Sept. 4, 2006
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GAME TWO
BAYLOR (0-1) vs.
NORTHWESTERN STATE (0-1)
SATURDAY, SEPT. 9, 2006 • 6:00 P.M. CDT
FLOYD CASEY STADIUM (50,000)
WACO, TEXAS
SERIES RECORD
First Meeting
LAST MEETING
First Meeting
COACHES
BAYLOR: Guy Morriss (TCU, 1973)
Record at Baylor: 11-24 (4th season)
Career Record: 20-38 (6th season)
Record vs. NSU: 0-0
NSU: Scott Stoker (Northwestern State, 1991)
Record at NSU: 28-20 (5th season)
Career Record: 28-20 (5th season)
Record vs. Baylor: 0-0
BAYLOR/ISP RADIO NETWORK
John Morris, play-by-play
J.J. Joe, color analyst
Ricky Thompson, sideline
Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 159
INTERNET FEEDS
www.BaylorBears.com
BEARS, DEMONS READY FOR FIRST MEETING
From the oldest to the newest; such is the devoir for Baylor. One week after facing TCU, the opponent Baylor has faced more than any other, the Bears host Northwestern State in the first meeting between the two programs. Kickoff between the Bears and the Demons is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT at Floyd Casey Stadium.
BAYLOR-NORTHWESTERN STATE SERIES
Baylor and Northwestern State meet for the first time in football Saturday.
BAYLOR vs. SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE FOES
Baylor is 11-0 all-time against teams currently playing football as members of the Southland Conference, including a 2-0 mark under head coach Guy Morriss. The Bears are 6-0 against Texas State (1-0 under Morriss; 24-17 in 2004), 3-0 against Stephen F. Austin and 2-0 against Sam Houston State (1-0 under Morriss; 27-6 in 2003). The Bears are 2-1 all-time against current Southland Conference member Lamar, which no longer participates in varsity football.
BAYLOR vs. DIVISION I-AA OPPONENTS
In 1978, the NCAA split Division I into two divisions for football -- Division I-A and Division I-AA. Since then, Baylor is 11-0 against Division I-AA opponents, including a 48-14 victory over Samford last season. Here is a list of Baylor's previous 11 games against I-AA opponents:
1982 Baylor 21, North Texas 17
1986 Baylor 38, Louisiana Tech 7
1987 Baylor 13, Louisiana Tech 13
1988 Baylor 45, Texas State 7
1990 Baylor 13, Sam Houston State 9
2000 Baylor 20, South Florida 13
2001 Baylor 56, Southern Illinois 12
2002 Baylor 50, Samford 12
2003 Baylor 27, Sam Houston State 6
2004 Baylor 24, Texas State 17
2005 Baylor 48, Samford 14
NOTES FROM THE TCU GAME
• Baylor held TCU scoreless in the first half, marking the first time a Bears' team held a Division I-A opponent scoreless through the first two quarters since doing so in a 20-7 victory Aug. 31, 2000, at North Texas.
• TCU's eventual game-winning 84-yard TD pass in the third quarter was the longest pass allowed by a Baylor team since Texas A&M's 91-yard pass in 2003.
• The loss marked the first time under head coach Guy Morriss that Baylor led at halftime and did not win. The Bears now are 6-1 in such games.
• The loss also marked just the second time under Morriss that Baylor held an opponent to less than 20 points and lost. The only other such loss was a 13-10 overtime loss at Texas A&M in 2005.
• IR Carl Sims tied his career high with three receptions.
• WR Mikail Baker recorded a career high with five receptions.
• DE Geoff Nelson tallied career highs with seven tackles and two tackles for loss.
• P Daniel Sepulveda's first-quarter 56-yard punt was the 70th punt of his career to travel at least 50 yards, extending his school record.
• RB Paul Mosley's third-quarter fumble was his first since the first half of Baylor's 2004 game against Iowa State, snapping a streak of 248 carries without a fumble.
• The attendance of 42,733 was the largest crowd for a season opener since 1973 (46,000 vs. Oklahoma). It was the third-largest crowd for a season opener in school history.
• The attendance also was the third-largest crowd for a non-conference game in school history and the largest since the 1973 Oklahoma game.
