Football Preview: Morriss Era Begins with UAB

Bears host Blazers for 6 p.m. tilt Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium.

GAME 1
BAYLOR (0-0)
vs.
UAB (0-0)

RADIO
Baylor Radio Network
KRZI-AM * KLRK-FM * Waco
John Morris, play-by-play
Walter Abercrombie, color
Ricky Thompson, sideline

TELEVISION
None

Baylor begins the Guy Morriss era and the 2003 season Saturday, Aug. 30, hosting UAB for a 6 p.m. CDT kickoff at Floyd Casey Stadium. This is also the season opener for the Blazers. The Bears posted a 3-9 record in 2002 and finished sixth in the always-tough Big 12 South with a 1-7 conference mark. The Blazers went 5-7 overall and finished tied for fifth in Conference USA at 4-4.

SERIES
This marks the first-ever meeting between Baylor and UAB in football. Baylor is 70-62-8 against current Conference USA teams; most of that action has come against TCU (103 meetings) and Houston (28 meetings). The Bears are 3-3 against Tulane, 2-0 against Army and 1-0 against Louisville. Baylor is 2-3-1 all-time against teams from Yellowhammer State. The Bears are 2-1-1 against Auburn and 0-2 against Alabama.

COACHES
Guy Morriss (TCU, 1973) is in his initial season at Baylor. In two years as a collegiate head coach, Morriss has a 9-14 career record. This is his first meeting with UAB. UAB's Watson Brown (Vanderbilt, 1973) owns a 74-124-1 career record in 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Brown starts his ninth season at UAB, where he is 42-47. Both Morriss and Brown have Mississippi State backgrounds. Morriss was an assistant coach on Jackie Sherrill's MSU staff in 1996, while Brown served as Sherrill's offensive coordinator in the 1991 and 1992 seasons.

OTHER CONNECTIONS
* Baylor offensive coordinator Brent Pease was the first player selected in the inaugural World League of American Football draft by the Birmingham Fire. * Baylor assistant coach Chris Lancaster and UAB assistant coaches Wayne Bolt and Larry Vanderheyden spent time together at Clemson. Bolt and Vanderheyden were on the Tigers' coaching staff while Lancaster was a player (1985-87). Lancaster and Vanderheyden later served on the coaching staff together (1988-89, 1992). * Vanderheyden began his collegiate coaching career at Iowa State (1964-67). * UAB head coach Watson Brown is the older brother of Texas head coach Mack Brown. * UAB assistant coach Pat Sullivan is a former TCU head coach (1992-97).

SEASON OPENERS
Entering its 102nd season of football, Baylor is 65-31-5 in season openers. Last years' season-opening loss at California snapped a two-game winning streak in such contests. Baylor is 6-4 in its last 10 season openers.

AUGUST OPENERS
This marks the fourth time in school history Baylor has opened the season before turning the calendar to September. The Bears are 1-2 in August games, losing to Miami, Fla., 45-15 Aug. 30, 1997, defeating North Texas 20-7 Aug. 31, 2000 and losing at California 70-22 Aug. 31, 2002.

HOME OPENERS
Baylor is 75-21-5 all-time in home openers, including a 37-16 mark since moving to Floyd Casey Stadium in 1950. The Bears have won two straight home openers and are 6-4 in their last 10 such contests.

SEASON OPENERS AT HOME
Baylor is 54-11-4 when opening the season at home, going 19-7 in such games since moving to Floyd Casey Stadium in 1950. This marks just the third time in nine years Baylor has opened its season at home (1997 vs. Miami, Fla.; 2001 vs. Arkansas State).

COACHING DEBUTS
Head coach Guy Morriss makes his Baylor debut Saturday against UAB. Morriss is the 24th head coach in the 101 years of Bears football. Baylor coaches are 11-8-4 in debut contests; however, four of the Bears' last five head coaches have lost their debut, including the legendary Grant Teaff.

RECORDS & MILESTONES WATCH
* Aaron Karas owns a career completion percentage of .612 (186-of-304), which tops Baylor's career chart (ahead of second-place Don Trull, .557). * Aaron Karas currently ranks third on the school's career yards-per-attempt listing with a 7.625 mark, trailing J.J. Joe (9.015) and Cody Carlson (7.675). * Aaron Karas is 14th on Baylor's career passing yardage list. Here is what Karas needs in the UAB game to move into: 13th - 74 yards (Ron Stanley, 2,402) 12th - 110 yards (Mike Brannan, 2,428) 11th - 332 yards (Larry Isbell, 2,650) * Aaron Karas needs 18 completions against UAB to move into a 10th-place tie on Baylor's all-time list. * Aaron Karas ranks sixth on Baylor's career total plays chart with 346 (rushing and passing). He needs 27 plays to match fifth-place Mark Jackson (373). * Robert Quiroga stands sixth on Baylor's career receptions list with 89. He needs three catches to match fifth-place Melvin Bonner (92) and nine snags to tie fourth-place Kalief Muhammad (98). * With 988 career receiving yards entering the UAB game, Robert Quiroga needs 12 yards to become the 20th Baylor receiver to reach the 1,000-yard plateau. A 100-yard game would move Quiroga into a tie with Derrius Thompson for 13th all-time at Baylor. * Derrick Cash is fifth on Baylor's career interception return yardage list with 189 yards, 5 yards shy of fourth-place Thomas Everett (194) and 28 yards back of third-place Del Shofner (217). * Derrick Cash has a career yards-per-interception-return average of 25.8, ranking seventh in school history.

