Monday | December 9, 2013 Vol.116 No. 52 baylorlariat com Baylor Lariat The fiesta is just getting started BIG12 CHAMPS VS PHOTOS BY MATT HELLMAN | LARIAT MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER AND ROBBY HIRST | LARIAT PHOTOGRAPHER | baylorlariat com Bowl Issue MONDAY | DECEMBER 9, 2013 2 Baylor Lariat www.baylorlariat.com Bears win Big 12 Conference title By Shehan Jeyarajah After the Oklahoma game, the “This was amazing,” former Sports Writer injury bug began to bite the Bears. three-star recruit and current Out- At different points of the season, land Trophy finalist Cyril Rich- When asked during Big 12 me- running backs Lache Seastrunk ardson said. “When I came here, I dia day back in July whether Baylor and Glasco Martin, receiver Tevin thought I would just give it my all could win a Big 12 Championship, Reese, left tackle Spencer Drango, and do what I can, but to see every- senior safety Ahmad Dixon was linebacker Bryce Hager and cor- thing according to what happened quick to respond. nerback K.J Morton went down tonight, it’s an overwhelming feel- “Can God save a hooker?” with injuries. ing. I never thought that I would Well, it seems as though the While the offense slowed at be standing up there celebrating a answer to that question is an em- times, it gave the defense a chance Big 12 Championship.” phatic ‘yes.’ to prosper. Baylor sits at No. 6 and is head- Baylor trounced No. 25 Uni- That is, until No. 4 Baylor ed to a BCS bowl game for the first versity of Texas 30-10 in freezing struggled against No. 10 Oklaho- time in the 16-year history of the conditions to win its first Big 12 ma State on the way to its first and BCS. Championship in the 19-year his- only loss of the season, 49-17. The Bears will play the No. 15 tory of the conference. With the loss, Baylor’s national University of Central Florida in the “If you can get great players, championship hopes were dashed Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, great people, great administration and Oklahoma State was in the AZ on New Year’s Day. and great fan support, everything driver’s seat for the Big 12 title. “I think tomorrow when I wake can be a reality,” head football While dreams of a national up and see ‘Baylor – 2013 Big 12 coach Art Briles said. “This is a championship were over, the sea- Champs’ I’m going to believe it, defining moment for our program son was not lost. but right now it’s crazy,” senior de- and it’s one I think we’ll be able to With Oklahoma beating Okla- fensive end Chris McAllister said. repeat many times.” homa State in Bedlam on Saturday, “It just shows what you can do with It was not something that any- the game between Baylor and Tex- a vision, a dream and hard work.” one expected coming into the as became a de facto Big 12 Cham- But Seastrunk knows the sea- season. The preseason Big 12 poll pionship game. son isn’t over yet. selected Baylor to finish fifth over- After a 3-3 deadlock at half, “I’m happy we won the Big 12 all in the conference behind Okla- Baylor, unfazed by the stakes, out- Championship, but we’ve got to get homa State, Oklahoma, TCU and scored the Longhorns 27-7 in the to business. Hey, we won. Cherish ROBBY HIRST | LARIAT PHOTOGRAPHER Texas. The preseason Associated second half en route to its first Big it. I’m not a big guy like ‘oh, we did Senior linebacker Eddie Lackey holds up a ‘2013 Big 12 Champs’ sign on top of the podium at Floyd Casey Press and USA Today polls did not 12 Championship. this.’ I’m moving on. I’m already Stadium on Saturday after Baylor defeated Texas 30-10 to clinch the Big 12 Championship outright. have Baylor ranked. “Everyone in this locker room about to start watching film on The Bears attempted to remedy knows we can go out there and UCF.” this situation immediately with beat whoever it is, if it’s Texas, if Ever since Briles came to Waco, their performance in non-confer- it’s Oklahoma,” senior cornerback his intentions were to bring Bay- ence. After dominant wins over KJ Morton said. “We don’t look at lor a Big 12 title, even when that Wofford, Buffalo and Louisiana- names anymore. We know what seemed improbable. Monroe, the Bears moved all the we’re capable of. This program has “I had a guy send me a quote a way up to No. 17 in the AP poll grown so much. Even just from the couple weeks ago that was some- and No. 15 in the USA Today poll. players believing, the faith that we thing Michaelangelo said, ‘the During the first seven games, Bay- have in our abilities now. Every- problem with people is not that lor averaged 63.9 points per game. body has confidence.” they aim too high and miss; it’s that With each win, the bandwagon On Senior Day, Baylor re- they aim too low and hit.’ That’s the grew. With the hype came the de- minded everyone just how far this way you have to think and feel,” tractors and college football pun- program has come. When most of Briles said. “We’re always going to dits who claimed Baylor could the seniors in this program were aim high.” not be better than the traditional recruited, Baylor was a doormat. Baylor football will focus on its powers because the Bears had not Since the majority of football play- next goal of winning the program’s played anyone. And at the time, the ers redshirt, most recruits came af- first BCS bowl game on Jan. 1. pundits were right. With that back- ter a 4-8 season in 2009. The only No. 6 Baylor will play Univer- drop, No. 6 Baylor obliterated No. highly rated player who played his sity of Central Florida in the Fiesta ROBBY HIRST | LARIAT PHOTOGRAPHER 10 Oklahoma 41-12 in a matchup last game in the green and gold Bowl on New Year’s Day in Glen- Senior nickelback Prince Kent savors the moment after Baylor wins its first Big 12 Conference Championship after of top 10 teams. Saturday night was Dixon. dale. defeating Texas 30-10 on Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium. Bears take on UCF Knights in Fiesta Bowl By Shehan Jeyarajah Central Florida has outscored in the nation at red-zone defense. wide receiver Tevin Reese is not Sports Writer its opponents this season by a com- Baylor has struggled mightily in expected to return from a dislo- bined 365-215, capped off by a 62- the past few games at scoring in cated wrist, but a return is not im- After winning its first Big 12 17 explosion against Connecticut the red-zone, and UCF may be able possible. Championship on Saturday night, on Oct. 26. The Knights rank 45th to take advantage. UCF is not great The Bears have a chance to run Baylor football earned a bid to overall in total offense with 432.0 at getting third down stops, and away with their first BCS bowl win play in a BCS bowl game for the yards per game, and rank 41st in a Baylor team that excels at mak- on New Year’s Day. The win would first time in the history of the BCS. scoring offense with 33.2 points ing things happen on third down be their third straight bowl victory With their conference champion- per game. should look to take chances. and fourth straight bowl appear- ship, the Bears are pegged to go Junior quarterback Blake Bor- Both of these teams are solid ance. Both of those marks would to the 43rd annual Tostitos Fiesta tles is the unquestioned offensive football teams who have played be school records. Bowl at the University of Phoenix leader of the UCF Knights, and has great seasons, but Baylor should The Fiesta Bowl is one of five Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. where been called a potential first-round come out as the better football BCS bowl games, along with the the Bears will face American Ath- NFL Draft pick in the upcoming team. USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Rose letic Conference champion No. draft. Bortles has thrown for 3,280 rates UCF’s schedule as the 92nd in Bowl and BCS National Champi- 15 University of Central Florida yards and 22 touchdowns on the both FBS and FCS football. onship. The BCS bowls are con- Knights. season. Against Louisville, Bortles Out of Baylor’s 11 games sidered to be the most significant “Baylor Nation and our football led a 75-yard drive and threw a against FBS teams, eight were postseason action in college foot- program are honored and ener- clutch touchdown pass to take a against opponents who finished ball in lieu of an actual playoff sys- gized by the invitation to the Tosti- 38-35 lead with only 23 second re- the season bowl-eligible. On the tem. This is the final year of BCS tos Fiesta Bowl,” director of athlet- maining in the game. other hand, UCF played against 12 bowl selection, as the FBS is mov- ics Ian McCaw said. “This is the The Knights have a relatively FBS teams and five of its opponents ing to a four-team playoff system culmination to a very special year weak rushing attack that ranked finished the season bowl-eligible.