Big 12 Sports Blog by Big 12 Fans

BAYLOR VS. KENT STATE RECAP: Freshman Florence Near Flawless, Bears Beat Golden Flashes 31-15

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas — Baylor true freshman Nick Florence, along with an unbreakable defense and special teams, helped lead the Bears (3-1) to a 31-15 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-3) on Saturday evening at Floyd Casey Stadium.

Despite the downpours and an early 7-0 deficit, Florence — the Bears third-string quarterback — went 20-of-27 in the passing department for 216 yards while also compiling 60 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns in his first career start.

“He’s very confident, intelligent, poised, and aware and those are all qualities of a good quarterback,” Baylor Head Coach Art Briles said. “He’s not afraid to get dirty, dive around and create something. He did exactly what we thought he’d do. He was very efficient and intelligent and that’s exactly what he did.

“The way he handled himself the last two days, you could tell he was really grasping everything and understanding and was delivering the ball well. I felt if it was drier a little earlier we could have done a few more things because Nick is very accurate with the football, but we were still able to make a couple of runs and we got the win so that’s all we were concerned with tonight.”

For Florence, sophomore receiver Kendall Wright was again a key target for the Bears offense — racking up 125 yards on nine catches.

“It [getting the win] is awesome,” Florence said. “It is a great feeling. It is what we needed to do. There was no question in my mind whether we were going to win that game. We were going to do whatever it takes. It was sloppy at times and a lot of that is my inexperience and making mistakes. Our defense made plays and our offensive line made plays and our running backs and receivers made plays. That is what you do to get a win.”

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Defensively, Baylor picked up two key interceptions and caused three Kent State fumbles (recovering one) in a strong secondary; while special teams played a large part as well with two blocked field goals (both by senior defensive lineman Jason Lamb) and a blocked extra point (junior defensive tackle Phil Taylor).

“We [the defense] could have done a lot better,” Lamb said. “I don’t know the final stats at all, but I know we gave up too many yards. The good thing from that is when it really came time to buckle down and prevent them from scoring, we were able to do that. We really gave up more yards than we wanted to and that is something we are going to have to work on this week.”

Sophomore running back Jared Salubi also has a solid outing for the Bears, garnering 64 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown en route to a 16-point Baylor win on a stormy Saturday in Waco.

“We know how to keep people there through the game,” Briles said. “We weren’t going to let them go home early. It was a good, tough win. I was really proud of our guys, I thought they showed a whole lot of character and were very resilient and really tough minded. I thought they battled, relieved and overcame. From that standpoint it was a big win and I learned many years ago that there is no such thing as a bad win, they’re all great.

“It’s a big win for Baylor; I thought they did a good job making a statement about our program and our effort and our attitude, and we have to continue to get better as a team. We have a long way to go but we are taking steps forward, not backward and that’s the encouraging part.”

Briles’ Bears return to the gridiron for Big 12 play on Saturday, Oct. 10, in Norman, Oklahoma — as Baylor faces the Sooners (2-2) in a televised game (locally on ABC) slated to kickoff at 2:30 p.m.

“Like I said last week, it’s hard to define confidence,” Briles said. “I’m not worried about confidence quite honestly, I’m worried about production. What we’ve got to do is give them a good plan and go out and perform and produce and with that maybe some confidence will come. But if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. As soon as you step on the field you should be confident and if you don’t, you shouldn’t be out there.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR VS. KENT STATE PREVIEW: Bears aim to bounce back after key injuries, host Golden Flashes Saturday on FSN

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas — The Baylor Bears (2-1) return to action on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Floyd Casey Stadium to host the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-2) in a game slated to kickoff at 6 p.m.; the match-up is also scheduled to be televised regionally on FSN-Southwest.

With a wave of injuries occurring last weekend against Northwestern State (quarterback Robert Griffin, defensive back Mikail Baker, and former-backup QB Blake Szymanski — who has been named the starter in Griffin’s absence), Coach Art Briles and the Bears must now battle back.

“First and foremost, our concerns go to them and their families,” Briles said. “Then you break it down from a football standpoint and the good thing about Robert and Mikail is that they’ll get an extra year back because their injuries were early enough in the season.”

For Griffin and Baker, that means one more year of eligibility.

