2008 Baylor Bears - Recruiting Class

Baylor Bears 2008 Head Coach: Art Briles

 
Baylor Bears

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Robert Griffin QB  6-3  195 Copperas Cove, Texas (Copperas Cove)
Griffin graduated from Copperas Cove [Texas] High School in December 2007, enrolled at Baylor in January 2008 and will go through spring ball with the Bears ... Listed 62nd on SuperPrep's Texas 110 list ... Also a 4-star Scout.com recruit who was rated the state's 67-best player overall and the nation's 12th-best prep signal caller ... Houston Chronicle Texas Top 100 recruit ... No. 54 on the San Antonio Express-News Texas Top 100 ... Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Fab 44 ... No. 55 on Austin American-Statesman's Fab 55 ... Fort Worth Star-Telegram Texas Top 100 member ... Waco Tribune-Herald Top 100 selection ranks No. 2 on publication's Central Texas Top 25 list and among its Top 50 recruits overall ... In two seasons as the Bulldawgs' starting quarterback, posted a 25-4 record ... Earned first-team 2007 Waco Tribune-Herald Super Centex honors as a utility player and honorable mention Class 4A all-state honors from The Associated Press ... Was the first-team All-District 16-4A quarterback ... A member of the 2007 Texas Top 300, selected by Texas Football Magazine, was ranked among the state's top 20 quarterbacks prior to his senior season by the same publication ... Rushed for 1,285 yards and 24 touchdowns while passing for 1,356 yards and 16 touchdowns with seven interceptions in leading coach Jack Welch's 2007 Bulldawgs to a 13-2 record and a runner-up finish in the Class 4A Division I playoffs ... Averaged 7.3 yards per rush as a senior ... As a junior, passed for 2,001 yards and 25 TDs with just two interceptions, while rushing 876 times and eight TDs en route to first-team All-District 16-4A honors ... All-told in final two prep seasons, rushed for 2,161 yards and 32 touchdowns and threw for 3,357 yards and 41 scores with just nine picks ... One of the nation's top high school sprinters,, received the 2007 Gatorade Texas Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year award after setting state records in both the 110-meter (13.55 seconds with a personal best of 13.3) and the 300-meter (35.33 seconds) hurdles ... His 300 hurdles time was one-hundredth of a second off the national prep record ... Also owns a 46.9 400 meter PR

Potential Instant Impact Players

Rodney Brisbon  OL 6-6 330 Wetumpka, Ala. (Robert E. Lee/Northwest Mississippi Community College)
The first signee of the Art Briles era at Baylor, was an All-American junior college offensive lineman at Northwest Mississippi Community College ... 3-star Scout.com ranking ... Brisbon signed with the Bears in December 2007, will enroll at Baylor in the summer of 2008 with two years of eligibility remaining ... Earned first-team All-America honors as an offensive tackle in 2006 at Northwest Mississippi Community College and second-team recognition from JC Gridwire ... Helped Northwest Mississippi Community College to a 6-4 record and the 2006 North Division title ... Also received All-Region XXIII accolades for coach Randy Pippin ... Was a first-team Mississippi Association Community/Junior College all-state selection as well as the MACJC's most valuable offensive lineman ... Originally signed a National Letter of Intent in 2007 to attend the University of Houston and play for Briles' Cougars, but never enrolled at the school ... Selected as team's offensive MVP as a senior at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Ala., Brisbon earned first-team all-state and all-metro honors for the Generals ... He was also selected as a team captain and was tabbed to play in the state all-star game ... Was recruited by Alabama, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Miami [Fla.], and Ole Miss coming out of high school.