INJURY UPDATE
Here's an updated list of Baylor's injuries heading into the UAB game: Player, Pos. Injury Status Brad Schlueter, OL wrist (l) out for season Julian Hill, DL knee (l) 2-3 weeks Colin Allred, LB ankle (l) 1 week Ahmad Rhodes ankle (l) day-to-day

FIELDS, JOHNSON SELECTED AS CAPTAINS
Senior C Cedric Fields and senior CB Matt Johnson were selected as team captains earlier this week. Fields is a three-year letterman from Corsicana, Texas. Johnson hails from Pearland, Texas, and has earned three letters.

FAMILY TIES
* The father of FB Jonathan Evans, Dr. Tony Evans, is the host of a nationally syndicated daily radio program which can be heard on 250 stations in the U.S. and in 40 countries. He is founder and president of The Urban Alternative, a national organization seeking spiritual renewal in urban America through the church. He also serves as chaplain for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. * WR John Martin is the son of Dave Martin, current associate AD at Oklahoma State and one-time interim commissioner of the Big 12. * CB Michael Boyd is the cousin of former Baylor standout Thomas Everett, a two-time All-SWC performer and winner of the inaugural Thorpe Award in 1986. * DL Lorenzo Davis is the cousin of 14-year NBA veteran Derrick McKey. * LB Jamaal Harper is a cousin of Kenyon Martin, who plays for the NBA's New Jersey Nets. * Freshman TE Iris Williams has a pair of notable family members. Uncle Elvis Patterson won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, while cousin and former Baylor standout Fred Miller is a starting offensive lineman for the Tennessee Titans. * Freshman WR Trent Shelton is the nephew of the Atlanta Falcons' receivers coach George Stewart. * Freshman CB Jason Reaux is the son of Tommy Reaux, who lettered for Baylor's football team from 1967 to 1969.

BEARS FACE TOUGH SCHEDULE
Seven of Baylor's 12 2003 opponents (North Texas, Colorado, Texas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State) participated in bowl games last season. Eight of the Bears' 2003 opponents (include Texas A&M) finished at or above .500. Baylor's 2003 opponents went a combined 88-53 (.624) in 2002. Four of the Bears' 12 opponents are currently ranked in the AP Top 25. Furthermore, the Big 12 boasts three teams in the top five spots of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Baylor and Iowa State both have all three - Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas - on their respective schedules. The Bears and the Cyclones are the only teams in the nation to have three preseason top-five teams on their schedules.

BU LEADS BIG 12 IN GRADUATION RATES
According to the latest NCAA graduation rates, Baylor's football team has posted a 77 percent success rate in this category, the best figure in the Big 12 and far above the NCAA division I average (52 percent). Texas Tech was second among Big 12 football programs with a 73 percent graduation rate, followed by Nebraska (67), Texas A&M (59), Iowa State (50), Missouri (50), Texas (50), Oklahoma State (48), Kansas State (44), Kansas (43), Colorado (38) and Oklahoma (6).

OVER THE AIR
Bear football games can be heard live on the Baylor Radio Network. The network includes 18 affiliates across Texas, including flagship stations KRZI-AM (1660/1580) and KLRK-FM (92.9) in Waco. All Baylor games are broadcast by the "Voice of the Bears" John Morris, a veteran broadcaster in his eighth season. Former Baylor football standouts Walter Abercrombie and Ricky Thompson are in their third season providing analysis.

BAYLOR GAMES ON THE INTERNET
The radio call from all of Baylor's games can be heard live on the internet on Baylor's official online website, www.BaylorBears.com, or at www.yahoo.broadcast.com.

BAYLORBEARS.COM
Baylor's official athletic web site can be found at www.BaylorBears.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including four Big 12 schools.

INSIDE BAYLOR SPORTS TV SHOW
Inside Baylor Sports, a half-hour look at the world of Baylor athletics, will air weekly throughout Central Texas and other outlets. The program, co-hosted by John Morris and Lori Scott Fogleman, airs on KCEN-TV Channel 6, Fox Sports Southwest and the College Channel (Waco cable 18).

BEARS CLOSE IN ON WIN NO. 500
Baylor needs two more wins to join the 500-win club all-time. The Bears are 498-473-44 since beginning football play in 1899.