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Baylor vs. Connecticut, Pre-Game
Friday, Sept. 19, 2008

10:15 p.m. -- Well, you can't fault the effort. Baylor gave Connecticut one whale of a game.

The only shame was on Baylor's last offensive play. Griffin looked to Kendall Wright down the left sideline. Meanwhile, tight end Justin Akers had three steps on his defender (a linebacker) and was streaking down the middle of the field with no safety in sight. Still, you cannot fault Griffin's decision making. This kid is special, and this team could turn into something special.

Believe it or not, the play of the game was a punt. Baylor took a 28-24 lead with 11:13 remaining in the game. The Bears forced Connecticut into a three-and-out on the Huskies' ensuing drive. However, UConn punter Desi Cullen flipped the field with a 55-yard punt that pinned the Bears at their 8.

After a three-and-out of their own, the Bears were forced to punt. A questionable kick catch interference call gave Connecticut great field position in a situation that already was going to be good field position. But it was Cullen's punt that pinned the Bears and made it difficult for Baylor to get a game-clinching drive started.

Baylor concluded the non-conference portion of their schedule tonight with a tough 31-28 loss. The Bears are 2-2 and take a week off before starting Big 12 play at home Oct. 5 against Oklahoma. There is a lot to which Baylor fans can look forward. Sic 'Em.

9:58 p.m. -- Any advantage Baylor had through the game's first 52 minutes in terms of officiating was negated in the last two minutes. First came the phantom kick catch interference penalty. Then, Joe Pawelek was flagged for a late hit after being pushed into Donald Brown along the sideline one yard into the end zone. Ticky tack.

Head coach Art Briles spoke in his Tuesday press conference about chance. He talked about this game being a chance for Baylor to make a statement. He talked about it being a chance to turn heads and make noise. Robert Griffin has done a lot in his young career. Now he has a chance to do something he has not yet done: lead a fourth-quarter comeback. Let's see how the last six minutes turn out. Sic 'Em.

9:52 p.m. -- Well, Baylor has gotten its fair share of breaks in this game, but Connecticut just got one of its own. Kick catch interference when the receiver is hit by his own teammate? Not sure how that works, but it resulted in a 15-yard penalty against the Bears. One thing is for sure: win or lose, this is one of the best Baylor games in recent history. But a win sure would make for a more enjoyable plane ride home. Sic 'Em.

9:42 p.m. -- What a break. Seconds after seeing Robert Griffin intercepted for the first time in his young career on a tremendous diving catch by Dahna Deleston, the Bears caught a huge break. A roughing the passer foul on Connecticut negated the turnover and gave Baylor a first down at the Huskies' 23. After a 4-yard Jacoby Jones run, Griffin hit Kendall Wright on a 19-yard touchdown pass. Remember: penalty flags are Championship Gold... well, at least that one was.

That gives Griffin three touchdown passes on the night, tying his career high. It also was his fourth total touchdown of the night, also tying his career high. More importantly, it gives Baylor a 28-24 lead with just over 11 minutes to play. Sic 'Em. 

9:35 p.m. -- It's a game of turnovers, and so far Baylor is winning that battle 2-0. Antareis Bryan notched his second career interception, thwarting a potential Connecticut scoring drive. The pick came two plays after Bryan nearly snagged a Tyler Lorenzen pass deep down the left sideline.

That's where we stand going to the fourth quarter, and you get the feeling this game is far from over. Sic 'Em. 

9:20 p.m. -- "I'll see your quick response and raise you one of my own," Connecticut said. The Huskies marched 58 yards on five plays for a touchdown, using only 1:32 on the clock. And the track meet continues. This game has not been particularly high scoring (24-21 UConn with 5:16 remaining in the third), but most of the scoring has come very explosively.

Baylor is 5-of-8 on third-down conversions tonight, while Connecticut is 3-of-8, including a key third-and-four conversion on that drive.

Jeremy Sanders has looked good returning kickoffs tonight, taking four kickoff returns for 112 yards (28-yard average).