Jeremy Sanders QB 6-2 210 Marlin, Texas (Marlin/Navarro College)
Sanders originally signed with Baylor following his senior year at Marlin [Texas] High School and renewed his Baylor pledge following a highly successful two-year career at Navarro [Texas] College ... 3-star ranking by Scout.com ... Will enroll at Baylor in May 2008 ... In two seasons at Navarro, completed 183-of-361 passes for 2,252 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions ... Ranks third all-time in pass completions, attempts and completion percentage (.507), fifth in career passing yards ... Also rushed 155 times in career for 827 yards and 12 touchdowns ... Accounted for 3,079 total-offense yards and 23 touchdowns in two-year Navarro career ... As a sophomore, completed 123-of-224 passes for 1,624 yards and 10 touchdowns with eight interceptions ... Ranks fifth on Navarro's single-season list for pass completions, sixth in both passing yards and attempts ... Produced four, 200-yard passing games as a sophomore ... Also rushed 95 times for 483 yards and five touchdowns in final season at Navarro ... Earned honorable mention All- Southwest Junior College Football Conference (SWJCFC) honors as a sophomore ... Led coach Ray Woodward's Bulldogs to a 9-3 record, the 2007 SWJCFC title and a No. 4 final national ranking ... Tabbed MVP of Pilgrim's Pride Bowl after leading Navarro to a 24-21 victory over Georgia Military Academy ... Navarro finished No. 2 nationally in total offense in 2007 (428 yards per game) and produced the highest-scoring offense in school history (42.8 ppg) ... Selected Baylor for the second time after receiving offers from Missouri, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Tulsa and Utah State ... The three-year starter at quarterback for Marlin High School earned first-team 2005 Waco Tribune-Herald Super Centex honors ... Rated one of the state's top 15 signal callers in Dave Campbell's 2005 Texas Football Texas Top 300 ... Completed 148-of-217 passes for 2,540 yards and 27 touchdowns with only one interception as a senior while leading the Bulldogs to an 8-2-1 record and the playoffs ... Also rushed 126 times for 882 yards and 16 touchdowns ... Earned 2005 District 18-3A offensive MVP honors ... Honorable mention 2005 all-state selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association ... As a junior, received first-team Tribune-Herald Super Centex honors after totaling more than 3,000 total-offense yards ... Rushed for 1,391 yards and 21 touchdowns while throwing for 1,954 yards and 14 more scores ... Runs a 4.6 40

Rest of the Class

Romie Blaylock	IR	5-10	170	Cedar Hill, Texas (Cedar Hill)
Rodney Chadwick	LB	6-2	190	Carthage, Texas (Carthage)
Jared Edwards	DL	6-4	250	Mansfield, Texas (Timberview)
Nick Florence	QB	6-2	175	Garland, Texas (South Garland)
Kirby Freeman	QB	6-3	214	Brownwood, Texas (Brownwood/Miami, Fla.)
Brandon Garrett	OL	6-7	290	La Marque, Texas (La Marque)
Trentson Hill	DB	6-0	175	Mount Pleasant, Texas (Mount Pleasant)
Jake Jackson	OL	6-4	280	Southlake, Texas (Southlake Carroll)
Kaeron Johnson	DT	6-2	265	Cuero, Texas (Cuero)
Cameron Kaufhold	OL	6-5	275	Friendswood, Texas (Friendswood)
Gary Mason Jr.	DE	6-5	211	Waxahachie, Texas (Waxahachie)
Ben Parks	PK	6-2	195	Argyle, Texas (Argyle)
Tracy Robertson	DL	6-4	230	Houston, Texas (Lamar)
Jarred Salubi	RB	5-10	191	Waco, Texas (Waco)
Lanear Sampson	WR	6-0	190	Mesquite, Texas (North Mesquite)
Jeremy Sanders	QB	6-2	210	Marlin, Texas (Marlin/Navarro College)
T.J. Scranton	WR	5-10	180	Hitchcock, Texas (Hitchcock/Kilgore College)
Michael Williams	CB	6-1	180	Beaumont, Texas (West Brook)
Terrance Williams	WR	6-3	190	Dallas, Texas (W.T. White)
Kendall Wright	ATH	6-0	180	Pittsburg, Texas (Pittsburg)

- 2007 Baylor Season
- 2007 Baylor Preview
- 2006 Baylor Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 3-9
2007 Record: 3-9

Sept. 1 at TCU L 27-0
Sept.8 Rice W 42-17
Sept. 15 Texas St W 34-27
Sept. 22 at Buffalo W 34-21
Sept. 29 at Texas A&M L 34-10
Oct. 6 Colorado L 43-23
Oct. 13 at Kansas L 58-10
Oct. 20 Texas L 31-10
Oct. 27 at Kansas State L 51-13
Nov. 3 Texas Tech L 38-7
Nov. 10 at Oklahoma L 52-21
Nov. 17 Oklahoma State L 52-17

2007 Recap

Recap: Once again, the Big 12’s most predictable program couldn’t stray from its time-tested script, finishing below .500 for the 12^th straight season, and running its conference losing streak to 12 games.  Beyond just the mounting losses, Baylor was never even competitive once the non-league portion of the schedule ended, a key factor in head coach Guy Morriss’ ouster after five seasons in Waco.  The Bears became effective at winging the ball all over the field, but turnovers too often stalled promising drives in enemy territory.

