[BAYLOR FOOTBALL] Baylor Football Hosts Kansas in Saturday Homecoming Showdown

[Ingram, Brent]

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Oct. 17, 2022

Bears Host Kansas in Saturday Homecoming Showdown
Baylor hosts Kansas at 11 a.m. on Saturday on ESPN2

Baylor Football Media Materials<https://baylor.app.box.com/folder/122078722932?s=kmivkwskpgdkj2u6v7ixn774v5634pjf> | Aranda Monday Press Conference<https://baylor.app.box.com/folder/177707859424>

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 return home to host Kansas in a homecoming clash on Saturday at McLane Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. on ESPN2 and the Baylor Sports Network from Learfield.



Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Brock Osweiler (analyst) and Taylor McGregor (sideline) will be on the call for ESPN2, with John Morris (play-by-play), J.J. Joe (analyst) and Ricky Thompson (sideline) will voice the game for the Baylor Sports Network from Learfield.



The game will serve as Baylor’s homecoming celebration, with BU’s homecoming the longest recognizable homecoming in the nation, dating back to 1909.



The Bears will be looking to extend a series winning streak vs. Kansas to 13 games, including winning all 10 meetings in Waco with the Jayhawks.



Baylor (3-3, 1-2 Big 12 Conference) is coming off a Thursday, Oct. 13 loss at West Virginia last week, following an idle week. Kansas (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) has been a story of college football after winning its first five games of the year to sit just a win shy of bowl eligibility in Coach Lance Leipold’s second season in Lawrence, Kan.



STORYLINES

• Baylor owns a 17-4 lead in the series with Kansas and has won 12 consecutive meetings. The Bears are 10-0 vs. the Jayhawks at home in the series. BU has outscored KU 578-99 during the streak.

• Baylor is coming of a 43-40 loss at West Virginia on Thursday, Oct. 13, that saw the Bears roll to a season-high 590 yards of total offense, including 421 yards passing. It marked the most passing yards in a game for the Bears since 2017 vs. Oklahoma.

• 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.

• Senior WR Gavin Holmes caught seven passes for 210 yards and a TD during the game at WVU, marking career highs in catches and yards. It was the most receiving yards for a Bear since the 2016 Cactus Bowl, when KD Cannon went over 200 yards.

• QB Blake Shapen threw for 326 yards on Thursday, including 294 yards in the first half. He has thrown for 300+ yards for the first two times in his career over the last two outings, tossing 345 yards in a matchup vs. No. 9/7 Oklahoma State on Oct. 1.

• 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 Connnor 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.

• Senior LB Dillon Doyle has had consecutive 10-tackle performances. He owns six career 10+ tackle outings in his Baylor career, including three in 2021.



SERIES HISTORY

• Baylor leads the all-time series with Kansas, 17-4, including a 10-0 mark in games played in Waco.

• The Bears have won 12 straight meetings with KU, with the last loss coming in 2007 in Lawrence, a 58-10 Kansas win.

• During the 12-game win streak vs. KU, the Bears have outscored Kansas 578-99. BU has scored 40 or more points in eight of the 12 games during the streak, including reaching 59 or more points four times.



HOMECOMING HISTORY

• Baylor’s homecoming began in 1909, marking the first recognizable collegiate homecoming celebration in the nation.

• The Bears are 49-43-4 all-time on homecoming and have won three consecutive and 10 of their last 11 homecoming matchups.

• Baylor has faced Kansas four times on homecoming with a 4-0 record and wins in 2006, 2012, 2014 and 2016.

• The first homecoming came in 1909 after six months of planning by faculty and students. Large delegations of former students converged on the Baylor campus to participate in a concert, receptions, speeches, class reunions, singing, a parade, a pep rally and a football victory. It was Baylor’s first “homecoming” which, except during the later years of World War II, has been an annual tradition and has grown to be the largest collegiate Homecoming celebration in the United States.



BAYLOR IN 11 AM KICKOFFS

• The Bears have been highly successful in 11 a.m. local time kickoffs over the year, having won nine straight at 11 a.m. and six consecutive at home.

• Baylor has played two homecoming games at 11 a.m. in the 21st century, including wins over Oklahoma State in 2018 and Iowa State in 2015.

