2009 Baylor Bears football team

2009 Baylor Bears football
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Division	South Division
Record	4–8 (1–7 Big 12)
Head coach	Art Briles (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Randy Clements (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Philip Montgomery (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Veer and shoot
Defensive coordinator	Brian Norwood (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	Game captains
Home stadium	Floyd Casey Stadium
Seasons ← 2008 2010 →

2009 Big 12 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
North Division
No. 14 Nebraska x		6	–	2					10	–	4
Missouri		4	–	4					8	–	5
Kansas State		4	–	4					6	–	6
Iowa State		3	–	5					7	–	6
Colorado		2	–	6					3	–	9
Kansas		1	–	7					5	–	7
South Division
No. 2 Texas x$		8	–	0					13	–	1
Oklahoma State		6	–	2					9	–	4
No. 21 Texas Tech		5	–	3					9	–	4
Oklahoma		5	–	3					8	–	5
Texas A&M		3	–	5					6	–	7
Baylor		1	–	7					4	–	8
Championship: Texas 13, Nebraska 12
$ – BCS representative as conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 Baylor Bears football team represented Baylor University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Art Briles. The Bears played their home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas. Baylor finished the season with a record of 4–8 and 1–7 in Big 12 play.

Before the season

Program history

The Baylor Bears football program finished 2008 with a 4–8 record and a 521–523–43 (0.499) all-time record, marking the first time in decades that Baylor's overall record was losing. The program has not won its conference or attended a bowl game since 1994, when it both won the Southwest Conference and played in the 1994 Alamo Bowl; it has not had a winning season record since 1995.^[1] The Bears are currently the only Big 12 team to not have made a bowl game since the Big 12's inception, and the team has gone the longest of any team in a BCS conference without a bowl game appearance (Duke Blue Devils last played in a bowl game two days later in the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl)^[2][3][4][5]

Recruiting

• defensive recruiting coordinator: Kim McCloud
• offensive recruiting coordinator: Kendal Briles

Spring scrimmage

Predictions

ESPN analyst Tim Griffin criticized Baylor's decision to move its 2009 home game against Texas Tech to the Cowboys Stadium, a more neutral and media-friendly location.^[6]

Facilities

In fall 2008, two new facilities, the Highers Athletic Complex and the Simpson Athletics and Academic Center, were completed. The 2009 football season is the first in which the two facilities are available for use year-round. With five consecutive record-breaking fund-raising years for the Baylor Bear Foundation and the "Above and Beyond" and "Victory with Integrity" Board of Regents campaigns, the Highers Athletic Complex and Simpson center were built and Grant Teaff Plaza and club seating were improved, in addition to various other non-football construction and improvements.^[7]

Highers Athletic Complex

The Alwin O. and Dorothy Highers Athletic Complex is a set of three full-size practice football fields, two of natural turf and the third of artificial turf. Located on the main Baylor Campus next to the Baylor Marina, the Highers Athletic Complex is now the main location of football practice. Its location is much closer than that of Floyd Casey Stadium, the current home stadium of Baylor and previous practice location.^[8]

Construction began in November 2008 for the Jay and Jenny Allison Indoor Practice Facility. The final facility of the Highers Athletic Complex was completed in August 2009 and offers an 80-yard synthetic turf field with ten-yard end zones. At an estimated $11 million cost, the facility provides Baylor its first indoor practices ever, allowing for practice in most weather, including extreme heat, cold, and rain.^[9]

Simpson Athletic and Academic Center

The Simpson Athletic and Academic Center is located adjacent to the Highers Athletic Complex and Baylor Marina. The Simpson Center has the main athletics training room and equipment room for most Baylor athletes, the football locker room and weight room, football coaches' offices, football meeting rooms, academic center for all student-athletes, and the Baylor Athletic Department administrative offices. In 2008, for the third straight year, Baylor University had the highest NCAA Graduation Success Rate in the Big 12 Conference.