BAYLOR-NORTHWESTERN STATE CONNECTIONS
• Baylor assistant coach Chris Lancaster was the offensive line coach at McNeese State during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Northwestern State head coach Scott Stoker was on the McNeese State coaching staff at the same time.
SHELTON MATCHES CONSECUTIVE RECEPTIONS RECORD
WR Trent Shelton has recorded at least one reception in 34 consecutive games, tying Baylor's all-time record established by Reggie Newhouse from 2000 to 2002. Shelton's streak is the fifth-longest among active players in Division I-A. He also has recorded at least two receptions in 11 consecutive games.
WR Dominique Zeigler has recorded at least one reception in 22 consecutive games, the 14th-longest streak in Division I-A. In fact, Zeigler has recorded at least two receptions in each of those 22 games.
CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH A RECEPTION, ACTIVE DIVISION I-A PLAYERS
38 - Steve Odom Sr. WR Toledo
37 - Vincent Marshall Sr. WR Houston
37 - Johnny Quinn Sr. WR North Texas
35 - Brian Leonard Sr. FB Rutgers
34 - Trent Shelton Sr. WR BAYLOR
30 - Clark Harris Sr. TE Rutgers
28 - Ryne Robinson Sr. WR Miami (Ohio)
27 - Dwayne Jarrett Jr. WR Southern California
25 - Shaun Hebert Sr. WR Northwestern
24 - Craig Davis Jr. WR Louisiana State
24 - Calvin Johnson Jr. WR Georgia Tech
24 - Caleb Spencer Sr. WR Nevada
23 - Eric Deslauriers Sr. WR Eastern Michigan
22 - Dominique Zeigler Sr. WR BAYLOR
BELL AGAIN ETCHES NAME IN BAYLOR RECORDS BOOK
QB Shawn Bell established career highs with 286 yards passing and 289 total yards against TCU. Bell finished the night 31-of-47 with one touchdown and one interception. His passing yardage total was the 20th-best single-game tally in school history. It also was his eighth career game of at least 200 yards, tying for fifth on Baylor's all-time list.
Bell's 31 completions against TCU established a Baylor record for a regulation game, breaking the previous mark of 29 set by Terry Southall in 50 attempts against SMU during the 1966 season. Bell already owns the overall school record of 32 completions, which he established in Baylor's double-overtime victory over Texas A&M in 2004.
With 31 completions on the night, Bell jumped from ninth to fourth on Baylor's career list. With 349 career completions, Bell passed Neal Jeffrey (321), Aaron Karas (321), Jermaine Alfred (322), Southall (328) and J.J. Joe (347) during the TCU game. In comparison, Bell reached 347 completions in 92 fewer attempts than Joe. Bell now trails only Cody Carlson (366), Brad Goebel (375) and Jeff Watson (425).
Bell's career completion percentage (.604) is the best in Baylor history and ranks 11th among active Division I-A quarterbacks.
PARKS SHINES IN NEW ROLE
After seeing time at quarterback over the past two seasons, IR Terrance Parks returned to a receiver's position at which he saw limited action during the 2004 season. Through the first game of the 2006 season, that move has paid dividends.
Parks recorded career highs with seven receptions and 65 receiving yards against TCU. He led all Baylor receivers in both categories against the Frogs.
In 2004, Parks tallied six receptions for 79 yards, including a career-long 34-yard haul against Texas A&M.
SEVERAL TRENDS NOT FOLLOWED IN TCU LOSS
Baylor's 17-7 loss did not follow several trends established during Baylor's first three seasons under head coach Guy Morriss. It marked the first time in seven games under Morriss that Baylor led at halftime and did not win. It also marked just the second time in nine games under Morriss that Baylor held its opponent to less than 20 points and lost. And it was just the third time in nine games under Morriss that Baylor out-gained its opponent and lost.
SHELTON, ZEIGLER CONTINUE TO CLIMB RECORDS LISTS
WRs Trent Shelton and Dominique Zeigler continue to climb Baylor's career receiving records lists nearly side-by-side. Through the TCU game, Zeigler ranks fifth all-time at Baylor with 118 career receptions, while Shelton is sixth with 107. Zeigler is 10th all-time at Baylor with 1,238 career receiving yards, while Shelton is one spot and one yard behind with 1,237 yards.
Zeigler also is tied for ninth with 10 career touchdown receptions.
