OT Quintin Outland

2003 Statistics

Coach: Guy Morriss
3-9, 1 year
2003 Record: 3-9
UAB LOST 19-24
at North Texas LOST 14-52
SMU WON 10-7
SAM HOUSTON ST WON 27-6
COLORADO WON 42-30
at Texas A&M LOST 10-73
at Kansas LOST 21-28
TEXAS LOST 0-56
at Kansas State LOST 10-38
TEXAS TECH LOST 14-62
at Oklahoma LOST 3-41
OKLAHOMA STATE LOST 21-38


2003 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR

2004 Outlook

The good news is that Baylor plays Texas State, so they shouldn't go winless. The bad news is that they play 10 other games against teams not called Texas State and will most likely lose them all. With so many key positions unsettled heading to training camp, Coach Morriss is going to be extremely hard-pressed to make this team even remotely competitive.

The battle for the quarterback job will be one story to watch in August and September, and the quicker someone can step up and grab the reigns, the better off everyone will be. The eventual winner of that derby will have his hands full trying to put points on the board with a mediocre supporting cast.

The defense has enough young talent to warrant some respect and to cause opposing coordinators to lose a little bit of sleep, though only maybe 5 minutes or so. Unfortunately the squad will battle not only opposing offenses, but also inexperience and fatigue. Most weeks they're going to lose these battles, but, as a whole, the defense's valiant effort will be something to watch.

This fall, Baylor fans need to be less concerned with wins and losses then they are with player development. There are some youngsters in the program that may help form the nucleus of a re-built Baylor squad in 2005 and 2006. While enduring a painful fall, keep an eye on the youth movement in Waco and remind yourselves that better days are ahead. Floyd Casey-goers are used to being a doormat in their ever-improving conference. Therefore, dismal results still contain the thing Bear fans (and others) all love most, and that is college football. Hooray for anyone who tries their hardest, so a big hooray for Baylor and their efforts, regardless. Build that character, guys…


Projected 2004 record: 3-8
FS Maurice Lane
BAYLOR
*POWER RATINGS
Offense
Defense
QB - 2 DL - 3
RB - 2 LB - 2
WR - 2.5 DB - 2.5
OL - 2.5 ..
RETURNING LEADERS

Passing: Aaron Karas, 239-135-11, 1481 yds., 10 TD

Rushing: Anthony Krieg, 56 att., 222 yds., 1 TD

Receiving: Trent Shelton, 25 rec., 298 yds., 1 TD

Scoring: Kenny Webb, 7-13 FG, 24-24 PAT, 45 pts.

Punting: Daniel Sepulveda, 87 punts, 43.1 avg.

Kicking: Kenny Webb, 7-13 FG, 24-24 PAT, 45 pts.

Tackles: Maurice Lane, 129 tot., 89 solo

Sacks: M.T. Robinson, 3 sacks

Interceptions: Willie Andrews, 2 for 24 yds.

Kickoff returns: Willie Andrews, 26 ret., 24.7 avg., 0 TD

Punt returns: Willie Andrews, 29 ret., 8.0 avg., 0 TD

 

BAYLOR
OFFENSE - 7
----RETURNING STARTERS----
DEFENSE - 7
KEY LOSSES
OFFENSE: Rashad Armstrong-TB, Cedric Fields-C, Robert Quiroga-WR, Shane Williams-TE
DEFENSE: Derrick Cash-OS, Dominick Cravens-DE, Stephen Sepulveda-MLB, Matt Johnson-CB, Joe Simmons-DE, John Garrett-MLB
2004 OFFENSE

Quarterback
Like a train trying to run without an engine, the Baylor Bears' offense continues to sputter without a clear-cut starting quarterback. To Guy Morriss' dismay, spring practice failed to produce a frontrunner for the job that has been an open competition since last season's end. Coming off a season in which the team ranked in the bottom-fifth nationally for passing, improved play under center is an absolute must. But the Bears are not going to avoid another disastrous campaign from this perspective. Sophomore Shawn Bell, JUCO-transfer Dane King, and senior Aaron Karas figure to battle right up to the season's first snap to see who will win the starter's role. Our money would be on Bell to win the job based on his youth and potential to grow in the offense; but on a dismal team, expect each of them to see time with the first unit.

