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Buzz WorthyNew football coach highlights the fall sports season
FOOTBALL
COACH: Art Briles (first year at BU; and sixth year overall, 34-28)
LAST YEAR: 3-9 (0-8, last in Big 12 South)
OUTLOOK: Art Briles's (pictured
with Robert Griffin) hiring last November 28 created the kind of buzz
that Baylor football hasn't seen in years. The schedule is a bit
overwhelming, including non-conference matchups against Connecticut,
Wake Forest, and Washington State. But if the players pick up Briles's
balanced offensive system, the Bears could pull off a few upsets before
opening league play against defending Big 12 champion Oklahoma.
TOP RETURNERS: Jason Smith,
sr., offensive tackle; Dan Gay, sr., offensive tackle; J. D. Walton,
jr., center; Blake Szymanski, jr., quarterback; Justin Akers, jr.,
inside receiver; Brad Taylor, so., inside receiver; David Gettis, jr.,
wide receiver; Ernest Smith, jr., wide receiver; Mikail Baker, jr.,
wide receiver; Jay Finley, so., running back; Vincent Rhodes, sr.,
defensive tackle; Trey Bryant, jr., nose guard; Jason Lamb, jr.,
defensive end; Joe Pawelek, jr., linebacker; Antonio Jones, jr.,
linebacker; Earl Patin, so., linebacker; Chris Francis, so.,
linebacker; Dwain Crawford, sr., cornerback; Krys Buerck, so.,
cornerback; Jordan Lake, jr., free safety.
TOP NEWCOMERS: Robert Griffin,
fr., quarterback; Kirby Freeman, sr.-transfer (University of Miami),
quarterback; Courtney Green, redshirt fr., offensive guard; John Jones,
redshirt fr., offensive guard; Romie Blaylock, fr., inside receiver;
Zac Scotton, redshirt fr., defensive end; Elliot Coffey, redshirt fr.,
linebacker; Rodney Brisbon, jr.-transfer (Northwest Mississippi CC),
offensive lineman; Trentson Hill, fr., cornerback; Jarred Salubi, fr.,
running back; Jeremy Sanders, jr.-transfer (Navarro College),
quarterback/athlete; T.J. Scranton, jr.-transfer (Kilgore College),
wide receiver; Michael Williams, fr., cornerback; Kendall Wright, fr.,
wide receiver.
STRENGTHS: Joe Pawelek, a
second-team all-Big 12 pick the last two years who had a team-best
ninety-nine tackles, returns to lead a talented linebacking corps. Even
with the switch from a 4-2-5 to a 4-3 defensive alignment, the Bears
are loaded at the position. Junior Antonio Jones and sophomore Antonio
Johnson are the projected starters at the outside spots, but there's
solid depth with sophomores Chris Francis, Earl Patin, and Elliot
Coffey.
VOLLEYBALL
COACH: Jim Barnes (fifth year at BU, 59-68; and thirteenth year overall, 222-166)
LAST YEAR: 14-17 (6-14, T-eighth in Big 12)
OUTLOOK: Coach Jim Barnes has
to rebuild his back row after losing Kirsten Schramek to graduation and
Sarah Grace, who transferred in December after earning all-Big 12
freshman honors. But there's a solid nucleus returning with setter
Taylor Barnes, outside hitters Katie Sanders and Ashlie Christenson,
and middle blocker Anna Breyfogle. With a pair of top-100 recruits
coming in, the Bears could earn their first NCAA Tournament berth since
2001.
TOP RETURNERS: Taylor Barnes,
jr., setter; Anna Breyfogle, jr., middle blocker; Katie Sanders, jr.,
outside hitter; Ashlie Christenson, so., outside hitter.
TOP NEWCOMERS: Brittany
Ridenour, fr., setter; Evin Cotton, fr., libero; Jordan Rice, fr.,
outside hitter/defensive specialist; Krista Brenner, redshirt
fr.-transfer (Tennessee), outside hitter; Briana Tolbert, fr., middle
blocker.
STRENGTHS: Freshmen Krista
Brenner and Briana Tolbert should make an immediate impact. A transfer
from Tennessee, Brenner played one game for the Lady Vols before a
season-ending injury. She was rated the fifty-second-best prospect in
the nation in 2007 and played on a team that won the bronze medal at
the Junior Olympics. Named to the Texas Girls Coaches All-Star team,
Tolbert was rated the sixty-second recruit in the nation and the
fifth-best middle blocker in Texas. She led District 17-5A last year
with 334 kills and added seventy-four total blocks, including
thirty-four solos.
SOCCER
COACH: Marci Jobson (first year at BU; and fourth year overall, 23-27-9)
LAST YEAR: 7-10-2 (1-8-1, T-tenth in Big 12)
OUTLOOK: With nine of their
first twelve games at home, the Bears have a chance to build some early
momentum with a young team. Coach Jobson, a former U.S. National team
player who coached at Northern Illinois the last three years, plays a
more physical style and demands "100 percent effort 100 percent of the
time." Jobson is hoping the blue-collar approach will bring the program
just its second Big 12 Tournament berth in the last seven years.
TOP RETURNERS: Beckah Brady,
jr., midfielder; Andi Fagan, sr., midfielder; Carolyn Lynch, sr.,
midfielder; Amanda McGrath, sr., forward; Lotto Smith, so., midfielder;
Katie White, jr., forward; Megan Humke, jr., defender; Lauren Weathers,
jr., defender; Betsy Kyle, jr., midfielder; Lindsey Johnson, so.,
midfielder.
TOP NEWCOMERS: Staz Salinas,
fr., midfielder; Christine Clark, fr. midfielder/forward; Jessica Loyd,
fr., midfielder; Wallis Young, fr., defender/midfielder.
STRENGTHS: After losing their
top two scorers off last year's team, incoming freshman Staz Salinas
could make a huge impact. She was the District 25-5A MVP as a senior
after scoring ten goals and registering twenty-five assists in her
first three seasons at Austin Bowie High School. She has played for two
state champions in club soccer and was invited to play for the Mexican
National team.
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