INTERCEPTIONS LEAD TO TOUCHDOWNS OF LATE
Three of Baylor's last four interceptions have led to touchdowns, including one returned for a touchdown. Three of those four interceptions were in the 2005 season finale against Oklahoma State.
OPPONENT INT RETURN/SPOT RESULT
Oklahoma State Jamaal Harper 15 yards/OSU 1 TD: Mosley 1-yard run
Oklahoma State Colin Allred 25 yards/OSU 0 TD: Allred 25-yard INT return
Oklahoma State Dwain Crawford 6 yards/BU 32 6-play drive, punt
TCU C.J. Wilson 46 yards/TCU 20 TD: Bell 21 pass to Baker
BAYLOR IN BIG 12 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Through games of Sept. 3, Baylor ranks ninth in the Big 12 in total offense (333.0 ypg) and ninth in total defense (330.0 ypg). Here is a look at how Baylor ranks in the conference:
Scoring Offense: 12th (7.0 ppg)
Total Offense: 9th (333.0 ypg)
First Downs: t-5th (24)
Rushing Offense: 11th (47.0 ypg)
Passing Offense: 4th (286.0 ypg)
Pass Efficiency Offense: 10th (119.8)
Third-Down Efficiency: 4th (60.0 pct.)
Fourth-Down Efficiency: t-8th (0.0 pct.)
Red Zone Efficiency: 12th (0.0 pct.)
Sacks Allowed: t-3rd (1)
Scoring Defense: t-7th (17.0 ppg)
Total Defense: 9th (330.0 ypg)
First Downs Allowed: t-9th (16)
Rushing Defense: 9th (97.0 ypg)
Passing Defense: 7th (233.0 ypg)
Pass Efficiency Defense: 10th (156.2)
Third-Down Efficiency: 10th (50.0 pct.)
Fourth-Down Efficiency: 1st (0.0 pct.)
Red Zone Efficiency: t-5th (100.0 pct.)
Sacks: t-9th (1)
Penalties: 10th (55.0 ypg)
Time of Possession: 6th (28:43 avg.)
Kickoff Returns: 6th (20.5 ypr)
Punt Returns: 10th (4.0 ypr)
Net Punting: 5th (34.2 ypp)
Field Goals: t-7th (.000)
PAT Percentage: t-1st (1.000)
Kickoff Coverage: 12th (18.0 avg.)
Turnover Margin: t-9th (-1.00)
WILSON ATOP BIG 12 INTERCEPTIONS LIST
CB C.J. Wilson is one of seven Big 12 players to record an interception in their respective season openers. That septet shares the conference lead for interceptions this season. Wilson's 46-yard return was the longest interception return so far this season and the longest by a Bear since Derrick Cash's 60-yard return against Samford in 2002. Wilson also is tied for the conference lead with two passes defended.
Elsewhere in the conference statistical rankings (through games of Sept. 3), QB Shawn Bell ranks fourth in passing yardage (286.0 ypg) and fifth in total offense (289.0 ypg). IR Terrance Parks is tied for second in receptions (7.0 rpg), while WR Dominique Zeigler is tied for fourth (6.0 rpg) and WR Trent Shelton is tied for seventh (5.0 rpg). P Daniel Sepulveda is fifth in punting (43.0 ypp). DE Geoff Nelson is tied for 15th in tackles (7.0 tpg) and tied for fourth in tackles for loss (2.0 tpg); Nelson also is tied for second in tackles among defensive linemen.
BEARS HONOR FORMER ASSISTANT COACH ADAMS
Baylor's jerseys feature black TA patches in 2006. These patches are in memorial of former defensive line coach Tom Adams, who passed away Aug. 2 after a battle with cancer.
Adams served as Baylor's defensive line coach during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. While with the Bears, Adams coached 2004 NFL draftee Khari Long and 2004 Associated Press All-Big 12 defensive end Montez Murphy.
BAYLOR NAMES TRIO CAPTAINS FOR 2006
By vote of their teammates, QB Shawn Bell, CB C.J. Wilson and WR Dominique Zeigler serve as Baylor captains for the 2006 season. Bell also served as a captain in 2005.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Two years after fielding the nation's second-youngest football team, Baylor's 2006 hopes may well rest on the shoulders of its 31 seniors, 25 of whom are fifth-year players. Of those 31 seniors, 16 were listed No. 1 at their respective position on the Bears' preseason depth chart -- eight on offense, six on defense as well as its No. 1 place-kicker and punter.
