Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

BAYLOR
vs.
TEXAS TECH

2:00 p.m. CST
Nov. 8, 2003
Floyd Casey Stadium
Waco, Texas

Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting Texas Tech as part of the annual Homecoming festivities. Saturday's kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CST at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears (3-6, 1-4) dropped a 38-10 decision at Kansas State last Saturday. The Red Raiders (6-3, 3-2) snapped a two-game losing streak that night with a 26-21 victory over Colorado at Lubbock. The teams have played three common opponents this season. Both teams defeated SMU and Colorado; Baylor lost to Texas A&M.

SERIES
This is the 62nd meeting between Baylor and Texas Tech. The Bears lead the all-time series 32-28-1, but the Red Raiders have won the last seven meetings. The Bears' last victory over Tech was a 9-7 triumph in 1995 at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Raiders were 62-11 winners last year at Lubbock. Tech's current seven-game series winning streak is the Raiders' longest against the Bears. Baylor enjoyed an 11-game winning streak from 1947 to 1960. Tech has out-scored Baylor 188-37 in the last four meetings. The series dates back to Nov. 2, 1929, a 34-0 Baylor victory at Waco. The teams have met every season since 1956.

COACHES
Guy Morriss (TCU, 1973) is 3-6 in his initial season at Baylor. In his third year as a collegiate head coach, Morriss has a 12-20 career record. Prior to arriving at Baylor, Morriss spent two seasons as head coach at Kentucky. This is his first meeting with Texas Tech. Mike Leach (BYU, 1985) is in his fourth season as a collegiate head coach, all coming at Texas Tech. In that time, Leach has amassed a record of 29-19. He is 3-0 against Baylor. Morriss and Leach served together as assistants on Hal Mumme's staff at Kentucky before Leach left UK for Oklahoma in 1999. The two also served together at Valdosta [Ga.] State during the 1992 and 1993 seasons.

CONNECTIONS
* Baylor defensive coordinator John Goodner was a member of the Texas Tech coaching staff from 1993 to 1999.
* Baylor safeties coach Larry Hoefer served as outside linebackers coach at Texas Tech from 1994 to 1999.
* Baylor defensive tackles coach Tom Adams was on staff at Kentucky during Mike Leach's time in Lexington.
* Texas Tech wide receivers coach Sonny Dykes was on staff at Kentucky during Guy Morriss' time in Lexington.
* Texas Tech inside receivers coach Dana Holgorsen was on staff at Valdosta State during Morriss' time in Valdosta.
* Texas Tech assistant head coach Ruffin McNeill served as a graduate assistant at Clemson while Baylor offensive line coach Chris Lancaster was playing for the Tigers.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD FOR BAYLOR
Baylor's future opposition winning percentage of .815 (22-5) is third nationally behind only Texas A&M (.846, 22-4) and Cincinnati (.840, 21-4). Furthermore, the Bears' final five opponents rank 11th or better nationally in scoring offense, according to the latest NCAA statistical rankings. Oklahoma is first (45.1 points per game), this week's opponent, Texas Tech, is second (43.0), Texas is fifth (41.0), Kanas State is 10th (37.90) and Oklahoma State is 11th (37.88).

QUICK NOTES
* Baylor is 33-33-4 in Homecoming games since 1930. However, the Bears have lost five straight such games since defeating Texas 23-21 in 1997.
* Baylor's future opposition winning percentage of .815 (22-5) is third nationally behind only Texas A&M (.846, 22-4) and Cincinnati (.840, 21-4).
* Baylor's cumulative Division I-A opposition winning percentage of .580 (58-42) is 19th nationally. Texas A&M (.705, 74-31) ranks first, Iowa State (.680, 66-31) is fourth, and Colorado (.676, 69-33) is fifth.
* Baylor's final five opponents of the season are all ranked 11th or better nationally in scoring offense, according to the latest NCAA statistical rankings.
* Baylor has just two scoring drives of more than four minutes this season.
* Baylor is 2-0 this season when rushing for two or more TDs, 1-6 when rushing for less than two TDs.
* Baylor's special teams have produced three scores this season: a blocked punt for a safety (UAB), a blocked punt for a touchdown (Kansas) and a kickoff return for a touchdown (Kansas State).
* RB Rashad Armstrong averages 114.8 yards per game when getting at least 20 carries. He averages 64.3 yards per game when getting less than 20 carries.
* RB Rashad Armstrong needs 169 yards in the final three games to become the sixth 1,000-yard rusher in school history.
* RB Rashad Armstrong now holds the Baylor record for career rushing yards by a two-year player (1,478).
* FS Maurice Lane has tallied double-digit tackles in seven of nine games this season. He has reached double figures in four straight games.
* WR Robert Quiroga has caught at least one pass in 23 consecutive games.
* WR Trent Shelton has caught at least one pass in eight consecutive games.
* WR John Martin has caught at least one pass in six consecutive games played.
* FB Jonathan Evans has caught at least one pass in five consecutive games.
* P Daniel Sepulveda has at least one 50-yard punt in nine consecutive games.

