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10-12-2005, 07:17 AM
Now 4-1, 'we're a different Baylor'
Bears host Huskers with realistic chance to win, close in on bowl
01:30 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 12, 2005
By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News
WACO – In the 10 years since Baylor last had a winning football season, Butch Henry has heard every whine, negative comment and complaint about the state of the program.
As co-host of a popular sports talk radio show in Waco, Henry has taken calls from the irate to the inconsolable. This year, with Baylor off to a 4-1 start, Henry says there's much less static on the line.
"It's just like daylight and dark," Henry said. "It's just good to hear people talk positive about Baylor football."
Optimism has taken hold. The Bears already have more wins than in any season since 1996. And they are just two wins from bowl eligibility.
Nebraska comes to town Saturday. A year ago, Nebraska blew past the Bears, 59-27, in Lincoln.
This year's game has a different vibe. Not only would a win over the storied Huskers do much for the Bears' pride, it would also put them in good position to get that sixth win and all but assure the program of its first bowl berth since 1994.
"It's probably the most significant game that we have played since I've been here," third-year coach Guy Morriss said.
Talk of beating the Huskers is no longer said in joking terms. Nebraska is only a 2 ½ -point favorite.
After posting a 3-0 nonconference record, Baylor lost at Texas A&M in overtime. The Bears then beat Iowa State, 23-13, on Saturday for the program's first-ever Big 12 road win.
Previous Baylor teams have said they could compete in the Big 12. This one appears to be proving it can win in the Big 12.
Baylor fans are responding. Athletic director Ian McCaw said the ticket office has been busy since Monday.
The marketing staff is going full-bore with a "Fill the Floyd" campaign to try to pack 50,000-seat Floyd Casey Stadium. Officials are expecting a crowd of 38,000-40,000, which would be Baylor's largest for a non-Texas or Texas A&M game since 2001.
"The people on campus are going crazy," cornerback C.J. Wilson said. "It's a wonderful feeling."
The rest of the nation is beginning to take notice as well. Media outlets across the country are writing about the Bears, and on Monday Baylor's game next week at Oklahoma was chosen for a national cable broadcast.
Baylor's last national television appearance was last year's game against Missouri, but that game kicked off at 9 p.m. The last time Baylor was on national television when people were awake was the 1999 game at Boston College.
Morriss said "eight or 10" significant recruits will be coming in for the Nebraska game. He said alumni have been calling to invite the coaching staff to dinner.
Beating Nebraska would give Baylor yet another boost heading into tough three-game stretch, starting at Oklahoma and followed by home games against No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 2 Texas.
And if Baylor loses to Nebraska? Well, that may be the true test of whether Baylor has arrived.
"It would set us up, but if we don't win this one, I don't think the wheels will fall off," Morriss said. "I hope we're past that."
The wheels have fallen off too many times. Just last season, the Bears lost to Texas (44-14), to Tech (42-17), to Oklahoma State (49-21) and to Oklahoma (35-0).
Last season was Baylor's second under Morriss and first with defensive coordinator Bill Bradley. The Bears and Bradley were still getting acquainted last season.
"There were some things in the Nebraska game last year that I dialed up that maybe weren't even on our call sheet," Bradley said.
Now, Baylor is 15th in the nation in total defense and 13th in scoring defense. The Bears are allowing just 15.2 points. The most points they've given up was a 28-23 win over SMU in the opener.
Baylor drew attention last season for an overtime upset of visiting Texas A&M, but the key to this season's success was the progress the Bears made in games they didn't win.
After falling behind Nebraska 31-3 in the first half, Baylor put together three straight touchdown drives. The Bears also lost to eventual Big 12 North co-champion Iowa State by one point.
"Even though we may have lost a few games, we felt like in our eyes we could play with anybody in the Big 12," quarterback Shawn Bell said.
