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4/4 BAYLOR (0-0) at NR/NR SMU (0-0) Sept. 4, 2015 | 6 p.m. CT Dallas, Texas | Ford Stadium (32,000) TV: ESPN

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MEDIA INFORMATION Date Friday, Sept. 4 | 6 p.m. CT Location Dallas, Texas | Ford Stadium (32,000) TV ESPN TV Talent Dave Flemming (pxp), Mack Brown (analyst), Allison Williams (sideline) Radio ESPN Central Texas | SiriusXM 84 Online Audio Listen Online Live Stats Ticket Info Purchase Tickets Game Notes Baylor Notes | SMU Notes Twitter @BUFootball BAYLOR-SMU SERIES Series Baylor leads, 37-36-7 In Waco Baylor leads, 19-18-3 In Dallas Tied, 18-18-4 First Meeting Oct. 7, 1916 - Baylor, 62-0 Last Meeting Aug. 31, 2014 - Baylor, 45-0 4/4 BAYLOR BEARS Record 0-0, 0-0 Big 12 Ranking 4 (AP), 4 (Coaches) Last Game Jan. 1, 2015 (lost to No. 7 Michigan State, 42-41) Head Coach Art Briles (Texas Tech, 1979) Career: 89-62 (13th season) BU Record: 55-34 (8th season) NR/NR SMU MUSTANGS Record 0-0 Ranking NR (AP), NR (Coaches) Last Game Dec. 6, 2014 (won at Connecticut, 27-20) Head Coach Chad Morris (Texas A&M, 1992) Career: 0-0 (1st season) SMU Record: 0-0 (1st season)

STORY LINES
• Baylor, the 2-time reigning Big 12 champion, opens its 2015 season at SMU Friday, Sept. 4, on ESPN.
• Baylor won a school-record 11 games, claimed its second-straight Big 12 title and earned a second-consecutive trip to a BCS/New Year's Six bowl game in 2014.
• Baylor returns 51 lettermen and 18 starters (8 o; 9 d; 1 st) from last season's squad.
• Baylor has led the FBS €ˆin total offense and scoring offense each of the past 2 years, averaging 581.5 yards and 48.2 points a season ago.
• Baylor has appeared in 5-straight bowl games for the 1st time in school history.
• Baylor is playing its 8th season under head coach Art Briles and its 114th season in program history.
• Baylor is 74-35-4 all-time in season openers, including a10-9 mark in the Big 12 era (since 1996).
• Baylor is 6-1 in openers under Briles and has started each of the last 5 years with at least 2 straight wins.
• Baylor is 4-3 under Art Briles in its 1st road game of the year and has won 3 straight.
• Baylor begins its season on the road for the 1st time since 2009 (24-21 win at Wake Forest).
• This will be the 81st meeting between BU and SMU. The Bears lead the all-time series 37-36-7, but its tied 18-18-4 in Dallas.
• The Bears have won 11 straight games over SMU €ˆand with last year's victory took hold of the overall series lead for the 1st time since 1924.
• Baylor is 15-3 vs. in-state schools over the last 4 seasons and has won 8 straight vs. Texas opponents.
• Baylor is 7-2 in true road games over the last 2 years, after going 7-17 in true road games in the first 5 years of the Briles era.
• Baylor starts the season at No. 4 in both the preseason AP Top 25 and Amway Coaches Poll, setting a school-record for highest preseason listing.
• Baylor's been ranked in a school-record 34 straight AP Polls, FBS' 5th-best streak (Top 10 in 24 of last 27).
• BU has won 21 of its last 22 games played in Texas and is 32-4 in the Lone Star State over last 4 years.
• Baylor is the most successful Texas team since 2011 with a win percentage of .769 (40-12).
• Baylor has an all-time record of 46-49-5 in DFW, but has won 5 of its last 6 games played there.