9:15 p.m. -- Wow! Talk about a quick response. A 14-yard run by Jay Finley and a 33-yard pass from Robert Griffin to Kendall Wright keyed an eight-play, 72-yard touchdown drive. What a bizzare ending to the drive as Griffin took it into the end zone on a one-yard keeper. Griffin was seven yards deep in the end zone before any referee signaled touchdown.

Congrats to Joe Pawelek, who has cracked Baylor's top 10 list for career tackle assists. He is one tackle shy of reaching the double-digit plateau for the ninth time in his career. He has accomplished the feat in each of this season's first three games.

9:05 p.m. -- Good stand by the defense there as the Bears held Connecticut to a field goal. Donald Brown is good, no doubt about it. Meanwhile, Jay Finley has 50 yards rushing on just five carries. It will be interesting to see if he sees more touches down the stretch. As soon as I type that, Finley rips off a 14-yard run around right end. Sic 'Em.

8:40 p.m. -- Tied 14-14 at half time. I think anyone donning the Green and Gold would have been happy with that prediction prior to kickoff. Baylor clearly has made strides in the last nine months, and here's looking forward to the progress still to come.

There were three key plays in the first half. 1) Joe Pawelek's interception in the end zone, thwarting Connecticut's game-opening drive. 2) Jay Finley's third-down reception on the Bears' ensuing drive. 3) Kendall Wright's 10-yard catch and run (more run than catch) on third-and-nine during the Bears' second offensive drive. Sure, there were other key plays, but those three led to a 21-point swing in Baylor's favor.

Not enough can be said about the atmosphere at Rentschler Field. The capacity crowd is into every play, and the Connecticut student section is as spirited as any in the Big 12. So far, Baylor and Connecticut have given the fans -- both those in attendance and those watching on TV -- one heckuva game. Sic 'Em.

8:20 p.m. -- Welcome to a Wild-East Shootout. That's what this game is on the verge of turning into. With just over three minutes remaining in the first half, both teams are nearing the 200-yard plateau for total offense. Connecticut running back Donald Brown (and he's good) already has 100 yards rushing.

Justin Akers has both touchdown receptions for Baylor. It's his second career two-touchdown game; he also had two against Rice last season.

Left guard Jordan Hearvey did not start tonight's game. In fact, he's not even in uniform due to an injury. Redshirt freshman John Jones started and has split time with junior Chris Griesenbeck. Sic 'Em.

7:20 p.m. -- Thank goodness for replay. As soon as the replay was shown by ESPN2, most of the media in the press box ooohed and ahhhhhed. Within seconds, the play was under review. End result: Touchdown Bears.

It was Justin Akers' first touchdown reception of the season and it came one week after he failed to make a catch for the first time in 15 games. It also was only the second touchdown allowed by Connecticut this season and the first passing touchdown allowed by the Huskies this season.

Credit running back Jay Finley with the play of the drive. His diving, shoe-string catch on third-and-nine early in the drive allowed everything that followed to happen. Sic 'Em.

7:00 p.m. -- We just returned to the press box after a pregame walk of the field. One thing can be said: it is chilly. The current temperature is 59 degrees; but less than 10 days removed from four months of 90-plus-degree weather, it feels cooler than that. Rentschler Field is filling up quickly as Connecticut expects to have a near-sellout for tonight's game. Sic 'Em.

6:10 p.m. -- Night has fallen in the Connecticut River Valley, and the lights are burning bright high above Rentschler Field. We're approximately one hour away from kickoff of tonight's game between Baylor and Connecticut.

Give it Connecticut fans: they know how to tailgate. As we mentioned earlier, Rentschler Field was built on the grounds of what previously was a local executive airport. From the press box, remnants of both runways still are evident. So, there is plenty of space for parking and tailgating, and the fans make good use of the area.

