"We need to make a big jump this year," Steele said. "I think we’ve steadily gotten better. The disappointment of that was we still didn’t get enough wins, even in that steadiness. We needed to post some more wins in those first, second and third years, but the steadiness in the improvement of the program was there. But you’re only measured in terms of the big picture and that’s wins."
Baylor returns the nucleus of last year’s team, and that may be good or bad. There is plenty of experience returning from a team that went 0-8 in the Big 12.
Nine starters are back from the 2001 defense that gave up 418.2 yards and 32.5 points per game. The defensive front is good, but the secondary must make some big improvements.
Offensively, the Bears have a new coordinator in Dave Baldwin, who spent the 2001 season as offensive coordinator at Cincinnati. Baldwin coached a Cincinnati offense that averaged 416.3 yards per game, ranking among the nation’s top 40 in that category. Baldwin also spent four years as head coach and called all offensive plays at San Jose State before going to Cincinnati.
QUARTERBACKS
At the end of spring practices, senior Greg Cicero (6-4, 225) was the starting quarterback, but that doesn’t guarantee him the job when the Bears play their 2002 opener Aug. 31 at California.
Also contending for the job are sophomores Aaron Karas (6-2, 192) and Davon Vinson (6-4, 214) and junior Josh Zachry (6-3, 188). Baldwin will have a say about the starter, which wasn’t settled at the end of spring practice, but that may change before two-a-days start this fall.
"We need something to become solid there," Steele said. "Dave has not recommended a pecking order yet. They’re stacked up there now. Cicero came out of spring No. 1, Vinson a close, close second with Karas in there and Zachry.’’
Cicero started eight games in 2001, including the first seven. He completed 129-of-255 passes, which ranks seventh and sixth, respectively, on Baylor’s single-season list. He had a career game against Missouri when he was 25-of-35 for 231 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. For the season, Cicero threw six touchdown passes and was intercepted 13 times. He threw for 1,239 yards.
Karas was red-shirted for the 2000 season, and in 2001 played in the last two games. He came off the bench against Oklahoma State in the next-to-last game and completed 14-of-22 passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns. In the regular-season finale, Karas was 11-of-22 for 331 yards and three touchdowns against Southern Illinois. He became the first Baylor quarterback in 10 years to throw for 300 yards in a game.
Zachry played in seven games and started against Texas and Missouri late in the season. He completed 60-of-102 passes for 526 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. He was 21-of-36 against Missouri for 173 yards, but didn’t play much against Missouri when he was 4-of-9 before going to the bench.
RUNNING BACKS
In the Bears’ spread offense, the running backs aren’t the focal point, so they’re not going to pile up huge numbers. Last season, the Bears ranked 10th in the Big 12 in rushing and 108th nationally, averaging 95.7 rushing yards per game.
That won’t change too much this season as the Bears continue throwing the football.
Sophomore Anthony Krieg (6-0, 214) led the Bears in rushing last season as a freshman when he gained 245 yards on 70 carries. He started the last five games against Texas Tech, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Southern Illinois. In his first career start, Krieg had his best game of the season, rushing for 67 yards on 16 carries.
Krieg is also a good receiver out of the backfield, finishing 2001 as the Bears’ sixth-leading receiver with 19 catches for 104 yards. He scored one rushing touchdown.
Also vying for the starting job will be junior Jonathan Golden (6-1, 221), who was slotted as the starter when spring practice began. Golden was third on the team last season with 215 yards and scored a team-high two rushing touchdowns. He averaged 2.9 yards per carry.
Senior Chedrick Ricks (5-9, 198) will also be in the hunt for some carries. Ricks missed the first three games of the 2001 season while coming back from a shoulder injury. He finished the season with 85 yards on 33 carries, averaging 2.6 yards per carry.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Senior Reggie Newhouse (6-1, 189) was one of the top receivers in the Big 12 last season, and he could be even more effective in 2002 with the addition of a couple of fast junior college transfers.
They are junior Vince Copeland (6-3, 180) of Reedley (Calif.) Junior College and J.T. Thompson (5-10, 190) of Kilgore (Texas) Junior College.
Copeland, of Valdosta, Ga., was chosen as his team’s most valuable player last season after catching 69 passes for 875 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games. He also returned punts. Copeland was rated the country’s 98th-best junior college prospect by The Insiders.com.
Thompson signed with Kansas out of Kilgore (Texas) High School and caught eight passes for 130 yards in seven games for the Jayhawks. He then went to Kilgore Junior College and had 543 yards and five touchdowns on 48 receptions last season.
Newhouse, who has caught passes in 22 straight games, enters his senior year third in career catches at Baylor with 108, fifth in receiving yardage (1,412) and fifth in touchdown catches with 12.
Last season, Newhouse was on the All-Big 12 second team and finished fifth in the league in catches with 61 and second in touchdown catches with eight.
