Aug. 29, 2016 vs.  |
23/21 BAYLOR (0-0) vs. Northwestern State (0-0) Sept. 2, 2015 | 6:30 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | McLane Stadium (45,140) TV: FSN |
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 |  | MEDIA INFORMATION | Date | Saturday, Sept. 2 | 6:30 p.m. CT | Location | Waco, Texas | McLane Stadium (45,140) | TV | FSN | TV Talent | Mark Followill (pxp), Ben Leber (analyst), Brian Baldinger (analyst), Lesley McCaslin (sideline) | Radio | ESPN Central Texas | Sirius/XM 119/199 | Online Audio | Listen Online | Live Stats | | Ticket Info | Purchase Tickets | Game Notes | Baylor Notes | NSU Notes  | Twitter | @BUFootball | BAYLOR-NORTHWESTERN STATE SERIES | Series | Baylor leads, 4-0 | In Waco | Baylor leads, 4-0 | First Meeting | Sept. 9, 2006 - Baylor, 47-10 | Last Meeting | Sept. 6, 2014 - Baylor, 70-6 | 23/21 BAYLOR BEARS | Record | 0-0, 0-0 Big 12 | Ranking | 23 (AP), 21 (Coaches) | Last Game | Dec. 29, 2015 (defeated North Carolina, 49-38) | Head Coach | Jim Grobe (Virginia, 1975) | | Career: 110-115-1 (20th season) | | BU Record: 0-0 (1st season) | NR/NR NORTHWESTERN STATE DEMONS | Record | 0-0 | Ranking | NR (AP), NR (Coaches) | Last Game | Nov. 21, 2015 (defeated SFA, 33-17) | Head Coach | Jay Thomas (Southern Miss, 1988) | | Career: 43-54 (10th season) | | NSU Record: 16-21 (4th season) |
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STORY LINES - To open 2016, Baylor hosts Northwestern State Friday at 6:30 p.m. on FSN in McLane Stadium.
- Baylor begins its 114th season of football and 1st under acting head coach Jim Grobe.
- Baylor won at least 10 games for a 3rd-straight season, earned a program-high ranking of No. 2 and was 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl champions last season.
- Baylor returns 41 lettermen and 11 starters (4 o; 5 d; 2 st) from the 2015 squad.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € has #AmericasTopOffense, which has led the NCAAà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € in total and scoring offense for past 3 years.
- Baylor and NSU will meet for the 5th time. BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € has won the previous four meetings.
- Baylor is 10-2 in the $266 million McLane Stadium, with an average margin of victory of + 28.6 points.
- Baylor is averaging 51.4 points per game and 629.8 yards per game at the 2-year-old riverfront stadium.
- Baylor has the nation's best home record since 2011 at 29-3.
- In home games, Baylor is 33-5 over the last six seasons.
- Baylor starts 2016 ranked No. 23 in the APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Top 25 and No. 21 in the Amway Coaches Poll.
- BU's been ranked in a school-record 50 straight AP Polls, FBS' 4th-best streak.
- Baylor is 75-35-4 all-time in season openers, including an 11-9 mark in the Big 12 era.
- Baylor has won 7-straight openers and has started the last 6 years with at least 2 straight wins.
- Baylor hasn't lost a game in September since 2012 (9/29 vs. WVU) and is 8-0 since.
- BU has won 27 of its last 31 games played in Texas and is 38-7 in the state over the last five years.
- Baylor led all FBS teamsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € in TD drives of 2 min. or less in each of the last 2 seasons - 49 a year ago & 41 in 2014.
- Senior RBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ €
Shock Linwood (3,662 yds.) is 204 yards away from breaking
Walter Abercrombie's school rushing record of 3,665. He also needs 2 rushing TDs to set a new BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € career mark.
- Senior QBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ €
Seth Russell returns from injury that kept him out of the final 6 games of 2015. He racked up 2,104 yds and 29 TDs on 119-200 passing and 402 yds and 6 TDs on 49 rushes last year.
- Baylor is the most successful team in Texas since 2011 with win percentage of .769 (50-15).
