Game 12: Baylor 30, Texas 10

Has there ever been a better night to be a Baylor fan?  There was the Miracle on the Brazos in 1974, RG3's win over Oklahoma in 2011, Baylor's upset of #1 ranked Kansas State in 2012, and this year's blackout win over Oklahoma.  But on many levels, last night's win over Texas has to be considered one of the best.

Baylor fans have been told for over a decade that Baylor can't compete in the Big 12, that we should just go to some second-tier conference.  Now our time has come: Baylor beat Texas to clinch the outright Big 12 football championship!  Baylor fans believed it could happen, Baylor hired a coach who believed it could happen, he instilled the team with a belief that it could happen, and now Baylor will represent the Big 12 in their first BCS bowl!  Sic' em Bears!

Field view from the south end zone.

As it that were not enough, besides the tears of joy shed by many over the championship trophy, many shed tears over the closing of The Case.  Floyd Casey stadium, Baylor's football home since 1950, is in many ways outdated and behind the times, but it's still home to some great football memories.  My family has been sitting in the same seats for some 35 seasons.  The fans in neighboring seats have become our football family.  As much as I'm looking forward to watching Baylor play in the new stadium, I will miss our spot at Floyd Casey.

Home away from home for 6 or 7 days a year. . . .

These crazy fans must have been a bit chilly!

Besides the Big 12 championship being on the line and the closing of The Case, the big story going into the game was the cold.  Thankfully, there was no precipitation, aside from the "freezing fog" that rolled in late in the game.  But the temps were in the 20s, with wind chills in the teens.  After experiencing temperatures nearly that cold at Oklahoma State we knew we need to bundle up a bit more, especially on the feet!

For the last time, the Baylor Line ran the field, led by Baylor Santa.  I know this is one tradition that will be preserved at the new stadium.  It will be fun to see what new game day traditions emerge at Baylor Stadium.

The game itself was looking like it would be a low-scoring defensive struggle.  They went into halftime tied 3-3, after Baylor's kicker missed 2 of his 3 field goal attempts.  The defense stopped Texas, including a blocked field goal, but our offense kept getting stopped, too.  That all changed in the second half.  I'm not sure what got the team fired up, but they came out of the locker room on fire.  They scored TDs on their first 2 possessions in the 3rd quarter, and then a field goal on their third.  Now with a 17 point lead, the energy of the freezing crowd, and a hyped-up sideline, the Bears maintained for a solid 30-10 victory.

I like Baylor's throwback uniforms.  I'm not sure Texas ever changes their uniforms.

They had to break out the cold weather gear for this game.
They must have been a few jackets short and had to share.

Dale Connally was the final faculty member ever to be honored at Floyd Casey!

Mom and Dad.  The greatest Baylor fans ever!
Thanks for all the memories (and all the game tickets!)

My oldest sister, Laura, class of 1985.

Since we had a full contingent for this game, the boys say on the east side.
That's Evan in the blue, Elliot in the yellow, and Drew in green,
near the top of the stands in section R.

And the celebration begins!

The last time Baylor won a conference championship, I was in 6th grade.
That's a long time ago! 

No word on whether the scoreboard was left on all night,
or whether anyone slept on the field!  I kind of doubt it. . . .

Elliot and I had high hopes, as we always do, that Baylor would have a great season.  When we set out to attend every Baylor game this year, we didn't know it would be the best season ever in Baylor football history!  It's been great fun, and I hope the memories of these games, these road trips, these victories, and even of one painful, heart-breaking loss will stick with him forever.  I know every chance I get to spend this time with him means the world to me.

And now, on to the Fiesta Bowl! 

Sic 'em!!

Baylor Stadium Update: 11/28/13

Only one game left at Floyd Casey Stadium!  Next season the Bears will be playing at their fabulous new stadium on the Brazos.  On Thanksgiving Day, we stopped by on the way to Salado to get some pics of the stadium in progress.

This is new since we last stopped by: a bridge over the sailgating lagoon.  The game day experience will be terrific here, second only to great Baylor football.