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Blake Szymanski

Defensive Player of the Year: S Jordan Lake

Biggest Surprise: The Bears peaked in Week 4, nabbing a rare road victory at Buffalo, 34-21.  Getting to 3-1 behind the passing and running of Szymanski, Baylor gave a brief hint of hope to those long-suffering fans pining for a postseason game.

Biggest Disappointment: Baylor should have been more competitive when it traveled to Manhattan to face a reeling Kansas State team, but instead, got hammered by 38 points.  Seven turnovers, a year-long problem, nixed any hopes the Bears had of snapping a four-game losing streak that would reach eight games when the regular season ended.

Looking Ahead: Next in line to try and stop the bleeding at Baylor is Art Briles, who did a nice job at Houston, and is a respected figure in the state of Texas.  Although he’ll be aiming to supercharge the offense, the young defense offers more short term stability with improving players, such as Lake, LB Joe Pawelek, and DE Jason Lamb.

Nov. 17
Oklahoma State 52 ... Washington State 17
OSU ran for 352 yards but it was Zac Robinson who did a little of everything with two touchdown passes and scoring runs from 18 and four yards out. Dantrell Savage scored from four and two yards out to turn things into a blowout in the second half. Baylor got within 14 with the second of two Thomas White touchdown catches, but the offense couldn't get going after halftime. Nathan Peterson came up with three sacks for the Cowboys.
Player of the game: Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson completed 16 of 21 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 17 times for 144 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Oklahoma State - Passing: Zac Robinson, 16-21, 202 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Zac Robinson, 17-144, 2 TD. Receiving: Seth Newton, 4-62, 1 TD
Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 29-40, 226 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Whitaker, 11-79. Receiving: Thomas White, 9-68, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After failing to turn the program around, or even in the right direction with an 0-8 Big 12 record this year and eight straight losses to close out, the Guy Morriss era has officially come to an end. He gave it a run by trying to crank out Texas Tech's spread passing offense, but it never quite clicked. The team is build around passing the ball, but the next coach will first have to figure out how to stop the run in order to be more competitive in Big 12 play.

Nov. 10
Oklahoma 52 ... Baylor 21
DeMarco Murray ran for scores from 25, one and 21 yards out, and returned a kickoff 91 yards for a score as Oklahoma blew past a Baylor team that got its offense rolling. Brandon Whitaker tore off a 46-yard run to get the Bears on the board first, and then the Sooners bounced back with 21 straight points on two of Murray's scoring runs and a 51-yard Malcolm Kelly touchdown. Baylor kept pushing with a 75-yard Thomas White scoring catch, but Murray ended the drama with his kickoff return for a score in the final minute of the first half. OU put it away in the third quarter on Manuel Johnson touchdown catches from 60 and 13 yards.
Player of the game: Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray ran 13 times for 95 yards and three touchdowns, caught two passes for 19 yards, and returned three kickoffs for 91 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 25-42, 280 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Whitaker, 15-149, 1 TD. Receiving: Brandon Whitaker, 10-68
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 20-25, 353 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeMarco Murray, 13-96, 3 TD. Receiving: Manuel Johnson, 4-126, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Baylor might have gotten blown out by Oklahoma when the final numbers came up, but this wasn't a bad performance. There was actually some pop to the running game, Blake Szymanski got some plays going down the field, and the offense was able to even grab a little bit of momentum. The surges might have only lasted a play or two, but it still was a seven day with 450 yards of offense. Still, BU is on a seven-game losing streak and has to far more to keep up with a desperate Oklahoma State next week.