• Baylor’s last 11 a.m. kickoff loss came in the 2019 Big 12 Conference Championship Game in Arlington, and its last 11 a.m. kickoff loss at home came in 2018 vs. TCU.

• When the ball is kicked off vs. Kansas on Saturday, it will be a span of 1,435 consecutive days without a 11 a.m. kickoff loss at home.

• Baylor is 19-10 since 2012 in 11 a.m. kickoffs and 11-4 since 2010 in 11 a.m. kickoffs at home.



18 STRAIGHT GAMES HOLDING OPPONENT UNDER 30

• Over the course of the 2021 through the start of 2022, Baylor’s defense put up a historic run, the likes of which haven’t been seen in 36 years, holding 18 consecutive opponents to 30 or fewer points.

• It was the longest such Baylor streak in the modern-era of college football and the longest since 1984-86. Only three times since 1964 has Baylor had a streak of 18 or more games holding an opponent to 30 or fewer points, also doing it in 1979-81, a 25-game stretch.

• The Bears were one of only three teams to hold each opponent of 2021 under 30 points, joining Clemson and Cincinnati. Last year, Baylor on average held opponents to 10.6 points per game below their averages in other games.



CHASING RUSH DEFENSE HISTORY

• The Bears opened the 2022 season holding each of their first four opponents to under 100 rushing yards. It marked the longest streak of consecutive games holding foes to under 100 yards on the ground since 1953, when the Bears held opponents in games 2-6 (Miami, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, TCU) to under 100 yards rushing.

• The season program standard for holding an opponent to 100 yards or fewer on the ground came in 1986, when the Bears held Wyoming, LA Tech, USC, Houston, Texas A&M, Rice and Texas to under 100 yards rushing. BU held six opponents to 100 yards or fewer on the ground during the historic 2021 season.

• A total of 10 opponents in the last two years haven’t reached 100 yards rushing, the best two-season total in program annals.



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.



LAST MEETING

• Baylor earned a 45-7 win over Kansas last year in Lawrence, routing the Jayhawks for a 12th-straight win over KU with 31 unanswered second-half points to pull away from a 14-7 halftime margin.

• The Bears rolled to 576 yards of total offense and held KU to just 166 yards, including 57 yards through the air and 109 on the ground. BU surrendered just eight first downs.

• QB Gerry Bohanon threw for 269 yards and two TDs on 19-of-23 passing, while adding a nine-yard TD rush in the fourth quarter and extended the lead to 35-7. Abram Smith and Trestan Ebner combined for 198 yards on 28 carries, with Smith going for 122 yards on 16 carries. RJ Sneed had six catches for 128 yards and a score. Ben Sims added a TD catch, with Taye McWilliams adding a TD rush.



SCOUTING THE JAYHAWKS

• Kansas enters the matchup with Baylor not ranked for the first time in two weeks after suffering back-to-back losses to TCU at home - in front of ESPN’s GameDay - and at Oklahoma on Saturday, a 52-42 loss.

• The Jayhawks are in the midst of a massive bounce-back season after going 2-10 and 1-8 in conference a year ago in Coach Lance Leipold’s first season at the helm of the program after spending six years at Buffalo, following a historic career at his alma matter Wisconsin-Whitewater from 2007-14. Leipold grew as a coach over stints at Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1987, 88 and 90, before a three-year tenure as the GA at Wisconsin (1991-93) and time at Nebraska-Omaha (1994-2000, 2004-06) and Nebraska (2001-03). While at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Leipold was a six-time national coach of the year, leading the team to the 2007, 2013 and 2014 Division III National Championship. His squad went 45-0 over a three-season span.

• Leipold is assisted by defensive coordinator Brian Borland and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, with both coaches growing professionally under Leipold at Buffalo and Wisconsin-Whitewater.

• Kansas sits one win from bowl eligibility after earning wins over Tennessee Tech, West Virginia, Houston, Duke and Iowa State to open the year. KU averages 40.1 points and allows 30.0 points per game, totaling 439.9 yards of total offense, including 231.9 in the air and 208 on the ground. Opponents are totaling 439.4 yards of offense per game, with 293.7 passing and 145.7 rushing.

• LB Rich Miller leads the defense with 56 tackles, with S Kenny Logan Jr. adding 53 tackles and two interceptions. DE Lonnie Phelps has 8.5 tackles for a loss and six sacks.

