses its final time-out, presumably to ice Wolfert before a 34-yard field goal try. The Bears just missed getting a ginormous turnover defensively, as Jordan Lake jumped on a Daniel pass and had it fall in and out of his hands.
5:01 p.m. — Baylor calls a time-out with 2:38 to play, and Missouri facing 3rd-and-5 from the 15.
4:59 p.m. — Missouri has moved into the red zone, facing a 2nd-and-7 with 2:44 to play. Remember, the Tigers have a very good field goal kicker in Jeff Wolfert. If Mizzou scores, the clock is Baylor’s biggest enemy now in rallying.
4:49 p.m. — Baylor makes the right move on 4th-and-9, punting the ball away. Missouri will start the ball at its own 10 with 6:27 to play. The Bears were actually set up to go for it on 4th-and-4, but a false start penalty on guard James Barnard backed the Bears up. Right before Barnard flinched, he was struggling to get his knee brace back in place, as it had slipped off.
4:46 p.m. — Baylor’s defense comes up with the play of the game so far, as Jordan Lake intercepts a tipped Daniel pass at the BU 46-yard-line. You think the Bears might be sniffing an upset?
4:41 p.m. — Wow. The Bears bounce back with a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive of their own. On a 2nd-and-17, Griffin finds Jay Finley on a short screen, and the running back zigs and zags his way the rest of the way to the end zone for a 36-yard TD. We’re headed for a fantastic finish, one way or the other. Score: 28-28, 9:54 left in the fourth.
4:34 p.m. — Baylor takes advantage of a brain-lock by Missouri lineman Jacquies Smith, who gets flagged for roughing the passer on a going-nowhere 3rd-and-long play for the Bears. The first down gives the offense new life.
4:28 p.m. — Daniel delivers for the Tigers, pump-faking and firing to Chase Coffman in the back left corner of the end zone. Coffman does a marvelous job of not only leaping to haul in the catch, but of getting one foot in for the touchdown. Score: 28-21 Missouri, 14:53 remaining in the fourth quarter.
4:24 p.m. — We’ve reached the end of the third quarter, tied at 21. Missouri will open up the fourth with a 3rd-and-11 from the BU 13-yard-line. The Tigers briskly moved into Baylor territory thanks to the passing of Daniel, who burned BU’s Trenston Hill with a pump-fake and long throw to ex-Marlin standout Danario Alexander.
4:19 p.m. — On that last drive, Robert Griffin established an NCAA record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception to begin a career, regardless of classification. USC’s Brad Otton held the previous record of 202, which he set over the 1994-95 seasons.
4:14 p.m. — Welcome to Waco, home of the fighting Baylor Bears. We’ve got ourselves a 21-all tie now, as Robert Griffin finds tight end Brad Taylor in the left flat, and Taylor does the rest, eluding a tackler and darting into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. Baylor really had Missouri’s defense befuddled on that drive, exploiting several soft pass defense formations. Score: 21-21, 3:39 left in the third.
4:09 p.m. — You get four downs, so why not use them all? In what is obviously becoming a trend, Baylor picks up another first down on a fourth-down try, with Griffin finding Thomas White. Baylor is now 4-for-4 on fourth-down tries.
4:04 p.m. — And the home fans are rocking now, as the BU defense limits the Tigers to a three-and-out. Following the punt, Baylor will start at its own 34.
3:59 p.m. — Touchdown Baylor, and we’ve got a ball game again here on homecoming. Ray Sims drives through the middle of the O-line for a two-yard TD run, and the Bears are down just one score after Ben Parks’ PAT. Score: 21-14 Mizzou, 9:36 remaining in the third.
3:57 p.m. — Huge play for the Bears, as they go for it again on a 4th-and-1 near midfield. Griffin stiff-arms the inital Tiger defender, then burst outside for a 34-yard gain. Baylor is set up well for a potential score, with the ball at the Mizzou 14.
