2011 Baylor Bears football team explained

Year:2011
Team:Baylor Bears
Sport:football
Conference:Big 12 Conference
Short Conf:Big 12
Coachrank:12
Aprank:13
Record:10–3
Conf Record:6–3
Hc Year:4th
Cooff Coach1:Randy Clements
Cooc1 Year:4th
Cooc2 Year:4th
Dc Year:1st
Champion:Alamo Bowl champion

The 2011 Baylor Bears football team represented Baylor University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Art Briles and played their home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas. They are members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 10–3, 6–3 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for third place with Oklahoma (whom they defeated during the season). The ten wins tied a school record for wins in a season while the 6–3 conference record is its best since joining the Big 12. They were invited to the Alamo Bowl where they beat Washington, 67–56, for their first bowl win since the 1992 John Hancock Bowl.

Junior starting quarterback Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first Baylor player to win the award.

Recruiting

Baylor's recruiting class was ranked #46 by Rivals.com and #50 by Scout.com.[1] [2]

Regular season

Building on the success of the previous year's team, Baylor began the season at home with a 50–48 upset of then #14 TCU, winners of the previous season's Rose Bowl.[3] The Bears won their next two games against Stephen F. Austin and Rice at home, before traveling to Kansas State where they lost a tightly contested game 35–36 to the greatly improved Bill Snyder-coached team.[4] [5] [6] After defeating Iowa State 49–26 at home, the Bears finished October losing two straight on the road at Texas A&M and eventual conference champion Oklahoma State.[7] [8] [9]

The Bears rebounded to finish the regular season with five straight victories including a Homecoming win over Missouri, a 31–30 overtime victory at Kansas in which Baylor tied a school record by overcoming a 21-point deficit in the 4th quarter, and the program's first win over then #5 Oklahoma on a 34-yard touchdown pass from Griffin to Terrance Williams with 8 seconds remaining in the game.[10] [11] [12] Baylor concluded November in Dallas playing against Texas Tech in Cowboys Stadium; although Griffin left the game due to a concussion at the half, backup Nick Florence entered the game to lead the Bears to a 66–42 victory.[13] Baylor's win over Texas Tech was their first since 1995.[14]

The Bears finished the regular season at home with a 48–24 victory over then #22 Texas that propelled the team (9–3, 6–3 Big 12) to the Alamo Bowl with #12 and #15 BCS and AP rankings respectively.[15] The victory also propelled quarterback Robert Griffin III to the top of the Heisman Trophy voting; he became the first Baylor player to win the award and the first Baylor player since Don Trull in 1963 to factor significantly in the voting.[16]

Schedule

[17] [18]

Game summaries

Missouri

[19]

Oklahoma

Baylor's first victory over Oklahoma in school history.[20]

Texas Tech

Robert Griffin III was knocked out just before halftime with a concussion.[21]

Texas

[22]

Alamo Bowl

See also: 2011 Alamo Bowl. On December 4, 2011, Baylor accepted an invite to represent the Big-12 in the 2011 Alamo Bowl. Their opponents were the Washington Huskies of the Pac-12.[23] The game was played at the Alamodome. The crowd of 65,256 represented the 5th largest attendance in the history of the bowl game. A very good showing since the highest ever attendance at an Alamo bowl was only 66,100 which was set several years before. The Bowl officials stated it was also the most exciting college football game ever witnessed at the Bowl.

The contest became the second-highest scoring bowl game in history, and the highest-scoring regulation bowl game ever. Baylor went up 21–7 early in the game, with Griffin throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another. The Huskies roared back with 28 unanswered points, and the teams finished the half with Washington leading 35–24. In the second half, with the defenses showing limited ability to cope with the high-powered offenses led by Griffin and Husky QB Keith Price, the teams traded scores. The Bears overcame the halftime deficit, going ahead for good 60–56 halfway in the 4th quarter, and Baylor RB Terrance Ganaway tacked on a final 43-yard touchdown run with 2:28 left to play. Ganaway finished with 21 carries for 200 yards and 5 TDs, and was recognized as the game's offensive MVP. The victory represented Baylor's first bowl win since a victory in the John Hancock (Sun) Bowl in 1992. With the win, Baylor had their first 10-win season since 1980.[24]

Awards and honors

Rankings

See also: 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.