• RB Devin Neal leads the ground attack with 505  yards rushing and five TDs on 76 carries, with QB Jalon Daniels adding 341 yards and five TDs. Daniels has thrown for 1,072 yards with 11 TDs and just one interception. QB Jason Bean has thrown for 551 yards and eight TDs, with three interceptions. WR Luke Grimm has 26 catches and three TDs, WR Lawrence Arnold has 22 grabs and 348 yards with three TDs and TE Mason Fairchild owns five TDs over his 13 catches.



BEARS FALL IN MORGANTOWN

• Baylor suffered the loss at West Virginia on Thursday, Oct. 13, 43-40 as the Mountaineers rallied past the Bears to erase an electric offensive outing.

• The Bears rolled to 590 yards of total offense, including 421 through the air, but a key targeting penalty on an attempted slide from QB Blake Shapen led to a head injury for the signal caller and ended what was a historic outing for the sophomore. Shapen threw for 326 yards - including 294 in the first half - to lead the Bears to a 17-7 lead early and a 24-17 halftime lead despite a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown by WVU in the second quarter. Freshman QB Kyron Drones stepped up, throwing for 95 yards on 7 of 14 passing with a TD.

• The loss dampened the historic outing from senior WR Gavin Holmes, who caught seven balls for 210 yards and a score. He was the first Baylor player with a 200+ yard receiving game since KD Cannon in the 2016 Cactus Bowl.

• Richard Reese rushed for 57 yards on 13 carries, with Qualan Jones adding 44 yards and one TD on 10 totes. TE Drake Dabney had five catches for 66 yards.

• The WVU offense went for 500 yards of total offense, including 223 on the ground and 163 and two TDs from Tony Mathis.



BAYLOR IN BIG 12 OPENERS

• Baylor has gone 8-1 in Big 12 openers since 2013. In the 17 prior Big 12 openers from 1996-2012, the Bears went 4-13 and were outscored by an average of 32-23.

• This was the fifth time Baylor has opened Big 12 Conference play with Iowa State, facing the Cyclones in 2022, 2019, 2014, 2001 and 2000, going 3-2 in those meetings.



BEARS IN NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS

• Baylor ranks among the nation’s top 30 leaders in nine categories, including checking in No. 30 in rushing defense, No. 25 in scoring offense and passing efficiency and No. 30 in total offense.

• Individually, Richard Reese ranks 26th in rushing TDs and 56th in rushing yards. Christian Morgan ranks tied for first in the Big 12 and 33rd nationally with two interceptions. Blake Shapen ranks 20th in passing efficiency and 25th in completion percentage.



REESE EMERGES

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

• Reese has 456 yards rushing over 85 carries with seven TDs, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 76.2 yards per game.

• A native of Bellville, Texas, Reese had 156 yards on the ground in a rout of Texas State and scored three TDs. Among NCAA freshmen, Reese ranks second in rushing TDs and fourth in rushing yards.



PERSON > PLAYER

• A hallmark of Coach Dave Aranda’s philosophy in building a program is placing an importance on understanding that the person is more important than the player. This mantra is executed in everything the program touches on a daily basis. Throughout the football building, signage adorns the walls that emphasize, “better people make better players” and that Baylor will “win with character”.

• Aranda preaches that players focus on today and be authentically themselves in an effort to be comfortable and confident in their roles.



HOLDING SERVE AT McLANE

• Baylor owns an 11-3 record at McLane Stadium under the direction of Coach Dave Aranda, including a 7-1 mark over the last two years. The Bears had a nine-game winning streak at home snapped in a loss to Oklahoma State.



WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE

• Baylor has forced considerably more turnovers as it has allowed in 29 games under head coach Dave Aranda.

• BU has 51 takeaways (36 INTs, 15 FR) and only 32 giveaways (19 INTs, 13 FL) in 29 games under Aranda.

• Baylor has scored nine non-offensive touchdowns in 26 games under Aranda – three kickoff returns (Ebner x 3), four interception returns (Pitre x 2, Walcott, Woods), one punt return (Holmes) and one fumble return (Woods).



22 FORMER BEARS ON NFL ROSTERS IN 2022

• A total of 22 Baylor football greats are on NFL rosters to open the 2022 season.