“In Mikail’s case, he’ll have a sixth year and Robert, this will be his redshirt and he’ll have three more after this,” Briles said. “You look at the picture and figure out if you want to look at it good or bad and that’s the good side of it. Syzmanski hurt his shoulder trying to score in the third quarter and he’s day-to-day. He’s better today than he was yesterday and he was better yesterday than he was Sunday. If he gets in a little bit of work this week, he’ll be ready to go Saturday.”

One thing remains certain — these Bears are not about to give up and will fight until the very end.

“The way we look at it is that we’ve had a couple of family members that have been side-tracked for a little bit but what we’ll do is we’ll rally up, we’ll fight and we’ll compete — because that’s what you do as a player, it’s what you do as a coach and it’s what you do as a program,“ Briles said. “And we’ve got a job to do and we’re going to do our job.

“Our guys, they’ll adjust. And they’ll fight. We’re going to dial it up, we’re going to fight hard, for Robert, for Mikail, for A.B. [Antareis Bryan, who is out with broken foot] and then for the rest of these guys on this football team and for this University — that’s what we’re going to do.”

For the Baylor Nation, the quest to be bowl-bound still remains — and the Bears will get a chance to showcase their talent to the nation this Saturday against Kent State on FSN.

“We’re not going to come walking out of the dressing room Saturday, we’re going to come charging out,” Briles said. “We’ll be coming out with an intent to make a statement.”

With Griffin looking on from the press box [a precaution to prevent the injured QB from getting hit] and Briles taking care of business on the sidelines, look for the Bears to do just that — as Baylor aims to bounce back with a big win before Big 12 play begins next weekend in Norman, Oklahoma.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR 68, NWSTATE 13: Bears destroy Demons, improve to 2-1

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas — Robert Griffin truly must be Superman.

Griffin, playing injured after taking a hard hit in the first quarter, helped the Baylor Bears (2-1) destroy the Northwestern State Demons (0-4) in a landslide victory, 68-13, on Saturday evening at Floyd Casey Stadium.

“At first I was just thankful that he was able to get back on the field,” Baylor Head Coach Art Briles said. “I knew the way he got hit that he was bent up a little bit and for him to come back and play showed a lot of guts and determination, which he always shows. He performed tremendously well and got our guys going. We’ll have to wait and see what the final analysis is but we’re just glad he got to get back out there and play tonight.”

Although Griffin’s season-ending injury is now part of today’s breaking news, it was information that Briles and the coaching staff were still unaware of at the conclusion of Saturday’s victory.

“When it happened the pain was a 10, but going back out there it was probably a four or five,” Griffin said. “I knew I had to get back in the game no matter what was wrong with me. Coming off the field I didn’t think I could go back in, but once I got off the field and started jogging I got some stability back and was fine.”

For Griffin, returning to the gridiron was really never a question or a doubt.

“I take pride in being a quarterback and that’s what quarterback’s do,” Griffin said. “Some run away from getting hit and sometimes you have to get hit to make a big play, and that’s just part of being a quarterback. I know that I can’t harp on that and just have to get back out there and lead my team.”

And that’s exactly what he did — garnering 226 yards in the air on 13-of-19 passes for three touchdowns, as the Bears battled back from an early 7-0 deficit and never looked back — chasing daylight in a 68-13 rout.

“The team performed really well,” Griffin said. “The defense played really well, and as an offense we came back and put a lot of points on the board and executed. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, so we were making big plays. The running backs ran well and receivers caught the ball.”

Regardless of Griffin and Makail Baker’s season-ending injuries, the Baylor Bears put on a show for the home crowd on Saturday evening at Floyd Casey Stadium.

“Well in my opinion, it’s hard to define confidence,” Briles said. “Reality and confidence are two different things. You may be confident you’re writing a good story, but someone else may not view it that way. It’s all what is in the eye of the beholder. We understand we didn’t play real way last week and the outcome did not come out in our favor. Having a win tonight got us another win and what we’re going to try to do is go out and win against Kent State next Saturday.”

As Briles said, the Bears return to the gridiron next Saturday, Oct. 3, in a Floyd Casey Stadium match-up with Kent State — in a game slated to kickoff at 6 p.m.