QUICK NOTES
- 2016 marks a new era as acting head coach Jim Grobe takes the reins of the Baylor football program. Grobe's four decades on the sidelines include 19 seasons and 110 career wins as head coach at Ohio and Wake Forest.
OVERALL SUCCESS:
- Baylor has the third-most wins (57) in FBS since 2010, only Alabama (62) and Florida State (58) have more.
- Baylor has won 50 games over the past 5 years (best in Big 12), as well as 2 Big 12 championships and 3 bowl games.
- In last 43 games BU has just 7 losses, 5 to top 15-ranked teams (and 5 away from home).
- Baylor has now been bowl-eligible in 6-straight years for the 1st time in school history.
#AMERICASTOPOFFENSE SUCCESS:
- Baylor is 2nd team in FBS history to lead nation in scoring (48.1 ppg in 2015) in 3 straight seasons (1979-81 BYU), according to ESPN Stats & Info.
- #AmericasTopOffense in 2015: No. 1 nationally in Scoring (48.1) and Total Offense (616.2), 2nd in Rushing (326.7), 3rd in Pass Efficiencyà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (170.8) and First Downsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (29.5).
DEFENSIVE SUCCESS:
- Phil Bennett's defense has forced at least one turnover in 27 of its last 29 games and 58 of 65 games (80 INTs, 55 FR).
- Baylor's GangGreen D has forced multiple turnovers in 42 of 65 games (with 36-6 record).
- Baylor forced at least 2 turnovers in 9 of 13 games of 2015.
RUSHING SUCCESS:
- Baylor led all Power Five schools in rushing in 2015: 326.7 yards per game.
- Baylor's backfield has produced six 1,000-yard rushers in the last five seasons.
- Shock Linwood is nation's 3rd-leading active rusher (entering 2016) with 3,462 career yards.
O-LINE EXCELLENCE:
- Baylor's 2015 o-line led the Big 12 and ranked 15th nationally by giving up just 15 sacks in 13 games (1.15 per game).
- Baylor has accounted for 4 straight Big 12 Offensive Linemen of the Year (Spencer Drango 2015 & 2014[co], Cyril Richardson 2013 & 2012).
- BU has had at least one All-American o-lineman in seven of the last eight years.
#WIDERECEIVERU SUCCESS: Since 2009 BU's receiving corps has totaled: 6 NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draftees, 1 Biletnikoff Award winner, 5 All-Americans, 17 All-Big 12 honors and 6 1,000-yard seasons.
RANKINGS SUCCESS:
- Baylor has been ranked in 50 straight AP Polls, the 4th-longest streak nationally (Top 15 in 43 of last 45 polls).
- Baylor has won 7 games over AP/Coaches/BCS/CFP top 10 teams since 2011.
- Baylor is 8-1 vs. AP Top 25 opponents at home over last 5 seasons.
- Baylor and Alabama are the only teams to beat at least 1 Top 10 team in each of last 5 years.
- BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € is 12-9 overall vs. APà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Top 25 teams since 2011.
HOME SUCCESS:
- Baylor has the nation's best home record since 2011 at 29-3.
- In home games, Baylor is 33-5 over the last 6 seasons and 39-11 in Waco since 2008.
ROAD SUCCESS: BU has won 17 of last 22 games played outside of Waco.
NEUTRAL SUCCESS: BU has won 7 of last 9 neutral-site games.
CONFERENCE SUCCESS:
- Baylor boasts the most wins (50) and conference titlesà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (2, tied) in the Big 12 Conference over the last five years.
- BU's three-year overall record of 32-7 and league mark of 22-5 are the best among Big 12 schools.
IN-STATE SUCCESS:
- BU has won 27 of its last 31 games played in Texas and is 38-7 in the state over last 5 years.
- Baylor is 19-5 vs. in-state schools over last 5 seasons and has won 12 of last 14 vs. Texas foes.
LATE-SEASON SUCCESS: Baylor has compiled an FBS-best 23 winsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (23-7) in November and December since 2011 (7-1 in Dec.).