The Baylor roster featured an average of just 17.3 seniors over its first 10 seasons in the Big 12 and only once prior to 2006 had the Bears carried more than 20 seniors (the 2002 roster listed 22 seniors) on the squad.
SEPULVEDA NAMED TO GUY AWARD WATCH LIST
P Daniel Sepulveda is one of six members on the Greater Augusta Sports Council's 2006 Ray Guy Award Preseason Watch List, comprised of the top non-graduating finalists from the previous year and Sepulveda, the award's 2004 winner. Also on the list are Purdue's Dave Brytus, Georgia's Gordon Ely-Kelson, Virginia Tech's Nic Schmitt, Kansas' Kyle Tucker and Florida's Eric Wilbur.
Sepulveda, who was selected as the nation's No. 1 punter by The Sporting News in its 2006 preview magazine, ranked second in the Big 12 and third nationally with a 46.18-yard punting average in 2005 en route to All-America and All-Big 12 honors. That averaged ranked as the second-best single-season average in Baylor history, just ahead of his 2004 mark of 46.0 ypp.
The Ray Guy Award is presented to the nation's best collegiate punter as determined by a national selection committee made up of sports writers, college football coaches and sports information directors, former punters and members designated by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. Wake Forest's Ryan Plackemeier won the 2005 Ray Guy Award.
BELL NAMED TO MANNING AWARD WATCH LIST
QB Shawn Bell was among 22 student-athletes named to the 2006 Manning Award Watch List, announced Aug. 23 by the Sugar Bowl Committee. Bell joins Iowa State's Bret Meyer and Nebraska's Zac Taylor as the only Big 12 Conference quarterbacks on the list. Also on the list is Washington State's Alex Brink, whom the Bears face Sept. 16 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash.
The Manning Award was created in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning and will be presented to the recipient following the holiday bowl season. It is the only quarterback award which takes into consideration the candidates' bowl performances.
The winner will be determined by a select panel of national media covering college football, as well as each of the Mannings.
2006 MANNING AWARD WATCH LIST
Erik Ainge (Tennessee), Reggie Ball (Georgia Tech), Shawn Bell (Baylor), Colt Brennan (Hawai'i), Alex Brink (Washington State), Brian Brohm (Louisville), Brandon Cox (Auburn), Chad Henne (Michigan), Chris Leak (Florida), Bret Meyer (Iowa State), Blake Mitchell (South Carolina), Curtis Painter (Purdue), Jordan Palmer (UTEP), Brady Quinn (Notre Dame), JaMarcus Russell (LSU), Troy Smith (Ohio State), Drew Stanton (Michigan State), Drew Tate (Iowa), Zac Taylor (Nebraska), Drew Weatherford (Florida State), Patrick White (West Virginia), and Kyle Wright (Miami)
WILSON NAMED TO THORPE AWARD WATCH LIST
Senior All-America candidate CB C.J. Wilson, who earned first-team 2005 All-Big 12 honors from six media outlets at cornerback, is one of 33 players named to the 2006 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. Wilson is one of four Big 12 players selected to the list, joining Texas' Michael Griffin, Missouri's David Overstreet and Oklahoma's Reggie Smith. The list was derived through a point system based on 10 preseason All-American teams.
Wilson headlines a Baylor defense whose 2006 strength could well be the secondary. Wilson shared the Big 12 lead and tied for ninth nationally with a team-high five interceptions in 2005.
He also ranked seventh on the team in tackles with 45 stops and was tied for seventh in the Big 12 with 0.91 passes defended per game. Wilson needs five interceptions in his final Green and Gold campaign to crack the Bears' all-time list.
GETTING BETTER YEAR-BY-YEAR
In Baylor's three seasons under head coach Guy Morriss, the Bears have improved in 10 of the 14 major team statistical categories tracked by the NCAA. The categories in which Baylor ranked lower nationally in 2005 than it did in 2002, the year prior to Morriss' arrival, were total offense, passing offense, pass efficiency offense and rushing defense.
Those improvements have obviously made the Bears more competitive. In the season prior to Morriss' arrival, Baylor lost five games by at least 40 points, but his teams have combined for just five such setbacks and three of those came during his first season.