Currently, backup quarterback Blake Szymanski is listed as “day-to-day,” but Briles and the coaching staff are hoping he’ll be ready for Saturday.

“Blake is mature; he is weathered; he is a veteran and he understands,” Briles said the day-after the Bears victory. “When he is on the field we have a pretty good indication of what the outcome is going to be because he pays attention and he is knowledgeable. He can get things done from an offensive standpoint. When he gets on the field we expect good things to happen. He is a good player.”

Following Saturday’s game with Kent State, the Bears begin Big 12 action on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Oklahoma.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR FOOTBALL BREAKING NEWS: Griffin, Baker out for season

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas — It’s sad but true; Robert Griffin, the Baylor Bears sophomore quarterback, and Mikail Baker, the BU senior kick returner, will both miss the rest of the season due to knee injuries sustained in Baylor’s 68-13 blowout victory over Northwestern State.

The news just recently broke on a story posted through the Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site on Sunday evening.

According to the report, an MRI exam conducted Sunday afternoon showed an isolated tear in Griffin’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL); Baker, a defensive back as well as a special teams specialist, has an ACL tear as well as a tear to his medial and lateral meniscus.

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Somehow, the Bears must now re-group and move on with what they’ve got.

Backup quarterback Blake Szymanski is currently listed as “day-to-day.”

The Bears return to action on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Floyd Casey Stadium against Kent State.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR VS. NORTHWESTERN STATE PREVIEW: Bears look to get back on track by casting out the Demons…

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas — The Demons of Northwestern State (0-3) probably could not have chosen a worse time to visit the world of the Baylor Bears (1-1).

Baylor will host Northwestern State on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. at Floyd Casey Stadium as the Bears aim to get back on track after a lackluster performance last weekend against U-Conn.

“It [the loss to Connecticut] was definitely eye-opening,” Baylor senior center J.D. Walton said. “We came in thinking we were just going to roll through them and keep on moving with our goals that we had set. We were a little over confident, a little too cocky walking into the game thinking we were just going to get it. We definitely learned from our mistakes and we are never going to start acting like that again. The seniors are going to be on top of stuff.”

Come kickoff on Saturday afternoon, Art Briles’ Bears have one goal and one goal only in mind: winning the game at-hand.

“They [Northwestern State] had a tough opener at Houston,” Briles said. “They had some turnovers that really hurt them in the second week and the game against North Dakota last week was a battle till the end. They are getting better on both sides of the ball. They’re improving and they’ll be tough, we know we have our hands full.”

Regardless of the game plan, the Green & Gold team — the players that go out there and make it happen — are ready to take care of business.

“As seniors, we have a big part when it comes down to it,” Baylor senior linebacker Joe Pawelek said. “Coaches are going to give us schemes and plans and as players we have to execute them. Whether it is in the locker room or on or off the field, we have to step up and help them do that.”

For the coaching staff — as well as the rest of the Baylor Nation — Saturday’s game with the Demons will hopefully show an improvement on both sides of the ball.

“It’s not necessarily about easing the pain; what we’re trying to do is improve as a team,” Briles said. “We are trying to grow and understand situations that we get involved in from a players’ standpoint and a coaches’ standpoint. Pain has memory so that’s with us but we have to grow as a team and find our determination, execution and drive.”

In a little over 48 hours, the Bears aim to put that pain in their past as Baylor aims to keep on trucking — especially with Big 12 Conference play seemingly right around the corner.

“Conference is coming and we know that,” Baylor junior safety Byron Landor said. “We know teams are going to be ready for us. You know, teams heard the hype or whatever you call it so we just have to take it one day at a time and one game at a time. No more bye weeks, so every week we have to participate, play, play well and learn our teams. Learn what we need to learn and learn from this game because like I said in three weeks we will be in conference.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

CONNECTICUT 30, BAYLOR 22: Second half turnovers doom Bears in setback to Huskies

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Despite the pre-game hype and a hyper home crowd, the Baylor Bears (1-1) dropped an eight-point heartbreaker, 30-22, to the Connecticut Huskies (2-1) on Saturday evening at Floyd Casey Stadium.

After falling behind by six at halftime, the Bears came out in the second half and handed the Huskies 14 straight points on back-to-back turnovers in the red zone as U-Conn built a 20-point lead.

