[BAYLOR FOOTBALL] Baylor Football Wraps up Regular-Season Slate at No. 24 Texas

Mon Nov 21 13:24:10 CST 2022

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Nov. 21, 2022

Baylor FB Wraps up Regular-Season Slate at No. 24 Texas
Bears looking for fourth Big 12 road win of 2022

For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu> or Max Calderone; 254-265-1639, max_calderone at baylor.edu<mailto:max_calderone at baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas -- Baylor football will wrap up its regular-season schedule with a Friday matchup at No. 24/24 Texas, with kickoff at Darrell K Royal Stadium set for 11 a.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN and will also be broadcast live on the Baylor Sports Network from Learfield.

ESPN’s call will be had by Mark Jones (play-by-play), Robert Griffin III (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sideline). The Voice of the Bears, John Morris (play-by-play), J.J. Joe (analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline) have the call for the Baylor Sports Network from Learfield.

STORY LINES

• Baylor heads into the regular-season finale looking to secure its 11th seven-win season in the last 13 years.

• The Bears are fresh off a 29-28 loss on the final play of the game vs. No. 4 TCU, which used a game-ending field goal as time expired to keep the Bears from the upset. The Bears totaled their fourth game with 500+ yards of total offense and went for 232 yards on the ground vs. the Frogs.

• BU is under the direction of third-year head coach Dave Aranda, the 2021 George Munger and Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year. Aranda took over prior to the 2020 season after a historic run for four years as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at LSU, helping the Tigers to the 2019 National Championship and 2019 Southeastern Conference Championship.

• Baylor is looking for its second-consecutive win over Texas, besting the Longhorns in 2021, 31-24 in Waco.

• Running back Richard Reese is in the midst of a historic 2022 season and ranks second among NCAA freshman in rushing TDs (14) and rushing yards (908). He broke the program record for rushing yards by a freshman with a 56-yard game vs. TCU.

• The Bears could win their fourth road game of the year in Big 12 play and would equal the program record for road league wins, also done in 2019 (4-0), 1991 (4-0) and 1980 (4-0).

• Aranda is off to the best 34-game start to a Baylor coaching career since George Sauer won 22 games from 1950-52. Aranda has led the Bears to a 20-14 record to open his career.

• Senior TE Ben Sims is the all-time leader in TD grabs (11) among Baylor tight ends.

• Baylor returns the second-most games played among its four returning starting offensive linemen in the nation. The Bears are led on the front five by preseason All-America selections in Connor Galvin and Jacob Gall.

• Defensive lineman Siaki Ika is a preseason All-American by five outlets, including Athlon Sports, Phil Steele, Associated Press, Pro Football Network and Pick Six Preview. Ika was the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2021.

• Baylor leads the nation in wins among its football, and men’s and women’s basketball programs since 2011.

SERIES HISTORY

• Texas leads the all-time series with Baylor, 78-29-4, including a 48-10-2 mark in games played in Austin.

• The Bears are in search of a second consecutive win over Texas, which would mark the first time since 2013-14 that BU has secured wins in consecutive meetings over the Horns.

• Baylor has not won in Austin since 2014, a three-game losing streak.

• The Bears have won two of the last three meetings in the series, including a 24-10 win in Waco in 2019 and a 31-24 win last year in Waco.

LAST MEETING

• In the meeting last year in Waco, the No. 16 Bears posted a 31-24 win over Texas, bouncing back from a 24-14 loss at Oklahoma State. BU moved to 7-1 with the win over Texas, using 21 unanswered points after falling behind by double digits in the second half. It marked the third-straight double-digit lead blown by the Horns, who lost their third-consecutive game after falling vs. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State before an idle week that led to the Bears game.

• Trailing 21-10 midway through the third quarter, the Bears went on three-straight TD drives, including a six-yard rush from Gerry Bohanon, a one-yard run from Ben Sims for a score and an Abram Smith 32-yard scamper for a TD to take a 31-21 lead with 7:59 left. Texas kicker Cameron Dicker cut the lead to 31-24 with a field goal after a 66-yard drive and the Horns got the ball back at their own 32 with 2:07 left on the clock, trailing by seven. The BU defense forced four-consecutive incompletions from Casey Thompson to regain the ball and end the game with the win.

• Bohanon threw for 190 yards and rushed for 27, while Abram Smith out-gained the Big 12 rushing leader, Bijan Robinson, who averaged 2.5 yards per carry with 43 yards over 17 totes. Smith had 145 yards on 21 carries, while Trestan Ebner had 12 carries for 66 yards. R.J. Sneed had eight catches for 94 yards and a score for BU, while Texas was led in the air by Xavier Worthy’s four grabs for 115 yards. Thompson threw for 280 yards with two scores and a pick for the Horns.

