Home > The Bear Blog > Archives > 2008 > August > 28 > Entry
Baylor-Wake Forest
10:26 p.m. — No, they won’t. The Deacons do the sportsmanlike thing, and kneel out the clock. It’s a Wake Forest rout, with a 41-13 final score.
10:25 p.m. — Or they can run right through the Baylor defense. C.J. Washington breaks loose on a 55-yard run to the Baylor 25. Wake may still get some more points.
10:24 p.m. — Wake intercepts a wounded duck from Freeman in the end zone for the touchback. The Demon Deacons should be able to run out the clock from here.
10:22 p.m. — Baylor is trying to mount one final scoring drive with Freeman at the helm, but he’s under a lot of pressure from the Wake defense.
10:20 p.m. — Kirby Freeman is back in at QB for Baylor, incidentally.
10:18 p.m. — Jake Lamar gets in on the BU highlight tape, bringing back a well set-up kickoff return 44 yards. Excellent blocking on that play by the Bears.
10:14 p.m. — Wake’s Josh Adams coasts into the end zone from 5 yards out. It’s 41-13 with 4:38 to play, and another Baylor fan exodus for the exits begins. It is a school night, after all.
10:11 p.m. — Another turnover for Baylor. This time the Wake Forest punt deflects on Dwain Crawford, setting the Deacons up in prime scoring position at the Baylor 10.
9:58 p.m. — Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry absolutely leveled the Baylor punt returner with a hit that drew “ooos” and moans from the crowd. It drew a 15-yard flag, though it’s unsure if the BU return man signaled for a fair catch. Could be helmet-to-helmet contact.
9:51 p.m. — Robert Griffin caps off a nice 12-play, 76-yard drive with a six-yard scamper up the gut. His speed brings another dimension to the Baylor offense.
9:49 p.m. — Actually, the play stands. White’s knees hit the ground before the ball came loose.
9:47 p.m. — Griffin throws a nice strike to Thomas White at the 1-yard line, but the play is under review and looks as if it might come back. The ball appeared to be coming out as White fell to the turf.
9:42 p.m. — End of the third quarter, Wake leads 34-6. The crowd, which was announced at 30,633, has dwindled to far, far below that now.
9:33 p.m. — The Bears are just not getting to Skinner, and he’s so accurate, he’s making them pay big. He just connected with a wide-open tight end Ben Wooster deep downfield, bringing the score to 34-6, Wake.
9:23 p.m. — It’s getting ugly for Baylor now. The Bears nearly fumbled the kickoff, then put together an atrocious three-and-out to give the ball back to Wake.
9:16 p.m. — With all day to pass, Skinner hits Brinkman for the second TD hook-up between the duo on the evening. The Deacons lead 27-6 with 7:36 remaining in the third.
9:15 p.m. — The Bears suffer their third turnover of the game, as Griffin fumbles on a second-down carry and Wake recovers. This one could prove extra-costly, given that it puts the Deacons in prime scoring position.
9:11 p.m. — Baylor will take over 1st-and-10 from its own 4 after an excellent Wake Forest punt.
9:05 p.m. — Baylor gives it right back, as Jay Finley can’t get a handle on the handoff from Griffin. It almost looked as if Finley didn’t know he was getting the carry.
9:03 p.m. — Great way for Baylor to start the second half, as the BU defense forces a turnover. Antonio Jones recovered the Wake fumble, and the Bears take over at the 32.
8:41 p.m. — After a three-and-out from BU, Wake kneels out the clock and takes a 20-6 lead into the halftime break. Baylor has mixed flashes of brilliance with plenty of mistakes (dropped passes, a middling defensive pass rush). We’ll see if the Bears can make some adjustments and put together a stronger second half.
8:34 p.m. — Sam Swank makes it 20-6 for Wake Forest, curling in a 42-yard field goal. The 23rd-ranked Deacons have lived up to their preseason billing thus far.
8:26 p.m. — Jacoby Jones takes advantage for the Bears with a 12-yard scamper to paydirt, following a “wow” sideline-navigating run from Griffin. Freshman kicker Ben Parks misses the PAT, but Baylor is on the board, trailing 17-6 with 2:54 to go in the half.