Floyd Casey Stadium

Floyd Casey Stadium, located about four miles from the Baylor University campus, is the site of the Baylor Bears' home games. The stadium, built in 1950, has an official capacity of 50,000 and has an artificial turf field, fixed aluminum bleachers, and the Big 12's largest locker room.

Coaching

Art Briles remained at Baylor as head coach for his second season there, following four seasons as head coach at the University of Houston and other previous coaching jobs at Texas Tech and various high schools in Texas. As a head coach at Baylor, Briles has a 4–8 record, and a career head coach record of 38–36. In the 2008 season, all Baylor victories were achieved with the opponent scoring 21 points or fewer, and all Baylor losses taken when the opponent scored more than 21 points.

Randy Clements and Philip Montgomery are the offensive co-coordinators, Brian Norwood is the defensive coordinator, and Dino Babers is the Special Teams coordinator. Colin Shillinglaw is the 2009 director of football operations.

Baylor Bears Position Coaching

Coach	Position
Randy Clements	offensive line
Philip Montgomery	running backs
Dino Babers	wide receivers
Kim McCloud	defensive backs
Kendal Briles	inside receivers
Chris Achuff	defensive tackles
Larry Hoefer	linebackers
Theo Young	defensive ends

Team

Roster

Note: the following is the preseason roster and has been since changed

2009 Baylor Bears football roster

Number	First	Last	Position	Height (feet)	Weight (lbs)	Class	Redshirt?	EXP	Hometown	State or Province	High School	Last College(s)
1	Earl	Patin	LB	6'2"	225	Junior		2L	Baton Rouge	Louisiana	Southern University Laboratory School
1	Kendall	Wright	IR	5'11"	185	Sophomore		1L	Pittsburg	Texas	Pittsburg High School
2	Romie	Blaylock	CB	5'10"	170	Sophomore		1L	Cedar Hill	Texas	Cedar Hill High School
2	Terrance	Williams	WR	6'2"	190	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Dallas	Texas	W. T. White High School
3	Antareis	Bryan	CB	6'2"	190	Junior		2L	Dallas	Texas	David W. Carter High School
3	Ernest	Smith	IR	6'3"	200	Senior		3L	New Orleans	Louisiana	Edna Karr School and John Tyler High School
4	David	Gettis	WR	6'4"	215	Senior		3L	Los Angeles	California	Susan Miller Dorsey High School
4	Jeremy	Williams	S	5'11"	210	Senior		3L	Dallas	Texas	David W. Carter High School
5	Mikail	Baker	DB	6'0"	205	Senior		3L	Dallas	Texas	Skyline High School
5	Skyler	Scott	WR	6'3"	195	Freshman		HS	Lancaster	Texas	Lancaster High School
6	Antonio	Jones	LB	6'2"	235	Senior		3L	Dallas	Texas	Lincoln High School
6	Blake	Szymanski	QB	6'4"	210	Senior		3L	Wichita Falls	Texas	S. H. Rider High School
7	Antonio	Johnson	LB	6'0"	210	Junior		2L	Waco	Texas	Waco High School
7	Darius	Jones	IR	6'0"	180	Freshman		HS	Marshall	Texas	Marshall High School
8	Tim	Atchison	FS	6'1"	205	Junior		2L	Copperas Cove	Texas	Copperas Cove High School
8	Glasco	Martin	RB	6'1"	200	Freshman		HS	Round Rock	Texas	Stony Point High School
9	Jameon	Hardeman	DE	6'1"	230	Junior		1L	Dallas	Texas	Justin F. Kimball High School
9	Brad	Taylor	TE	6'3"	235	Junior		2L	Madisonville	Texas	Madisonville High School
10	Robert III	Griffin	QB	6'3"	210	Sophomore		1L	Copperas Cove	Texas	Copperas Cove High School
10	Gary, Jr.	Mason	DE	6'4"	255	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Waxahachie	Texas	Waxahachie High School
11	Nick	Florence	QB	6'1"	190	Freshman		HS	Garland	Texas	South Garland High School
11	Phil	Taylor	DT	6'4"	355	Junior		TR	Clinton	Maryland	Gwynn Park High School	Penn State
12	Josh	Gordon	WR	6'4"	210	Freshman		HS	Houston	Texas	Lamar High School
12	T.J.	Scranton	S	5'11"	190	Senior		1L	Hitchcock	Texas	Hitchcock High School	Kilgore College
13	Tracy	Robertson	DL	6'4"	260	Sophomore		1L	Houston	Texas	Lamar High School
13	Brody	Trahan	QB	6'1"	210	Freshman		HS	Dickinson	Texas	Dickinson High School
14	Justin	Akers	TE	6'4"	255	Senior		3L	Deer Park	Texas	Deer Park High School
14	Byron	Landor	S	6'1"	210	Junior		JC	Lake Charles	Louisiana	Washington-Marion Magnet High School	Blinn College