Nov. 3
Texas Tech 38 ... Baylor 7
Graham Harrell threw for 433 yards and three touchdowns with two to Aaron Crawford from 17 and seven yards out, and Crawford scored on runs from three and seven yards away as Texas Tech got up 38-0 in the third quarter. Baylor finally got on the board with a Brandon Whitaker touchdown catch, but it was far too little, too late. The Red Raiders outgained the Bears 563 yards to 282 and 490 passing yards to 191.
Player of the game: Texas Tech RB Aaron Crawford ran nine times for 44 yards and two touchdowns, and caught ten passes for 82 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Texas Tech - Passing: Graham Harrell, 37-46, 433 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Aaron Crawford, 9-44, 2 TD. Receiving: Aaron Crawford, 10-82, 2 TD
Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 25-31, 191 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jacoby Jones, 21-83. Receiving: Thomas White, 7-58
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Blake Szymanski is back after having problems with headaches, and while he wasn't explosive against Texas Tech, he was efficient on short-to-midrange passes. He just didn't lead the way to any meaningful points. The running game isn't even a though this late in the year, and the receivers aren't making any plays with the ball in their hands to make up for the problems. Things don't get much better next week against Oklahoma unless BU starts to bomb away deeper.

Oct. 27
Kansas State 51 ... Baylor 13
Kansas State forced seven turnovers and got three touchdown passes and two touchdown runs from Josh Freeman in the easy win. Jordy Nelson caught a six-yard touchdown pass and put a cap on the scoring with a 92-yard punt return for a score. The Wildcats scored the first 16 points of the game on a one-yard Freeman run and three Brooks Rossman field goals, and then Baylor made it interesting for a few minutes with a 52-yard Thomas White touchdown catch, the first of two scores on the day. The Wildcats bounced back with a 22-yard Deon Murphy scoring play, and the blowout was on.
Player of the game: Kansas State WR Jordy Nelson caught eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdowns, and returned a punt 92 yards for a score
Stat Leaders: Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 15-21, 213 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jacoby Jones, 6-28. Receiving: Thomas White, 4-118, 2 TD
Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 22-33, 247 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Leon Patton, 17-113. Receiving: Jordy Nelson, 8-105, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The quarterback situation needs addressing in a big way. Michael Machen isn't the answer, having way too many problems hanging on to the ball and doing nothing to get the offense moving. With three games left, he's not the answer and it's time to start building for next year. Blake Szymanski is the one to build around, but he's having medical issues with headaches. Even so, he threw well with 213 yards and two touchdowns. Now he has to get healthy. There's not even the pretense of a running game at the moment.

Oct. 20
Texas 31 ... Baylor 10
Texas was down 7-3 late in the first half after Thomas White caught a 17-yard touchdown pass, but then the defense kicked it in with a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown from Nate Jones to start a 28-3 scoring run. It wasn't easy, even after short touchdown runs from Chris Ogbonnaya and Vondrell McGee made it 24-10. Down 14 with six minutes to play, Baylor was driving deep, but Marcus Griffin picked off a Michael Machen pass and took it 91 yards for a touchdown to seal the win. Texas outgained the Bears 177 to 8 on the ground.
Player of the game: Texas DB Marcus Griffin made six tackles and two interceptions with one for a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 25-34, 293 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jamaal Charles, 16-56. Receiving: Nate Jones, 6-72, 1 TD
Baylor - Passing: Michael Machen, 25-44, 231 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jay Finley, 8-23. Receiving: Justin Akers, 9-77
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...  For giving up 470 yards of total offense, the Baylor defense did a surprisingly good job against Texas of not letting the game get out of hand. Unfortunately, Michael Machen, who can bomb the ball but throws a ton of picks, couldn't quite get the offense over the hump when the game was still up in the air. Bear quarterbacks threw four interceptions and for yet another game, didn't get enough downfield plays. The game was closer than 31-10, but it's still a fourth straight loss with a road trip to Kansas State coming up.

Oct. 13
Kansas 58 ... Baylor 10
A lightning storm delayed the game, but Kansas didn't have problems as it got out to a 31-3 halftime lead, highlighted by an 88-yard Marcus Herford kickoff return for a score coming off a 35-yard Caleb Allen field goal. Todd Reesing threw two touchdown passes, including a  54-yarder to Marcus Henry, and Scott Webb added three field goals. The Jayhawk defense forced five turnovers and only allowed three points, with the Bears getting their only touchdown on a 97-yard David Gettis kickoff return for a score late in the third.
Player of the game: Kansas RB Jake Sharp ran 18 times for 110 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Todd Reesing, 14-31, 186 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jake Sharp, 18-110, 1 TD. Receiving: Derek Fine, 4-36
Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 18-33, 119 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Brandon Whitaker, 12-54. Receiving: Brandon Whitaker, 7-45
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...  The Bears are supposed to be built to bomb away with anyone, and they're supposed to have the type of offense to freak everyone out with the potential to throw for 400 yards. That only works if the short plays are taken for big gains, and right now, the Bear receivers aren't doing that. Against Kansas, the BU QBs threw 43 times and only picked up 154 yards through the air. With no hint of a running game, that can't happen this far into the Guy Morriss era.