8:24 p.m. — Man, that Alphonso Smith is good. The All-America cornerback made a terrific play to break up a would-be TD pass from Griffin to David Gettis.
8:18 p.m. — Well, another chance for the BU offense, as Dwain Crawford makes an amazing strip and fumble recovery to give the Bears the ball right back.
8:14 p.m. — Baylor’s not able to do anything, as Griffin uncorks a pair of errant throws on third and fourth down. The drive stalls at the 37, where Wake will take over.
8:11 p.m. — Now the Bears are in business. Griffin lofts a short screen out to Finley, who bobbles it before pulling it in, then rumbles downfield for a 26-yard gain.
8:05 p.m. — Baylor fans finally have a real reason to cheer, as safety Jeremy Williams sacks Skinner on a third-down play. The Bears really need to put some points on the board on this ensuing possession.
8:04 p.m. — Yee-owwch! BU linebacker Joe Pawelek nailed Pendergrass with a lickety-split lick. That’s why he’s on the Butkus Award watch list.
8:01 p.m. — Remarkably, we’re an hour into the game and we’ve got our first flag. It had been a penalty-free game up until this block-in-the-back call on Wake.
7:57 p.m. — Dropped passes rear their ugly head again. Mikail Baker dropped Griffin’s first pass of the game, a 3rd-and-4 attempt, and of course Kirby Freeman has a pick on his stat sheet because of a flub by a receiver.
7:55 p.m. — Griffin trots out onto the field. There’s a noticeable cheer.
7:53 p.m. — Kirby Freeman has his helmet off. Robert Griffin has his on. I’m thinking he’s coming in on the next series.
7:51 p.m. — Too easy for Wake right now, as Brandon Pendergrass plows in from three yards out. The Deacons lead, 17-0, with 14:23 to play in the half.
7:49 p.m. — Looking at some first-quarter stats, another area that Wake is hurting Baylor is in third-down conversions. The Deacons have converted 3 of 5 on third down, while Baylor is just 1 of 4.
7:46 p.m. — Baylor’s got to get more of a pass rush on Wake quarterback Riley Skinner, or he’s going to pick the Bears apart. End of the first quarter, Wake leads 10-0, and the Deacons are knocking on the door again, with the ball at the Bears 6.
7:40 p.m. — For the second time in his career, Kirby Freeman has had a pass intercepted by Wake Forest. Alphonso Smith, who led the nation in forced turnovers last year, snagged it as Freeman’s pass bounced in and out of the hands of Jay Finley. Freeman was 1-for-4 with a pick in mop-up duty as a Miami freshman in 2005.
7:37 p.m. — Big cheer goes up, as we’ve got the initial first down of the Art Briles era. Freeman connected with Justin Akers for 13 yards on a third-and-short.
7:33 p.m. — Wake grabs a 10-0 lead, as Demon Deacon QB Riley Skinner connects with tight end Chip Brinkman on a slant for a 12-yard TD.
7:24 p.m. — After Baylor’s second three-and-out, a faint “Robert Griffin! Robert Griffin!” chant arose from a few Baylor fans. We’ll see what Baylor does on its next series, but Freeman hasn’t looked particularly sharp thus far. Nevertheless, it’s still early.
7:20 p.m. — Freeman’s back on the field for Baylor’s second offensive series.
7:16 p.m. — Wake’s Sam Swank nails a 40-yard field goal to put the Deacons up 3-0. But that was certainly a small victory for the Bears holding Wake out of the end zone.
7:12 p.m. — Three-and-out for the Bears. That’s alright, Baylor fans, it’s like Art Briles said in the press conference Tuesday: “It’s not going to matter who plays quarterback those first three plays.”
7:10 p.m. — It’s Freeman at QB for the first series. The reaction from the Baylor faithful is relatively subdued applause.
7:07 p.m. — Perhaps the first clue at a starting QB: Kirby Freeman is extremely busy making warm-up throws.