15	Krys	Buerck	WR	5'11"	180	Junior		2L	Mesquite	Texas	Mesquite High School
15	Chris	McAllister	LB	6'2"	225	Freshman		HS	Converse	Texas	Judson High School
16	Tyler	DeLoach	QB	6'4"	190	Junior		SQ	Coppell	Texas	Coppell High School
17	Mike	Hicks	S	5'11"	180	Freshman		HS	China Spring	Texas	China Spring High School
17	Willie	Jefferson	WR	6'6"	210	Freshman		HS	Beaumont	Texas	Clifton J. Ozen Magnet High School
18	Tevin	Elliot	LB	6'3"	225	Freshman		HS	Mount Pleasant	Texas	Mount Pleasant High School
18	Lanear	Sampson	WR	6'0"	200	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Mesquite	Texas	North Mesquite High School
19	Jeremy	Sanders	LB	6'2"	210	Senior		1L	Marlin	Texas	Marlin High School	Navarro College
19	Sam	Sledge	BS	6'2"	265	Senior		3L	Midland	Texas	Robert E. Lee High School
20	Jerod	Monk	TE	6'5"	245	Freshman		HS	Wylie	Texas	Wylie High School
20	Clifton	Odom	CB	5'11"	195	Junior		2L	Arlington	Texas	James Martin High School
21	Jordan	Lake	FS	6'1"	215	Senior		3L	Houston	Texas	Memorial High School
21	Jarred	Salubi	RB	5'10"	200	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Waco	Texas	Waco High School
22	Ahmad	Jenkins	CB	5'11"	180	Sophomore		SQ	Trinidad	Texas	Trinidad High School
22	Michael	Valdez	S	5'10"	185	Freshman		HS	Humble	Texas	Atascocita High School
23	Justin	Fenty	IR	5'9"	175	Senior		3L	Denton	Texas	Billy Ryan High School
23	Anthony	Moore	S	6'3"	205	Freshman		HS	Converse	Texas	Judson High School
24	Terrance	Ganaway	RB	6'0"	245	Sophomore		JC	DeKalb	Texas	DeKalb High School	Houston and Texarkana College
25	Reid	Fitzgerald	S	6'0"	195	Freshman		HS	Argyle	Texas	Liberty Christian School
25	Chris	Smith	S	5'11"	195	Freshman		HS	Houston	Texas	Houston Christian High School
26	Rodney	Chadwick	LB	6'1"	225	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Carthage	Texas	Carthage High School
26	Travis	McClain	WR	6'1"	190	Sophomore		SQ	Weatherford	Texas	Weatherford High School
27	Dominique	Criss	CB	5'10"	195	Junior		2L	Arlington	Texas	Bowie High School
27	Bryan	Swindoll	TE	6'2"	230	Sophomore		SQ	Miami	Florida	Westminster Christian School
28	Caleb	McEachern	RB	5'9"	210	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Midlothian	Texas	Midlothian High School
29	Logan	Lanier	LB	5'10"	200	Freshman		HS	Nacogdoches	Texas	Nacogdoches High School
29	Andre	Pierce	RB	5'10"	195	Junior		SQ	Mesquite	Texas	Rowlett High School
30	Evan	Hearn	WR	5'9"	195	Junior		TR	Plainview	Texas	Plainview High School	McMurray
30	Jenner	Jones	LB	6'2"	220	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Lexington	Texas	Lexington High School
32	Jay	Finley	RB	5'11"	205	Junior		2L	Corsicana	Texas	Corsicana High School
33	Tyler	Pratt	CB	6'0"	190	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Houston	Texas	Cypress Falls High School
34	JR	Villaobos	LB	5'10"	205	Junior	Yes	SQ	Marion	Texas	Marion High School
35	Denerick	Demby	S	6'1"	180	Freshman		HS	Spring	Texas	Westfield High School
36	Chris	Francis	LB	6'0"	235	Junior		2L	Cedar Hill	Texas	Cedar Hill High School
37	Elliot	Coffey	LB	6'0"	220	Sophomore		1L	Sugar Land	Texas	William P. Clements High School
38	Derek	Epperson	P	6'3"	235	Junior		2L	Southlake	Texas	Keller High School
39	Chance	Casey	CB	5'11"	170	Freshman		HS	Crosby	Texas	Crosby High School
40	Ben	Parks	PK	6'2"	200	Sophomore		1L	Argyle	Texas	Argyle High School
41	Kolton	Lye	PK	6'0"	165	Freshman		HS	Austin	Texas	Westlake High School
41	Joe	Pawelek	LB	6'2"	240	Senior		3L	San Antonio	Texas	Smithson Valley High School
42	Chris	Winkler	PK	5'8"	160	Freshman		HS	Temple	Texas	Temple High School
43	Aaron	Jones	PK	6'4"	170	Freshman		HS	Crowley	Texas	Crowley High School
43	Reggie	Rice	LB	5'11"	230	Junior		TR	Houston	Texas	Eisenhower High School	N.M. Military Academy
44	Josh	Lewis	LB	6'0"	220	Freshman		HS	Plano	Texas	Prestonwood Christian Academy
45	Andrew	Judy	BS	6'1"	235	Senior		1L	Crawford	Texas	Crawford High School	Mary Hardin-Baylor
46	Erik	Piorkowski	LB	6'2"	220	Sophomore		TR	Lake St. Louis	Missouri	Wentzville Holt High School	Northern Iowa
47	LeQuince	McCall	LB	6'2"	200	Freshman		HS	San Antonio	Texas	Ronald Reagan High School