TEAM QUICK €ˆHITS
• Baylor is 29-8 when ranked under Briles, including a 12-8 mark in away games.
• Baylor is 11-5 over its last 16 games away from Waco when ranked.
• Baylor has won 11 of its last 15 games played outside of Waco.
• Baylor is only the 2nd school to repeat as Big 12 champions - OU in `06-08.
• Baylor is 26-4 over its last 30 games.
• Baylor's 4 losses in its last 30 games were all away from home; three vs. top-15 teams.
• BU is 1 of only 2 schools (Alabama) in the country to have wins over top 10 teams in each of past 4 seasons.
• Baylor is 12-5 in games decided by 7 points or less in the last 5 seasons.
• Baylor has won 16 straight games at home, including an undefeated 6-0 record at McLane Stadium last season.
• Baylor's 25-1 record at home since 2011 is nation's best.
• Baylor is 8-0 vs. AP Top 25 opponents at home over last 4 seasons.
• Baylor secured its first-ever back-to-back conference championships and the eighth conference title in school history (Southwest Conference: 1915, 1922, 1924, 1974, 1980, 1994; Big 12 Conference: 2013, 2014).
• Baylor won 11 games in back-to-back seasons for first time in school history.
• BU tied a school-record with 8 conference victories in 2014. BU had 8 league wins in two other seasons: 1980 & 2013.
• Baylor scored at least 20 points before halftime in 12 of 13 games last season.
• Baylor is 36-3 over the last 5 seasons when leading at halftime.
• Baylor is 36-1 when leading by 10+ points at the half during the Briles era.
• Art Briles earned his 55th win at BU €ˆvs. K-State and in 2014 to become the 3rd-winningest coach in BU history.
• The Bears have now been ranked in 5 straight seasons for the 1st time since being ranked in 5 straight from 1953-57.

OFFENSE
• #AmericasTopOffense in 2014: No. 1 nationally in scoring (48.2), total offense (581.5) and first downs (30.1) and 4th in passing (365.9 ypg).
• Baylor tied with Oregon for the FBS lead in 2014 with 41 touchdown drives of two minutes or less
• Baylor boasts the nation's only returning 1,000-yard receiving duo in 2015: Corey Coleman (64-1,119-11) and KD €ˆCannon €ˆ(58-1,030-8).
• BU €ˆreturns its entire starting O-line from the Cotton Bowl Classic, entire backfield & 10 of 13 receivers from 2014.
• Baylor's O-line returns 6 lineman with 8 or more career starts entering 2015.
• Baylor has scored 40+ points in 35 of its last 45 games and has scored 30+ points in 40 of its last 45 contests.
• Baylor has scored in 100 straight games -- previous school record was 89 games from €ˆDec. 31, 1979 - Oct. 23, 1987.
• Baylor has topped 400 yards of offense 49 times in the 52 games since 2011 - that mark leads the nation.
• Baylor has gained 500+ yards in 20 of 26 games since 2013, including 12 games with 600+ yards in that span.
• Baylor reached 600 yards of offense in 5 games in 2014. BU has 32 such games in its history (27 in Briles era).
• Baylor has scored at least 20 points in the 1st halves of 12 of 14 games last season.
• Baylor has topped the 50-point mark 20 times since 2011, the most in FBS.
• Baylor is 18-1 since the start of 2012 when attempting 50 or more rushes.
• Baylor set an NCAA record in 2013 with 681 pts. in 13 games. BU's 52.4 points/game were tied for fourth-most all-time.

DEFENSE
• Phil Bennett's D has forced multiple turnovers in 33 of 52 games (28-5 record).
• Baylor's defense has forced at least 1 turnover in 16 straight games. (13-3 in that stretch)
• Baylor has allowed 14 or fewer points in 12 of its last 26 games and 5 of 13 games in 2014.
• BU forced at least 1 turnover in all 13 games of 2014, & had 3 or more in 4 of last 9 (20 takeaways over last 9).
• Baylor has recorded three or more sacks in 8 of 13 games last season.
• Bennett's defense has forced multiple turnovers in 22 of its last 33 games (27-6 record in that span).
• Baylor's defense is 29-5 under Bennett when recording 2+ takeaways.
• Baylor's D has 3 or more turnovers in 11 games since 2013 & has won 23 of its last 24 with 3+ takeaways.
• Baylor is 19-1 when forcing 3+ turnovers during the Briles era.
• Baylor tied a school record with nine sacks vs. SMU last year as 9 different players recorded at least half a sack.
• Baylor's opening-day shutout of SMU in 2014 was its first over an FBS €ˆopponent since Sept. 23, 1995 (14-0 vs. NCST).
• 3 defensive starters (Beau Blackshear, Andrew Billings & Orion Stewart) are Waco natives.