SPECIAL SPECIAL TEAMS
Baylor's special teams have been the strongest facet of the game this season for the Bears. The special teams have produced three scores this season after Robert Quiroga's 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week against Kansas State. CB James Todd's block against UAB in the season opener resulted in a safety. Todd also recovered CB Michael Boyd's block in the end zone at Kansas. Baylor's 1980 squad holds the school mark for blocks in a season with 13 (punts and placements). P Daniel Sepulveda leads the Big 12 and ranks 14th nationally in punting average (44.2 yards per punt), and CB Willie Andrews is 37th nationally with 24.7 yards per kickoff return (seventh in the Big 12). Andrews also is tied for third all-time at Baylor with 26 kickoff returns this season, and his 641 yards on those returns ranks third in school history.

QUIROGA ETCHES NAME IN RECORDS BOOK
Robert Quiroga became the first Bear since 2001 to return a kickoff for a touchdown last week when he scampered 98 yards down the left sideline against Kansas State. It also tied for the third-longest kickoff return in school history, and it was the longest since Kalief Muhammad's school-record 100-yarder in 1995. On the strength of that return, Quiroga tallied 183 yards on five kickoff returns against Kansas State. That established a school record for kickoff return yardage in a game, eclipsing the previous mark of 179 yards set by Muhammad on six returns against TCU in 1993.

GARRETT SACK HAPPY
LB John Garrett currently is in a tie for seventh all-time at Baylor with six sacks on the season. He is 4.5 sacks shy of Matthew Pearson's school record, established in 1992. Garrett's sack total is the best by a Bear since A.C. Collier had a half-dozen in 2001. No Bear has tallied seven or more sacks in a season since Scotty Lewis had seven in 1993. Garrett is also tied for eighth all-time at Baylor with nine career sacks.

ARMSTRONG CLIMBS BAYLOR RUSHING CHARTS
With 74 yards rushing last week against Kansas State, RB Rashad Armstrong moved into 12th place all-time at Baylor in single-season rushing yardage. He now has 831 yards on the season, the most by a Bear back since Jerod Douglas scampered for 1,114 yards in 1995 (second in school history). Armstrong needs 169 yards in the final three games to become just the sixth 1,000-yard rusher in school history. In just 21 games and 14 starts, Armstrong has rushed for 1,478 yards in his Baylor career. That ranks 14th in school history, and is a school record for a two-year player. Armstrong eclipsed Steve Beaird's school record for career yards by a two-year player during the Kansas State game; Beaird (1973-74) had 1,449 career yards rushing. Armstrong and CB Willie Andrews are also poised to crack Baylor's single-season all-purpose yardage top 10. Through nine games, Armstrong has 1,002 all-purpose yards, while Andrews has 885. Kalief Muhammad had 1,166 yards in 1996 and currently ranks 10th in Baylor history. Through nine games, Armstrong ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 34th nationally with 92.3 rushing yards per game, a figure that would rank sixth all-time at Baylor.

BAYLOR BIG 12'S YOUNGEST TEAM
Baylor's depth chart features nine true freshmen for the Texas Tech game, including starters RT Nick Pace and DT Quincy Jenkins. No team in the Big 12 has more true freshmen on its depth chart than Baylor. Including redshirts, Baylor's two-deep roster features 16 freshmen, also tops in the Big 12. In all, the Bears have 25 underclassmen on the two-deep.

YOUNGER SEPULVEDA KEEPS BOOMING 'EM
P Daniel Sepulveda ranks second in the Big 12 Conference and 14th nationally, averaging 44.23 yards per punt. In 65 punts, Sepulveda has tallied 2,875 yards, 10th all-time at Baylor. He has 20 punts of 50-plus yards and two punts of 60-plus yards. He has also placed 17 punts inside the 20 and four punts inside the five with two coffins. Sepulveda's average is just off the school record of 46.35, established by Ty Atteberry in 1996. Against Texas A&M, Sepulveda punted nine times for an average of 47.8 yards per punt. He posted a net average of 47.1 yards per punt with four inside the 20 and three of 50-plus yards, including a game-high 55-yarder. Against Kansas, Sepulveda had punts of 60 and 61 yards, the last of which was a career long. He has booted at least one punt of 50-plus yards in every game this season. Sepulveda's punting has made Baylor the Big 12's second-ranked punting team in terms of net yards per punt. The Bears average 38.5 net yards per punt, 19th nationally.