3:54 p.m. — A bold start for Baylor in the third quarter, as coach Art Briles opts to go for it on a 4th-and-3 in BU’s own territory. (The Bears also went for it on fourth down late in the first half). The gamble pays off for Baylor, as Robert Griffin runs for four yards and the first down.
3:28 p.m. — A glance at the halftime stats shows that Missouri has racked up 316 yards of total offense (112 rushing, 204 passing) compared to Baylor’s 206, which has a 61-145 run-pass split. Robert Griffin is 14 of 18 passes for 145 yards and (of course) no picks, while Jay Finley leads BU in rushing with 35 yards on five carries.
For Missouri, Chase Daniel has hit on 18 of 23 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, along with one interception. And a couple of those incompletions were definitely drops by the Tiger receivers. Derrick Washington leads all rushers with 83 yards on nine carries, for a 9.2 average.
The biggest problems for Baylor have been penalties (5 for 55 yards) and a failure to generate much scoring offensively. BU’s defense has kept the Bears relatively in the game, thanks to those two big takeaways. We’ll see what the second half holds.
3:25 p.m. — Baylor picks up one first down before time expires on the half. Missouri will take a 21-7 lead into the break. Incidentally, neither Dwain Crawford nor Antareis Bryan has played at cornerback for the Bears in the first two quarters. Crawford has been saddled with an ankle injury, while Bryan suffered a strained quadriceps a couple of weeks ago against Oklahoma State.
3:21 p.m. — No luck for the Bears on that goal-line stand, as Jimmy Jackson plows in for a two-yard TD. Baylor will have one last chance to trim Mizzou’s lead back to a touchdown before the half. Score: 21-7 Missouri, 1:26 left in the second.
3:18 p.m. — Missouri is knocking heavily on the door, with a 2nd-and-goal from the BU 2-yard line with 90 seconds left in the half. Baylor’s defense calls a time out to get everyone on the same page for what would be a huge goal-line stand if it can pull it off.
3:12 p.m. — Oh, those tricky Tigers. They pull out some trick-or-treateration for a big first down, as Daniel laterals to receiver to Tommy Saunders out in the flat, and Saunders finds tight end Chase Coffman with an in-between pass for a 19-yard gain. Mizzou has a 1st-and-10 at the BU 37.
3:06 p.m. — BU’s offense can’t capitalize on the turnover with points, and the Bears are forced to punt. Epperson cranks a good one, and Missouri will take over at its own 8-yard-line. Incidentally, if I’m picking my all-Big 12 linebackers today, Mizzou’s Sean Weatherspoon is on the list (along with BU’s Joe Pawelek). I don’t know who I’d take for the third yet.
3:03 p.m. — Baylor’s defense co
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Fred is always right about sorry Baylor football (over thirty years of Losing and going strong). Suc Em Bears.
... read the full comment by Fred | Comment on Baylor-Texas Tech football Read Baylor-Texas Tech football
Baylor lost again? Where were the 6 wins Dallasbloke ans Spurlover talked about Sept and Oct. ? ehhh ?
Listen to me, just like I told you at the end of last year…this is B A Y L O R. Nothing can ever, never ever, never take the Big 12
... read the full comment by Christian Bear Fella | Comment on Baylor-Texas Tech football Read Baylor-Texas Tech football
Fred may be right, all’s fair in war and recruiting.
Funny too, that by this time every year nobody cares about BU football anymore, if they did at all. BU bloggers care more about helmet color than specific details of the team.
Dallasbloke,
... read the full comment by Trackbias | Comment on Baylor-Texas Tech football Read Baylor-Texas Tech football
If you would have told me the score would be tied in the fourth quarter I’d have taken that considering Tech has owned us lately. Keys to the game/frustrating plays: allowing Tech to convert a 3rd and 17 in the second quarter. Tech took the lead on
... read the full comment by Russ in Dallas | Comment on Baylor-Texas Tech football Read Baylor-Texas Tech football