[BAYLOR FOOTBALL] Baylor Football Opens 2021 Season at Texas State

Thu Sep 2 09:49:46 CDT 2021

GAME 1
NR BAYLOR (2-7, 2-7 Big 12 in 2020) at NR TEXAS STATE (2-10, 2-6 Sun Belt in 2020)
Sept. 4, 2021 • 6:00 p.m. CT • Watch: ESPN+ and ESPN App • Listen: ESPN Central Texas & TuneIn App
San Marcos, Texas • Bobcat Stadium (30,008) • Social Media: @BUFootball | #SicEm
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  *   Baylor Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2021/9/1/BU_FB_Game_Notes_2021_1_at_Texas_State_PACKAGE.pdf>
  *   Texas State Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2021/9/1/Game_1_Notes_Texas_State_vs_Baylor.pdf>
  *   Big 12 Notes (PDF)<https://baylorbears.com/documents/2021/9/1/2021_Week_1_Release.pdf>
STORY LINES
• Baylor opens the 2021 season on the road at Texas State, the Bears' first season opener away from home since 2015, when BU won 56-21 at SMU in its first game of the season.
• This is the first series meeting since 2007. BU is 7-0 all-time against Texas State (all in Waco) and has won the previous meetings by an average of 39-10, outscoring Texas State 279-73.
• BU is 79-36-4 all-time in season openers. The Bears have won 11 of 12 season openers since 2009.
• Baylor ranked 2nd in the Big 12 and 16th nationally in turnover margin (0.89) last season. The Bears had 17 takeaways on the season including 12 interceptions and five fumble recoveries.
• BU lost only 1 fumble last season, the fewest of any FBS team with 9+ games played.
• Baylor returns 17 of 22 starters and 54 of 68 letterman from last season's team.
• The Bears' defense returns 10 starters from a unit which allowed only 203.0 passing yards per game last season, second-best in the Big 12 Conference.
• The Bears' five starting defensive backs have a combined 177 career games played and 77 career starts. CB Raleigh Texada<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10537> leads all BU returners with 29 career starts (23-consecutive).
• BU returns 7 starters on offense, led by OL Connor Galvin<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10479> and Xavier-Newman Johnson with 23 starts apiece.
• The Bears added a pair of experienced O-Line transfers with Jacob Gall<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10743> (13 starts at Buffalo) and Grant Miller<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10567> (16 starts at Vanderbilt). Six members of the O-Line have a combined 93 career starts.
• Fourth-year junior QB Gerry Bohanon<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10463> (Earle, Ark.), a 2020 graduate, will make his career-first start on Saturday after coming off the bench in 15 games over his first three years with the Bears.
• Do-it-all-back Trestan Ebner<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10473> leads all active FBS running backs with 1,232 career receiving yards.
• The Bears welcome four new assistant coaches for 2021 – Jeff Grimes<https://baylorbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=641> (Offensive Coordinator/TEs), Eric Mateos<https://baylorbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=643> (Offensive Line), Chansi Stuckey<https://baylorbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=642> (Wide Receivers) and Kevin Curtis<https://baylorbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=659> (Cornerbacks).
• Baylor has 78 wins since 2011, 3rd-most in the state of Texas behind only A&M (84) and TCU (80).
• BU is playing its 120th season of football and holds a 609-584-44 (.510) all-time record. Baylor has scored in a school-record 173 straight games - the previous record was 89 games from Dec. 31, 1979 - Oct. 23, 1987.

ADDITIONAL STORYLINES
• Baylor is playing its first non-conference game in 613 days – last on Jan. 1, 2020 vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. It's second-year head coach Dave Aranda<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1532>'s first non-conference game as a head coach.
• Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes<https://baylorbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=641> has brought RVO to Waco - "Reliable Violent Offense" - an attacking, multiple formation offense that runs a few plays a lot of ways with as much misdirection as any team in the country.
• Grimes' 2020 BYU offense finished 3rd nationally in scoring (43.5 ppg) and 7th in total offense (522.2 ypg).
• Joining Grimes in making the move from Provo to Waco is offensive line coach Eric Mateos<https://baylorbears.com/staff.aspx?staff=643>, who spent the past two seasons at BYU. Mateos' offensive line ranked 8th nationally in 2020 with 1.0 sacks allowed per game.
• R.J. Sneed<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10533> needs 9 receiving yards to become Baylor's 39th all-time player with 1,000+ career receiving yards.
• Trestan Ebner<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10473> needs one reception to join Brandon Whitaker as the only backs in BU history with 100+ receptions.

TEXAS STATE SERIES HISTORY
• Baylor and Texas State will meet for the 8th time in series history. BU is 7-0 all-time against Texas State (all in Waco) and has won the previous meetings by an average of 39-10, outscoring Texas State 279-73.
• BU wins vs. TXST: 1909 (55-0), 1913 (9-7), 1916 (76-0), 1987 (36-15), 1988 (45-7), 2004 (24-17), 2007 (34-27).
• Baylor is 10-0 all-time against current Sun Belt Conference members: Arkansas State (1-0), Louisiana-Monroe (2-0), Texas State (7-0). BU has won those 10 meetings by an average score of 42-13 (combined score of 420-125).

FIRST ROAD SEASON OPENER SINCE 2015
• Baylor opens the season with a road game for the first time since 2015 and the 10th time in the 26-year Big 12 era – 2015 win at SMU, 2009 win at Wake Forest, 2007 loss at TCU, 2005 win at SMU, 2004 loss at UAB, 2002 loss at California, 2000 win at North Texas, 1999 loss at Boston College, 1998 loss at Oregon State.
• BU is 79-36-4 all-time in season openers. The Bears have won 11 of 12 season openers since 2009.
• Despite not having any spring football practices in its first season under head coach Dave Aranda<https://baylorbears.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1532>, Baylor battled in all five road games last season, with three decided by one score. BU lost 27-21 in 2OTs at West Virginia, then fell 27-16 at Texas, 38-31 at No. 17 Iowa State, 24-23 at Texas Tech and 27-14 at No. 13 Oklahoma.

BOHANON MAKING CAREER-FIRST START
• Baylor fourth-year junior QB Gerry Bohanon<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=10463> will become Baylor's 21st different QB to start a game since 2000.
• Bohanon looks to join Bryce Petty (2013) as the only Baylor QBs in the last 20 years to make their career-first starts and lead the Bears to a win in a season opener.
• Below are stats for the 20 previous quarterbacks' career-first starts for the Bears (since 2000).

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David Kaye | Assistant AD for Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-709-5147

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