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Baylor Bears
Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin celebrates his touchdown against Texas on Saturday in a 30-22 victory
Baylor's big win in Austin
BY Chris Derrett
The Lariat
Early in Saturday's game, the now No. 24 ranked Bears were not the well-oiled machine fans have come to expect. Jay Finley's 116 rush yards and one touchdown and Robert Griffin's 219 yards and two touchdowns through the air supplemented a stingy defense for the first Baylor win in Austin since 1991.
The momentum seemed to change late in the third quarter, just after the Longhorns failed to expand their 19-10 lead and missed a 48-yard field goal. Finley took the Bears' first play of the ensuing drive up the middle, dashing 69 yards for a score that was part of 20 unanswered Baylor points.
20 unanswered bays.
Texas' subsequent drive lasted two plays, as Tim Atchison jarred a pass loose from an intended receiver and Antonio Johnson snatched it out of the air. Griffin turned the resulting possession into a touchdown when he lunged one yard past the goal line. Baylor took a 23-19 lead following a missed two-point conversion.
point conversion.
Three plays before the touchdown, coach Art Briles' team faced a fourth-and-one from the two-yard line. Instead of a field goal, Briles was thinking touchdown all the way.
THE WAVE NOVEMBER 5,2010
The Baylor defense forced a punt, and the offense turned the opportunity into points. It converted two third downs on the next drive, the second of which was a 30-yard post pass to Kendall Wright for a touchdown and 30-19 lead.
30-19 lead.
The Longhorns managed a field goal but fumbled on their final drive. Texas got on the scoreboard first after Griffin mishandled a shotgun snap on Baylor's game-opening drive. The Longhorns reached the Bears' nineyard line and settled for a field goal.
Three more times before halftime, the Baylor defenders held Texas to field goals as the Baylor offense struggled to find its rhythm. Atchison said that after the first stand, his defense could feel confidence and momentum building.
momentum building.
Kiffin kept his team in the game with an equalizing touchdown before the half. He beat a Longhorn blitz by finding Terrance Williams over the middle, and Williams evaded a tackler for a 59-yard touchdown.
The score gave Baylor a short-lived 10-9 advantage before Texas ended the half with its fourth field goal of the game.
its fourth field goal of the game.
The win keeps the Bears atop the Big 12 South. Looking ahead, the Bears say the sky is the limit.
is the limit.
"We're number one right now, so that's all I'm saying," Finley said. "Get ready."
Texas A&M Aggies
VOLL
Texas Tech's Eric Stephens runs by Texas A&M'S Von Miller during the third quarter on Saturday in a 45-27 victory.
A&M sets new passing record against Tech
By Sean Lester
Coming off a 45-10 win against Kansas, the Texas A&M offense was searching for an identity. After converting on all six of their red zone chances in a 45-27 win Saturday against Texas Tech, junior quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the A&M offense seem to have found it.
have found it.
"Fast tempo is where we perform our best."Tannehill said.
The Battalion
The fast tempo helped lead the offense down the field for 35 first downs,the second-highest total in school history,putting the team in scoring range inside the red zone. A&M is 11 for 11 in the red zone in its last two games.
last two games.
The Texas A&M offensive line is without one of their best players in junior Evan Eike due to a sprained ankle. Although the offensive line has struggled this season with several young players on the squad, Saturday's game against Tech proved to help them mesh.
("Offensive Line Coach Jim) Turner talked to me last night and he said he thought this would be the game they really came together," head coach Mike Sherman said."I
think the whole group really gelled"
The offensive line helped give Tannehill time on all four of his touchdown passes. His touchdowns came from three, six, two and one yards out respectively.
The other two red zone scores came from a two-yard run by junior Cyrus Gray in the third quarter and a 28-yard field goal by junior Randy Bullock.
The Aggies also scored on a 3-2 yield by Gray in the third quarter, which was the only score outside of the red zone.
"I have to give huge props to the offensive line," Tannehill said. "We were able to make some checks and the offensive line was doing a great job of picking up those guys and allowing me time to make a throw."
throw.
Tannehill found his weapon in junior receiver Jeff Fuller, who finished the game with 11 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns. The A&M offense finished with 623 total yards and Tannehill finished the first half with a school record of 277 passing yards.