POISED FOR 2016 SUCCESS:
- Baylor boasts the nation's only returning 1,000-yard running back duo in 2016: Shock Linwood (1,329 in 2015) and Johnny Jeffersonà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (1,000 in 2015).
- Five of Baylor's top seven receivers from 2015 return for 2016.
- Three returnees threw passes for Baylor in 2015, QB Seth Russell in addition to WR Lynx Hawthorne and RB Johnny Jefferson.
NFL DRAFT SUCCESS:
- Baylor had 6 players selected in the 2016 NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft, the seventh-most among NCAA schools and most of any Big 12 or Texas program.
- Baylor's 22 NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks over the last 6 years tops all Texas schools.
- BU's 5 first-round NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft picks over last 6 years is the Big 12's most.
MOREà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € ONà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € #AMERICASTOPOFFENSE
- Baylor has scored 20+ points in the first half in 22 of 26 games since start of the 2014 season.
- Baylor has topped 400 yards of offense 61 times in the 65 games since 2011 -- that is 2nd in the nation (Oregon, 62).
- Baylor has scored 30+ points in 51 of its last 58 contests.
- Baylor scored touchdowns on its first drive in 11 of 13 games last year.
- The Bears had 5 different players throw a pass in 2015 due to injuries, but still ranked 3rd in the country in team pass efficiency at 170.79.
- Baylor has had a 1,000-yard rusher in 6 straight seasons (Jay Finley-2010; Terrance Ganaway-2011; Lache Seastrunk-2012, 2013; Shockà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Linwood-2014, 2015; Johnny Jefferson-2015).
- Baylor is 45-3 over the last 6 seasons when leading at halftime.
- Baylor has led at the half in 16 of its last 19 games.
OFFENSIVEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € STANDOUTS
- QBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Seth Russell, a senior, has been named to nine preseason watch lists this fall. He looks to continue his success from the first 6 games of 2015, before a neck injury against Iowa State ended his season. The Garland, Texas, product is the Baylor career leader in pass efficiency (178.4), total offense yards/play (9.4), passing yards/attempt (10.2) and passing yards/completion (17.3) entering 2016. He also ranks (entering 2016): third in TD/interception ratio (4.0), fourth in passing TDs (40), fifth in interception percentage (.03), sixth in completion percentage (.588) and 16th in passing yards (3,335) for his career.
- Senior RBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Shock Linwood is a Maxwell, Doak Walker, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose, Senior Bowl and Rotary Lombardi watch list member. He is a veteran with 37 games played (third-most on squad) and 26 career starts (tied for team lead) entering 2016.The Linden, Texas, native ranked seventh nationally and second in Big 12 with 6.78 yards per carry and 20th nationally and fourth in the conference with 110.8 yards per game last season.
- Senior Cà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Kyle Fuller has garnered a place on the Rimington Trophy, Outland Trophy, Senior Bowl and Rotary Lombardi watch lists in 2016. He has played 39 career games (most on team) and started 26 (tied for most on squad) entering the season. The Wylie, Texas, product will be a third-year starter and anchor on o-line for the nation's most productive offense.
- Junior WRà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € KDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Cannon is on watch lists for the Biletnikoff and Tyler Rose awards. He is the most experienced receiver on the squad and enters 2016 ranked third all-time on school's career yards-per-game (73.0) and fifth in yards-per-reception (17.57) lists. The Mount Pleasant, Texas, product has a 26-game reception streak (every game of career). He was hampered by a knee injury to start camp.
DEFENSIVE STARS
- DEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € K.J. Smith is a fourth-year junior lineman. He is a technically sound veteran with 11 career starts and 26 games played entering 2016 and is most veteran member of young defensive line. He has played in every game over past two seasons, including eight starts in 2014 as a redshirt freshman.
- Senior NBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Travon Blanchard suffered a knee injury during fall camp and will miss at least the season opener. He started all 13 games a year ago earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors from the leagues coaches. The Orange, Texas, native is a quick, rangy, playmaker at hybrid linebacker/safety position.