“We came out in the second half ready to get things going and we shot ourselves in the foot twice,” Baylor sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin said. “Things just did not go our way. We just have to rebound for that and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Just a few minutes after Connecticut pushed their lead to 27-7, Baylor answered with a touchdown of their own on a five-yard run by Griffin to pull within 27-14. However, U-Conn tacked on a 34-yard field goal midway through the final quarter to take a commanding 16-point lead.

“I think the momentum changes were the two back-to-back turnovers to start the third quarter,” Baylor Head Coach Art Briles said. “At the half we were still in the middle of the football game, a 13-7 football game might as well be a 0-0 ballgame. You have to fight through it. What you can’t do is go and give up 14 points. You’d like to not turn it over. We’d like to feel that if we get it on the other teams 20-yard line you’re going to get points. If we wanted to point fingers, all I have to do is get in front of the mirror. I need to do a lot better job of making sure our mentality and execution are where they need to be.”

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Shortly after the Huskies built a 30-14 lead, Griffin and the Bears marched down the field and scored a quick touchdown and two-point conversion to pull within eight at 30-22. But a failed onside kick on the ensuing drive and successful running by Connecticut resulted in a disappointing loss for Baylor.

“It is disappointing — players make plays; coaches are not out there playing,” Griffin said. “Coach Briles, he likes to take the fall for a lot of things, but players have to go out there and make plays.”

For Briles, Griffin, and the rest of the Baylor Nation, Saturday’s loss was truly a disappointing one — though by no means does it change the Bears ultimate goals for the season.

“It is football,” Griffin said. “You don’t get all your goals all of the time, so we are 1-1 now. We will be judged on the rest of the games this season, not just this game.”

On the bright side, Griffin did rack up 119 yards in the air on Saturday as the Bears garnered 266 total yards of offense (while also going 4-of-10 on third-down conversions and scoring on both opportunities they entered the red zone).

Baylor returns to the gridiron on Saturday, Sept. 26, against Northwestern State — in a game slated to kickoff at 6 p.m. at Floyd Casey Stadium.

“We understand that we’ll be judged in December and not in September,” Briles said. “We have a lot of football in front of us. This is why you play the game because you don’t know what’s going to happen. We need to learn from this, re-group and have to get ready to play Northwestern State next week.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR VS. CONNECTICUT PREVIEW: Bears aim to claw to 2-0, host Huskies for Parent’s Weekend…

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas — In less than 24 hours, the Baylor Bears (1-0) will kickoff their 2009 home opener against the University of Connecticut Huskies (1-1) for Parent’s Weekend — slated to begin at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Floyd Casey Stadium.

Baylor enters their home debut fresh off a bye-week after a three-point road victory over Wake Forest to open the season, and will face a U-Conn team that comes into Saturday’s contest with a 1-1 record after beginning the season with a 23-16 win at Ohio prior to a two-point loss to the overrated UNC Tar Heels last weekend in North Carolina.

“We’re glad to be back on a regular schedule,” Baylor Head Coach Art Briles said. “What we tried to accomplish during the off week is what we tried to accomplish before the Wake Forest game. We have a long stretch in front of us so we have to be ready to go to work and take care of business. U-Conn is a very good football team. From playing them last year, we know that there style of play is something that we respect and we have a good feeling for them as an opponent.”

Once again, Briles and the Bears coaching staff will look to sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin and his young and talented surrounding cast to lead the charge as Baylor hit’s the field for their first home game of ‘09.

“They came off a hard loss [against UNC] so they’re going to be playing hard and we know that,” Griffin said. “They aren’t going to overlook us and one of our goals is to not give them one sack. I expect them to come after me, but our o-line can take care of that and I can, as well. When you have two teams attacking, someone has to win and I think we have a good shot at that this weekend.”

On Saturday, the Bears get a chance to avenge last season’s three-point loss to the Huskies — although Griffin and company are just ready to move on to this season.

“You have to be able to erase it [the loss] in that season,” Griffin said. “After that game you have to move on to the next game. However, this year we are going to be hungry from last year. We are going out there to dominate the game and put it away early. That loss from last year will be there but we have a new season and a new team and we’re ready to go.”

