Baylor enters year No. 2 of the Art Briles Era in 2009, and excitement surrounding the Bears football program is riding high. Baylor fans are eager to see how much the Bears, led by senior All-America linebacker Joe Pawelek, senior All-Big 12 safety Jordan Lake and returning Freshman All-America quarterback Robert Griffin III, can improve on last year's promising inaugural season under Briles.

"We really feel good about the direction we are going and about how we are going to get there," Briles said. "What we have to do is turn it into reality on the field, but that is going to happen and we are very confident of that."

Baylor fans are hoping Briles and Co. will end the program's 14-year bowl drought dating back to the 1994 Alamo Bowl.

When asked about the strengths of his veteran squad (20 starters return from the 2008 squad) at the conclusion of spring practice, Briles quickly stated, "solid, focused leadership. The ingredients of this team are focus, energy, leadership and belief."

OFFENSE
Ten starters return from an offense that was argueably the school's most prolific since the mid-90s, averaging 376.4 yards and 28.0 points per game in Briles' first season at Baylor. This year's returning players accounted for 91.2 percent of last season's total offense (4,121 of 4,517 yards).

The two departed starters left huge holes to fill, though, as Baylor looks to replace departed tackles Dan Gay and Jason Smith; two All-Big 12 honorees and NFL linemen.

"It all starts with our offensive line," Briles said. "We have to be dominant up front, both sides of the ball. That's where we have to be men. That never needs to be a doubt concerning our football team."

The OFFENSIVE LINE does return two honorable mention All-Big 12 players in senior guard James Barnard and senior center J.D. Walton, a Rimington Award candidate. The other returning starter, senior Jordan Hearvey, missed spring drills while recovering from a 2008 knee injury that caused him to miss the season's final four games.

"When the heads turn up front offensively, they're looking at J.D. at center," Briles said. "What he has done and what he will do is take that role and help us be a physically intimidating offensive line which is what we have to be."

Penciled into one starting tackle is junior transfer Danny Watkins (Butte College), a Canadian who enrolled in January and went through spring drills. Expected to battle for time at the other tackle position are returnees Cameron Kaufhold, a redshirt freshman, and junior Chris Griesenbeck. Remaining options at guard include incoming freshman Ivory Wade (Dickinson, Texas) and sophomore transfer Philip Blake (Tyler JC), as well as sophomore John Jones and redshirt freshman Jake Jackson.

"Danny's a solid addition at left tackle and we'll fill the other gaps as the summer unfolds," Briles said.

The BACKFIELD returns relatively unchanged, led by sophomore quarterback Griffin, junior tailback Jay Finley, and senior big slot/fullback Andrew Judy.

Griffin turned heads nationally with a sensational freshman season that earned him 2008 Freshman All-America and Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. The dual-threat athlete, described by ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman as "the fastest man to ever play quarterback in college football," threw for 2,091 yards and 15 touchdowns and ran for 843 yards and 13 TDs. Coaches expect even more from the 19-year-old in his second season under center. Griffin's more-than-capable backup at QB is senior Blake Szymanski, a veteran with 13 career starts who ranks in the top 10 of eight career passing categories and owns five single-game school records.

"Robert gives us an added dimension offensively," Briles said. "He's a dynamic player that has an intellect and intensified discipline that compliment his competitive nature. He will make us a team to be reckoned with. We feel really good about Blake with his maturity and experience being at that position also."

Finley is back after rushing for a team-high 865 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore last season. His 72.1 yards-per-game ranked fifth in the Big 12 and led a Baylor 2008 rushing attack that ranked third in the Big 12 and 21st nationally with 195.8 average yards.

"Jay is a guy that fits our system really well," Briles said. "He is proven. He's a person that we certainly have a lot of confidence in."

Finley leads a stable of rushers in 2009 that includes redshirt freshman Jarred Salubi, a local product from Waco High School, and sophomore Terrance Ganaway, a transfer from the University of Houston.

The RECEIVING CORP returns eight of its top nine pass catchers from last season, including sophomore Kendall Wright, who led the team with 50 receptions for 649 yards and five TDs en route to being named an honorable mention Freshman All-American. Also in the mix at inside receiver are senior Ernest Smith, who caught three touchdowns in just seven receptions last season, senior Justin Fenty and junior Krys Buerck, who returns to receiver after playing cornerback in 2008.

"Kendall had an outstanding year last year and needs to continue to progress as a football player and leader of the team," Briles said. "We feel great about the inside receivers and it's been a great move moving Ernest inside, he's going to be a lot more productive for us."

Returning at wideout is veteran David Gettis, a senior with 18 career starts and the Bears' third-leading receiver in 2008 (29 catches, 391 yards). Other options at wide receiver include two promising redshirt freshmen, Lanear Sampson and Terrance Williams, veteran senior Mikail Baker, and incoming freshman Josh Gordon (Houston Lamar HS).

"We need our outside guys, David and Mikail, to step up and be seniors," Briles said. "We feel really good about our young wide receivers Terrance and Lanear. Both of those guys really showed a lot this spring as far as capability."

Fifth-year senior Justin Akers returns as starting tight end (14 catches, 2 TDs), and versatile junior Brad Taylor will contribute at tight end, H-back and inside receiver.