6:59 p.m. — The Baylor Line is coming in … and coming in … and coming in. Good gosh, the freshmen have multiplied.
6:48 p.m. — Well, it’s a nice, sweltering August evening here in Waco. Why not play a little Baylor football? The fans are starting to pull themselves away from their tailgate parties, and are making their way into the stadium.
There’s already a nice-sized student contingent in attendance, as I’d estimate that section is 75-80 percent full, all decked out in their bright gold T-shirts.
Permalink | Comments (29) | Post your comment | Categories: Baylor Bears football liveblog
Comments
By Yawn
August 28, 2008 7:02 PM | Link to this
Baylor 13 - Wake Forest 27
By Laughing at BU
August 28, 2008 8:07 PM | Link to this
Too funny…..Another coach, same result. This team has no business competing on national television. Stadium 75% full? Are you kidding me? I can’t see 7500 people in the entire arena!
I feel for you Baylor football fans, I really do. But give it up and cheer for your ping pong team instead. Your “football team” is an absolute disgrace to the sport. Free t-shirts and half priced tickets can’t even draw a following…WOW.
By Are you kidding
August 28, 2008 9:38 PM | Link to this
“Laughing at BU”…3 quarters into the FIRST game of the FIRST season with a NEW coach and you make idiotic comments like that? YOU are a perfect example of what is wrong with a great number of Waco “sports” fans. It’s called REBUILDING, and it can’t be done in THREE QUARTERS…
By Laughing at BU
August 28, 2008 10:03 PM | Link to this
Are you kidding me? Do you actually think it comes down to 3 quarters in the first game with a new coach??? Are you hiding under a rock? This is nothing new with Baylor “football”. This group is the laughing stock of the Big 12 and college football in general. And “I’m” an example of what is wrong with Waco’s sports fans? Where are they? Certainly not in Floyd Casey tonight. Baylor can’t give enough tickets away to fill up the stadium….When they get it half full…then make your idiotic comments.
By Spurloves Austinbloke
August 28, 2008 10:09 PM | Link to this
For the record…this is not one of the six games I thought we might win.
Wonder what Coach Guy Mo is thinking?
“peace out”
By Are you kidding
August 28, 2008 10:14 PM | Link to this
Hello, pot, this is kettle. Get a CLUE!. Again, YOU were the one folding it up and saying, “Another coach-same result”. Read your own idiotic comments and you’ll see what a tard you really are. Guess you were one that felt that automatically Art Briles was supposed to come in and run roughshod and go 12-0, right? You must have also thought the stadium was supposed to be filled to capacity, too, right? I’m done wasting my time on you, Waco Sports Authority
By Laughing at BU
August 28, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this
The score speaks for itself….And my comments do as well. The program is a failure as it has been for years. I’m sorry that the truth hurts you so much. I didn’t expect the stadium to be full, as it hasn’t been in several years. To expect a team such as Baylor to go 12-0 is like an immigrant trying to win the lottery.
By p** off fan
August 28, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this
I thought Art Briles was a football wiz i mean common since if your punt returner- wide recievers keeps making the same mistake try sumthn different if your qb keeps making mistakes try sumthn different i mean i knw sum hot weapons on tht team all he needed to do was try them out its the season opener see what u got try em out damn is that too much to ask for they already getting there a* kickd i mean what can hurt ??????
By Not the Score
August 28, 2008 10:33 PM | Link to this
The score should have been 48-13.
What great sports the Deacon are not to rub the game in Baylors face by scoring another TD.
They had the ball on the 8 yard line and take a knee on 2nd down. WOW
See you at Scruffy’s boys.
By Fred
August 28, 2008 10:34 PM | Link to this
This is Bear Country…..empty seats and another losing season. Here we go again. This is merely the first of several “butt-whippings” that Baylor will recieve at Floyd Casey. Ha ha!
By Laughing at BU
August 28, 2008 10:50 PM | Link to this
Fred…Unfortunately, you’re right. Hopefully one day (many years in the future) we’ll be able to cheer for the Baylor Bears. In the meantime, we must accept the fact that they truly suck. They should really look to Austin and B/CS and take notes. Both schools have “fan support” and “attendance”. Waco doesn’t support the bears, nor should they. It’s pathetic, really.