• Terrel Bernard is one of six Baylor players who were selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and is one of eight BU rookies set for the 2022 season.

• The Houston Texans boast an NFL-high four former Bears, including safety Grayland Arnold, wide receiver Drew Estrada, safety Jalen Pitre and long snapper Jon Weeks. The Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers each boast two Baylor Bears on 2022 rosters.



RANKED IN 10 OF LAST 13 SEASONS

• For the first time in 2022, the Bears are not ranked in either the AP or USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

• 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).



NON-CONFERENCE WRAP

• Baylor wrapped up non-conference play with a 2-1 record and improved to 7-1 in non-league games under Coach Dave Aranda.

• Since the Big 12 went to a nine-game conference model in the regular season, the Bears have gone a combined 38-9 - including bowl games and league title games - in non-conference games, an 81 percent winning clip.

• Baylor averaged 43.7 points, 234.7 rushing yards, 219.7 passing yards and 454.3 yards of total offense in non-league play, holding opponents to 14.3 points, 84 rushing yards and 206 passing yards per game.



NO. 9/7 OKLAHOMA STATE RIDES HOT START TO 36-25 WIN

• No. 16/14 Baylor fell behind 23-3 early in the third quarter to No. 9/7 Oklahoma State and couldn’t overcome the hole during a furious rally that saw BU cut the lead to a one-score game later in the quarter, falling 36-25 to the Cowboys in a rematch of the 2021 Big 12 Conference Championship Game.

• Baylor found itself down 23-3 after allowing a kickoff returned for a touchdown early in the third quarter but responded with 14 straight points to cut the lead to 23-17. OSU answered with a 50 yard kickoff return on the ensuing possession and took two plays to regain a 30-17 lead. The lead grew to 33-17 before Baylor got a 70-yard TD strike from Blake Shapen to Monaray Baldwin - their second TD connection of the game - with a two-point conversion cutting it to an eight-point game with 2:14 left in the third quarter.

• Baylor threw an interception on its own 33-yard line with 8:52 in the quarter and OSU finished an eight-play drive with a field goal for an 11-point lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

• Shapen threw for a career-high 345 yards, with the two scores to Baldwin, who had a career-high seven catches for 174 yards. Richard Reese rushed 17 times for 85 yards and his NCAA-freshmen leading seventh TD of the year. Linebacker Dillon Doyle had a team-leading 10 tackles.

• Spencer Sanders threw for 181 yards for the Cowboys, also rushing 14 times for 75 yards. Dominic Richardson had 24 carries for 73 yards and a score. Jaden Nixon had the big blow of the game, a 98-yard kickoff return for a TD in the third quarter.



BAYLOR CLAIMS LEAGUE OPENER IN AMES

• Baylor rolled to a 31-24 win over Iowa State in Ames to open league play, owning a 31-14 lead in the fourth quarter and using an efficient offensive attack to secure the win.

• The Bears got 238 yards and three TDs passing from Blake Shapen, and 78 yards and a rushing TD from freshman Richard Reese to pull away from the Cyclones and earn the first Baylor win in Ames since 2016.

• The Baylor defense forced two interceptions and held ISU to just 66 yards rushing, totaling four sacks, including two from linebacker Bryson Jackson.

• Shapen found Ben Sims, Dillon Doyle and Gavin Holmes for TD strikes, with Holmes going for three catches and 92 yards. His 38-yard scoring grab pushed Baylor’s lead to 31-14 with 9:37 left in the fourth quarter. The Cyclones cut the lead to 10 with a 75-play drive and added a field goal to set up an impactful on-side kick attempt in the closing seconds, which was grabbed by BU linebacker Matt Jones to clinch the win.



BEARS ROUT TEXAS STATE TO CONCLUDE NON-LEAGUE

• Baylor used a 42-7 rout of Texas State to conclude non-conference play, getting 501 yards of total offense, including 293 yards and five TDs on the ground, to post the convincing win.

• The Bears got an explosive game from freshman Richard Reese, who had career highs in carries (19), yards (156) and TDs (three) to help Baylor secure the win. BU owned a 14-0 lead before the Bobcats got on the board and then ripped off 28 unanswered points to extend the lead to 42-7 early in the fourth quarter, emptying the bench in a game that saw Baylor missing six listed starters due to injury.