Notes and References

  1. https://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/teamrank/2011/all/all Rivals.com 2011 Team Recruiting Rankings
  2. http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=14&yr=2011 Football Recruiting 2011
  3. Web site: Baylor Blows 24-Point Lead but Recovers to Edge No. 14 TCU. https://archive.today/20130124064616/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312450239. dead. January 24, 2013. ESPN. September 2, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  4. Web site: Baylor Romps in Game Halted in 3rd Quarter by Lightning. https://web.archive.org/web/20110929175423/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312600239. dead. September 29, 2011. ESPN. September 17, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  5. Web site: Robert Griffin III Accounts for 6 TDs in Baylor's Beating of Rice. https://web.archive.org/web/20111001171623/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312670239. dead. October 1, 2011. ESPN. September 24, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  6. Web site: Kansas State Picks off Robert Griffin III, No. 15 Baylor in Fourth Quarter. https://web.archive.org/web/20111005144644/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312742306. dead. October 5, 2011. ESPN. October 1, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  7. Web site: Robert Griffin III, Terrance Ganaway Help No. 25 Baylor Run Over Iowa State. https://web.archive.org/web/20111010190952/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312810239. dead. October 10, 2011. ESPN. October 8, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  8. Web site: Ryan Tannehill Tosses 6 TDs as Texas A&M Leaves Past Collapses Behind. https://web.archive.org/web/20111018022729/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=312880245. dead. October 18, 2011. ESPN. October 15, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  9. Web site: Joseph Randle Runs for 4 TDs as No. 3 Oklahoma State Whips Baylor. https://web.archive.org/web/20111031005707/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313020197. dead. October 31, 2011. ESPN. October 29, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  10. Web site: Baylor Rides School-Best 697 Yards Past Mizzou. https://web.archive.org/web/20111108033616/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313090239. dead. November 8, 2011. ESPN. November 5, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  11. Web site: Kansas Misses 2-Point Conversion in OT as Baylor Rallies for Victory. https://web.archive.org/web/20111114152241/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313162305. dead. November 14, 2011. ESPN. November 12, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  12. Web site: Robert Griffin III Shocks Sooners on TD Pass with 8 Seconds Left. https://web.archive.org/web/20111122093938/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313230239. dead. November 22, 2011. ESPN. November 19, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  13. Web site: Baylor Pummels Texas Tech Even After Robert Griffin III Leaves Game. https://web.archive.org/web/20111128184609/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313300239. dead. November 28, 2011. ESPN. November 26, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  14. News: Baylor 66, Texas Tech 42. Jeff. Miller. USA Today. November 26, 2011. December 20, 2011.
  15. Web site: Griffin Accounts for 4 TDs as Baylor Trounces Texas. https://web.archive.org/web/20111206163321/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313370239. dead. December 6, 2011. ESPN. December 3, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  16. News: Robert Griffin III Wins the Heisman Trophy. Chris. Dufresne. Los Angeles Times. December 10, 2011. December 12, 2011.
  17. Web site: Baylor Bears Schedule – 2011. ESPN. August 2, 2011.
  18. Web site: NCAA Football TV Listings. NCAA Football. August 2, 2011.
  19. Web site: Baylor Rides School-Best 697 Yards Past Mizzou. https://web.archive.org/web/20111206163321/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313370239. dead. December 6, 2011. ESPN. November 5, 2011. December 28, 2014.
  20. Web site: Robert Griffin III Shocks Sooners on TD Pass with 8 Seconds Left. https://web.archive.org/web/20111122093938/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313230239. dead. November 22, 2011. ESPN. November 19, 2011. December 28, 2014.
  21. Web site: Baylor Pummels Texas Tech Even After Robert Griffin III Leaves Game. https://web.archive.org/web/20111128184609/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313300239. dead. November 28, 2011. ESPN. November 26, 2011. December 28, 2014.
  22. Web site: Griffin Accounts for 4 TDs as Baylor Trounces Texas. https://web.archive.org/web/20111206163321/http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=313370239. dead. December 6, 2011. ESPN. December 3, 2011. December 28, 2014.
  23. Web site: Washington, Baylor To Play in 2011 Valero Alamo Bowl. Alamo Bowl. December 4, 2011. December 30, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111206035110/http://www.alamobowl.com/main/press_release_detail.php?uid=338. 2011-12-06. dead.
  24. News: Baylor Wins Alamo Bowl Shootout. USA Today. December 30, 2011. December 30, 2011.

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