Morriss' Bears have won 11 games over the past three seasons, two more victories than the program posted from 1999 through 2002 and just two wins shy of its entire output from 1997 through 2002.
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Colin Allred's 25-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 2005 season finale against Oklahoma State was Baylor's 13th non-offensive score in 35 games under head coach Guy Morriss. The 2005 Bears produced four such scores, including both punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns by return specialist Shaun Rochon, a 29-yard fumble return touchdown by Jamaal Harper and Allred's score.
The 2004 Bears forced just nine turnovers and Baylor ranked No. 113 nationally in turnover margin at minus 1.36 per game. But, in 2005, Baylor forced 29 opponent miscues (13 fumbles and 16 interceptions) to rank No. 30 nationally in turnover margin at plus 0.45 per game.
• 2003 vs. UAB -- James Todd blocked punt for safety
• 2003 vs. Colorado -- Jamaal Harper 7-yard fumble return (forced by Derrick Cash)
• 2003 at Kansas -- James Todd blocked punt recovery in end zone (blocked by Michael Boyd)
• 2003 at Kansas State -- Robert Quiroga 98-yard kickoff return
• 2003 vs. Texas Tech -- Robert Quiroga 100-yard kickoff return
• 2003 vs. Oklahoma State -- Willie Andrews 30-yard fumble return (forced by John Garrett)
• 2004 vs. Texas State -- Justin Crooks 9-yard fumble return (forced by Montez Murphy)
• 2004 vs. North Texas -- Braelon Davis blocked punt recovery in end zone (blocked by Davis)
• 2004 vs. Iowa State -- Braelon Davis defensive PAT (interception return)
• 2005 vs. Samford -- Jamaal Harper 29-yard fumble return (forced by Colin Allred)
• 2005 vs. Samford -- Shaun Rochon 85-yard punt return
• 2005 at Oklahoma -- Shaun Rochon 98-yard kickoff return
• 2005 vs. Oklahoma State -- Colin Allred 25-yard interception return
SPECIAL SPECIAL TEAMS
Without question, Baylor's special teams play has been the strongest facet of Guy Morriss' first three squads. The 2005 Bears ranked 14th nationally in kickoff returns (23.9 ypr), 16th in net punting (36.8 ypp) and 29th in punt returns (11.5 ypr). The year prior to Morriss' arrival, BU ranked 91st nationally in punt returns, 115th in kickoff returns and 117th in net punting.
The kicking game will again be in good hands with the return of 2004 Ray Guy Award winner P Daniel Sepulveda and PK Ryan Havens.
Sepulveda, a two-time All-American, tore the ACL in his right (non-kicking) knee over the 2006 Easter holiday weekend, but he returned to action for the 2006 season opener against TCU. His 44.81-yard career average ranks as the best in school history, second-best among all active Division I-A punters and ninth-best in NCAA history for players with 150 to 249 career punts.
Havens hit 22-of-24 PATs and 16-of-23 field goals as a junior for a team-high 70 points in his first season handling placements. He ranks No. 10 on Baylor's all-time field goals made list (16) and needs 21 points to crack its career kick scoring chart.
The 2006 return game, though, must replace Baylor's all-time kick return yardage leader Willie Andrews and 2005 Big 12 kickoff return leader Shaun Rochon. Andrews, the first two-time, first-team All-Big 12 coaches selection in school history, left Waco with five school career records to his credit, including marks for total kick returns (164) and total kick return yards (2,596). Rochon averaged 27.4 yards per kickoff return to lead the Big 12 and rank 14th nationally in 2005.
BAND OF BROTHERS
Baylor is one of six Division I-A schools with at least three sets of brothers on its football roster. The Bears' brothers are the Thad and Yancy Boatner, Jake and Luke LaMar, and Desmond and Quincy Jenkins.
BYU sports six sets of brothers, most of any program in the nation. Army, UCLA and Virginia Tech have four sets each; UCLA's total includes one set of three brothers. Baylor and North Carolina State both have three sets.
DUAL-SPORT ATHLETES
Baylor's 2006 roster features four dual-sport athletes: WR David Gettis, LB Joe Pawelek, WR Carl Sims and WR Queito Teasley.