Nebraska (4-1) is also making a case to reclaim lost glory after a 5-6 finish in 2004. But the Huskers have decades of tradition and the Nebraska name still carries weight nationally.
Baylor's players aren't fazed by Nebraska's tradition, such as calling its defense the Blackshirts. If tradition affected Baylor, Texas A&M would have won easily the last two years.
Asked if he knows what a Blackshirt is, Wilson replied: "Uh huh, I have a few of those."
Wilson laughed and added: "My best friend went to Nebraska. I know about the Blackshirt tradition at Nebraska, but they don't wear the black shirts when they're on the field."
Safety Willie Andrews said the focus is on getting a step closer to a bowl, but changing opinions is significant, too.
"They're not the same old Nebraska, but they're a different type of Nebraska," Andrews said. "We're Baylor, but we're a different Baylor."
E-mail kwhitmire@dallasnews.com
WHY BAYLOR'S BETTER
Reasons the Bears are 4-1:
1. Familiarity breeds success: This is Baylor's third season under Guy Morriss. The defense, which has been the backbone, is in its second season under coordinator Bill Bradley.
2. Turning up the turnovers: Coaches put special emphasis on turnovers and big plays. The result is 12 turnovers in five games, after forcing only nine all of last season.
3. Special teams are special: The Bears already have the reigning Ray Guy Award winner in punter Daniel Sepulveda. Now, kicker Ryan Havens is a factor. He has hit 11 of 15 field goal tries and all 13 extra points.
4. Quarterback comfort: Coaches say Shawn Bell had his best game in last week's win at Iowa State, even though he passed for only 160 yards and one touchdown. Avoiding mistakes is the key: Bell is completing 61 percent of his passes and hasn't thrown in interception in his last 77 attempts.
5. Strength from schedule: Baylor played three winnable games to open the season – including games at SMU and Army – which helped establish confidence. Then came Texas A&M, a team Baylor proved it could compete with last year.
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Nebraska (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) at Baylor (4-1, 1-1), 6 p.m. Saturday, Floyd Casey Stadium, Waco
Bears host Huskers with realistic chance to win, close in on bowl
01:30 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 12, 2005
By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News
WACO – In the 10 years since Baylor last had a winning football season, Butch Henry has heard every whine, negative comment and complaint about the state of the program.
As co-host of a popular sports talk radio show in Waco, Henry has taken calls from the irate to the inconsolable. This year, with Baylor off to a 4-1 start, Henry says there's much less static on the line.
"It's just like daylight and dark," Henry said. "It's just good to hear people talk positive about Baylor football."
Optimism has taken hold. The Bears already have more wins than in any season since 1996. And they are just two wins from bowl eligibility.
Nebraska comes to town Saturday. A year ago, Nebraska blew past the Bears, 59-27, in Lincoln.
This year's game has a different vibe. Not only would a win over the storied Huskers do much for the Bears' pride, it would also put them in good position to get that sixth win and all but assure the program of its first bowl berth since 1994.
"It's probably the most significant game that we have played since I've been here," third-year coach Guy Morriss said.
Talk of beating the Huskers is no longer said in joking terms. Nebraska is only a 2 ½ -point favorite.
After posting a 3-0 nonconference record, Baylor lost at Texas A&M in overtime. The Bears then beat Iowa State, 23-13, on Saturday for the program's first-ever Big 12 road win.
Previous Baylor teams have said they could compete in the Big 12. This one appears to be proving it can win in the Big 12.
Baylor fans are responding. Athletic director Ian McCaw said the ticket office has been busy since Monday.
The marketing staff is going full-bore with a "Fill the Floyd" campaign to try to pack 50,000-seat Floyd Casey Stadium. Officials are expecting a crowd of 38,000-40,000, which would be Baylor's largest for a non-Texas or Texas A&M game since 2001.
"The people on campus are going crazy," cornerback C.J. Wilson said. "It's a wonderful feeling."