For those unable to make it to Saturday‘s game, fans can visit baylorbears.com for a live video webcast produced by BaylorVision — which can be viewed with the purchase of a Baylor All-Access package ($6.95/month).

“Any time you open at home, you want to come out and put on a good show for them,” senior linebacker Joe Pawelek said. “I think that with our situation, coming in and getting that first win and then seeing the big picture of things, this is a big game for us.”

For the Baylor Nation, tomorrow afternoon couldn’t come sooner as the Bears aim to continue their quest for a bowl and beyond.

“We are excited to be at home; it’s a big deal,” Briles said. “It’s exciting to be at home and show our fans what we have on our home turf. You have very few opportunities to do that in the game of football so when you have that opportunity to be on the top side, you need to take advantage of it and that’s what we’re hoping to do.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR 24, WAKE FOREST 21: Bears hold on for wild win to open ‘09 season

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – The Baylor Bears kicked off the 2009 season on the right foot on Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, taking care of business on the gridiron in a 24-21 road victory over Wake Forest.

Sophomore sensation Robert Griffin had a superb showing, going 15-for-24 with a touchdown and no interceptions in his ‘09 debut.

“We think we have guys that can play. We think we have guys that can run. Robert [Griffin] throws the ball well,” Baylor Head Coach Art Briles said following the Bears victory. “I don’t know what his stats were but early in the game he was on and just did an outstanding job. We have people that when we put on them on the field and give them the space, they make plays for us.”

After taking a 10-7 lead into halftime, the Bears came out hot in the second half – quickly turning an interception into seven points as Baylor built a 10-point lead before striking again midway through the third quarter to take a 24-7 lead en route to a 1-0 record.

“We made it a little more interesting than it needed to be,” Briles said. “I really thought our guys, for the most part, played good enough to dominate this football game. We just didn’t put them away when we had the opportunities to do so. Wake had some good things happen, with the fumble and with the blocked field goal late in the game. The thing I’m proud of is that now, instead of bad memories, we have good memories to start off with.”

Briles knows best; and good memories is probably an understatement for these young and energetic Bears. Regardless of what you want to call it, Baylor’s defense came to the rescue in the closing moments of the game and helped preserve a three-point victory on the road.

“It’s hard to win at home and it’s very hard to win on the road, especially when you come into someone’s place and they have a four-year returning starting quarterback and their stadium is full,” Briles said. “From that standpoint it’s a huge win for us and for our program.”

A highlight of the game came at the 5:07 mark in the third quarter when the Bears used a trick play, with Griffin tossing the ball to Ernest Smith – who then connected with a wide-open Lanear Sampson for the Baylor touchdown and a 17-point lead.

In addition to Griffin’s TD pass to David Gettis to open the game and a 22-yard field goal by Ben Parks to close out the first quarter, Kendall Wright also picked up a rushing touchdown – chasing daylight in a 37-yard run shortly after Baylor’s defense picked off the ball to begin the third quarter.

After a bye-week next week, the Bears return to the gridiron on Saturday, Sept. 19 against Connecticut for Parent’s Weekend – with kickoff slated for 4:00 p.m. at Baylor’s Floyd Casey Stadium.

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2009: AB + RG + the Green & Gold Team = Bowl Bound?

By Denton Ramsey, Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas — It’s been 15 years since the Bears last made the postseason, and they have yet to reach a bowl game since joining the Big 12 Conference.

However, Head Coach Art Briles and his staff have plans to change things at Baylor — and that plan began last season when Robert Griffin and company were introduced to the college football world.

To reach a bowl, though, it takes much more than just AB + RG. It’s a team sport, and both Briles and Griffin will be the first to back that fact.

“I think a lot of people’s expectations are lower than ours, so it’s not that tough looking at the expectations,” Griffin said. “But every time you turn around, there’s another article out and you just have to take that and be humble about it. It’s only because of what your team has done that you have accomplished those things. I couldn’t have those stats or receive those accolades without the other 10 guys on the field.”

I had the wonderful privilege of being a classmate of Robert’s this past summer in Waco. This guy is the definition of an all-around stand-up star; (if you want a comparison to a professional athlete, think of Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets).