48	Erik	Wolfe	TE	6'2"	230	Freshman		HS	The Woodlands	Texas	The Woodlands High School
49	Kaeron	Johnson	DT	6'1"	285	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Cuero	Texas	Cuero High School
52	Blake	Simpson	LS	5'10"	230	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Fort Worth	Texas	All Saints Episcopal School
53	Stefan	Huber	OG	6'5"	270	Freshman		HS	Nederland	Texas	Nederland High School
54	Carter	Brunelle	LS	6'2"	230	Senior		1L	Duluth	Georgia	Wesleyan School
55	J.D.	Walton	C	6'3"	305	Senior		2L	Allen	Texas	Allen High School	Arizona State
56	Jared	Edwards	DE	6'4"	255	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Mansfield	Texas	Mansfield High School
57	Matt	Singletary	DE	6'3"	250	Sophomore		SQ	San Jose	California	Valley Christian High School
58	Chance	Reinhardt	DE	6'4"	225	Freshman		HS	San Antonio	Texas	St. Anthony Catholic High School
59	Danny	Watkins	OT	6'4"	310	Junior		JC	Kelowna	British Columbia	Mount Boucherie Secondary	Butte College
61	James	Barnard	OG	6'4"	300	Senior		2L	Overland Park	Kansas	Shawnee Mission South High School	Coffeyville Community College
62	Cameron	Lyons	OL	6'2"	275	Freshman		HS	Cypress	Texas	Cypress Woods High School
63	John	Jones	OG	6'4"	300	Sophomore		1L	Cedar Hill	Texas	Cedar Hill High School
64	Alex	Bonilla	OL	6'2"	280	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Abilene	Texas	Cooper High School
65	Zach	Northern	OL	6'2"	265	Freshman		HS	Hewitt	Texas	Midway High School
66	Hunter	Hightower	C	6'5"	275	Sophomore		SQ	Richardson	Texas	J. J. Pearce High School
67	Joe	Korbel	OT	6'6"	265	Sophomore		1L	San Antonio	Texas	Churchill High School
68	Cyril	Richardson	OT	6'6"	305	Freshman		HS	Fort Worth	Texas	North Crowley High School
70	Jake	Jackson	OL	6'3"	290	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Southlake	Texas	Carroll Senior High School
71	Cameron	Kaufhold	OL	6'4"	295	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Friendswood	Texas	Friendswood High School
73	Jeramie	Roberts	OG	6'4"	315	Freshman		HS	Garland	Texas	South Garland High School
74	Philip	Blake	OG	6'3"	275	Sophomore		JC	Brampton	Ontario	Champlain Regional Prep	Tyler Junior College
75	Jordan	Hearvey	OT	6'5"	270	Senior		2L	Richardson	Texas	Richardson High School
76	Ivory	Wade	OG	6'5"	315	Freshman		HS	Dickinson	Texas	Dickinson High School
77	Taylor	Douthit	OL	6'0"	285	Freshman	Yes	SQ	McKinney	Texas	McKinney North High School
78	Chris	Griesenbeck	OG	6'6"	275	Senior		2L	San Antonio	Texas	Robert E. Lee High School
82	Lucas	Allison	WR	6'3"	190	Freshman		HS	Frisco	Texas	Legacy Christian Academy
83	Logan	Allison	IR	5'11"	175	Freshman		HS	Frisco	Texas	Legacy Christian Academy
84	Dary	Stone	PK	6'1"	175	Senior		SQ	Dallas	Texas	Trinity Christian Academy
85	Stacy	Williams	WR	5'11"	185	Sophomore		SQ	Houston	Texas	Jack Yates Senior High School
86	Andrew	Sumpter	WR	6'2"	200	Sophomore		SQ	Flower Mound	Texas	Flower Mound High School
88	Jason	Lamb	DT	6'5"	275	Senior		3L	Richardson	Texas	Lloyd V. Berkner High School
88	Andrew	Sowder	TE	6'3"	230	Sophomore		SQ	Shallowater	Texas	Shallowater High School
89	Thomas	Draper	WR	6'2"	185	Freshman	Yes	SQ	Dallas	Texas	Highland Park High School
90	Nicolas	Jean-Baptiste	NT	6'1"	310	Sophomore		1L	Stafford	Texas	Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
91	Kelvin	Palmer	DE	6'5"	285	Freshman		HS	Dallas	Texas	W. H. Adamson High School
92	Kevin	Park	DE	6'4"	235	Freshman		HS	Austin	Texas	David Crockett High School
93	Daniel	Follis	DE	6'5"	210	Freshman		HS	Springfield	Missouri	Kickapoo High School
94	Chris	Buford	DT	6'5"	270	Junior		2L	Arlington	Texas	Bowie High School
95	Courtney	Green	DT	6'3"	265	Sophomore		1L	Corsicana	Texas	Corsicana High School
96	Zac	Scotton	DE	6'7"	260	Sophomore		1L	Houston	Texas	Cypress Creek High School
97	Trey	Bryant	NT	6'2"	315	Senior		3L	Dallas	Texas	Lloyd V. Berkner High School
98	Terrance	Lloyd	DE	6'4"	230	Freshman		HS	Houston	Texas	Stratford High School
99	Casey	Cooper	LS	6'1"	220	Senior		1L	Abbott	Texas	Abbott High School	Alabama

