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Updated: August 18, 5:57 PM ET Morriss starting Baylor rebuilding process By Mark Wangrin Special to ESPN.com |
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Baylor Bears
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Coach: Guy Morriss (1st season) 2002 overall record: 3-9 Conference record: 1-7 Returning starters Offense: 6, Defense: 6, Kicker/Punter: 1 2002 statistical leaders (* - returners) Rushing: Rashad Armstrong* (647 yds) Passing: Aaron Karas* (1,792 yds) Receiving: Reggie Newhouse (1,140 yds) Tackles: Ethan Kelley (75) Sacks: Khari Long* (4.5) Interceptions: Bobby Hart (3) Outlook: Guy Morriss went from one school where the football program was overshadowed by the basketball program (Kentucky) only to wind up -- unexpectedly -- at another. As if Morriss didn't have enough to fix in attitude, facilities and numbers -- he had six healthy scholarship offensive linemen in the spring -- he must deal with the recruiting fallout sure to come because of the death of basketball player Patrick Dennehey, allegedly at the hands of a teammate, and the resulting flurry of allegations of improprieties in the basketball program that led to the sudden departure of coach Dave Bliss and athletic director Tom Stanton. Morriss has a clear-cut starting quarterback in Aaron Karas, decent receivers in Robert Quiroga and Derrick Cash and a couple of defensive playmakers in John Garrett and Khari Long , but it's what the Bears don't have that's overwhelming. Baylor ranked 114th or worse (out of 117 D-IA schools) in five of the major team statistical categories, including scoring offense and scoring defense. Morriss is pictured on the cover of the Baylor media guide astride his Yamaha Northstar motorcycle, which he rides as a release from the pressures of coaching. "I haven't had a chance to ride it as much as I'd like,'' he said. "First things first." Keep an eye on: Baylor's recruiting. Morriss talked about going head-to-head with Texas and Texas A&M on top recruits in the state, something the Bears did with success in the old Southwest Conference. If Morriss can work the same sales job on recruits that he did on himself to leave a Kentucky program he had revived despite serious NCAA sanctions to take the mess that is Baylor, he's got a chance. Morriss recently relocated 20 head of Angus cattle from his ranch in Kentucky to his spread in Texas. If they can block, he's off to a good start. Key game: The season, moral victories here and there notwithstanding, all boils down to a date with Kansas in Lawrence on Oct. 18 with the spoils being a chance to have a snappy comeback and someone else to point to when someone calls you the worst team in major college football. It's a good year if. . .: Anything positive happens. The Bears, who haven't won more than four games in a season since 1996, are a far cry from the team that was a perennial Southwest Conference contender. A Big 12 win -- or more realistically staying within 33 points, something the Bears couldn't do in their seven league losses -- would be a plus. Mark Wangrin covers the Big 12 for the San Antonio Express-News.
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