Sophomore John Martin (6-0, 183) and senior Ray Harrington (6-3, 219) were also slotted as starters in spring practices. Martin was third on the team in catches last year with 32 for 345 yards and one touchdown; Harrington had 10 catches for 63 yards last season.
Baylor must replace starting tight end Andrew Obriotti, used primarily as a blocker. He caught one pass last season. Junior Shane Williams (6-3, 235) was the starter in spring practice.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Only one starter, junior guard Cedric Fields , returns to the offensive line. Fields (6-3, 311) moved from left guard to center in spring practices.
Senior Derrick Pearcy (6-3, 324) takes over as the left guard after playing in nine games last season. Pearcy played both center and guard with a high of 26 snaps against Iowa State. As a sophomore, Pearcy played in eight games and started against Oklahoma State.
Sophomore Chris Sipes (6-4, 287) will be Fields’ backup and senior Matt Bickel (6-4, 363) will be Pearcy’s backup. Brad Schlueter (6-5, 275), a sophomore, should be ready for two-a-days after missing the spring with an injury.
At left tackle, sophomore Quintin Outland (6-4, 329) may become one of the Big 12’s better linemen over the next couple of years. Outland was chosen to the All-Big 12 freshman team by The Sporting News, playing in all 11 games and starting the last two games against Oklahoma State and Southern Illinois at left tackle. In is first college game Outland played 33 snaps against Arkansas State.
Sophomore Ryan McDaniel (6-5, 276) was slotted as Outland’s backup in the spring.
Junior Antoine Murphy (6-3, 342) was the starter at right guard in the spring and was backed up by sophomore Scott Pendleton (6-4, 301). Sophomore Derek Long (6-6, 300) was injured in the spring but should be in the mix at right guard by preseason workouts.
At right tackle, junior T.J. Helmcamp (6-4, 310) should be the starter with red-shirt freshman Glen Oskin (6-5, 279) as the backup.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Steele says his defensive front is the strength of the defense, and it needs to be formidable -- more than last year when the Bears ranked 11th in the Big 12 in total defense.
Ryan Gillenwater, who played nose tackle, is the only starter lost from the defensive front.
Returning is right end Aaron Lard , left end Charles Mann and tackle Kevin Stevenson .
Lard (6-2, 257), a junior, led the down linemen with 59 tackles and was second on the team with four sacks. He tied for third on the team with 10 tackles for loss. His best game was against Nebraska when he had 12 tackles. As a red-shirt freshman, Lard earned a starting job and started 10 games and had 50 tackles, including four tackles for loss.
Mann (6-3, 241), a senior, had 32 tackles in 10 games, missing the Iowa State game with an ankle injury. Mann started nine games as a sophomore at left defensive end and finished the season with 35 tackles and eight quarterback hurries.
Senior A.C. Collier (6-4, 232) will push Mann for the starting job at left end. In the spring, the two were slotted as co-No. 1s. Collier was chosen the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He was picked to the All-Big 12 first team by the Dallas Morning News and Star-Telegram.
With good speed and quickness, Collier was among the Big 12 leaders with six sacks and 28 quarterback hurries. He finished with 46 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss, and had three pass break-ups.
Senior Ethan Kelley (6-2, 295) appears to be the most likely player to take over for Gillenwater at nose tackle.
Kelley started at offensive guard in 1999 and 2000 and moved to defense last season. He finished the season with 58 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and two sacks.
Senior Kevin Stevenson (6-2, 273) returns as the defensive tackle and is backed up by junior Travis Hicks (6-4, 300) and red-shirt freshman Lorenzo Davis (6-4, 333). Hicks missed spring practice with an injury.
Stevenson made 57 tackles last season.
LINEBACKERS
All three starting linebackers return -- senior middle linebacker Greg Wade (6-3, 235), junior weak-side linebacker John Garrett (6-1, 238) and junior strong-side linebacker Stephen Sepulveda (6-2, 216).
"We’re solid with the first corps, a little young with backups," Steele said. "We’re going to have to stay healthy there."
Garrett, who started all 11 games, was third on the team in tackles with 89 and had 10 tackles for loss. He was chosen honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league’s coaches and the Associated Press. Against Texas A&M, Garrett had a season-high 13 tackles and followed that game with 12 tackles and a forced fumble against Nebraska.
In 2000, Garrett had 54 tackles and started five of the nine games in which he was played. He was chosen to the Rivals.com True Freshman All-America team.
Sepulveda, who started all 11 games, was fifth on the team in tackles with 69 and had eight tackles in three different games -- against New Mexico, Iowa State and Missouri. He played as a freshman in 2000 and made 10 tackles.
Wade started eight games last season after transferring from Georgia Military College. He was among the team leaders with 66 tackles and made a season-high nine tackles against Oklahoma State.
