Browsing: Football

Baylor football has put together one of the best seasons in school history in 2013. For only the third time ever, Baylor has reached double-digit wins, and that is with a game left to go. The Bears also tied a school record by being ranked third overall in the Associated Press poll for the first time since 1953.

With history behind them, No. 9 Baylor football (10-1, 7-1) will look to match up with No. 25 University of Texas (8-3, 7-1) in the final game at Floyd Casey Stadium. With a win, Baylor can clinch a share of the Big 12 Championship for the first time in school history.

While the season did not take the path many expected, it could end the way many predicted with Oklahoma State in the drivers seat for a Big 12 championship once again.

With a win over Oklahoma in the Bedlam rivalry game, the Cowboys can clinch the Big 12 title and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl for the second time in three seasons.

On Sept. 30, 1950, Baylor University opened the $1.8 million “Baylor Stadium” with a 34-7 home win against the University of Houston under head coach George Sauer. On Saturday night, Baylor will look to close out the 63-year- old Floyd Casey Stadium against a historic rival, the No. 25 Texas Longhorns.

The stadium has been the home of Baylor football ever since the opener against Houston in 1950. In the time since President Harry Truman, the home of the Bears has gone through several updates, including the addition of a 23-by-31-foot LED video screen and skyboxes added in 2002.

After going on sale Monday at 10 a.m., Baylor football gave out their full allotment of student tickets by 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. Student Activities reported selling out of student tickets after distributing a record 6,700 tickets on day one of student ticket sales.

For the fourth week in a row, Baylor faced a first-half deficit and lacked consistent production on offense. Unlike the previous week against Oklahoma State, Baylor’s defense was able to step up and make plays to lead No. 9 Baylor (10-1, 7-1) to a 41-38 victory over Texas Christian University (4-8, 2-7) on Saturday at Amon Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.

Baylor University, in conjunction with friends of the Briles family and football program, have established the Eddie Briles Memorial Scholarship in honor of the older brother of Bears’ football coach Art Briles, who died suddenly this past Wednesday from injuries sustained from a fall.

The No. 9 Baylor Bears escaped Fort Worth with a 41-38 win over TCU at Amon Carter Stadium on Saturday.

Baylor (10-1, 7-1) were on the ropes late in the fourth quarter with TCU (4-8, 2-7) trailing 41-38 with a chance to tie the Bears or take the lead in the final minute of the game.

From the Baylor 23-yard line, senior TCU quarterback Casey Pachall looked for a receiver near the goal line, but the ball was tipped and intercepted by sophomore safety Terrell Burt in the end zone to seal Baylor’s 41-38 victory and keep Baylor’s dream of a Big 12 championship alive.

The No. 4 Baylor Bears are perfect no more after the No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowboys upended the Bears 49-17 on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.

With the score knotted at 0-0 late in the first quarter, the tide of the game swung in Oklahoma State’s direction when Baylor junior quarterback Bryce Petty was racing for what looked like an easy touchdown, instead Petty tripped in the open field and stumbled untouched to the 1-yard line.

No. 4 Baylor football’s defense has gone through a transformation in the last year, going from worst to first. After being ranked 119 out of 120 in the FBS at one point last year, Baylor is now 11th in total defense and first in the Big 12, in part because of the depth of the defense.

As Baylor continues to play tougher opponents with more potent offenses, having talented players on defense to back up the starters is an advantage because it allows players to keep their energy for longer periods of time.

The games just keep on keep on getting bigger for Baylor. Only two weeks ago, fans were hoping Baylor could get some legitimacy as a program with a test against No. 10 Oklahoma. After passing that test with flying colors, Baylor destroyed Texas Tech. Every test that Baylor has been given, it has aced.

The eyes of the nation will be on Stillwater this Saturday night as No. 4 Baylor (9-0, 6-0) puts everything on the line in a program-altering matchup with No. 10 Oklahoma State (9-1, 6-1). Baylor has not won a game in Stillwater since 1939.

Baylor’s game against No. 10 Oklahoma on Nov. 7 could have easily been a disastrous turn in the season. Baylor lost three of its top offensive weapons in senior running back Glasco Martin, junior running back Lache Seastrunk and senior wide receiver Tevin Reese.

Heading into the OU game, those three players had combined for 1,999 yards and 24 touchdowns, or 39.7 percent of Baylor’s offensive yards and 44.4 percent of Baylor’s offensive touchdowns this season.

For a while, Baylor looked to be in big trouble on Saturday. Texas Tech was playing flawless football, and back-to-back touchdown throws to junior tight end Jace Amaro gave Tech a sudden 20-7 lead over Baylor with 3:25 left in the first quarter.

It was all Baylor from there.No. 5 Baylor (9-0, 6-0) overcame an early 14-point deficit to win 63-34 over Texas Tech (7-4, 4-4) in Arlington at AT&T Stadium for the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Shootout.

In front of a crowd of 69,188 raucous fans, Baylor football showed the nation that you never really have an advantage against the Bear’s high-powered offense. Despite Texas Tech scoring the first 14 points of the game, Baylor’s high-powered offense would score 60 or more points for the sixth time this season, and No. 5 Baylor (9-0, 6-0) cruised to 63-34 victory over Texas Tech (7-4, 4-4) in Arlington.