Game 11: Baylor 41, TCU 38

Singing the Baylor Line.  See the BUGWB stuck up in the corner?

Ten wins!  Ten and one! 10-1!  I have to keep pinching myself as Baylor keeps winning.  After Saturday's oh-so-close win over TCU, Baylor has 10 regular season wins for only the second time in their history.  They won 10 games in 1980, and in 2012 the bowl win was win number 10.  Win number 10 did not come easy Saturday, and it looked like we were going to have to wait another week for it.

Thanks to the generosity of Kelly's family, and Kyle's bad luck that he couldn't stay in town long enough for the game, we used their season tickets, so Mom, Dad, Mark, and Drew could join Elliot, Elliot's friend Aaron, and me in the middle of the TCU section.  Even in the TCU season ticket section, there were plenty of Baylor fans (as well as quite a few empty seats) around us.

The stadium filled in some during the game,
but there were plenty of empty seats.

We knew this would be an emotional game.  Last week's loss at Oklahoma State still stung.  Art Briles's brother passed away this week, which affected not only him, but the whole team, who view Briles as family.  The Frogs, bowl-ineligible, had said this was their bowl game.  The game seemed pretty even, until Baylor recovered a fumble on the TCU 1 and scored a TD, and Pachall threw 2 pick sixes.  With TCU gift wrapping 3 TDs for Baylor, it looked like Baylor had it in the bag--until TCU scored 2 unanswered TDs.  Finally, late in the 4th quarter, Baylor had a precarious 3 point lead, and TCU had the ball in the red zone with seconds left.  They decided to attempt on more pass play, hoping to score TD for the win.  But when the pass was tipped into the hands of a Baylor defender, the game was over and Baylor had win number 10.

Baylor players' pre-game prayer time.

Two weeks ago, I thought Baylor had a chance to play for the national championship, and I thought they could compete with the best teams in the country.  The national championship game is out of the question for Baylor, and my faith in their competitiveness has been shaken.  Credit goes to the defense for forcing the four turnovers.  Without them, we might have seen a loss similar to last week.  It all comes down to Texas.  The good news is, we get them at home.  It will be a sellout at the last game in Floyd Casey Stadium.  The seniors will be playing their last home game, the team knows they're playing for a Big 12 championship and a possible BCS bowl.  I think Baylor can win it, but it promises to be a hard-fought game.

I know I'm biased, but I think Baylor's band is much better than TCU's.  This is the first road game where BUGWB marched at halftime.

In case you can't tell, this is a submarine sinking below the water line, part of their tribute to the armed forces.

Aaron wore his TCU shirt and cheered for the Frogs, even though he knew he's have to hitch a ride home with someone else if the Frogs won.

Just a random play to display my weekly ineptitude at sports photography.

I'm not sure how to get a good picture of the scoreboard.  The important thing is the message: 41-38.
Win #10!  I love it!  So Elliot and I have been to all 11 games.  One regular season game to go, and we're hoping to make the bowl game.  It's been a fun, historic season!

Sic 'em!!

Game 9: Baylor 63, Texas Tech 34

The Texas Farm Bureau Shootout has quickly become a tradition of shootouts!  This one didn't end up being as close as recent games in this series, but a shootout it was.  Baylor was up by 1 at the end of the first quarter, and up by 8 at the half.  By that time, even though it was close, the momentum was in Baylor's favor, and the second half was all Baylor.

Credit goes to Tech, for coming out guns blazing, scoring TDs on their first 3 drives, taking a 14-0 lead, then after Baylor finally scored a TD, a 20-7 lead.  But when Baylor's Levi Norwoord ran a punt back for a touchdown, then Baylor scored a TD late in the 2nd quarter to go up 35-27, it was over for Tech.  More credit goes to the Bears, who played without their top receiver and 2 top running backs, and who didn't let Tech's fast, dominating start intimidate them.  As Briles told the team after the game, they proved tonight that they are a great team.