"Through the offensive line, the wide receivers and the backs, it was a great team effort." Tannehill said of the record.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Colorado offers chance for momentum
skruger@kansan.com
BY SARA KRUGER
skruger@kansan.com
After a loss against Nebraska, Kansas hopes to gain momentum back against Colorado on Saturday and finish up this season on a winning note. The Jayhawks will have extra motivation because Colorado is leaving the Big 12 after this year.
COLORADO
It's the last time we'll get to play them in the Big 12 conference," sophomore middle blocker Tayler Toleffree said. "We just have six games left, so we need to just finish strong and get a win over them."
The last time the Jayhawks met Colorado, the Buffaloes came out and won in five games. Tolefree says the team is focused on beating Colorado and moving on to the
Outside hitter Karina Garlington said being a senior also added to the importance of the game.
Garlington said playing two positions was difficult to do and Mayfield has stepped up to the task.
Junior outside hitter Allison Mayfield added depth to the Kansas offense by playing both back and front row against Nebraska.
DAY: Saturday
DATE: Nov. 6
LOCATION: Lawrence
TIME: 6:30 p.m.
next game.
"She breaks the game down and allows us to get a back row attack when we normally couldn't," Garlington said.
"We want them to remember the last time they get to play
they get to play Kansas at Kansas," she said. "And, you know, we've got a little grudge match since we lost to them at Colorado, so I hope that motivates everyone to play the best that we can and just get some momentum under us."
"We just have six games left, so we need to just finish strong and get a win over them."
Kansas recently faced No. 5 Nebraska, who is also leaving the conference. Colorado is a much smaller opponent than Nebraska.
TAYLER TOLEFREE
Sophomore middle blocker
"They're smaller, so they are smart with putting the ball in play." Tolefree said, "We kind of rally with them, the plays go on longer because they're not such physical blockers and sometimes our block isn't always there."
T h e Jayhawks' hitting percentage against Nebraska was a low .200 compared with their season high of .432 against Texas Tech. Mavfield and
She said the Jayhawks needed to figure out how to not let easy balls score.
ner teammates just didn't seem to get the numbers they are capable of reaching.
"I thought she took some good swings. Six errors is more than we probably want her to have, but I thought she did a good job primary passing for us," coach Ray Bechard said. "We ask her to do a lot of things."
In the first set against Nebraska, Mayfield had nine attacks and three kills with two errors. She accounted for three of Kansas' 17 points in the first set and finished the match with 30 attacks, 10 kills and six errors — all team highs. In total, she led the Jayhawks with 11 points, including one service ace.
SEE VOLLEY ON PAGE 7A
junior outside hitter Allison Mayfield bumps the ball in the first set Wendesday. The Jayhawks will play Colorado next Saturday.
anything radical like tiring viel. I'm a firm believer that a coach needs at least three years to be fully evaluated. There's a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers have won more Super Bowls than any other NFL franchise, and a huge part of that is the stability of having just three coaches since 1969.
What I'm looking for from Gill, though, is some sign that he knows the personnel he has playing for him. Have a little faith in your players.
your players.
Kale Pick was not impressive in a little more than six quarters as the starter. No one will argue that. But there's a reason he was made the starter (I'm going to go out on a limb and say it had to do with speed). Either have faith in the guy or don't start him at all. But ripping the rug out from under him only destroys his confidence and has the next guy, in this case Jordan Webb, looking over his shoulder for someone else who might be sneaking up on his job.
Rightfully so, too. Quinn Mecham is now in the discussion to be the Jayhawk's quarterback as well. And there was that fun experiment with D.J. Behears at quarterback late in the Texas A&M game. Hey, the guy is fast.
Just as with Pick, we saw sixth-year senior running back Angus Quigley lose his starting job as soon as someone else performed well at the position in a game. Let me preface this by saying that I think James Sims is a talented back for a freshman, but again, there is a reason that Angus Quigley won the job in the pre-season. I don't know exactly what it is — I wasn't there — but if there was, indeed, a reason, stick to your guns and go with Quigley. Three weeks later, Quigley reascended to the top of the running back chart.
I'm not asking much from Gill, just that he stops yanking players like an overeager fantasy football manager and trusts his gut.
Bizarrely, I'm actually giving the man a vote of confidence. Trust your decisions, coach. It can't get any worse.
Edited by David Cawthon