March 31, 2006
The Baylor football team returned to work Friday with a two-hour afternoon workout in half pads on the grass practice fields at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears will complete their third week of spring ball with Saturday's 9 a.m. practice which will include some scrimmage work.
"We've been pleased with the way we are progressing on the field," said fourth-year Baylor coach Guy Morriss. "The kids are giving us great effort. They are really excited about the new offense on both sides of the ball. The defense is excited because they see the potential for higher scoring and more yards which keeps them off the field.
"They (the defense) really haven't missed a beat because there is nothing new for them to learn," he added. "We just plugged in some new guys and they've really been flying around the field. I've been pleased with the way they've been working, too. Coach Bradley (Bill) and his staff do a tremendous job which frees me up to go worry about the offense and the o-line."
Fifth-year senior quarterback Shawn Bell has also shined during spring workouts. Bell, Baylor's all-time leader in completion percentage (.599), needs 13 touchdown passes, 106 completions, 271 attempts and seven 200-yard performances in his final Green & Gold campaign to break the school's career marks in those categories, as well as 916 yards to become its seventh career 4,000-yard passer.
"Shawn is like another coach out there right now," said Morriss. "He understands what we are trying to get done. He knows when to take the deep throw and when to throw it down and he knows where the outlets are. He's really operating the offense like we thought he would."
Friday's practice marked the 10th of 15 for the Bears this spring.
After Saturday's 9 a.m. workout, Baylor will practice Monday (7 p.m.), Tuesday (3 p.m.) and Thursday (9 a.m.) next week before wrapping up spring drills with the April 8 Green & Gold Game at 1 p.m. in Floyd Casey Stadium. Prior to the Green & Gold Game, the Matthew Dove Letterwinners' Plaza, located on the east side of Floyd Casey Stadium, will be formally dedicated in a 12:30 p.m. ceremony.
All Baylor practices are open to the public.