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	2:30 p.m.	at Wake Forest*	BB&T Field Winston-Salem, North Carolina	ABC	W 24–21	27,905
September 19	4:00 p.m.	Connecticut*	Floyd Casey Stadium Waco, TX		L 22–30	40,147
September 26	6:00 p.m.	Northwestern State*	Floyd Casey Stadium Waco, TX		W 68–13	36,452
October 3	6:00 p.m.	Kent State*	Floyd Casey Stadium Waco, TX	FSN	W 31–15	27,047
October 10	2:30 p.m.	at No. 21 Oklahoma	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	ABC	L 7–33	84,478
October 17	6:00 p.m.	at Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA		L 10–24	42,253
October 24	11:30 a.m.	No. 12 Oklahoma State	Floyd Casey Stadium Waco, TX	Versus	L 7–34	38,117
October 31	11:30 a.m.	Nebraska	Floyd Casey Stadium Waco, TX	Versus	L 10–20	31,702
November 7	1:00 p.m.	at Missouri	Faurot Field Columbia, MO		W 40–32	65,298
November 14	11:00 a.m.	No. 3 Texas	Floyd Casey Stadium Waco, TX	FSN	L 13–47	44,372
November 21	2:30 p.m.	at Texas A&M	Kyle Field College Station, Texas (Battle of the Brazos)		L 3–38	82,106
November 28	5:00 p.m.	vs. Texas Tech	Cowboys Stadium Arlington, TX (Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Shootout)	FSN	L 13–20	71,964
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
Baylor	10	0	14	0	24
Wake Forest	0	7	7	7	21