Running Back
Even after subtracting out negative sack yardage, the Bear's running attack averaged a very ordinary 3.75 yards per carry (with it, they averaged 2.8). Considering the marginal passing game and the inexperienced offensive line, you have to commend the Baylor backfield for doing all that they could. With little improvement in the aerial attack, the loss of the team's leading rusher to graduation will prove disastrous this fall. Like the QB spot, coach Morriss ended spring practice without a solid number one option, and was left with a running back-by-committee scenario as of now. Ex-triple jumper Anthony Kreig (sr.), the most experienced of them, will be the first to have the RB focus. Keep an eye on sophomore Paul Mosley, whose immense talents are only tempered by his lack of experience. The coaching staff will try to establish a strong ball-control oriented offense, and FB Jonathan Evans is the only confirmed bruiser with which to do so.

Receiver
With the quarterback situation less-than-promising, don't expect much production from a receiving corps devoid of star talent. Coming off a season in which the team failed to produce a pass-catcher with more than 500 yards receiving, the Bears will be hard pressed to even match last year's mediocre 11 touchdown catches. Sophomores Trenton Shelton and Dominique Ziegler have shown promise and will develop into nice players over their next three seasons. The entire corps has size and speed. But with the unsettled QB situation and a non-threatening ground game, these youngsters will be hard-pressed to produce results in-line with their talent levels this fall.

Tight End
The Bears' tight end tandem combined for a whopping 11 catches in 2003. Behind that seemingly paltry effort, however, lies a healthy 13+ yards per catch average proving that Baylor's TE's have the talent to be real threats in the passing game. Like their wide receiver counterparts, inconsistent play from under center will prevent their receiving numbers from reaching gaudier heights. A strong line will allow them to run routes more often, which would give Baylor an advantage in at least one unit.

Offensive Line
Most experts agree that the Bears' offensive line may well be the team's strongest unit. That's both a dangerous idea and a revealing statement about the team's chances of success. Allowing an absurd 46 sacks and spearheading a mediocre running game, this offensive line should just not be considered a strength. Problems stem from their decent size, and how that makes it tough for these behemoths to move (nearly as well as those future-NFL-types from OU, Nebraska, Texas, etc.) The injury to Nick Pace was a major setback for the group, but there is experience here, as three (upperclassmen) out of five starters return. And for a team desperate for a silver lining, the offensive line will have to do.

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Hmm…no starting quarterback yet…no starting running back yet…and an experienced (but overmatched) offensive line. Sounds like a recipe for disaster for the Baylor Bears. It's hard to believe, but coach Morriss' offensive rebuilding job will actually take a step backwards from last season's disastrous results. To be fair, though, it is a re-building process and sometimes you just need to tear things down (again) before you build them back up. Bears' fans should watch for development, improvement and painful growth on offense…just don't be looking for too many points. The QB and RB developments will go a long way toward defining what is now unknown.

 

WR Marques Roberts

 

BAYLOR 2004 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
OFFENSE
QB Shawn Bell-So (6-1, 210) Dane King-Jr (6-2, 210)
Aaron Karas-Sr (6-2, 190)
FB Jonathan Evans-Sr (6-1, 244) Jonathan Sisk-So (6-1, 210)
TB Anthony Krieg-Sr (6-1, 216) Jonathan Golden-Sr (6-1, 221)
WR Dominique Zeigler-So (6-3, 185) Shaun Rochon-Jr (5-9, 190)
WR Marques Roberts-Sr (6-2, 224) Trent Shelton-So (6-2, 175)
WR John Martin-Jr (6-0, 182) J Fields-Jr (6-3, 205)
TE Marcus Venus-Sr (6-2, 234) Mike Miller-Fr (6-3, 231)
OT Quintin Outland-Sr (6-5, 324) Ricky Hasoon-Fr (6-2, 291)
OG Glen Oskin-Jr (6-5, 300) Chris Evans-Fr (6-6, 338)
C Joseph DeWoody-Sr (6-4, 295) Chad Smith-So (6-6, 290)
OG Lequalan McDonald-Jr (6-5, 330) Travis Farst-So (6-7, 303)
OT Nick Pace-So (6-3, 270) Ted Tanner-Fr (6-3, 285)
K Kenny Webb-Sr (5-8, 160) Ryan Havens-So (5-10, 185)