We sat way up in the highest section.  We weren't in the highest row, but it was high.  The best part about that is that when you sit that high, you get a nice view of the band's formations.  These were in the pregame show.  Their halftime tribute the armed forces was cool, as they marched in the shapes of a tank, a ship, a submarine, and jets, complete with contrails!  They are a fun band to watch, inspiring my budding percussionist to dream about marching.

Sitting up high, you definitely are in a position to see plays develop, and with the enormous screen hanging in front of you, you can catch a close up of the action there.  Personally, I'd rather sit up high than in those field-level boxes.  It seems like there you would have a perfect view of the legs of people on the sidelines, and very little view of the field of play . . . .

Besides the final score, the best part of the night was catching up with my pledge brothers John and Pat and their wives.  It's hard to believe it was nearly a quarter of a century ago that we met at Baylor!

Elliot, my best Baylor fan buddy, and I have made it to all 9 games.  Three regular season games to go, then a bowl game!  But first, we have to knock of Oklahoma State in Stillwater next week.

Since AT&T Stadium doesn't have a traditional scoreboard like most stadiums have, I couldn't get a proper shot of the final score.  Trust me, this shows the final, 63-34.  (If anyone has a better scoreboard picture, e-mail me!)

Sic 'em!!

Hey, it's basketball season!

Still floating on the excitement of the huge football win over OU on Thursday night, Elliot and I joined Mom and Dad at the American Airlines Center for the first men's basketball game.  Baylor, coming off their NIT championship season, entered the season ranked #25.  For their first game, they took on former Big 12 foe Colorado (RV).

Elliot was happy to be at the game, but not happy to have his picture taken.  Mom thought it was still breast cancer awareness month, so she wore pink instead of Baylor colors.

 Heslip was pretty hot from the 3-point line at this game, shooting 4 for 6.  Two seasons ago, he really made his mark, shooting .455 from the 3-point line.  Last season saw a drop off, at .386.  After 2 games, he's shooting .563.  If he can keep that up, this will be a great season for him and the Bears!

I like what I saw against Colorado.  We have some important returning players: Heslip, Cory Jefferson, Isaiah Austin, Rico Gathers.  Junior college transfer Kenny Chery looks like he's going to be a great fit at point guard.  I don't remember Taurean Prince playing much last year, but I think he'll be a bonus from the bench.

Not too many people witnessed this game first-hand.  I think a lot of basketball fans will be watching the Bears this season, as they make a run on the Big 12 and, I believe, find their way into the NCAA tournament.

And, of course, we can't leave without singing That Good Ol' Baylor Line!

Sic 'em!

Game 8: Baylor 41, Oklahoma 12

Before the game. Glen is confident OU is #1.

Wow!  In my 30-something years of going to Baylor football games, I don't think I've ever seen a game as highly anticipated, a crowd as hyped, and a win as important as Baylor's 41-12 win over Oklahoma last night!  The blackout was as black as could be, and the Sooner fans in attendance went home shocked, disappointed, and perhaps a little more respectful of the emergent Baylor Bears.

We weren't able to leave Fort Worth until after school, so we didn't get there in time for much pregame activity.  But when we did arrive at our seats, I notice that more than half an hour before kickoff the student section was packed!  The tarpless endzone was filling up fast, and the atmosphere was electric!

Singing That Good Ol' Baylor Line. 

Rarely, if ever, have I seen the east stands this full.  The black looked pretty cool.  Notice the yellow Baylor line.  After Baylor's first TD, they took off their yellow jerseys, waved them like a rally towel, and stayed black the rest of the night.  Nice touch.

Is my nephew really old enough to have a girlfriend?  'Fraid so.

Just a random play, watching Bell try to find a man open, which he didn't very often.  He was 15/35 with 2 interceptions.  Lots of pressure all night.

Nobody open.  Tries to run. Doesn't get far. The story of Bell's night.

The tarpless south end zone!  Full of people in black shirts!  Stunning!

Not many people left early from this one!

It's a beautiful thing.  Another win.  A school-record win streak.  The first time ever to 8-0.
Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

Still friends after the game.  And Glen still thinks OU is number one.