- Junior LBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Taylor Young has been recognized on watch lists for the Bednarik, Butkus and Rotary Lombardi awards this fall. He is a returning All-Big 12 linebacker and starting WLB in 12 of 13 games in 2015. The DeSoto, Texas, product is a powerful, compact, leader with 20 starts and 25 games played entering 2016. He was the 2014 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
- DBà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Ryan Reid was recently selected to the Senior Bowl watch list. He is a fifth-year senior cornerback. The Dallas, Texas, native is a veteran with 24 career starts (third-most on team) and 32 career games played (seventh on squad) entering 2016 season. He is tied for ninth on BU's all-time career PBU listing with 26 entering 2016. Reid was named preseason 2016 All-Big 12 by Lindy's..
SPECIALà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € TEAMS CONTRIBUTORS
- Junior PK Chris Callahan made 25 of his last 33 FGs, after starting his career 1-of-6. He has also made 116-straight extra points, after going 83-for-83 in 2015. His 235 career pts scored now ranks 2nd in program history.
- Pà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Drew Galitz, a sophomore, punted 40 times last season, but averaged 40.7 yards per boot - 7th in Big 12.
BIGà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 12'S BESTà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € PROGRAMà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € SINCEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 2013
Baylor's three-year record of 32-7 and league mark of 22-5 are the best among Big 12 schools. The Bears have also won two conference championships since 2013.
THE BAYLOR SYSTEM IS AMERICA'S TOP OFFENSE
Baylor's unique, record-breaking system has set the standard for offense in contemporary college football. For three-straight seasons, Baylor has led the nation in both Total Offense (616.2 ypg in 2015, 581.5 ypg 2014, 618.8 ypg 2013) and Scoring (48.1 ppg in 2015, 48.2 ppg 2014, 52.4 ppg 2013), just the second program in NCAA history to do soà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (first since BYU 1979-81).
THE BAYLOR OFFENSE: à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € A 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); it's a balanced offense, not to be confused with more common pass-heavy spread attacks. The Baylor offense is also in use under former Art Briles assistants at Syracuse (head coach Dino Babers), Texasà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert) and Tulsa (head coach Philip Montgomery).
WIDE RECEIVER U
The Baylor offense has attracted and developed standout receivers that are producing eye-popping results. Over the last seven seasons (2009-2015), Baylor's receiving corps boasts...
- 6* NFL Draft picks (*includes one Supplemental Draft selection)
- 1 Biletnikoff Award winner (Corey Coleman 2015), 2 Biletnikoff finalists
- 5 All-Americans
- 17 All-Big 12 honors
- 6 1,000-yard seasons (Kendallà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Wright-2011; Terrance Williams-2012; Antwanà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Goodley-2013; Corey Coleman and KDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Cannon-2014; Coleman-2015)
SHOCK ON VERGE OF RUSHING RECORDS
Baylor senior Shock Linwood enters 2016 as the nation's third-leading active rusher and on the cusp of becoming Baylor's all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing TDs.
BAYLOR'S DISRPUTIVE GANGGREEN DEFENSE
BU's defensive impact has improved under sixth-year D-coordinator Phil Bennett. Over the last three seasons, in which Baylor has posted a Big 12-best 32-7 record and won two league titles, the Bears D has increased its sacks and tackles-for-loss totals.
NORTHWESTERNà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € STATEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € SERIES HISTORY
Baylor and Northwestern State meet for only the fifth time on Friday. The Bears have won each of the previous four meetings, all in Waco. In 2006, Baylor defeated the Demons 47-10 in the season's second game. In 2008, the Bears were 51-6 winners in Robert Griffin III's first career start. In 2009, BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € claimed a 68-13 victory and in the last meeting the Bears notched a 70-6 victory in the second-game at McLane Stadium.
BEST IN TEXAS
Baylor has posted the best record among in-state programs over the last five years, a 50-15 mark [see list below]. The Bears are also 19-5 head-to-head vs. Texas schools since 2011, and boast an overall 38-7 record in games played in the Lone Star State.