Gettis is one of the nation's top-rated 400-meter runners in track. Pawelek is a catcher on Baylor's baseball team; he sat out the 2006 season as a redshirt. Sims appeared in 10 games at guard for Baylor's basketball team during the 2005-2006 campaign. Teasley earned All-Big 12 honors in the long jump and was a member of Baylor's Big 12 champion 4x100-meter relay team in 2006.
CB Braelon Davis and WR Dominique Zeigler both ran track previously in their time at Baylor. Davis was a sprinter; Zeigler competed in the high jump. Both Davis and Zeigler earned All-Big 12 honors in track.
BEARS TAP TEXAS TALENT POOL
Baylor leads the Big 12 Conference with 111 former Texas high school athletes on its 2006 football roster, according to research by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. The Bears also rank first in the conference with 40 student-athletes from Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex high schools. The other 14 Bears hail from Louisiana (three), California (two), Oklahoma (two), Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia (one each).
SCHOOL DFW TEXAS
BAYLOR 40 111
Texas 27 105
Texas Tech 24 99
Texas A&M 14 91
Oklahoma 30 53
Oklahoma State 17 53
Missouri 10 25
Kansas 11 23
Kansas State 9 18
Iowa State 5 15
Colorado 7 14
Nebraska 2 7
AFCA HONORS BAYLOR FOR GRADUATION RATE
Baylor was one of 29 NCAA Division I-A schools nationally to have its football program honored with the 2006 Academic Achivement Award by the American Football Coaches Association.
Six institutions registered graduation rates of 90 percent or more for their freshman football classes of 2000-2001, including SMU, which earned top honors from the Touchdown Club of Memphis with its 100 percent mark. Baylor joined Big 12 schools Iowa State, Nebraska and Texas Tech among the 23 institutions who received honorable mention recognition with a graduation rate of 70 percent or higher.
The overall graduation rate of the survey-record 104 schools that responded was 58 percent. Since the NCAA began tracking graduation rates in 1991, the Baylor football program has averaged a 65.3 percent rate and seven times in the last nine years it has recorded a 60.0 percent or higher mark.
THE GRADUATES
Baylor is one of 10 schools in Division I-A with at least six graduates on its 2006 football roster, according to research conducted by Tony Neely at the University of Kentucky. Auburn leads the way with 11, followed by Notre Dame and Texas Tech (nine each); Miami, Fla. (eight); Boston College, Louisiana Tech and Penn State (seven each); and Baylor, Kentucky and West Virginia (six each).
2006 BAYLOR BEARS WHO HAVE COMPLETED UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES
QB Shawn Bell May 2006 B.S.Ed., physical education
OT Travis Farst May 2006 B.S., communication studies
IR Andrew Heard * May 2004 B.S., communication studies
OS Maurice Linguist August 2006 B.S., communication studies
RB Mario Price August 2006 B.S.Ed., health science studies
CB James Todd May 2006 B.S., communication studies
* - Texas Tech graduate
FORMER WALK-ONS EARN SCHOLARSHIPS
Five senior members of the Baylor football team who began their careers as walk-ons have been awarded scholarships for the 2006-07 academic year, head coach Guy Morriss announced at the end of the Bear's Aug. 18 practice.
OS Bryan Bays, FB Damon Dotson, FS Bennett Hoefer, WR Craig Munn and RB Mario Price were rewarded by the Bears' staff. Hoefer, who will graduate in May 2007, is the only one of the five who is not a fifth-year senior. Price earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor in August.
Since Morriss' arrival in Waco, 22 walk-ons have earned scholarships, 11 of which are on the Bears' 2006 roster. The most notable walk-on turned scholarship recipient is P Daniel Sepulveda, who won the 2004 Ray Guy Award as the nation's top collegiate punter. Sepulveda, who had not punted since early in his high school career, walked-on as a linebacker and became Baylor's top punter as a redshirt freshman in 2003. He was placed on scholarship by Morriss after earning second-team All-Big 12 honors in January 2004.
2006 SCHEDULE FEATURES SIX 2005 BOWL TEAMS
After playing six of 11 games a year ago against teams that went on to earn bowl invitations, Baylor will face six 2005 bowl teams in 2006, including five of its eight Big 12 opponents. But, that's nothing new for coach Guy Morriss' program, as 21 times in his first 34 games (including 19 of 24 Big 12 contests) along the Baylor sideline he's faced an opponent who ended the season in a bowl game.