Sophomores Michael Tolbert (6-0, 234) and Colin Allred (6-2, 228) were slotted behind Wade at middle linebacker in the spring. Senior Kelvin Chaisson (6-1, 221) and sophomore Jack Wallace (6-4, 222) were backing up Sepulveda, while sophomore Justin Crooks (6-0, 221) and red-shirt freshman Jamaal Harper (6-0, 224) were behind Garrett at weak-side linebacker.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Steele hopes he injected some new life into his secondary with his recruiting class, which included three junior college cornerbacks -- Ahmad Rhodes (5-10, 165) of Navarro (Texas) Junior College, Tyson Hampton (6-1, 185) of American River (Calif.) Junior College and Larry Bynum (5-10, 180) of College of Canyon (Calif.) Community College.
Junior Derrick Cash (5-11, 212) returns as the starting free safety, but the Bears must replace strong safety Samir Al-Amin, who led the team in tackles with 109 and had three interceptions and 11 pass break-ups.
Cash was second on the team in tackles with 106 and had a team-high five interceptions and 13 break-ups.
Junior Bobby Hart (5-11, 186) returns after starting the first eight games at right cornerback, but he was moved to the left side in the spring. He was chosen honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league’s coaches.
Senior Randy Davis (5-10, 163) was slotted behind Hart at left corner in the spring. Davis missed the last three games after suffering a knee strain against Texas. He finished with 50 tackles, including a career-high 11 against Iowa State, and had one interception.
Junior Matt Amendola (5-11, 191) was the starter at free safety in the spring as Cash makes the move to strong safety. Amendola finished with 22 tackles. As a red-shirt freshman, Amendola started six games and had 40 tacckles. He returned an interception 39 yards in his first college start against North Texas and followed that game with 13 tackles against Minnesota in 2000.
PUNTERS
Stiles was also the starting punter and his backup, Ryan Chapdelaine, was also a senior last season. Stiles averaged 44.1 yards on 70 punts last season, ranking second in the Big 12. Chapdelaine averaged 40 yards on eight punts.
Several players will vie for the starting job, including sophomore John Self (5-11, 168), red-shirt freshman Adam Tomlinson (6-1, 203) and freshman Jeremy Parker (5-8, 170).
Tomlinson was red-shirted last year and Self was on the squad team. Parker averaged 44 yards per punt as a senior at Mesquite (Texas) High School, which won the Class 5A title and finished 15-0.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Quiroga, Hart, and Davis handled most of the kickoffs last season and should share the load again in 2002. Quiroga and Hart both return 13 kickoffs, Quiroga averaging 19.2 yarsd and Hart 17 yards. Davis averaged 22.9 yards on nine kickoffs.
Davis, the cornerback, returned a kickoff 93 yards for touchdown against Oklahoma. He averaged 22.9 yards on nine kickoffs.
Returning is deep snapper Charles Hall (6-1, 224), a senior. Hall started last season.
RECRUITING CLASS
Steele and his assistants went for speed in the 2002 recruiting effort, signing six defensive backs and four wide receivers. One other player, Willie Andrews of Longview (Texas) High School, is a defensive back/athlete and Lewis Hyman of Hearne (Texas) High School is a wide receiver/athlete.
Quincy Cosby of Mart (Texas) High School was a defensive back and running back in high school and is simply listed as an athlete. Steele will find the right fit for him this fall.
The three key recruits are Rhodes, Bynum and Hampton, the three junior college cornerbacks. Baylor needed a quick fix with some speed at cornerback and apparently found it with those guys.
Steele also signed two defensive linemen and two linebackers.
Offensively, the Bears brought in four wide receivers, four offensive linemen, two running backs, one quarterback and one tight end.
The quarterback is Shawn Bell (6-1, 185), who finished his career at China Springs (Texas) High School as the third-leading passer in Texas high school history. Bell threw for 8,437 yards and completed 525 passes. As a senior, he completed almost 70 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,308 yards and 33 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He was rated as one of the top 40 drop-back passers in the nation by recruiting analyst Max Emfinger.
The two running backs are Paul Mosley (6-3, 215) of Anderson High School in Austin, Texas, and Rashad Armstrong (5-9, 205) of Mesa (Ariz.) Community College. Armstrong was the 2001 NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year and earned first-team All-America honors after rushing for 1,373 yards in 10 games.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Baylor’s defense must improve drastically for it to make a move up the Big 12 standings. Steele went after speed in the secondary in his recruiting effort, and perhaps that will help a pass defense that ranked 11th in the league.
The defensive front is solid and so are the linebackers, but there isn’t much depth. Any injury or two to key players would be a blow.
Offensively, the Bears will keep throwing and throwing and throwing. They need to settle on a quarterback early in the preseason; they didn’t do it in the spring, though. New offensive coordinator Baldwin takes over this season, and perhaps he could bring some balance to the offense.
Last season, the Bears were 10th in the league in rushing offense and fourth in passing offense, averaging 214.7 yards per game.
Steele likes his players and their approach to the game, but it’s time for this team to win some games.
"We need to make a big jump in that category," Steele said. "But this group of guys, they’re winners and if you’ve got players that are winners, then you’ve got a chance for the team to win."
They’d better do it this season in the Big 12. If they don’t, there could be some major changes in Waco.