By Rob A
August 28, 2008 10:55 PM | Link to this
What a disappointment. I dont mind losing, as long as there was an effort shown. Poor coaching and poor preparation!!!! Special teams sucked. The fumbles can be attributed to no chemistry between the QB and running backs….but I guess when the backs only have a third of the reps in practice with each quarterback, fumbles will happen. Hey Briles, this is not high school anymore! Grow a backbone and choose a starting QB NOW so the offense can get used to the ONE QB’s style. Poor coaching….I bet Mike Singletary would have had the team ready to play.
By tex-mex
August 28, 2008 10:56 PM | Link to this
WHERE THE HELL IS MIKE SINGLETARY!!! YOU CAN BET HE WOULD HAVE HAD THEM READY TO PLAY!!!!
By na
August 28, 2008 11:00 PM | Link to this
I can coach better than what a waste pee wee football plays are not going to work here
By Fred
August 28, 2008 11:30 PM | Link to this
During the Baylor Post-Game Radio show(1660AM) I almost wanted to hear the ghost of GuyMo say: “Well, we just keep shooting ourselves in the FOOT again”. Believe me folks, after tonight; Baylor doesn’t have anymore feet to shoot. Baylor shot-off both feet all to Hell(and in the first game to boot).
By jd
August 28, 2008 11:38 PM | Link to this
Baylor had way too many turnovers against a ranked opponent and gave wake easy chances to score they only had to go 10 yards twice to score you cant win that way
By Eddie
August 29, 2008 12:20 AM | Link to this
If you watched Briles at UH, this game was expected. he NEVER beat anyone with more talent and was usually blown out. Doesnt bode well for Big12 play.
His special teams sucked for 5 years. Tons of stupid penalties. awful defense. No discipline.
Expect to see this for the next 5 years until Briles gets run off.
No way he will be able to compete with the Big12 south.
By Bill
August 29, 2008 7:39 AM | Link to this
The deck chairs have been rearranged. The ship is still sinking. Bad Karma Bear fans!
By Narcissistic Non Fan
August 29, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this
Brice, first of all thanks for the great coverage on the game. I can not afford cable because I live in the 5th poorest city in Texas.
I have to agree the Demons showed sportmansship that the Big 12 has lacked.
Does anyone find it odd that the Baptist Bears first two opponents mascots are “demons”?
Allow me to quote some recent blogs by the following hard core fans :
Deep Thoughts “Briles has run with 2 QBs before with great success.”
Spur lover “I like his sledge hammer approach to the running game”
James “I believe we are gonna see drastic changes in the running game at Baylor..which I believe is going to pay big dividends in the football season this year”
Best things about Baylor football is J.J. Joe stuttering on the radio telling John Morris what you have to do to win a football game, lots of good seats, easy to leave the parking lot and recycling the trash.
By Recycling the bears
August 29, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this
Awesome showing for the first game of the year. Once again Baylor comes through in the clutch! In every other part of the civilized college football world the school and town would have been bursting at the seams to fill the stadium. Were there even 25,000 at the game? Great job in choosing Waco and Baylor for a dynamic and exciting opening to the college football year.
I don’t know how they expected to recycle 110,000 plastic bottles. Were they going to start recycling all the unsold full bottles?
So who will Baylor’s next coach be? Suc em bears!