Redshirt freshman running back Shock Linwood led Baylor with 187 rushing yards on 29 carries and a touchdown in his first collegiate start at running back. Fellow redshirt freshman running back Devin Chafin added 100 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries in his first major action.

Baylor leads Texas Tech 35-27 at halftime at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Junior inside receiver Levi Norwood has been the top player for Baylor. He has 141 yards receiving and two touchdowns to go along with a 58-yard punt return for touchdown. Quarterback Bryce Petty has 227 yards and three touchdowns.

Following a 41-12 win over No. 10 Oklahoma, Baylor moved into the top five in the BCS for the first time. With higher rankings come higher stakes, and there are few stages more fitting for high-stakes football than AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

No. 5 Baylor football (8-0, 5-0) travels up I-35 to Arlington to take on Texas Tech (7-3, 4-3) in a matchup at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Baylor football is off to a historic 8-0 start and it doesn’t look like Baylor is ready to slow down anytime soon.

Despite the uncertainty around the Big 12, Baylor Head Coach Art Briles’ position at Baylor is cemented with a 10-year contract extension, which was approved by the regents Wednesday night.

There’s only a minute left in the half as Floyd Casey’s sea of black roars waiting for Oklahoma to snap the ball. Seconds later, the ball is in senior linebacker Eddie Lackey’s hands as he comes away with the interception sending the crowd into a frenzy. Forty-seven seconds later, the Baylor offense makes the Sooners pay.

Baylor’s defense has forced 60 turnovers in the last 25 games. Statistics don’t always tell the whole story, and while Lackey’s stats speak volumes, it’s the intangibles that make the difference. Lackey’s leadership has been on display this season as his intensity has fueled the defense to play to its highest potential.

Baylor Football is off to an historic 8-0 start and it doesn’t look like Baylor is ready to slow down any time soon. Despite the uncertainty around the Big 12, Baylor Head Coach Art Briles’ position at Baylor is cemented with a 10-year contract extension, which was approved by the regents Wednesday night.

The numbers of the new contract have not been disclosed, but under the previous deal, Briles was set to average $3.5 annually. In 2012, Briles made $2.4 million, which is a significant raise from the $1.5 million he made in 2010.

No. 5 Baylor (8-0) didn’t quite meet the all-time attendance record against No. 10 Oklahoma (7-2), but that was OK. The Bears still played in front of the most raucous crowd in the history of Floyd Casey Stadium on Thursday. In front of 50,337 screaming, blacked- out fans watching the biggest football game in Baylor history, the Bears made a statement with a 41-12 win over the Sooners.

“We showed tonight we can compete with any team in this conference and in the nation,” senior defensive end Chris McAllister said to a crowd of dozens of reporters after the 41-12 thrashing of Oklahoma.

No. 6 Baylor came into its matchup against No. 10 Oklahoma with the top rated offense in the FBS, and one of the best in college football history. The game was meant to be a test of Baylor’s legitimacy on offense and whether it would hold up against elite competition.

After seven games without a true test on the gridiron, the Baylor Bears were supposed to be challenged by the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners, the first ranked opponent for Baylor this season. The No. 6 Bears answered the call and more by thumping Oklahoma 41-12 in front of 50,537 fans decked out in black at Floyd Casey Stadium on Thursday night.

“[The blackout crowd] was something I hadn’t seen before,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said. “It was very emotional and very humbling at the same time. When you’ve got support, you can get things going a little bit. It certainly made a difference in the football game.”

TCU (3-6, 1-5) at Iowa State (1-7, 0-5)

Texas Christian has struggled mightily after coming into the season ranked in the top 20. The Horned Frogs are on a three-game losing streak, and have lost four of their last five and six of their last eight. TCU is coming off a tough overtime loss against West Virginia in Fort Worth, where their offense managed only 60 yards of rushing. Senior quarterback Casey Pachall has entered back into the offense, but the Horned Frogs still have one of the worst offenses in football. The defense has been solid, but a defense can only do so much when an offense averages only 23.4 points per game.

If there is a word that has been thrown around with Baylor football, it’s history. The Bears are ranked top five in the Associated Press poll for the second time in history and the first time since 1953. The Bears are ranked No. 6 in the BCS standings, the highest the program has been in the 16-year history of the BCS. Baylor is the highest ranked team in the Big 12. The Bears are 4-0 in conference play for the first time in Big 12 history.

With the wind of that success behind its back, Baylor (7-0, 4-0) looks forward to challenging traditional Big 12 power No. 10 Oklahoma (7-1, 3-1) today at Floyd Casey Stadium.

On Nov. 19, 2011, Baylor University changed forever. The Baylor Bears football team were ranked No. 22 in the country by the BCS after making only its third appearance in the Associated Press poll in the past 16 seasons.

Baylor faced an all-too-familiar foe in Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma. The No. 5 Sooners came to Waco undefeated all-time against the lowly Baylor Bears. With a plethora of upsets throughout the day, Oklahoma looked to push itself back into the national title picture with a convincing win against a ranked opponent.