Oct. 6
Colorado 43 ... Baylor 23
Kevin Eberhart hit field goals from 41, 44, 54, 42 and 30, and Cody Hawkins threw two first half touchdown passes as Colorado rolled to an easy win. The Buffs got up 17-0 early on a seven-yard Demetrius Sumler touchdown catch, and answered a Baylor field goal with a three-yard Sumler run. Sumler also added a two-yard score  in the second half to help CU go up 40-9, before the Bears got a few late scores. The two teams combined for 21 penalties for 176 yards.
Player of the game: Colorado QB Cody Hawkins went 17-of-26 for 293 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins, 17-26, 293 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Hugh Charles, 20-122. Receiving: Dusty Sprague, 5-95, 1 TD
Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 36-60, 410 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Brandon Whitaker, 11-26, 1 TD. Receiving: Brandon Whitaker, 11-166
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The team is built to come up with big comebacks when needed, but despite throwing for 410 yards, the Bears were never in the loss to Colorado and got most of their yards well after the fact. While the defense did a great job of stopping several drives and forcing field goals, it was 30-9 at halftime and the game was over. Turnovers turned the game into a rout, and to have any prayer against Kansas and Texas over the next two weeks, the mistakes, including the penalties, have to stop.

Sept. 29
Texas A&M 34 ... Baylor 10
Texas A&M rumbled for 352 rushing yards, controlling the clock for 43:18, with Jorvorskie Lane rushing for a one-yard score, Stephen McGee and Jerrod Johnson adding short fourth quarter rushing touchdowns, and Mike Goodson taking a pass 58 yards for a touchdown. Baylor didn't move the ball well, but it got a Jay Finley three-yard touchdown run in the fourth to pull within ten. The A&M defense clamped down from there, and the running game kept the chains moving, converting 11 of 19 third down chances.
Player of the game: Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee went 16-of-28 for 200 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while rushing 17 times for 110 yards and another score.
Stat Leaders: Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanksi, 12-35, 194 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Whitaker, 6-26. Receiving: David Gettis, 2-88
Texas A&M - Passing: Stephen McGee, 16-28, 200 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jorvorskie Lane, 24-123, 1 TD. Receiving: Keondra Smith, 4-6
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... You can't score if you don't have the ball, and Baylor failed to hang on to it for extended stretches against Texas A&M. Blake Szymanski wasn't under a lot of pressure, but he didn't have too many easy throws to make, and he almost never game up with a key pass to keep drives alive. If the passing game isn't controlling the clock, especially against a team like A&M, there are going to be huge problems. Next up is a sky-high Colorado team that's great at hitting and applying pressure. Baylor will need to be far sharper.

Sept. 22
Baylor 34 ... Buffalo 21
Baylor took a 10-0 lead on the first of Blake Szymanski's three touchdown passes, hitting Justin Akers from four yards out, but didn't put it away until the third quarter on a nine-yard Krys Buerck touchdown catch and a Brandon Whitaker two-yard scoring grab. Buffalo's offense struggled to get going, but it was able to take advantage of the short field twice, finishing with two James Starks scores. Starks added a third score on a one-yard run with 1:21 to play.
Player of the game: Baylor QB Blake Szymanski went 21-of-45 for 172 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and ran 11 times for 91 yards and another score.
Stat Leaders: Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanksi, 21-45, 172 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Blake Szymanksi, 11-91, 1 TD. Receiving: Justin Akers, 7-74, 1 TD
Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy, 29-46, 276 yds, 1 TD, 3 INTs
Rushing: James Starks, 14-62, 2 TDs. Receiving: Naam Roosevelt, 6-79
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Baylor's offense gets all the attention, and it did a good job against Buffalo, but it was the defense that dominated the game with five takeaways. The Bulls only got 87 rushing yards, and didn't generate enough offense to overcome the mistakes, and that was due to the play of the BU linebackers. Joe Pawelek had a whale of a game. Now the defense has to come up with the same sort of production against Texas A&M next week to have any sort of a chance against the pounding ground game.

