Baylor Bears Update: Freshmen Mark Their Territory

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Due to computer problems, it's been a while since I last wrote an article of any kind, wrestling or Baylor. To those who have been reading my "WWE's Greatest Champions" series, I hope to have my WWE Championship article up soon.

In the last week, Baylor has been putting on a clinic in every sport in season. Football is winding down, basketball is starting up, and the Baylor Faithful like what they see.

Let's start with football. Baylor played host for the final time this year last week, as the Texas A&M Aggies came to town. For freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, it was a chance to see freshman QB Robert Griffin III end out his rookie year. For seniors, there was the hope of witnessing Baylor win 2 out of the last 4 over their rival.

Although A&M started out with the ball, the Aggie offense, led by QB Jerrod Johnson, couldn't get the job done in the first quarter. But neither could the Bears, only able to score off of a Ben Parks 42-yard field goal to take a 3-0 after 15 minutes.

But once the second quarter started, the Baylor team, offense and defense, seemed to come to life. Parks added a 28-yard kick to give the Bears a 6-0 lead, and then Dwain Crawford's interception led to a 12-yard TD run by Jacoby Jones to make it a 13-0 game.

A&M would finally score as Jorvorskie Lane punched in a one-yard run to cut the lead to 13-7. Defensive leaders Jordan Lake and Joe Pawelek would also contribute to the pick-fest, getting one and two, respectively.

But the Aggies' woes continued. A 31-yard TD pass from Griffin to freshman receiver (and basketball player) Kendall Wright gave the energized Bears a 20-7 halftime lead, and they kept it going into the third.

A TD pass to Thomas White and a couple of TD runs from Jones and Jay Finley sent many in maroon home feeling down. The fourth quarter belonged to the Aggies as a Lane TD and a short pass from Johnson brought up spirits of the Corps, but in the end, it wasn't enough as the Bears defeated the Aggies, 41-21.

My Offensive Player of the Game: Robert Griffin (13-23, 241 yards, 2 TD; 12 rush, 56 yards)      

Defensive Player of the Game: Joe Pawelek (7 tackles, 2 Int)

Now let's go to men's basketball.

After making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 years, the Bears were looking to go a little further. After being ranked tied for third in the Big 12 preseason poll (tied with Kansas), Baylor's expectations were high, and so were the hopes of every Baylor fan and Bear Pit member.

An easy 108-50 win over Paul Quinn College proved that despite the loss of Aaron Bruce to graduation, things were looking bright. Then a huge win over Centenary on the ESPN 24-hour college hoops marathon got fans even more excited. And this afternoon, the Bears improved to 3-0 over Southern, with every Baylor player scoring.

But the big story isn't Curtis Jerrells. It's not the 3-point shooting of LaceDarius Dunn.

It's freshman Quincy Acy.

The highly-talented forward from Mesquite, TX is now a perfect 18 for 18 shooting, setting a new Big 12 record for consecutive shots made. He was today's leading scorer with 15 points and 5 rebounds in the 85-43 rout of the Jaguars.

In women's basketball, days after signing 6'8" YouTube sensation Brittany Griner, Kim Mulkey and the Lady Bears looked to continue their winning ways as they hosted Stephen F. Austin in their final home game before celebrating Thanksgiving at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.

As their football and men counterparts did, the freshmen contributed well to Baylor's 77-42 win, as they combined for 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Melissa Jones and senior Jhasmin Player led all scoring with 13 a piece.

Looking at all these freshmen have done for Baylor, I have to say that the future of Baylor University athletics is getting brighter with each day. And if you thought this season was a big improvement, imagine what the next three years will look like.