INDIVIDUAL QUICK €ˆHITS
OFFENSE
• WR Corey Coleman ranked seventh nationally with 111.9 receiving yards/game & 12th (led Big 12) with 11 TDs in 2014.
• Shock Linwood ranked 2nd in Big 12 in rushing yards (1,252) and TDs (16, 14th NCAA) in `14.
• OL Spencer Drango was named a 2014 consensus All-America, Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year and Outland Trophy semifinalist.
• Linwood set the BU freshman and sophomore rushing records & gave BU a 5th-straight season with a 1,000-yard rusher.

DEFENSE
• DE €ˆShawn Oakman ranked 10th nationally in TFL €ˆ(1.5/gm) & 15th in sacks €ˆ(.85/gm) in 2014.He led BU with 19.5 TFLs and 11.0 sacks in 2014. He needs just 3 sacks to set the BU €ˆschool record (Daryl Gardener, 15.0).
• Sophomore PK Chris Callahan made 17 of his last 20 FGs, after starting his career 1-of-6.

TWO-TIME CHAMPS RETURN ROSTER LOADED WITH VETERANS
Not only does Baylor boast a veteran-laden roster in 2015, it's a squad full of players wearing multiple Big 12 championship rings. The Bears return 30 veterans who have lettered on back-to-back Big 12 championship teams (and another 22 who lettered on a single championship team in 2014). That's 52 lettermen with at least one ring. Baylor's powerful offensive machine, which has led the nation in total offense and scoring each of the past two seasons, returns its entire starting offensive line from the 2015 Cotton Bowl, its entire backfield and 10 of 13 receivers from 2014.

BAYLOR D-LINE: "SCARY GOOD"
Baylor's defensive line is loaded with talented veterans and features a five-man rotation that Phil Steele termed, €ˆ"one of the best defensive lines in the country." The quintet, of which ESPN said, "has the potential to be scary good -- and also just plain scary," is made up of senior All-American Shawn Oakman, a trio of All-Big 12 honorees in junior Andrew Billings and seniors Beau Blackshear and Jamal Palmer, and 2014 Freshman All-American K.J. Smith, and has combined for 128 career games, 340 tackles, 87.5 TFL and 33.5 sacks. The line ranked seventh nationally in rushing yards-per-play allowed in 2014, giving up just 3.15 per-rush. The 2015 edition is ranked third nationally by Lindy's, fourth by Athlon and fifth by Phil Steele. "This is a unit loaded with size, speed and experience," according to ESPN.com.

NATION'S TOP RECEIVING DUO
Baylor's potent 1-2 receiving punch of junior All-American Corey Coleman and sophomore KD €ˆCannon €ˆ(2014 Freshman All-American) is the nation's only returning 1,000-yard receiving duo in 2015. Last season Coleman totaled 64 catches, 1,119 yards and 11 TDs in just 10 games (111.9 yards/game) and Cannon (described by Sporting News as "the next great receiver in the college game") had 58 for 1,030 and 8 TDs. Coleman was named "College Football's Most Freakish Athlete" by NFL.com, and the duo was listed 1-2 on "College Football's Most Explosive Player" listing by NFL.com.

BIG €ˆ12'S TOP €ˆTEAM €ˆSINCE €ˆ2013
En route to back-to-back Big 12 titles, the Bears racked up matching 8-1 league records. That combined record of 16-2 is far and away tops in the Big 12 since the start of 2013.

