Browsing: Football

Good things come to those who wait. It couldn’t have been scripted any better for junior quarterback Bryce Petty. After waiting behind former quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Nick Florence, Petty relished his opportunity, leading the Baylor Bears to its first Big 12 Title.

“I kind of just started crying uncontrollably and I don’t really do that much, but it’s just been a process and it’s the fact that when you put your trust in God and he’s faithful, things work out and it’s a great feeling.” Petty said.

Controlling the clock was not a goal for a Baylor offense that outscored opponents by 32 points per game despite opponents winning the time of possession battle by five minutes per game. Baylor’s ground game was vital to finish out games.

Baylor has plenty of depth at the running back position, beginning with the elusive, electrifying, junior running back Lache Seastrunk. Seastrunk led Baylor with 1,060 rushing yards this season. Seastrunk averaged 7.5 yards per carry, averaging 106.0 yards per game, with 11 touchdowns.

It has been a season to remember for Baylor head coach Art Briles as he saw his hard work and commitment to Baylor University pay off with the university’s first Big 12 title and first trip to a BCS Bowl.

Through a season of ups and downs, Briles came out on top, building a program that was once ridiculed into a national powerhouse. For Briles, winning the Big 12 is much more than just a title. It’s about building a legacy at Baylor.

Baylor’s hard-nosed, physical defense played up to its potential. After begin the laughingstock of the nation last season, this year’s unit rose up and backed up the hype with smashmouth, aggressive play to propel the team to its first Big 12 Title.

After giving up an average of 37.2 points per game last season, the Bears reduced that number significantly — allowing only 21.2 points per game this season. After a dominant showing against Kansas State on Nov. 17, 2012, this defense has turned its play around.

The Baylor Bears are playing in a BCS bowl game for the first time in Glendale, Ariz. at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. They are set to take on the University of Central Florida.

How can students and die-hard Baylor fans attend this historic event?

Baylor University has been allotted 17,500 tickets for the 2014 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

The phrase “biggest game in Baylor history” has been used to describe many games this season, most notably at home against No. 10 Oklahoma and on the road against No. 10 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. But with Baylor’s Big 12 Championship clincher against No. 25 University of Texas in the final game at Floyd Casey Stadium on Saturday, we have a new titleholder.

The Final Game at Floyd Casey Stadium from Baylor Lariat on Vimeo.

After the Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys earlier in the day, the Texas Longhorns versus Baylor Bears contest shifted into a de facto Big 12 Championship game.

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.

By Shehan Jeyarajah Sports Writer No. 20 Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2) at Kansas State (6-4, 4-3) Oklahoma was largely eliminated from…

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.