WIN-LOSS RECORDS (since 2011):
Baylor 50-15
Houston 47-19
TCU 45-19
Texas A&M 43-22
Texas 36-28
BEARS MAKEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € HABIT OFà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € BEATINGà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € TOP 10 TEAMS
Baylor is the one of only two schools (Alabama) to have wins over Top 10 teams in each of the past five seasons.
(rankings AP/Coaches/BCS or CFP).
2011: Beat 5th/5th/5th Oklahoma, 45-38
2012: Beat 2nd/2nd/1st K-State, 52-24
2013: Beat 12th/8th/10th Oklahoma, 41-12
2014: Beat 9th/12th/- TCU, 61-58
Beat 9th/9th/9th Kansas State, 37-28
2015: Beat 4th/4th/6th Oklahoma State, 45-35
Beat 10th/11th/10th North Carolina, 49-38
BEARS LEAD BIG 12 & TEXAS IN NFL DRAFTEES
Baylor had six players selected in the 2016 NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Draft, the seventh-most among NCAA schools and most of any Big 12 or Texas program. Baylor also tops the league in first-round draft selections over the past six years and leads the state in overall picks over the last seven years [lists below].
MOST NFL 1ST-ROUND DRAFTEES SINCE 2011 (BIG 12)
5 -- Baylor
4 -- West Virginia
3 -- Oklahoma St.
2 -- TCU, Texas
BEST IN TEXAS LAST 6 YEARS, NFL DRAFT PICKS 2011-2016
22 -- Baylor
18 -- Texas A&M
17 -- TCU
16 -- Texas
BAYLOR 2016 NFL DRAFTEES
Rnd. (overall pick)
1. (15) Corey Coleman, WR -- Cleveland
2. (38) Xavien Howard, CB -- Miami
4. (122) Andrew Billings, NT -- Cincinnati
5. (168) Spencer Drango, OT -- Cleveland
6. (210) Jimmy Landes, LS -- Detroit
6. (217) Rico Gathers*, TE -- Dallas
[*played basketball at Baylor]
NATION'S MOST BALANCED OFFENSE
Baylor annually ranks among the nation's leaders in both passing and rushing. The Bears rush more often than pass, and have run the ball on 58.1 percent of plays over the last five seasons.
BUà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € LEADINGà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € NATION INà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 50-POINTà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € GAMESà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € SINCEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 2013
Last season, Baylor scored 50 or more points six times (56 points against SMU, 61 against Lamar, 70-point outburst against Rice, 63 vs. Texas Tech, 66 at Kansas and 62 against West Virginia), the Bears continue to lead the nation in 50-point outings since 2013.
MOSTà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 50-Point Games Since 2013
Baylor 17
Oregon 15
Ohio State 11
BAYLOR'S O-LINE PIPELINE
Baylor has a history of sending offensive linemen to the NFL over the past several years under O-line coach Randy Clements. The Bears have had seven linemen drafted in the last eight NFLà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Drafts (including two first-rounders). Clements' crew has won four straight Big 12 Offensive Linemen of Year honors (2015 &à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 2014 Spencer Drango, 2013 &à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € 2012 Cyril Richardson). The unit has also paved the way for #AmericasTopOffense and six-straight years with a 1,000-yard rusher.