KARAS FOURTH AMONG ACTIVE BIG 12 PASSERS
QB Aaron Karas ranks fourth among active Big 12 signal callers in career passing yardage with 3,642 yards. Oklahoma State's Josh Fields (5,274 yards) is the active leader and ranks sixth all-time in the Big 12. Fields is followed by Texas Tech's B.J. Symons (4,858; 10th all-time), Kansas State's Ell Roberson (4,079), Karas and Kansas' Bill Whittemore (3,587). Former Texas Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury holds the Big 12 record with 12,429 career passing yards.

QUIROGA ALSO AMONG ACTIVE LEADERS
WR Robert Quiroga is ninth among active Big 12 receivers with 120 career receptions. Oklahoma State's Rashaun Woods is the active and overall leader with 262 snags, an all-time Big 12 record. Seven of the top 14 pass catchers in Big 12 history are active this season.

SEPULVEDA CATCHES NATIONAL EYE
P Daniel Sepulveda, who began punting last spring, has begun to catch the national eye. Second in the Big 12 in punting average, Sepulveda, who ranks 14th nationally in that category, has been added to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation's top punter by the Augusta [Ga.] Sports Council. He joins Florida's Eric Wilbur, Maryland's Adam Podlesh and Michigan State's Brandon Fields as the only freshmen on the 44-man list, which will be pared to 10 semifinalists in early November. Baylor special teams' coach Mark Nelson is no stranger to having a punter considered for the Guy Award. Last season, Nelson's punter at Kentucky, Glenn Pakulak, was a finalist along with Tennessee's Dustin Colquitt and winner Mark Mariscal of Colorado. Sepulveda has also caught the eye of Matt Hayes, a columnist for The Sporting News. In a recent issue, Sepulveda was selected as the punter for Hayes' Dream Team, a collection of difference-makers this season.

SCHEDULE FACTS
Seven of Baylor's 12 2003 opponents (North Texas, Colorado, Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) participated in bowl games last season. Eight of the Bears' 2003 opponents (including Texas A&M) finished at or above .500. Baylor's 2003 opponents went a combined 88-53 (.624) in 2002. Five of the Bears' 12 opponents are currently ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Furthermore, the Big 12 boasted three teams in the top five spots of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll. Baylor and Iowa State both have all three - Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas - on their respective schedules. The Bears and the Cyclones are the only teams in the nation to have three preseason top-five teams on their schedules.

BEARS CLAIM WIN NO. 500
Baylor captured win No. 500 in the program's 101-season history with its 27-6 victory over Sam Houston State. The Bears began playing football in 1899; Baylor is 501-475-43 all-time. Through games of Nov. 1, 2003, 56 Division I-A teams have reached 500 victories. TCU and Wyoming reached the plateau earlier this year. Miami, Fla., and Baylor reached the plateau Sept. 27. North Carolina State (499) and Fresno State (496) have a chance at win No. 500 this season. Baylor is the eighth Big 12 school to reach 500 wins. Iowa State (459), Oklahoma State (461), Texas Tech (454) and Kansas State (422) trail the Bears in all-time victories.

OVER THE AIR
Bear football games can be heard live on the Baylor Radio Network. The network includes 18 affiliates across Texas, including flagship stations KRZI-AM (1660/1580) and KLRK-FM (92.9) in Waco. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his ninth season. Former Baylor football standouts Walter Abercrombie and Ricky Thompson are in their fourth season providing analysis.

BAYLOR GAMES ON THE INTERNET
The radio call from all of Baylor's games can be heard live on the internet on Baylor's official online website, www.BaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.

BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including four Big 12 schools.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, will air weekly throughout Central Texas and other outlets. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable 18). IBS also airs Wednesdays on College Sports TV; check local listings for time.

NEXT UP...
Baylor hits the road for the final time in the 2003 season, traveling north on Interstate-35 to Norman, Okla., for a showdown with top-ranked Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CST. Oklahoma has won all 12 meetings in the series, including seven straight as Big 12 Conference foes. The Sooners defeated Baylor 49-9 last season at Floyd Casey Stadium.