Oct. 5, 2005

Journal Week 5,

Last week might have been the most painful moment of my Baylor career. I felt that we gave everything we had for four full quarters and played well enough to win, we just didn't finish. We once again handled traveling well, and were for the most part not bothered by the hostile environment of Kyle Field. One thing can certainly be said for the game, however. The Battle on the Brazos is back. The defense put together the best performance I have seen in my five years here. Our defense is now ranked 19th nationally in total defense and 16th in scoring, and I am proud to be a member of this unit. I have heard all of the criticisms of the offense from the game, but I have to say that although we of course have room for improvement, the offense did a really great job of driving on the A&M defense and keeping its offense on the sideline. We had the ball for the majority of the game and helped keep our defense fresh. We played well enough across the board to win, we now just have to take the next step and not allow a game like this to slip away.

I said last week that we couldn't allow the A&M game to decide our season, so we have to put what happened in College Station behind us and move on to our next opponent. Iowa State is in a very similar situation as us after losing in double overtime to Nebraska on the road. I agree with Coach Morriss' statement that whichever one of us recovers the most quickly from our tough loss will have the advantage this Saturday. Once again, we can accomplish one of season goals of winning a Big 12 game on the road this weekend. This will end a stretch of three straight road games for us, and will be our fourth in our first five games. Iowa State is another good team, and we will need to play well again to get a win.

On a separate note, I would like to personally thank all of the fans who have supported this team and traveled around the nation to watch us. It was great to see so many Baylor fans in College Station, where I know it couldn't have been easy to proudly wear your green and gold. You have stuck with us through some hard times, but I can promise you this; better times are coming. Baylor football is a sleeping giant that is waking up, and a lot of it has to do with our dedicated fans. Thanks again for your support, and if you can't come to the game, you can always listen in on the radio this weekend at 1 p.m. on ESPN AM 1660 in Waco or on the web at www.baylorbears.com.

Sic `Em Bears.