BRILES' UNIQUE SYSTEM IS AMERICA'S TOP OFFENSE
Art Briles' unique, record-breaking offense has led the nation in total offense (581.5 ypg 2014, 618.8 ypg 2013) and scoring (48.2 ppg 2014, 52.4 ppg 2013) in each of the last two seasons. Baylor's offense is the only in the country to rank among the top-four in total offense each of the last four years.

THE BRILES OFFENSE: €ˆA unique, up-tempo spread attack with origins in Bill Yeoman's `Houston Veer' (perhaps most identifiable by wide splits of receivers and a power running game), Art Briles has honed his offensive system over the past four decades as a high school and collegiate coach; it's a balanced offense, not to be confused with more common pass-heavy spread attacks. The Briles offense is also in use at Bowling Green (head coach Dino Babers) and Tulsa (Philip Montgomery) under former Briles assistants.

VETERAN O-LINE BACK TO PROTECT NEW QB
Baylor's offensive line returns six linemen with eight or more career starts entering the 2015 season €ˆ(Spencer Drango 35, Desmine Hilliard 18, Kyle Fuller 13, Blake Muir 12, Jarell Broxton 8, Pat Colbert 8). The line allowed just 1.54 sacks-per-game during its 2014 championship run [see chart below]. The 2015 line is ranked the nation's No. 2 unit by Lindy's, No. 4 by Athlon and No. 6 by Phil Steele.

SACKS-PER-GAME ALLOWED:
2014: 1.85 (24 for 152 yds in 13 games) - 4th
2013: 1.69 (22 for 113 yds in 13 games) - 4th
2012: 1.46 (19 for 92 yds in 13 games) - 5th
2011: 2.23 (29 for 175 yds in 13 games) - 8th

`WIDE RECEIVER U' RANKED NATION'S TOP CORPS
Art Briles' offense continues to attract and develop standout receivers that produce eye-popping results. Over the last five years (2010-2014), Wide Receiver U has graduated eight receivers to the NFL, produced four All-Americans and 19 All-Big 12 honors and totaled five 1,000-yard seasons. Prominent alums include Antwan Goodley (Cowboys), Josh Gordon (Browns), Tevin Reese (Bengals), Terrance Williams (Cowboys) and Kendall Wright (Titans), and the current corps boasts All-American Corey Coleman and 2014 Freshman All-America KD €ˆCannon.

The 2015 edition of #WRU, labeled €ˆ"the deepest, most terrifying receiving corps in the country" by SB Nation, is ranked the nation's top receiving unit by Athlon, Lindy's and SportsOnEarth (second by Phil Steele).

BAYLOR'S RETURN TO PROMINENCE UNDER BRILES
It's no secret that Art Briles has rebuilt Baylor's football program back to national prominence, but most impressive is how quickly and pronounced the transformation happened (Briles is third on the BU €ˆcareer wins list).

THE €ˆNATION'S MOST €ˆBALANCED €ˆOFFENSE
Baylor has ranked among the nation's top 15 in both rushing and passing yards in three of the past four years. Additionally, BU has rushed on more than 54 percent of plays over the last four seasons.

OPPORTUNISTIC €ˆDEFENSE
Baylor's defense under coordinator Phil Bennett has demonstrated a knack for making big plays at key moments to contribute to the Bears' winning ways over the past four seasons. In four years under Bennett, Baylor's D has recorded at least one takeaway in 47 of 52 games - a total of 109 takeaways (66 interceptions, 43 fumbles recovered). Overall under Bennett, Baylor is 29-5 when recording two or more takeaways.