Not only is Robert extremely smart (he aced Latin with flying colors), he also has a complete “I’m 3rd attitude” [the general principle of God first, others second, oneself third].

When I ran into Robert at Subway on the second day of Fall classes, he told me, “those are my teammates sitting over there. It’s not all about me.”

AMAZING!

I digress… We’re here to talk about Baylor Football, right?

The Bears kickoff the 2009 season this Saturday, Sept. 5, at Wake Forest at 2:30 p.m. CT (the game will be airing locally on ABC).

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For Briles and the rest of the Green & Gold team, Saturday couldn’t come sooner…

“New venue. New setting. New year. It has been emphasized many times, but it is definitely an honor and blessing for us to be over here on Baylor’s campus,” Briles said. “To think that our players have the success building now that they haven’t had in previous years, it is a neat experience. It’s a pleasure to be able to hold these events on campus. Everyone is aware that the season is upon us.

“We’re just like everyone else in America today - we’re excited, anxious, eager, hopeful and our questions are going to be answered this weekend. Our guys are focused and intense and they know what they have to do.

“We have to stop saying and start playing. I think we finished up as a pretty good football team last year. Our goal this year is to be better the first step than the last step last season. We were a good team when we stepped off the field last year so that means we’ve got to be pretty good against Wake this weekend.”

In a little less than 48 hours, the young Bears aim to put Briles’ ‘09 plans into action when they hit the gridiron in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

“Last year was very uncomfortable,” Griffin said. “There were a lot of unknowns, a new quarterback, a new coach, just a whole new philosophy and system. We’re a lot more confident going into this game; we know the quarterback and we know the philosophy and we know what the other team is going to try and do to us so we’re hoping to go out there and get the win.

“I’m really excited just like the rest of the team. We’re ready to put all of that effort from the off-season to work and put it on the field and see if we can exceed our expectations.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

BAYLOR-OKLAHOMA PREVIEW: Bears ready, waiting to host No. 1 Sooners in Saturday afternoon showdown at Floyd Casey Stadium

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – Sooner or later, an upset of the No. 1 team in the nation will occur on the Baylor campus.

Whether or not that miracle occurs this weekend is yet to be seen, as No. 1 Oklahoma visits unranked Baylor for a Big 12 opener on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 4, at Floyd Casey Stadium – with kickoff slated for 11:30 a.m. CT on FSN.

“Obviously everybody, they either want to be No. 1, or they want to play No. 1,” Baylor freshman quarterback Robert Griffin said. “We have the opportunity to play No. 1 this week, and we’re going to go out there and take advantage of it.”

For BU head coach Art Briles and company, Saturday means hitting the gridiron for the first time in two weeks while also hosting an explosive Oklahoma football program.

“We are glad to be back playing; it will be fifteen days since our last game,” Briles said. “We are excited to get on the field and get back to it over these next eight weeks.

“As a program, everything that they [Oklahoma] have had come their way over the last 10 years is certainly well deserved – especially what they have done in the Big 12 south. They are a very good offense, defense and special teams. They have a good football team. It will no doubt be a good test for us.”

In addition to entering Saturday’s match-up against one of the conference’s paramount programs, the Bears also kick off an eight-week marathon of Big 12 games.

“We broke the season down and look at the first four games as last season,” Briles said. “It will have been 15 days since we have been on the field and somebody blows the whistle. We feel like the next eight games are a new season. I can honestly say that and we are smart enough to understand that we will be judged by theses last eight games and not the first four.

“We’re in the Big 12, we live in Texas, we’re apart of this part of the nation. What we did in Washington, Connecticut, Louisiana, and North Carolina doesn’t matter. We recruit down here; we’re going to be judged down here so it is what we do here that matters. That makes up our 2008 season.”

Saturday’s Big 12 test will also offer quite a bit a big time challenges – but don’t look for any major changes when it comes to facing the top team in the nation.

“We aren’t looking at it that way; what we are going to do is play hard for 60 minutes, play well for 60 minutes and win a football game in 60 minutes,” Briles said. “Their rankings and all of that is going to be hyped up without us getting involved in all of that.

“What we are going to try to do is be a better football team than we were against Connecticut. We are going to get on our home turf and represent Baylor University. We’ve got our guys, our people, our university – so that is the way we are approaching the football game.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com