SWC Game of the Week: Texas at Baylor

We’ve already discussed the Miracle on the Brazos, although those from Baylor love to talk about that game. Baylor has beat Texas since the SWC died, and they get them in Waco again this year. But, unless the Longhorns eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Health Camp the day before, I think they will dispatch the Bears. (This SWC Game of the Week Correspondent once ate the before game and after game meal at Health Camp one fall Saturday when the Bears played the Aggies.) But this week, an old rivalry along I-35 will be renewed and will be highlighted in this weekly newsletter. Since the game won’t be that fun, let’s talk about other Waco stops: Dr Pepper Museum, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Elite Café, Suspension Bridge over the Brazos River and several Baptist Churches. (Don’t stop at the Health Camp and order the fish sandwich.) I

THIS WEEK’S GAME:

Baylor and Texas will met on Saturday for the 97th time, with Texas holding a decisive edge in the all time series
70-22-4.  The last Baylor victory was in 1997, 23-21 in Waco.  However, the Bears have not scored in the last 10
quarters against Texas in Waco.  Baylor will be possibly making an adjustment at QB for this game.  Starter Blake
Szymanski suffered a concussion in Baylor’s game against Kansas last week and is listed as questionable for the
Longhorn game.  Szymanski was replaced last week for a few series and Michael Machen and John David Weed
are the favorites to replace Szymanski if he is unable to start.  RB Brandon Whitaker leads the Bears with 31
receptions this year.  Baylor’s offensive line has improved this year allowing only 8 sacks in 7 games, compared to
36 sacks in 12 games last season.  On defense, LB Joe Pawelek is tied with safety Jordan Lake with 11 tackles per
game in Big 12 play.  The Longhorns begin their second half of the season, or after OU game season.  They are 48-5
under head coach Mack Brown after the OU game.  QB Colt McCoy has shaken off some early season rust and
finished the Iowa State game 23 of 29 for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for another 50 yards on 4 carries
including a 44 yard TD run.  Texas will be without the services of senior receiver Linus Sweed however, who suffered
a season ending injury.  Texas defense is holding opponents to 207 yards passing for 24th in the NCAA.  Senior
safety Marcus Griffen, twin brother of Michael Griffen who is in the NFL, leads the Longhorns on defense and will be
making his 18th start on defense and last season was second on the team in tackles with 90.  (If his twin is done with
college, why isn’t he, interesting, huh?)  Another interesting note on this game is Baylor assistant coach Eric
Schnupp was suspended from the team after his arrest for public urination at a Waco bar.  Waco has bars?  You
can’t pee in public?  What if your drunk and really really have to go?  It might take another miracle for Baylor to pull
this one out.  Enjoy the games this week. 

COTTON BOWL MEMORIES:

The 1964 Cotton Bowl featured #1 ranked Texas, unbeaten and untied vs. #2 Navy. While the two major wire polls had Texas firmly at #1, many in the East thought Navy was the true #1. The Cotton Bowl would settle it. Navy had only lost one game that year, to SMU in the Cotton Bowl Stadium. The Middies were led by Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach at QB but Texas quarterback Duke Carlisle stole the show. On the sixth play of the game Carlisle connected with 18 year Phil Harris for a 58 yard touchdown. That was the 8^th time in 11 games that year that Texas had scored on the first possession. Later the two would hook up on a 63 yard touchdown and Carlisle scored on a 9 yard run putting Texas on top 21-0 at the half. Carlisle would finish with 7 completions for 213 yards, 3 completions to Harris for 157 yards. After another Texas touchdown in the 3^rd quarter, Navy finally got on the board with a Staubach run from the 2 yard line. Staubach’s stat line read 21 completions in 31 attempts for 228 yards, including 4 passes covering 57 of the 75 yards on Navy’s touchdown drive. But the Longhorn defense would hold the scrambling Staubach in check, holding him to -47 net yards on 12 carries including sacks. Navy would rush for -14 yards on the day. Outland Trophy winner Scott Appleton and Tommy Nobis were the Texas defenders keeping Navy in check. The Texas seniors would walk off the field with a 3 year career record of 30-2-1 including a 2-1 record in the Cotton Bowl.

OTHER GAMES THIS WEEK:

Arkansas at Ole Miss (Anyone for a Grove tailgate? Pack your party dress)

Houston at UAB (Coogs try to right ship now that conference play has begun)

Memphis at Rice (Rice returns to Rice Stadium, should win this one, Miracle on Main Street II?)

Tulane at SMU (Tulane returns to temp. home after Katrina to take on reeling Ponies)

Texas A&M at Nebraska (Buyout Bowl, loser pays buy out clause for both coaches when they are fired at the end of the season)

Utah at TCU (TCU takes on Utah in even match)

Texas Tech at Missouri (Tech, now ranked, will have tough road test against good Tiger team)

RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK:

SWC Game of the Week, Week 6:

Texas Tech 35 Texas A&M 7 (Tech rolls Aggies again, no goal post demolition required)

Other Games:

Auburn 9 Arkansas 7 (Have you seen the U-Tube where the Hog fan burns his tickets every week until Houston Nutt is fired?)

Kansas 58 Baylor 10 (Kansas shows their a few steps ahead of Baylor)

Houston 56 Rice 48 (21 points in 4^th quarter gets Coogs the “Bucket”)

Southern Mississippi 28 SMU 7 (SMU can’t get on track)

Texas 56 Iowa State 3 (Texas recovers, will not repeat winless conference schedule of 1956)

TCU 38 Stanford 36 (TCU come from behind victory over the Tree)

STANDINGS:

	Conference:		Overall:
	W	L	W	L
Texas Tech	3	0	6	1
Texas	2	0	5	2
Houston	1	0	3	3
TCU	2	1	4	3
Arkansas:	0	0	3	3
Texas A&M	1	1	5	2
Baylor	1	2	3	4
SMU	0	2	1	5
Rice	0	4	1	5

FINAL WORD:

That’s a wrap for this week. Please feel free to forward to your friends, send me emails of those that should be included that aren’t, and submit your additions to the weekly newsletters (favorite SWC memories, player bio’s, funny old SWC stories, mascot hijinks, etc.) If you are receiving this note and you don’t want to, shame on you, but let me know, I’ll take you off the list.

Remember to visit http://www.honortheswc.com/home.asp and help build the SWC Gallery in the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.