BAYLOR'S POWERFUL OFFENSE ALSO CRAZY FAST
In 2014, Baylor's up-tempo offense led the nation in plays/game €ˆ(87.5), TD drives of one minute or less €ˆ(24), TD drives of two minutes or less (41, tied with Oregon) and fewest seconds-per-play in the first half €ˆ(18.0). The Bears, called "the best quick-strike offense in college football" by ESPN, also led the NCAA in TDs of 40 or more yards (19) and TD €ˆthrows of 25 or more yards €ˆ(24). In 2013, Baylor's offense led the nation in seconds-per-play €ˆ(16.7), TD drives of one minute or less (29), TD drives of two minutes or less €ˆ(60) and most plays of 40 yards or more (37). [all stats via ESPN Stats & Info]

OWNING €ˆTHE €ˆLONE €ˆSTAR €ˆSTATE
Baylor has racked up a 15-3 record vs. in-state foes over the last four years, including victories in its last eight meetings with other Texas schools. The Bears have also been successful against any opponent when the game has been played in the Lone Star state, boasting a 21-1 record over its last 22 games and a 32-4 mark in contests over the last four years in Texas.

GAMES PLAYED IN TEXAS
2015: 8-1
2014: 8-0
2013: 9-0
2012: 6-2
2011: 9-1

VS. IN-STATE SCHOOLS
2014: 4-0
2013: 3-0
2012: 3-2 (won last 1)
2011: 5-1

SMU SERIES HISTORY
• Baylor and SMU meet for the 81st-time Friday. The Bears lead the all-time series, 37-36-7, while things are all tied up including an 18-18-4 mark in Dallas. This will be the first game in Dallas in the series since 2005.
• The two teams met to open the 2014 season as well with BU €ˆshutting out SMU, 45-0, in the inaugural game at McLane Stadium.
• The Bears have won each of the last 11 meetings dating back to 1986.
• This will be the fourth straight series meeting which has been the season opener for both teams (BU €ˆalso won, 28-23, in 2005 & 59-24 in 2012).
• The Bears and Mustangs first met on Oct. 7, 1916, with Baylor dominating in a 62-0 rout in Dallas.
• Starting with the first meeting in 1916, the teams met each season (with the exception of World War II) through 1986, a span of 70 years. NCAA €ˆsanctions forced the cancellation of €ˆSMU's 1987 season and University officials cancelled the Mustangs' 1988 campaign. The teams then picked up their Southwest Conference rivalry in 1989, playing yearly until Baylor joined the Big 12 to start the 1996 season.
• Since moving into the Big 12 Conference in 1996, Baylor is 7-0 in non-conference games against former Southwestern Conference (non-Big 12) rivals -- 4-0 vs. SMU and 3-0 vs. Rice.

BU TURNING €ˆDFW €ˆMETROPLEX INTO €ˆBEAR €ˆCOUNTRY
Baylor has won five of its last six games in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, including a win over TCU in 2013 €ˆand four consecutive victories against Texas Tech at AT&T €ˆStadium. Friday's match up will be BU's 101st game played in the Metroplex and BU has a record of 46-49-5 in DFW.

BU €ˆPICKED SECOND IN LEAGUE BY MEDIA
For a second-straight year, Baylor was picked second in the Big 12 Football Preseason Poll. BU tallied 384 points and 10 first-place votes to finish as the projected runner-up to TCU. The Big 12 Conference had two six-team divisions for its first 15 seasons, and Baylor was never picked to finish in the top half of a division during that span. This year's second-place projection ties 2014 as the Bears' best since the league switched to the 10-team format in 2011. BU was picked sixth in 2011, seventh in 2012 and fifth in 2013. Despite being picked fifth and second in the past two seasons, Baylor ended 2013 and 2014 as the top team in the league.

BEARS €ˆLEAD €ˆLEAGUE €ˆWITH €ˆSEVEN €ˆALL-BIG 12 SELECTIONS
Headlined by preseason Defensive Player of the Year Shawn Oakman, the Baylor football team placed a conference-best seven players on the 2015 Preseason All-Big 12 Team. Media representatives who cover the league chose a school-record tying four offensive players and a program-record three defensive players from Baylor's squad for the 30-man conference preseason teamThe seven total selections tie the 2014 school record as well, surpassing the three selections BU had in 2009 and 2013. This is the first year that a Baylor player has earned the preseason Defensive Player of the Year accolade.