"Akers has a big body, soft hands and is starting to live up to his ability to be a great player," Briles said.

DEFENSE
"The great thing defensively is that we have a lot of returning starters back," Briles said. "So a lot of these guys have been through the wars and we're now ready as a program to take it to the next level."

Ten starters are back from the 2008 defense (nine remain on defense after the move of Buerck to receiver) and six of the top seven tacklers, highlighted by two-time All-Big 12 defenders Lake and Pawelek. Gone are linemen Leon Freeman (end) and Vincent Rhodes (tackle), as well as part-time starter at cornerback Dwain Crawford.

The DEFENSIVE LINE returns fifth-year seniors Trey Bryant, a noseguard with 23 career starts, and Jason Lamb, end-turned-tackle with a team-high 36 games played, on the interior, as well as Penn State transfer Phil Taylor. Taylor is penciled in as a starter at tackle after dominating play on the practice squad in 2008 and in 2009 spring drills. Sophomore Nicolas Jean-Baptiste and redshirt freshman Kaeron Johnson provide depth on the inside.

"The defensive line starts inside with Phil and Trey," Briles said. "Both of them have to be extremely dominant and forceful with legalized aggression. They have to be tough guys that get after it and bring a tough mentality to our football team. Lamb didn't get to go through the spring (due to injury) but he will factor in there on the defensive line."

Slated starters at defensive end coming out of the spring are sophomores Zac Scotton and Tracy Robertson. The young duo (Scotton: 2 starts, 9 tackles; Robertson: 9 games played, 5 tackles) are listed ahead of junior Jameon Hardeman.

"Tracy and Scotton both had good springs," Briles said. "We feel comfortable with the explosion that we have at defensive end."

Senior All-American Pawelek, the nation's leading active tackler (313) heading into 2009, leads a deep and experienced LINEBACKING CORP that includes returning starters at outside linebackers and three veteran reserves. Pawelek, a returning All-American and Academic All-American, ranked seventh nationally in tackles last season (10.7 tackles per game) and seventh in interceptions (0.5 interceptions per game) - the only player ranked in the top 10 of both categories. His 313 career tackles stand three shy of Baylor's all-time top 10 list.

"You can't find anyone in the nation that you would rather have calling your defensive signals than Joe Pawelek," Briles said. "He's exactly what you want in that position. He's a guy who can help take us to the next level, which is where we're going."

Returning starters flanking Pawelek are junior Antonio Johnson, third on team with 72 tackles (one sack, one interception), and senior third-year starter Antonio Jones, fourth on squad with 71 tackles (also three sacks). Veteran backups include juniors Earl Patin (52 tackles, three sacks) and Chris Francis (23 tackles, one interception) and sophomore Elliot Coffey (14 tackles).

"The linebacking unit is the strength of our football team," Briles said. "Antonio Johnson came in and had a great year for us last year, he's very explosive and brings great speed to that position."

Highlighting the DEFENSIVE SECONDARY is free safety Lake, a fifth-year senior and Thorpe Award candidate. Lake totaled 97 tackles and three interceptions en route to first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2008. His 8.1 tackles-per-game ranked fifth in the Big 12.

"Jordan is coming off another great year," Briles said. "He's doing a great job of leading and had a great spring. He's been through the wars and understands what it takes and how we're going to get there."

The returning starter at 'hero' safety is fifth-year senior Jeremy Williams (54 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss). Additional safeties include newcomers Byron Landor, a junior transfer from Blinn College, and incoming freshman Denerick Demby (Spring Westfield HS), and recently converted-from-offense seniors Jeremy Sanders and T.J. Scranton (in spring Sanders moved from running back, Scranton from receiver).

"Jeremy also had a great spring," Briles said. "Byron Landor will be coming in and he's an excellent player who will definitely compete for playing time at the safety position."

At the corners are three returnees with starting experience from last season: juniors Tim Atchison (three starts, 31 tackles) and Antareis Bryan (three starts, 33 tackles, one interception), and sophomore Trentson Hill (five starts, 30 tackles, one interception). Junior Clifton Odom and sophomore converted receiver Romie Blaylock provide depth.

"Antareis stepped up and had a good spring," Briles said. "He took care of the things he needed to take care of which was becoming stronger and more physical. Trentson had a good spring and Tim had a solid spring so we feel good about those guys at cornerback."

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Bears return both kickers in junior punter Derek Epperson and sophomore placekicker Ben Parks, as well as senior deep snapper Carter Brunelle. Epperson, a third-year starter, was a 2008 All-Big 12 and a Ray Guy Award semifinalist and has been named a 2009 preseason All-American. Epperson's 44.3 punting average ranked ninth nationally, and the team's 38.8 net punting average ranked seventh nationally. Parks hit on 6-of-9 field goals and 39-of-44 PATs in 2008. Fifth-year senior kick returner Mikail Baker boasts a career kickoff return average of 24.7 (third best in school history).

"You can buy a lot of things but you can't buy experience," Briles said. "Our kickers have some experience now. They've lived through it, felt it and now they'll know how to deal with it. Derek had a great year and I think he'll be one of the top punters in America."