BAYLOR VS. TOP-25 FOES

• Baylor will be facing No. 24/24 Texas on Friday in a fifth matchup in 2022 against a ranked foe. It will mark the 260th all-time game for the Bears against a ranked foe.

• BU is 59-194-6 against ranked foes all-time.

• Last year, Baylor went 5-1 against ranked teams, including wins in four-straight chances, and three straight against top-eight foes.

SCOUTING THE HORNS

• Texas enters the matchup with the Bears having won two of its last three games, including a 55-14 rout of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., last weekend. UT also owns a win over Kansas State sandwiched around a 17-10 loss to No. 4 TCU.

• Texas is coached by second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian, who took over after serving two years as the offensive coordinator at Alabama, following two years in the same role for the Atlanta Falcons. He was the head coach at USC from 2014-15 and Washington from 2009-13.

• Sarkisian is assisted by assistant head coach Jeff Banks, who also serves as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. Banks spent three seasons on the staff at Alabama, after spending five years at Texas A&M, nine years at UTEP, four years at Idaho State and three years under Mike Price at Washington State, where he was an all-conference punter. Jeff Choate is the co-defensive coordinator, who came over after four seasons as the head coach at Montana State, with stops at Washington and Boise State. Choate is joined with the defensive coordinator role with Pete Kwiatkowski, who spent the last seven seasons at Washington and Boise State. Veteran offensive line coach Kyle Flood is the offensive coordinator, who came to Texas after two seasons as the offensive line coach at Alabama. He was the head coach at Rutgers from 2012-15, going 27-24, also working seven years on the RU staff as the offensive line coach.

• The Longhorns average 35.5 points per game, allowing 20.6, while going for 432.8 yards of total offense per game, including 234.1 through the air and 198.7 on the ground. UT has allowed 369.5 yards per game, with 244.5 passing and 125.0 on the ground.

• Texas has been led on the ground by All-America tailback Bijan Robinson, who has rushed for 1,400 yards and 16 TDs, good for 127.3 yards per game on 229 carries. Roschon Johnson has carried it 80 times for 477 and three TDs. Xavier Worthy has nine TDs and 46 catches for 614 yards, while Ja’Tavion Sanders has 47 catches for 512 yards and five TDs. QB Quinn Ewers has thrown for 1,614 yards and 14 TDs, with six interceptions, while Hudson Card has thrown for 928 yards with six TDs and one pick. Jaylan Ford leads the Horns with 96 tackles, including eight for a loss and three forced fumbles. DeMarvion Overshown has 82 tackles, while Barryn Sorrell has 5.5 sacks. Ford has added three interceptions, with Jahdae Barron and D’Shawn Jamison each nabbing two picks.

BEARS IN NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS

• Baylor ranks among the nation’s top 30 leaders in 12 categories, including checking in No. 21 in rushing offense and No. 29 in scoring offense. Defensively, BU ranks 16th in passes intercepted.

• Individually, Richard Reese ranks seventh in rushing TDs and 35th in rushing yards.

ROAD CONFERENCE WIN RECORD

• Baylor is 3-1 in the Big 12 Conference on the road in 2022, which sits just a win shy of equaling the program record for the most wins on the road in conference play, also done with 4-0 records in 2019, 1991 (SWC) and 1980 (SWC).

• Baylor has won three or more road games in league play only six times (2022, 2019, 2015, 2014, 2013) in the last 30 years and only five times in its history in the Big 12 Conference, which dates back to 1996.

• The Bears went through a 37-game stretch from 1995-2005 without a road conference win, going 0-4 in every year from 1996-2004. Baylor was 2-50 in road conference games from 1996-2008.

MOST INTERCEPTIONS IN TWO-GAME SPAN IN 42 YEARS

• Baylor picked off five passes in a win over Texas Tech in Lubbock and then picked off three passes - in the first half - at Oklahoma. It marked the most interceptions in a two-game span since 1980, when the Bears had four interceptions each in consecutive games vs. TCU and San Jose State.

REESE AMONG NATION’S BEST FRESHMEN

• Baylor freshman running back Richard Reese is off to a hot start to his collegiate career, leading the Bears in rushing through his first 11 NCAA games.

• Reese has 908 yards rushing over 175 carries with 14 TDs, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 82.5 yards per game.

• A native of Bellville, Texas, Reese has three games with 100+ yards, including consecutive games vs. Kansas and at Texas Tech. Among NCAA freshmen, Reese ranks second in rushing TDs and second in rushing yards.

BAYLOR LEADS NATION IN FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL WINS

• Baylor athletics is in the midst of a historic run of success, including recent national titles in men’s and women’s basketball, and football coming off a Big 12 Conference Championship in 2021 and the 2022 Sugar Bowl.

