Big 12 Sports Blog by Big 12 Fans

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

SPORTS ADDICT: With a bye-week on the horizon, Bears can take a momentary sigh of relief…

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

WACO, Texas – A bye-week couldn’t come at a better time for the Baylor Bears football team.

Following a Friday night heartbreaker in Connecticut, all the Bears needed after a safe ride home was some time off to reflect – as well as prepare – on a season on the brink of Big 12 action.

Just ask head coach Art Briles, who’s welcoming the off-week with open arms.

“It is a real good time [for a bye week],” Baylor football head coach Art Briles said. “I think it is good because the inconsistency of the schedule to start our season. With the Thursday, Saturday, Friday and Friday [games], the bye allows us to get on a consistent basis and look at what we have – and what we have is eight Saturdays ahead of us.”

Not only eight Saturdays, but eight Big 12 Saturdays… Either way, coach Briles is happy his Bears will be hitting the field on a routine basis.

“I think consistency is the key to success,” Briles said. “That is in everyday life and not just football. Whatever you do, you have to form good habits. That is what we are in the process of still doing here. We are excited about playing on Saturday [for the rest of the season].”

Briles is right on the money, because consistency is definitely a key ingredient to winning games.

Another key ingredient would have to be fan support. As an example, let’s look back to the Baylor road game at Connecticut last Friday night.

“I give them [Connecticut] credit for knowing how to get ready for a football game,” Briles said. “For their fans, they know how to get ready for a football game. What we can’t let happen here is to show up on October 4^th against Oklahoma and have more people out in that parking lot that have OU on their car than we do Baylor people.

“We have to show up and we have to be ready before the game starts. [When the Connecticut fans showed up at 3 p.m.,] that is how you do it; that is college football. They make it a big time event.”

Team effort has also been vital to the Bears success thus far – and win or lose, Baylor aims to keep that tradition alive.

“Nothing has changed since Friday night [against Connecticut],” Briles said. “What I am proud of is the effort and attitude that our players played with. We are not going to be a team that is intimidated by anything, anywhere or anyplace. Our guys rose up and put themselves in a position to win the football game. That is what we have to do; now we just have to cross the bridge and win it.”

Protecting freshman quarterback Robert Griffin will also be a necessity as the Bears prep for a Big 12 showdown with Oklahoma to kickoff conference play.

“I have got to do a better job of taking some of the load off of him [Griffin]; that will help us as a team,” Briles said. “[Pressure on the quarterback] will be one of the things that we will assess in our open date. The open date comes at a great time for us, both mentally and physically.”

The bye week also comes at a time when the Bears seek to grow from a challenging road game at Connecticut – a match-up where a momentary lapse of reason could shape the final score – and bounce back mentally prepared for the season ahead.

“I think it [a tough road game] certainly allows us to understand how important each play is – whether it is special teams, offense or defense,” Briles said. “How critical that change of field position might be, converting or not converting, stopping a drive or maintaining a drive… I think those things are glorified more in a close game because you certainly understand what could or could have been.

“I think we saw that when we play hard and fight hard for each other, we are going to have a good opportunity to win each game that we are in. We are going to continue to do that. If it is an intangible, we are going to control it.”

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

CONNECTICUT 31, BAYLOR 28: Bears fall to Huskies in Friday night heartbreaker

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

WACO, Texas – Despite a three-point loss to undefeated Connecticut on Friday night, Sept. 19, the Bears showed up to play – and brought some fireworks along for the ride – in front of a Huskies crowd and an ESPN audience.

With a freshman quarterback bearing a name no one had ever heard of until last week, Robert Griffin led Baylor’s football team like a veteran – while his counterparts did a near perfect job in both the secondary as well as the offensive and defensive lines.

And with a sports-frenzied hype surrounding Griffin entering Friday night’s affair – a coach’s worst nightmare – Griffin brought everything he had in him, and then some, to face the Huskies.

“You really can’t compare him to anyone else,” Baylor tight end Justin Akers said following Friday night’s loss at U-Conn. “The things that he does, the way that he cuts back, moves his body and the way he can throw on the run very accurately is something we really need in this offense.”

However, and regardless of the fact that Baylor fought to the finish and continued to keep a final drive alive until the game’s closing seconds, the Bears came up just short in a 31-28 setback at Connecticut.

“Any time you don’t win, it’s hard,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said following the Bears defeat. “That’s why we play the game. I feel terrible for our seniors and our guys who are fighting to be a bowl-eligible team. We had a great opportunity tonight to take a positive step toward bowl eligibility, a positive step toward the respect that we’re after and we came out where it didn’t work out right there in the end.

“I don’t think I did a good job right there at the end of the game of allowing our guys to get in position to get a field goal. I was thinking ‘touchdown’ and not thinking ‘field goal’ because we didn’t come up here to tie and go into overtime.”

