Jan. 12, 2006
Three senior starters on Baylor's 2005 football team - linebacker Colin Allred (Dallas, Texas), outside safety Willie Andrews (Longview, Texas) and defensive end Montez Murphy (Centreville, Ill.) - have been selected to play in two upcoming all-star games.
Allred, a fifth-year senior team co-captain who earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from both The Associated Press and the league's coaches, will play in the Jan. 21 Hula Bowl at Honolulu. He received Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors following BU's season-ending 44-34 victory over Oklahoma State after a nine-tackle performance against the Cowboys which included 1.5 for losses of nine yards, a 25-yard interception return for his first career touchdown and a sack in his final collegiate game. Allred led the 2005 Bears in sacks (5.5-41) and solo tackles (44), while ranking No. 2 in TFL (9.0-49) and T-No. 2 in total tackles (73). The 2005 first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection received his bachelor's degree in history from Baylor, Dec. 17, 2005 and started all 11 games for the 2005 Bears to earn his fourth letter.
The first Bear selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game since 1996, when Fred Miller and Gary Bandy were tabbed, Andrews will play in the 2006 contest to be played at San Antonio's Alamo Dome, Jan. 21. He garnered 2005 first-team All-Big 12 honors from the league's coaches to become the first two-time, first-team All-Big 12 player in school history and was a second-team All-Big 12 honoree from The Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and an honorable mention pick by The Associated Press as both a return specialist and defensive back. Andrews finished his career with 2,654 all-purpose yards (2,596 kick return, 51 interception return and 7 rush), good for eighth on Baylor's all-time list, and was the first player in school history to crack the career all-purpose list with fewer than 10 total rushing or receiving yards. He owns Baylor career records for total kick returns (164), total kick return yards (2,596), kickoff returns (67), kickoff return yards (1,647), and punt return yards (949), while ranking No. 2 in punt returns (97), No. 4 in yards per kickoff return (24.58 ypr) and No. 5 in yards per punt return (9.78 ypr).
Andrews averaged 15.82 yards per kick return (24.58 on kickoffs and 9.78 on punts), but did not have a touchdown return with 42 career returns of 25-plus yards (31 kickoff, 10 punt, 1 interception), including 9 such returns (6 kickoff and 3 punt) in 2005. He also tallied 59 tackles (36 solos) to rank No. 4 on squad with 7.5 TFL (T-No. 3 on squad), 3 PBU, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Andrews posted 5 or more tackles in 24 of his last 31 starts, including 7 of 11 in 2005, and registered a career-high tying 12 tackles (6 solos) and 1 PBU against No. 2 Texas. He earned an ESPN College Game Day helmet sticker for his all-around performance at Iowa State which included 7 tackles (5 solos), 1 sack, 3 punt returns for 60 yards which set up 3 scores, and a 32-yard kick off return.
Murphy, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection from both The Associated Press and the league's coaches, will join Allred in the Jan. 21 Hula Bowl. Baylor's No. 6 tackler with 52 stops (32 solos), he also had a team-high 9.5 TFL (for 39 yards lost), 3.5 sacks (No. 2 on squad), a team-high 3 forced fumbles and 2 PBU. Murphy posted 2 or more tackles in 10 of 11 2005 starts, five or more four times with a career-high 10 tackles (7 solos) against Oklahoma State in his final collegiate game. He had 7 tackles (5 solos) and a career-high 3 TFL at Missouri. Murphy earned his second varsity letter in 2005 after starting and playing in all 11 Baylor games.
Both the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl will both be televised on ESPN2.