BAYLOR O-LINEMEN IN NFL DRAFT 2009-2016
2009, T Jason Smith -- 1st Rnd (#2), Rams
2010, C JD Walton -- 3rd Rnd, Broncos
2011, T Danny Watkins -- 1st Rnd (#23), Eagles
2012, C Philip Blake -- 4th Rnd, Broncos
2012, G Robert T. Griffin -- 6th Rnd, Jets
2014, G Cyril Richardson -- 5th Rnd, Bills
2016, T Spencer Drango -- 5th Rnd, Browns
BAYLOR'S POWERFUL OFFENSE ALSO CRAZY FAST
Baylor looks to continue a three-year period of dominance in scoring quickly. In 2015, BU led the nation in plays per game (84.8), TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € drives of two minutes or less (49), fewest seconds per play (17.7) in the first half and TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € throws of 25 or more yards downfield (16). In 2014, Baylor led the nation in plays/gameà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (87.5), TD drives of one min. or lessà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (24), TD drives of two min. or less (41) and fewest seconds-per-play in the first halfà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (18.0). The Bears also led the NCAA in TDs of 40 or more yards (19) and TDà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € throws of 25 or more yardsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (24). In 2013, Baylor led the nation in seconds-per-playà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (16.7), TD drives of one minute or less (29), TD drives of two minutes or lessà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (60) and most plays of 40 yards or more (37). [all stats via ESPN Stats & Info]
BAYLOR'Sà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € OFFENSIVEà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € STREAKS
- Baylor has topped 500 yards of offense 50 times in the 65 games since 2011, which leads the nation.
- Baylor has gained 500+ yards in 29 of 39 games since 2013, including 20 games with 600+ yards in that span.
- Baylor has scored 30+ points in 51 of its last 58 contests and 40+ points in 44 of its last 58 games.
- Baylor has scored 50+ points 17 times since 2013, and 26 times since 2011, both most among all FBS teams.
- Baylor has scored in 113 straight games -- previous school record was 89 games fromà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € Dec. 31, 1979 - Oct. 23, 1987.
- Baylor reached 600 yards of offense in 5 games in 2014 and in 8 of 13 games of 2015. BU has 39 such games in its history (35 since 2008).
- Baylor topped 700 yards of total offense in five games in 2016 (SMU, 723; LU, 785, Rice 793;OSU, 700; UNC, 756). BU has accomplished the feat 14 times in program history.
DEEP BACKFIELD LED BY NATION'S TOP DUO
Baylor returns six veterans in 2016 with a total of 6,418 career rushing yards, led by the nation's only returning 1,000-yard running back duo from 2015: Shock Linwood (1,329 yards) and Johnny Jeffersonà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (1,000 yards). The Bears return 80.5%à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (3,418 of 4,247) of their 2015 team rushing yards in 2016.
BAYLOR CAREER RUSHING TOTALS:
Sr. RB Shock Linwood; 3,462 yds, 34 TDs
Jr. RB Johnny Jefferson; 1,524 yds, 14 TDs
Sr. QB Seth Russell; 734 yds, 12 TDs
So. RB Terence Williams; 556 yds, 3 TDs
Sr. WR Lynx Hawthorne; 128 yds, 2 TDs
Jr. WR KD Cannon; 14 yds, 0 TD
TOTALS; 6,418 yds, 63 TDs
GANGGREEN DEFENSE AMONG LEAGUE'S BEST
It's hard to overstate the role Baylor's defense has had in the Bears' success the last three seasonsà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € (Big 12-best 32-7 record and two league titles). Phil Bennett's D ranks among the Big 12 and national leaders in several key per-snap categories and takeaways.
BAYLOR FOOTBALL ON THE RADIO
Baylor football is aired live via the Baylor-IMG College Radio Network on ESPN Central Texas and flagship station 1660 AM/99.1 ESPN Radio (KRZI) in Waco, worldwide on BaylorBears.com, Sirius XM Radio and on the TuneIn Radio App. All games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor standouts J.J. Joe (analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline reporter). Morris is in his 30th year in the Baylor broadcast booth and 22nd as the signature voice of Baylor Athletics, while Thompson and Joe are in their 17th and 13th years, respectively.
BAYLOR MEDIA WEBSITE
An all-in-one-place media page is can be found at Baylor's website at: http://www.BaylorBears.com/ot/bay-media.html. Among the information available at the site are links and pdfs of statistics, game notes, quick facts and directions as well as photo/logo downloads and video FTP information.
BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches, blogs and audio broadcasts, is part of the CBS College Sports network. CBS College Sports currently hosts sites for more than 100.
UPà ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã‹ € NEXT
Following the season opener against Northwestern State, the Bears will host SMU at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 10. That game will be televised on FS1.