Baylor University entered their season opener as underdogs by two to three points; the game score over-under given by various bookmakers ranged from 51.5 to 54 points.^{[10][11][12][13]} Never trailing at any point in the game, Baylor won on the road, 24–21 (for a combined score of 45), for the first time in the ten games since 22 September 2007. The game also was Baylor's first win in a season opener since 2005, four years prior; Baylor had lost 13 straight road season openers, dating back to 1965. Following the game, Baylor received 17 votes in the AP Poll for week 2, giving the Bears an unofficial #40 rank, and 15 votes in the week 3 poll, for an unofficial #38 ranking. The Coaches' Polls awarded Baylor 2 votes in week 2, for an unofficial #47 rank, and no votes in week 3. Several Baylor players received honors. Baylor had the highest net average punting yardage (46.0 yards per punt) in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) after weeks 1 and 2.^[14] In addition, Baylor had the second-highest turnover margin (3.0) in the FBS after week 2, behind Arizona State.^[15] Baylor's defense was ranked 37th nationally using the pass efficiency defense rating, and 36th nationally in total defense.

Series history

Baylor's 2009 game at Wake Forest's BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the first away game in the Baylor-Wake Forest series and sixth overall; including the 2009 game, the past four games in the series have been the season openers for both teams. Baylor first played Wake Forest on 1 January 1949, at the 1948 postseason Dixie Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama; Baylor's first bowl game and Wake Forest's second ended in a 20–7 victory. Baylor hosted Wake Forest for the 17 November 1951 game, in which #10 Baylor won 42–0; this remains Baylor's largest margin of victory in a shutout ever, and the last shutout in a season opener victory. In the 20 September 1952 game, Baylor won at home again, 17–14. Baylor again welcomed Wake Forest on 23 September 1961 and won 31–0. On 28 August 2008, Baylor hosted Wake forest for the first time in over 40 years; Wake Forest won for the first time in series history, 41–13.^[16]

Connecticut

	1	2	3	4	Total
Connecticut	3	10	14	3	30
Baylor	7	0	7	8	22

For the Bears' second game, they hosted Connecticut at Floyd Casey Stadium during Baylor's Parents Weekend. Various bookmakers gave Baylor a ten- to eleven-point advantage for the game, with the over-under within 44 to 45.5 combined points, and sports pundits were divided on which team would win.^[17][18]

Series history

Baylor had only played Connecticut once before, in the preceding 2008 season. In that 19 September 2008 game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, the Huskies won by a narrow 31–28 points. The game was Baylor's first away game of the season.