After taking a 14-14 tie into the locker room at the break, Connecticut took a brief three-point lead before Griffin and company stepped up to lead the Bears down the field for a go-ahead touchdown with 6:48 remaining in the third quarter and Baylor on top, 21-17.

But Baylor’s lead was short-lived, as the Huskies answered the Bears score with a touchdown of their own, giving Connecticut a 24-21 lead heading into the fourth and final quarter.

Baylor took a 28-24 lead with 11:13 remaining in the game, and were primed to hold onto the lead until a late stop by Connecticut midway through the quarter forced the Bears to punt out of their own end zone – giving the Huskies a short field with the game on the line.

“It was a bad sequence of events,” Briles said. “The defense did a great job in stopping [Robert Griffin]. We’re starting out of our end zone and they make a couple of plays defensively. We almost popped a screen then had to punt out and then everything happens on top of it. A call not going our way and we get a 15-yard penalty tacked on to it which puts them at our 32-yard line, on a short field. That was the worst part of it.”

Shortly thereafter, the Huskies made one final push – and one final score – to give Connecticut a 31-28 lead with 6:04 left in the game.

But the Bears weren’t through fighting, and neither was their freshman play-caller.

Griffin, sometimes single-handedly, drove Baylor into Connecticut territory and had the Bears setup to score with just minutes left on the game clock.

This time around, though, the Huskies defense stopped the Bears in their tracks – and after having to burn their last two timeouts on a fourth-and-11 attempt inside the Connecticut 40-yard line, Griffin couldn’t connect with his received as the Bears fell in a heartbreaker.

“It’s a tough loss; everyone was out there playing as hard as they can,” Akers said. “Obviously, there are a lot of good things we can take out of it and also, there are a lot of bad things. There’s a few plays we should have had, a few costly penalties and stuff we usually don’t do. In an atmosphere like this, things kind of get into your head; you always want to play up to your potential – all the time – but one thing we have to strive for is to keep our head’s up.

“We have Oklahoma two weeks from now so we just have to stay focused for that. Any time you can play a team like this, play them this close for this long and come down to the last few plays on national TV, someone’s going to notice us. Obviously, someone’s going to have at least a little more respect [for us] than at the beginning.”

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

SPORTS ADDICT: Baylor Football beginning to look golden under Briles…

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

WACO, Texas – It’s a toss-up at this point and time for newcomer of the year at Baylor University: Art Briles, or Robert Griffin.

Both have played significant roles in the Bears’ 2-1 start to the football season.

However, one is here because of the other – and because of that, I am going to go ahead and award the reward to Briles.

Briles came here with one main mission: to make Baylor football competitive.

So far, so good.

Despite a rough start, the Bears have bounced back with consecutive blowout victories.

But the real tests lie ahead – in both a road match-up at Connecticut, followed shortly thereafter by Big 12 action.

One thing remains certain: the Baylor football team is a much-improved group with Briles at the helm.

Defining A Good Road Team

At a recent press conference, Baylor head coach Briles was asked about what it took to make a good road team.

“That is something I started to evaluate about eight years ago because if you’re going to be a good football team, you have to be a tough road team,” Briles said. “That is what we are going to stress and that is what we are going to be at Baylor, a tough road team. I think you band together as a team and you rely on each other, you support each other and you fight hard for each other.

“When you get out there on the road, there will be a little section of Baylor people and the rest is going to be everyone else. From that standpoint you have to pull everyone together. Honestly, I love being at home but there is something about going on the road and having everyone wanting you not to do well and then having the opportunity to do well in those environments.

“It’s very inspiring and challenging. I like it and our team will like it. We are anxious and ready to get on the road and face the world.”

Bring on Goliath…

Kicking Game and Field Position

Another important factor stressed by coach Briles and the staff include field position and a special focus on special teams play and the kicking game.

“It’s the difference in the ballgame when you turn the ball over or when they turn the ball over and you get a short field and go score,” Briles said. “Like we’ve always said, field position, turnovers and momentum, if you win those things you are able to win a football game.

“We were able to do that the other night and especially against Northwestern State. We had some other good opportunities we just didn’t take care of them from an offense standpoint. As long as we keep doing that, we will have some happy locker rooms. Right now our guys are confident, focused and energized.”

Exactly what they need heading out to face undefeated Connecticut…

Winning: On Both Offense and Defense

According to Briles, winning takes both offense and defense – and creating offense doesn’t necessarily mean taking pressure off the defense.

“Every time you step on the field you have pressure to perform,” Briles said. “They have done a good job of performing when the time is right by providing turnovers and making stops and plays for the offense.

“I’m not saying that the offense has taken any pressure off the defense at all. I think it is the other way around. I think the defense has given a lot of opportunities for the offense to make plays. Collectively as a group, we saw and talked about it the other day I could see that our defense is really starting to gel as a unit. They are starting to rely on each other, help each other and they are really playing with a lot of confidence.