The rest of the nation is beginning to take notice as well. Media outlets across the country are writing about the Bears, and on Monday Baylor's game next week at Oklahoma was chosen for a national cable broadcast.
Baylor's last national television appearance was last year's game against Missouri, but that game kicked off at 9 p.m. The last time Baylor was on national television when people were awake was the 1999 game at Boston College.
Morriss said "eight or 10" significant recruits will be coming in for the Nebraska game. He said alumni have been calling to invite the coaching staff to dinner.
Beating Nebraska would give Baylor yet another boost heading into tough three-game stretch, starting at Oklahoma and followed by home games against No. 13 Texas Tech and No. 2 Texas.
And if Baylor loses to Nebraska? Well, that may be the true test of whether Baylor has arrived.
"It would set us up, but if we don't win this one, I don't think the wheels will fall off," Morriss said. "I hope we're past that."
The wheels have fallen off too many times. Just last season, the Bears lost to Texas (44-14), to Tech (42-17), to Oklahoma State (49-21) and to Oklahoma (35-0).
Last season was Baylor's second under Morriss and first with defensive coordinator Bill Bradley. The Bears and Bradley were still getting acquainted last season.
"There were some things in the Nebraska game last year that I dialed up that maybe weren't even on our call sheet," Bradley said.
Now, Baylor is 15th in the nation in total defense and 13th in scoring defense. The Bears are allowing just 15.2 points. The most points they've given up was a 28-23 win over SMU in the opener.
Baylor drew attention last season for an overtime upset of visiting Texas A&M, but the key to this season's success was the progress the Bears made in games they didn't win.
After falling behind Nebraska 31-3 in the first half, Baylor put together three straight touchdown drives. The Bears also lost to eventual Big 12 North co-champion Iowa State by one point.
"Even though we may have lost a few games, we felt like in our eyes we could play with anybody in the Big 12," quarterback Shawn Bell said.
Nebraska (4-1) is also making a case to reclaim lost glory after a 5-6 finish in 2004. But the Huskers have decades of tradition and the Nebraska name still carries weight nationally.
Baylor's players aren't fazed by Nebraska's tradition, such as calling its defense the Blackshirts. If tradition affected Baylor, Texas A&M would have won easily the last two years.
Asked if he knows what a Blackshirt is, Wilson replied: "Uh huh, I have a few of those."
Wilson laughed and added: "My best friend went to Nebraska. I know about the Blackshirt tradition at Nebraska, but they don't wear the black shirts when they're on the field."
Safety Willie Andrews said the focus is on getting a step closer to a bowl, but changing opinions is significant, too.
"They're not the same old Nebraska, but they're a different type of Nebraska," Andrews said. "We're Baylor, but we're a different Baylor."
E-mail kwhitmire@dallasnews.com
WHY BAYLOR'S BETTER
Reasons the Bears are 4-1:
1. Familiarity breeds success: This is Baylor's third season under Guy Morriss. The defense, which has been the backbone, is in its second season under coordinator Bill Bradley.
2. Turning up the turnovers: Coaches put special emphasis on turnovers and big plays. The result is 12 turnovers in five games, after forcing only nine all of last season.
3. Special teams are special: The Bears already have the reigning Ray Guy Award winner in punter Daniel Sepulveda. Now, kicker Ryan Havens is a factor. He has hit 11 of 15 field goal tries and all 13 extra points.
4. Quarterback comfort: Coaches say Shawn Bell had his best game in last week's win at Iowa State, even though he passed for only 160 yards and one touchdown. Avoiding mistakes is the key: Bell is completing 61 percent of his passes and hasn't thrown in interception in his last 77 attempts.
5. Strength from schedule: Baylor played three winnable games to open the season – including games at SMU and Army – which helped establish confidence. Then came Texas A&M, a team Baylor proved it could compete with last year.
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Nebraska (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) at Baylor (4-1, 1-1), 6 p.m. Saturday, Floyd Casey Stadium, Waco