Northwestern State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern State	7	3	0	3	13
Baylor	14	27	27	0	68

Baylor held its second home game and third overall at home, hosting the Northwestern State Demons. Baylor received the ball first, but a fourth-down rushing attempt failed, and the Demons recovered the ball, eventually resulting in a touchdown. Baylor responded with four consecutive touchdowns before Northwestern State could finally score again, with a field goal; the Bears finished the first half with two more touchdowns. Quarterback Robert Griffin III did not return for the second half due to an injury that required season-ending surgery, but Blake Szymanski still helped the Bears to four more touchdown passes before initiating the quarterback kneel in the fourth quarter to prevent Baylor from scoring further; the Demons managed one field goal in each of the third and fourth quarters. Baylor's score was the team's largest since its 68–0 shutout of the Blackland Army Air Field football team in 1942;^[19] the 55-point margin of victory was Baylor's largest since the 20 October 1979 55–0 result in the away game against the Army Black Knights.^[20][21]

Series history

Baylor has played and beaten Northwestern State, of the Football Championship Subdivision, twice before. On 9 September 2006, Baylor hosted Northwestern State and won 47–10. On 6 September 2008, Baylor hosted again and won 51–6 in Robert Griffin III's first game as starting quarterback; the score was the largest margin of victory for Baylor since the 24 November 2001 home game against Southern Illinois University, also of the FCS.

Kent State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kent State	7	0	6	2	15
Baylor	7	14	7	3	31

The general bookmaker consensus for this game was a Baylor win by at least 20 points, with a combined score of about 50.^[22][23] The Bears opened up the game worried about how their season would progress without Robert Griffin III. Third string quarterback Nick Florence showed himself capable of maintaining Baylor dominance of the Mid-American Conference^[24] as he passed 20-27 without an interception, only getting sacked twice throughout the whole game, and rushing for two touchdowns.^[25]

Series history

Baylor has never played a football game against Kent State until this season.

Oklahoma

	1	2	3	4	Total
Baylor	0	7	0	0	7
Oklahoma	0	14	9	10	33

Baylor entered Oklahoma Memorial Stadium seeking their first-ever win against Oklahoma, with the nation's longest current home game winning streak (at 26 games), and their first win since 2004 against a ranked opponent.^[26][27] Uncertainty about the outcome of the game was expressed by many, due largely to the fact that 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was not certain to lead Oklahoma against Baylor following a shoulder injury that left him out of earlier games.^[28] A few days before the game, though, Bradford was confirmed as starting quarterback for the game; bookmakers listed Oklahoma as the obvious favorite, with the spread at least 25 points and a combined score over/under of about 54.^[28][29][30] Despite a strong showing from the Baylor defense, keeping Oklahoma scoreless until midway through the second quarter, the offense, led by third string Nick Florence, was just as unable to score.^[31] After Oklahoma made two touchdowns to bring the game to 14–0, Baylor was able to act as well, responding with a touchdown of their own. In the second half, Oklahoma consistently moved the ball down the field, but was held by Baylor's defense to four field goals, before finally scoring a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Blake Szymanski, Baylor's second-string quarterback, led the Bears' final drive; despite a 42-yard pass from Szymanski to David Gettis, Baylor did not score due to an end zone interception.

Series history

Baylor has played Oklahoma eighteen times, with thirteen games in Big 12 play. The Bears have never defeated the Sooners, making Oklahoma the only opponent Baylor has faced at least five times and never beaten. The closest recent game was in 2005, when the Sooners won 37–30 in a double-overtime game.