“We were really confident going into the Washington State game by the way they had practiced. We could tell that they are growing and getting better and that they are ready. Same thing this week, we are going into this game where the offense is good, they are very structured offensively and their quarterback had his best half of football he has had since he has been at U-Conn. That to me is a great chance for us to challenge ourselves and see what we can do.”

Come Friday night, we’ll see just how much the Bears have to offer against a competitive and undefeated U-Conn football team.

A win for the Bears would definitely keep the momentum going – something Baylor needs as Big 12 action awaits – and could very well signal a new era for BU Football.

The answer is right around the corner, and the lingering green and gold question will be answered beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2…

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

BAYLOR-CONNECTICUT PREVIEW: Bears hit the road to face Huskies in Friday night showdown on ESPN2

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

WACO, Texas – After a lackluster opening game, the Bears have been on a roll behind freshman phenom Robert Griffin – rattling of two straight blowout victories to improve to 2-1 on the young season.

Baylor aims to keep the momentum going when they face the U-Conn Huskies (3-0) on Friday night, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

“They [Connecticut] are a good football team; they went 9-4 last year, won the Big East and went to a bowl game,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said. “They have 19 of 22 starters back. They are 26-8 at home over the last four years and they have won the last eight or nine in a row. They are a tough team.”

Friday will mark the Bears first road trip of the season, but having an entire week to prepare for the Huskies – despite the reason being Hurricane Ike – has been quite a blessing for Briles and company.

“Having a full week of practice after playing Friday really turned out great,” Briles said. “That was our thing going into the game last week; if we could take care of business and get a good win it would put us on the equal week. It was a good fortune for us without a doubt because we were able to start on Connecticut last Saturday.”

So, will Friday’s ESPN-coverage of the game weigh more heavily on the Bears than their prior match-ups thus far?

“Every game is important and they are all big games,” Briles said. “It doesn’t matter when you’re playing, who you’re playing or whether it is on television or not. Every time you step on the field you have a chance to prove yourself as a player, a team and a program and that is what we want to do.

“We are in the process of doing it. When people talk about Baylor football, we want them to talk about it with respect and the only way we are going to get that is if we do things the proper way. We are going to take full advantage of these chances we have in the upcoming weeks.”

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Work In Progress

Baylor’s Bears have, no doubt, improved upon Briles taking over the green and gold pigskin program.

However, there’s still a lot of work ahead if Baylor hopes to remain competitive come Big 12 time – a time quickly approaching.

“I think we are still a work in progress,” Briles said. “I think as we get to know each other a little better and understand our personnel, we may be able to hang our hat on something. Right now we are still searching what fits everyone on the field best.

“The thing that helps us from an offensive and defensive standpoint is that we are really playing well up front on both sides of the ball. If we continue to do that, we can find a niche offensively and we will keep great turnovers from the defensive standpoint. It all starts up front.”

Despite the rough road ahead for the Bears, Briles – as well as Baylor fans across the nation – have begun to see improvement.

“The thing I am most proud of is that we are learning to play fast, and that is what we are really stressing and taking a hold of,” Briles said. “We want to be known as a fast, physical football team with discipline and intelligence. We look for effort and speed, and when you play with great effort and speed you have a chance to have a good football player.”

Running the Offense

A key ingredient to the Bears’ early season success has been their ability to run the football – something the coaching staff aims to continue as Baylor moves on through the season with first-year coach Briles at the helm.

“The running game all starts up front,” Briles said. “We were able to dominate up front [last week]. We played physical, fast and intense and we had good tempo. When you have those things working in your favor, you have a chance to rush the ball up and down the field.”

According to Briles, the upperclassmen on the squad have also helped to be an inspiration to their younger Baylor football teammates.

“They all have to work well together and those guys that have had good experience have done a good job for us as far as leading and practicing hard,” Briles said. “Every time we recruit a player, I find out how he practices. You practice more than you play and if you practice hard you play well.

“The older guys have really practiced hard and are really teaching the younger guys how to practice hard and prepare, and then it turns into performance on game day. We don’t feel that we have arrived, we have a long way to go, but the encouraging part is that we’re climbing and that is what you have to keep doing.”

Another key to Baylor’s 2-1 start lies in the hands and arms of one of the newest players on the team – a guy by the name of Robert Griffin, who will be making his first road start of the season against U-Conn on Friday.

“We are working on a silent count on offense and we will have some crowd noise in practice today, tomorrow and Thursday,” Briles said. “Other than that we just have to be us. We have to be Baylor and we have to take care of ourselves.

“We are going to play our game and we are not going to change what we do. We have to do what we do and do it really well. We are going to go up there and expect to come home with a win.”

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