 

2004 DEFENSE

Defensive Line
Baylor's defensive line produced a mixed bag of results, managing a respectable 29 sacks, but yielding an eye-popping 5.1 yards per carry on the ground. The depleted unit will improve with two talented sophomores manning the tackle positions and legitimizing a weak middle. The coaching staff is genuinely excited about the spring performance of their defensive ends, Montez Murphy and Khari Long, and thinks the team's pass rush will actually improve. Depth is non-existent in Waco, so an improved starting unit could be submarined if the injury bug hits.

Linebacker
Like the defensive line, opponent's rushing success is an indictment of a mediocre linebacking corps. But unlike the defensive line, there has not been an influx of young talent to help solidify the unit. With one returning starter and a dearth of impact reserves, the front four will have to make a lot of tackles…because it doesn't look like their linebackers are going to make many at all. Senior Justin Crooks has the most complete game of the two official LBs, but size factors across the board mean Big XII foes will have much open in the underneath departments.

Defensive Back
The good…Maurice Lane is an all-Big XII type of performer at free safety, leading the team with 129 tackles (though that's really an indication of the weakness in the linebacking corps, not of his amazing prowess). The bad…the team allowed 256.5 passing yards per game (108th for pass efficiency defense) and gave up a whopping 31 passing touchdowns. The ugly…this fall, both starting cornerback spots will most likely be manned by inexperienced sophomores. Yup, that's right. The Bears pass defense may actually be worse then its preceding unit, or the new blood can only be a sign of good things to come. But fear not, Baylor fans…these kids have the tools to become legitimate Big XII performers. All they need is experience. After a bumpy opening to the season, expect this group to be Baylor's best unit on this side of the pigskin by season's end.

DEFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Well, the good news is that it really can't get much worse after allowing 37.9 points per game to rank 112th in this department. If the offense was capable of any consistency, the 'D' could even be somewhat respectable. The play of the line and the secondary may mask a deficiency at linebacker, though depth is a question on both units. Maybe five DBs isn't the formula here, but hindsight is 20/20, huh. At the end of the day, Bears' fans must watch for individual improvements rather then team success on defense.

 

LB Justin Crooks

 

BAYLOR 2004 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
DEFENSE
DE Khari Long-Sr (6-4, 254) Marcus Foreman-So (6-2, 230)
DT M.T. Robinson-So (6-1, 295) Julian Hill-So (6-3, 250
DT Quincy Jenkins-So (6-1, 284) Michael Gary-Jr (6-3, 290)
DE Montez Murphy-Jr (6-6, 260) Anderson Horn-So (6-5, 246)
OUT Maurice Linguist-So (5-10, 204) Brannan Moton-Fr (6-2, 190)
LB Colin Allred-Jr (6-2, 240) Michael Tolbert-Sr (6-0, 245)
LB Justin Crooks-Sr (6-0, 230) Tyler Lindstrom-Jr (6-2, 215)
CB C.J. Wilson-So (6-1, 190) James Todd-So (6-0, 174)
CB Anthony Arline-So (6-2, 186) Michael Boyd-Sr (5-8, 170)
OS Willie Andrews-Jr (5-10, 186) Nick Fellows-Fr (5-10, 185)
FS Maurice Lane-Jr (5-11, 183) Kyle Seals-Fr (6-0, 175)
P Daniel Sepulveda-So (6-3, 225) Jeremy Parker-So (5-9, 162)

 

 

2004 SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker
With a conversion rate of 53.8%, senior kicker Kenny Webb certainly doesn't blow you away. But his accuracy was 70% on kicks inside of 50 yards, so he is certainly adequate on a team that just doesn't produce many scoring chances.

Punter
Finally - the highlight of the Baylor football program. Fittingly enough, the team with an inept offense hides it's best weapon in the punting unit, as sophomore Daniel Sepulveda averaged 43.1 yards per punt and pinned opponents inside their own 20 on 23 occasions. He should be looking at his second straight All-Big XII selection, though net punting results haven't followed suit.