Baylor-Oklahoma Series
Date	Location	Winner	Score	TV
October 26, 1901	Waco	Oklahoma	17–6
September 15, 1973	Waco	Oklahoma	42–14
September 14, 1974	Norman	Oklahoma	28–11
September 22, 1984	Norman	Oklahoma	34–15
September 9, 1989	Norman	Oklahoma	33–7
October 19, 1996	Waco	Oklahoma	28–24
October 18, 1997	Norman	Oklahoma	24–23	FSN
November 14, 1998	Waco	Oklahoma	28–16
September 18, 1999	Norman	Oklahoma	41–10	FSN
November 4, 2000	Waco	Oklahoma	56–7
October 20, 2001	Norman	Oklahoma	33–17
November 16, 2002	Waco	Oklahoma	49–9
November 15, 2003	Norman	Oklahoma	41–3
November 20, 2004	Waco	Oklahoma	35–0	FSN
October 22, 2005	Norman	Oklahoma	37–30	FSN
November 18, 2006	Waco	Oklahoma	36–10	FSN
November 10, 2007	Norman	Oklahoma	52–21	FSN
October 4, 2008	Waco	Oklahoma	49–17	FSN

Iowa State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Baylor	3	0	0	7	10
Iowa State	0	14	10	0	24

Baylor meets Iowa State for a game that will break a losing streak for one of the teams. Baylor has lost twelve consecutive Big 12 road games dating back to 2006,^[32] and Iowa State has lost eleven straight Big 12 games,^[33] including a loss to Baylor at Floyd Casey Stadium in 2008 (Iowa State also has lost fifteen consecutive Big 12 road games, dating back to 2005^[33]). For Iowa State, the game is particularly important, as it aims for its first Homecoming game victory since 2005.

Sports betting websites gave Iowa State a narrow 1.5-point advantage, with an over/under between 50 and 55.^[34][35][36]

Despite scoring first with a field goal, Baylor was kept out of the endzone for nearly the whole game, finally scoring a touchdown in the final minute of play. Iowa State University, dominant throughout the entire game, secured their first conference win since 2007. Starting quarterback Blake Szymanski threw three interceptions, the most by a Baylor player since the 2007 game against Texas.

Series history

Baylor and Iowa State have met eight times, splitting victories equally between them. Baylor has won their last two meetings; in 2008, the Bears won one their two conference games against Iowa State, 38–10.

Baylor-Iowa State Series
Date	Location	Winner	Score	TV
September 17, 1988	Ames	Baylor	35–0	Raycom Sports
October 26, 1996	Waco	Baylor	49–21
October 25, 1997	Ames	Iowa State	24–17
September 30, 2000	Waco	Iowa State	31–17
September 29, 2001	Ames	Iowa State	41–0
October 23, 2004	Waco	Iowa State	26–25
October 8, 2005	Ames	Baylor	23–13
October 11, 2008	Waco	Baylor	38–10	Fox College Sports

Oklahoma State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Oklahoma State	10	7	10	7	34
Baylor	0	0	0	7	7

Having lost its last nineteen games against ranked opponents, Baylor was hoping for a Homecoming miracle to beat #12 Oklahoma State. Unfortunately, Oklahoma State, facing major injuries like Baylor, was preparing for its showdown with the Texas Longhorns for the Big 12 South leadership, and used Baylor to do it. OSU quarterback set a team record with his 85 percent completion rate, and Baylor scored its first points, a touchdown and successful try, in the fourth quarter. Statistically, the teams' efforts were similar, except in OSU's much better ability to rush the ball, and its better kickoff yardage.

Nebraska

	1	2	3	4	Total
Nebraska	10	10	0	0	20
Baylor	0	0	10	0	10

Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
Baylor	9	7	10	14	40
Missouri	7	20	2	3	32

Texas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Texas	14	26	0	7	47
Baylor	0	0	0	14	14

Texas A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Baylor	3	0	0	0	3
Texas A&M	14	7	3	14	38

Series history

Texas Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Texas Tech	0	3	14	2	19
Baylor	3	7	3	0	13

After the season

Awards

NFL draft

References