Sept. 15
Baylor 34 ... Texas State 27
It took a while for Baylor to finally get comfortable, but five touchdown passes from Blake Szymanski kept Texas State just out of reach. Szymanski connected with five different receivers for scores, with his 23-yard pass to Brad Taylor late in the fourth finally giving the Bears some breathing room. TSU got two touchdown passes from Bradley George, and two Andrew Ireland field goals, but couldn't get closer than four in the second half. The Bears answered a 46-yard Ireland shot with a 65-yard drive culminating in a 24-yard Finley touchdown catch to pull away for good.
Player of the game: Baylor QB Blake Szymanski completed 30 of 50 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns and two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Texas State - Passing: Bradley George, 30-55, 322 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Bradley George, 10-25. Receiving: Cameron Luke, 8-135 1 TD
Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 30-50, 411 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jay Finley, 8-22. Receiving: Brad Taylor, 5-85, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Blake Szymanski is now the face of Baylor football. After throwing for 823 yards and 11 touchdowns in the last two weeks, the BU offense has finally taken off. Of course, it's easy to look great against Rice and Texas State, and likely against Buffalo coming up, but these are important games for an offense that needs all the time it can get. Szymanski is spreading the ball around well and using all his receivers; that's what layup games are for. Now it's time to start tuning up the running game that averaged just 1.5 yards per carry against Texas State.

Sept. 8
Baylor 42 ... Rice 17
Baylor QB Blake Szymanski set a school record with four first half touchdown passes, and then set another record with 412 passing yards and six scores in the blowout win. Justin Akers caught the first two scoring passes of the day, and then Szymanski hit four different receivers for scores. Rice got a 14-yard Chase Clement touchdown run along with a three-yard James Casey dash to get close, but the BU passing game proved to be too much to overcome.
Player of the game: Baylor QB Blake Szymanski went 29-of-46 for 412 yards and six touchdown passes.
Stat Leaders: Rice - Passing: Chase Clement, 20-25, 207 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: C.J. Ugokwe, 11-30. Receiving: Jarett Dillard, 5-93
Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 29-46, 412 yds, 6 TDs
Rushing: Brandon Whitaker, 8-34. Receiving: Brandon Whitaker, 6-27, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now that's the way the passing game is supposed to work, getting 423 yards and six touchdowns against Rice. Baylor bombed away on the Owls with Blake Szymanski getting time to throw and find the right receivers to keep the chains moving, but it also helped that the defense was keeping the Rice offense in check so there wasn't any need for the offense to force anything. The running game even had its moments in the blowout win, but this game was all about getting the air attack rolling. 12 different players caught passes as everyone got involved, and with Texas State and Buffalo ahead before facing Texas A&M, there's even more time for fine-tuning.

Sept. 1
TCU 27 ... Baylor 0
Even without star end Tommy Blake, who was out with an undisclosed illness, TCU's defense dominated Baylor in an easy shut out win. The Bears managed just 282 yards of total offense and lost four interceptions, but their defense was solid. The Horned Frog attack took advantage of every mistake using the short fields to get touchdown runs from Justin Watts and Ryan Christian in the first quarter and a 14-yard Ervin Dickerson touchdown catch in the fourth. Chris Manfredini nailed two fourth quarter field goals.
Player of the game ... TCU LB David Hawthorne led the team with 11 tackles
Stat Leaders: Baylor - Passing: Blake Szymanski, 23-47, 216 yds, 3 INTs
Rushing: Brandon Whitaker, 12-27  Receiving: Justin Fenty, 5-35
TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 18-30, 205 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Joseph Turner, 9-56  Receiving: Marcus Brock, 5-47
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It's not time to completely panic. TCU's defense is going to finish among the best in the nation and is sure to make most offenses look lousy, but the Baylor attack failed to do anything to impose its will on the Horned Frogs. There wasn't any semblance of a running game, despite wanting more balance after having no ground attack last year, and Blake Szymanski only threw for 216 yards on 47 attempts. Another big concern is the kicking game, as Shea Brewster missed from 20 and 35 yards. The defense wasn't bad, and it should look even better over the next three weeks against Rice, Texas State and Buffalo. Now the offense has to follow suit.