By Jack Legg
August 29, 2008 11:21 AM | Link to this
How about a little perspective…For anyone to expect Baylor to win this game is not thinking straight…For anyone who thought Guy Morriss was the reason for the lack of success:last night should have been a clue…5 turnovers and none of them were forced…2 mishandled exchanges, a punt that comes down on an outside blocker, a pass through the hands of the intended reciever, and the only one that might be considered a forced turnover would be was the lame duck passed launched by Freeman…If you can’t win a game where you get 5 turnovers your in trouble…Baylor forced 2 turnovers which could have really helped if they could have converted…I’m tired of seeing footballs going through the hands of a reciever without anyone defending…We see many of the same mistakes that we saw last year…Why? Same players with a few exceptions…The freshman…Oline has to improve…can’t whiff on guys…Improvement will be made but time will be needed…For all you Baylor bashers enjoy it while you can it will not last forever…What kind of genuis does it take to predict a 3 win team will struggle again…Wow no that’s prognostication at its finest…LOL
By D.Lay
August 29, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this
Baylor knew that the firste game would be tough, being the Wake Forest is an established, bowl winning team. What displeased me was the lack of pass coverage by the Baylor defense, Yet, some of this could be blamed on the problems of the Baylor defensive line’s lack of pressure on the Wake Forsete quarterback. Bright spot was Baylor QB Griffin, signs of what’s to come as he becomes more comfortable in future games. Coach Briles and his staff were dealt players,most of whom inherited from the Guy Morriss era. They’ll continue to pluck the best of players from Texas and across the US to bring winning seasons to Baylor.
By Big Papa Bear grrrrr
August 30, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
ok so we lost one game….grrrrr but the bears are back and we are going to beat the rest of the teams…..grrrr.
listen to me as I drink my Baylor coffee and type..sicem bears
By D.Lay
August 30, 2008 3:42 PM | Link to this
If the Trib has any influence with KRZI Radio, I strongly urge them to jetison John Morris from doing the Baylor football games. His high-itched voice is so repulsive that it’s a tough time for me to listen to the Bears on the radio. A suggestion, someone who has the voice that’s pleasing to listen to, for instance, Dave South, who does the Aggie games, or someone who has a melodious voice that Frank Fallon had. Also, John M. doesn’t identify who makes the tackles, breaks up passes, etc. On radio, the announcer must paint a picture so that listeners visually, in our heads, see the plays unfolding. The windows must have been left open during the broadcast of Baylor-Wake Forest, making it hard to understand some of the play by play and commentary.
By KDF
August 30, 2008 6:08 PM | Link to this
I believe yawn is right. Every year since Coach Teaff has left all I hear is “this is THE coach”, or waiting for recruiting to kick in, or waiting for a certain player to come through. Or the latest “shoot ourselves in the foot”.
I’m a Bear fan, but I just keep waiting and waiting. Wearing Baylor gear outside of Waco during football season takes a tough man.
As for D.Lay, yes Frank Fallon left the same year that Grant Teaff left. Dave South worked for Mr. Fallon for years. <><
By jim
August 30, 2008 10:03 PM | Link to this
I can see Baylor running it’s third offense in a many years is not exactly smooth. I am sure it will improve as time goes by. The one thing that surprized me was Blake Szmanski saw no playing time. He has been a starter for two years and is Baylor’s most experienced quarterback. Coach Briles says true freshman Robert Griffin will start against Northwestern State? Griffin looks like a real talent, but those freshman mistakes cost a lot of points against WF. I have alway been told most teams improve the most after their first game. I hope so with Baylor. I am still a big Baylor fan.
By jim
August 30, 2008 10:21 PM | Link to this
I am afraid I agree with DLay and KDF. Morris is a nice guy but his football play by play is pretty weak. Baylor had the opportunity to hire Steve Fallon, when his father retired, but I guess they thought it would look like neputism. Heck, Steve Fallon sounded so much like his Dad it was hard to tell the difference. He was, and still is very good. They should hire him.
By comparison, I LIKE IT!
August 31, 2008 7:53 AM | Link to this
notice the comparison between baylor and texas a&m……BAYLOR WINS AT COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, TEXAS A&M LOSES………ARKANSAS STATE? WELL, NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO RED WOLVES, GO BAYLOR BEARS, SIC ‘EM
By Ohio BU alum
August 31, 2008 4:31 PM | Link to this
I was glad to see the A & M — Arkansas State score. BU needs to improve in many areas. I think Robert Griffin is the way to go at QB. Griffin III has a lot of running talent and I like watching him run those Vince Young options a lot. Blake has not won a Big 12 game since he’s been here and he’s had plenty of chances —at least 10 games and he hasn’t gotten us within 20 points.