• Blake Shapen threw for 184 yards and a TD and rushed for 42 yards, including a 35-yard TD scamper in the first half. Gavin Holmes grabbed his first TD catch since 2020 and Craig Williams added 56 yards and a score on the ground. Defensively, Al Walcott had nine tackles, two for a loss and a forced fumble, while AJ McCarty added seven tackles. Brooks Miller made five tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for a loss.



NO. 21/25 BYU OUTLASTS BEARS IN DOUBLE-OT THRILLER

• Baylor hit the road for its first test away from McLane Stadium and fell in a two-overtime thriller at No. 21/25 BYU 26-20, in front of 63,470 at a rocking LaVell Edwards Stadium.

• The Bears battled the Cougars in a matchup of two future Big 12 Conference foes in an electric atmosphere in Provo. BU took its first lead on a Qualan Jones’ TD rush - his first of two on the night - but after a missed PAT, the Cougars used an eight-play, 75-yard drive to conclude the half with a 10-6 lead. BU answered with a second-half opening drive of 77 yards for a 13-10 lead, and the teams traded TDs in the third and fourth quarters to take a 20-20 game into the final seconds, where BYU kicker Jake Oldroyd missed a potential game-winning field goal.

• Both teams missed field goals - including the potential walk-off winner from Oldroyd - in the first OT period and BYU punched it in to open the second OT but missed the two-point conversion try. Baylor then used 11 plays in its game-tying or game-winning bid on its possession, with Blake Shapen’s fourth-down throw sailing high to allow the Cougars to escape with the win.

• BYU threw for 283 yards and rushed for 83, while Baylor rushed for 152 yards and threw for 137 in the loss but was handcuffed by 14 penalties for 117 yards. Craig Williams totaled 68 yards rushing on 17 carries, Jones had 67 yards on 16 carries and Shapen threw for 137 yards and a score to Ben Sims.



BEARS ROLL OVER GREAT DANES IN LID-LIFTER

• Baylor opened the 2022 season in efficient fashion, routing UAlbany, 69-10, on Sept. 3 in front of a McLane Stadium crowd. The Bears got 214 yards and two TDs through the air, and one on the ground, from sophomore QB Blake Shapen - all in the first half - while rolling to the season-opening win.

• BU played 89 players in the win, with seven Bears making their first-career starts. Gavin Holmes returned from a missed 2021 season due to injury to return a punt 72 yards for a TD in the first half, Shapen found Monaray Baldwin and Hal Presley for TD passes, Baldwin scored on the ground from 50 yards away and Craig Williams scored from four yards out to help BU build an insurmountable lead.



GRIMES BRINGS RVO TO WACO

• Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes - entering his second year at Baylor - 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.

• Baylor’s offense ended the year in 2021 ranked 10th in rushing offense (219.3 yards per game), 19th in fewest interceptions thrown (seven), 14th in fewest sacks allowed (1.29/game), 20th in time of possession (31:31) and 40th in scoring offense (31.6).

• The Bears increased their rushing output by 129 yards per game from 2020 (219.3 ypg, up from 90.3 ypg), without sacrificing the passing game (203.4 passing yards per game in 2021, 219.9 ypg in 2020).

• Grimes’ 2020 BYU offense finished third nationally in scoring (43.5 ppg) and seventh in total offense (522.2 ypg).

• Joining Grimes in making the move from Provo to Waco in 2021 was offensive line coach Eric Mateos, who spent two seasons at BYU. Mateos’ offensive line ranked eighth nationally in 2020 with 1.0 sacks allowed per game, and the Bears ranked 14th nationally with only 1.29 sacks allowed per game in 2021.



SECOND-MOST WINS IN TEXAS IN LAST 10+ YEARS

• As of Oct. 16, Baylor has won 93 games since 2011, ted for the second-most among the state of Texas’ 12 FBS teams.

• BU’s 93 wins in the last 10+ years trail only Texas A&M (95), and lead Houston (93), TCU (91), Texas (83), SMU (67), Texas Tech (66), UTSA (65), North Texas (63), Rice (52), UTEP (41) and Texas State (38).



- BaylorBears.com -


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

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