The Bears' 12 2006 opponents combined for an 82-57 (.590) record a year ago and six earned bowl bids--TCU (EV1.net Houston champion), Colorado (Champs Sports), Texas (Rose champion), Kansas (Fort Worth champion), Texas Tech (Cotton) and Oklahoma (Holiday champion). Baylor's eight 2006 Big 12 foes went 58-37 (.611) in 2005 and accounted for three of the league's five bowl victories.
Over his first three years in Waco, Morriss' Bears have tackled the nation's 55th- (2003), sixth- (2004) and 28th- (2005) most difficult schedules according to the NCAA.
Five of Baylor's six 2005 losses came at the hands of eventual bowl-bound teams while it knocked off 2005 EV1.net Houston Bowl participant Iowa State, 23-13, to record its first-ever Big 12 Conference road victory. All-told, the Bears ranked 28th among all I-A programs (No. 7 in the Big 12) in 2005 strength of schedule based on their opponents' cumulative winning percentage. Baylor's 2005 foes posted a 57-43 (.570) record.
COACHING STAFF SPORTS NEW FACES IN 2006
Baylor's coaching staff had three changes during the off-season with the arrival of assistant coaches Lee Hays (offensive coordinator), Wes Phillips (quarterbacks) and Gary Kinne (linebackers). Chris Lancaster, who coached the Bears' offensive line the past three years, will serve as running backs coach and special teams coordinator in 2006, while head coach Guy Morriss has returned to his roots as the team's offensive line coach.
In addition to his collegiate and NFL playing experience in the trenches, Morriss spent 11 of his 12 seasons as an assistant coach developing offensive lines in the NFL (three total seasons -- two with New England and one with Arizona), CFL (one year at San Antonio) and the collegiate ranks (seven total seasons -- four at Kentucky, one at Mississippi State and two at Valdosta State).
A fourth new face, Don Wnek, joined the Baylor staff as defensive line coach two days prior to the start of fall camp a year ago.
The 2006 Baylor coaching staff boasts a combined 174 years of experience in the professional, collegiate and high school ranks. Four members of the 2006 staff have been with Morriss since he first became a Division I-A head coach in 2001 at Kentucky -- Larry Hoefer (safeties), Harold Jackson (receivers), Wesley McGriff (cornerbacks) and Lancaster.
The veteran Baylor coaching staff features three men, Morriss (one), defensive coordinator Bill Bradley (three) and Jackson (five), who combined to earn nine NFL All-Pro awards between them.
OVER THE AIR
Bear football games can be heard live on the Baylor/ISP Sports Radio Network. The network includes 11 affiliates across Texas, including flagship stations ESPN KRZI-AM (1660) in Waco. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his 12th season as the signature voice of Baylor Athletics. Former Baylor football standouts J.J. Joe (color analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline reporter) complete the broadcast team.
BAYLOR/ISP SPORTS FOOTBALL RADIO NETWORK
Abilene KYYW-AM 1470
Amarillo KIXZ-AM 940
Big Spring KBST-AM 1490
Dallas/Fort Worth WBAP-AM 820
Dallas/Fort Worth KKDL-AM 1160
Houston KKHT-FM 100.7
Jacksonville KXAL-FL 100.3
Lubbock KJAK-FM 92.7
Lufkin KYBI-FM 101.9
San Antonio KRPT-FM 92.5
Waco (Flagship) KRZI-AM 1660 ESPN
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 College Sports TV network. CSTV currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including four Big 12 schools and the conference office.
BAYLOR GAMES ON THE INTERNET
The radio call from all of Baylor's games can be heard free of charge live on the Internet at www.BaylorBears.com.
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 (Sunday, 11 p.m. CT), Fox Sports Southwest (Wednesday, 1 p.m. CT), College Sports Television (Friday, 1 p.m. CT) and the College Channel (Waco cable 18).
UP NEXT ...
Baylor returns to action Saturday, Sept. 16, traveling to Seattle, Wash., for a non-conference game against Washington State. Kickoff between the Bears and the Cougars is scheduled for 2 p.m. CDT at Qwest Field, home of the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks.
This is the first meeting between Baylor and Washington State since the Cougars edged the Bears 10-3 at the 1994 Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