• Since 2011, and as of Sept. 28, 2022, no other school can compete with Baylor’s run, as the Bears lead the nation in wins combined among football, and men’s and women’s basketball. Baylor has 56 more wins than the next closest school, Notre Dame. The next Big 12 Conference team on the list is West Virginia at No. 22 and Texas at No. 25.

FRESHMAN RUSHING RECORD SECURED

• Baylor running back Richard Reese set a program record for rushing yards by a freshman with 56 yards rushing in the matchup with No. 4 TCU and now owns 908 yards rushing on the year.

• Reese passed Shock Linwood for the program record, with Linwood rushing for 881 yards in 2013.

FOURTH-DOWN AGGRESSIVENESS

• Baylor under Coach Dave Aranda is one of the most aggressive teams in college football on fourth down. The Bears rank second nationally in fourth-down conversions (23), trailing only Texas Tech (27).

• The Bears have converted 63.9 percent of their fourth-down attempts, which ranks seventh among teams that have attempted 15+ fourth-down tries.

SECOND-MOST WINS IN TEXAS IN LAST 10+ YEARS

• As of Nov. 19, Baylor has won 96 games since 2011, second most among the state of Texas’ 12 FBS teams.

• BU’s 96 wins in the last 10+ years are shy of Houston (97) and tied with Texas A&M (96) and TCU (96), and ahead of Texas (84), SMU (70), Texas Tech (69), UTSA (69), North Texas (66), Rice (54), UTEP (43) and Texas State (39).

KHALIL KEITH IMPACTS OFFENSIVE ATTACK

• Baylor entered the season with the expectation that its offensive line would be one of the top units in college football. After working to find its footing early in the year, the offensive line unit - led by assistant coach Eric Mateos - has blossomed into a physical weapon, paving the way for emerging running back forces in Richard Reese, Craig Williams and Qualan Jones.

• One key ingredient to the play of the offensive line over a five-week span has been the return from injury for sixth-year senior right tackle Khalil Keith. A 6-foot-5, 314-pound force, Keith missed the first six games of the year while recovering from injury, with Gavin Byers starting the first seven games at right tackle. Now that Keith has returned - playing off the bench vs. Kansas and starting vs. Texas Tech, Oklahoma and K-State - the offensive attack has improved.

HOLDING SERVE AT McLANE

• Baylor owns a 12-5 record at McLane Stadium under the direction of Coach Dave Aranda, including a 10-3 mark over the last two years. The Bears had a nine-game winning streak at home snapped in a loss to Oklahoma State.

SECOND-MOST INTS IN NATION IN LAST TWO YEARS

• Baylor has picked off 32 passes over the last two years and currently ranks 15th in the nation and first in the Big 12 with 13 in interceptions in 2022.

• Only Iowa (36) has more interceptions in the last two years, with Baylor just ahead of third-place Kansas State (31).

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE

• Baylor has forced considerably more turnovers than it has allowed in 34 games under head coach Dave Aranda.

• BU has 62 takeaways (45 INTs, 17 FR) and 40 giveaways (25 INTs, 15 FL) in 33 games under Aranda.

• Baylor has scored 10 non-offensive touchdowns in 32 games under Aranda – three kickoff returns (Ebner x 3), five interception returns (Pitre x 2, McCarty, Walcott, Woods), one punt return (Holmes) and one fumble return (Woods).

RANKED IN 10 OF LAST 13 SEASONS

• Baylor has been ranked or receiving votes in 10 of 13 polls in 2022.

• Baylor has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in 10 of 13 seasons since 2010, after going 17 years between national rankings (1993-2010). BU has been ranked in 23 of 25 spots since 2013 (exceptions No. 1 and No. 23).

JEFF GRIMES A BROYLES AWARD NOMINEE

• Baylor offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes has been nominated for the Frank Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach.

• Grimes is one of 51 coaches nationally nominated for the award, and among Big 12 Conference assistant coaches is joined by Iowa State’s Jon Heacock, Kansas State’s Joe Klanderman and TCU’s Garrett Riley.

SPREADING IT AROUND

• The Bears have spread the football around in the passing game in 2022. Baylor ranks tied for third in the nation as of Oct. 28, with completions to 18 different players. Only Tulane and Michigan (20) and NC State, Penn State, Oregon and Colorado (19) have been more diversified.

ARANDA THROUGH 34 GAMES IN BAYLOR HISTORY

• Dave Aranda is 20-14 in his first 34 games as the Baylor head coach, which is the most since George Sauer (1950-55) won 22 through the same span in program history. Only Sauer, Morely Jenkins (1926-28), Frank Bridges (1920-22) and Charles P. Mosely (1914-16) has more wins through the first 34 games of their BU head coaching career.

NEXT UP

• Baylor will await the bowl selection process, with announcements scheduled to be made on Sunday, Dec. 4.

- BaylorBears.com -

--
Brent Ingram | Assistant AD for Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 210-845-8651

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