Both teams have taken the field for pregame warmups. The Bears will wear gold helmets, white jerseys and gold pants. This will be the Bears' first game in that combination since 2002, though the uniforms are a different style from the ones worn that season. Connecticut goes with blue helmets, blue jerseys and white pants.

This is the first-ever football meeting between Baylor and Connecticut. In fact, this is only the second time the two schools have competed in any varsity sport. The Huskies traveled to Waco for a men's basketball game Dec. 28, 1955.

Further coverage of tonight's game is available on ESPN360.com, which is free to anyone logged into the Internet via a Baylor network computer. Sic 'Em.

5:15 p.m. --Baylor's Robert Griffin isn't the only star drawing interest tonight.

UConn tailback Donald Brown, who is No. 2 nationally in rushing, has garnered plenty of media attention of his own. The redshirt junior is slated to be the subject of a future Sports Illustrated article, and SI writer Mark Beech is in the Rentschler Field pressbox as I type this.

Also in attendance in the pressbox are 17 NFL scouts representing 13 teams. Included among the scouts is Baylor's own Jeff Ireland, general manager of the Miami Dolphins. Ireland was a placekicker for the Bears from 1988 to 1991.

4:35 p.m. EDT -- The fact that the worldwide leader in sports is televising tonight's game nationwide on ESPN2HD has increased the amount of buzz and media exposure surrounding Baylor football and Robert Griffin's recent play. In addition to the state and regional media that have been writing about our squad this season, the fact that we're playing a primetime Friday game on ESPN2 has helped shine the national spotlight on the Bears.

Recent articles have been written by The Hartford Courant (Baylor QB Off To Fast Start, Sept. 18), ESPN.com (Griffin's fast start has excitement booming with Baylor, Sept. 19), the USA TODAY (College football's talented freshmen are stepping up, Sept. 19) and the Kansas City Star (Baylor quarterback Griffin is doing it all, Sept. 19).

Rentschler Stadium, in its sixth season, was built on what previously was a small executive airport. It seats about 40,000 with a very large and very nice skybox/pressbox facility. The field is natural grass, which was a surprise to those of us who had seen UConn games on television; it looks like field turf, both on television and in person, but it's grass. However, it's a very hard surface with not much give -- if any at all -- for a natural-grass surface.

Night road games are interesting events. Morning or afternoon games don't allow much down time on the day of the game. You wake up, eat breakfast and head to the stadium. However, with an 8 p.m. kickoff, we won't leave for the stadium until about 5 p.m. Adding to the oddity is that this is a Friday game. If it were Saturday, we would revel in the opportunity to watch football games all day. Instead, we're left watching "The Price is Right" and random sitcom reruns.

Not the players, though; they're in meetings most of the day and doing various things to stay fresh and attentive. Still, it's a long wait for the event that is the purpose of the trip.

Some non-team members of the travel party made the 90-minute trek to Springfield, Mass., for a tour of the Basketball Hall of Fame this morning. Others made the 45-minute trek to Bristol, Conn., for a tour of the ESPN studios. Those of us with the athletic media relations office and Inside Baylor Sports decided to take it easy in and around the hotel, cognizant of the fact that we'll return to Waco and get to bed around 5 a.m. CT later tonight.

Speaking of Inside Baylor Sports, former IBS producer Josh Rosenberg is back on staff for this game. Rosenberg, who worked at Baylor from fall of 2005 to last Decemeber, now works for the New Jersey Devils. He made the trip up for the game and graciously agreed to work. Sucker.

Now to a mention of a person with Baylor ties that probably many more of you care about. Baylor graduate Trey Wingo, host of ESPN's NFL Live, will be in attendance at today's game. A Connecticut native, Wingo will celebrate his birthday by cheering on the Bears. For the record, the last time Wingo attended a Baylor road game the Bears won -- defeating Army 20-10 in 2005.

The weather in Connecticut is pristine: clear skies, highs around 70 degrees, light breeze. Temperature at kickoff is expected to be in the mid-50s. Football weather.

We'll check back in from the stadium later this afternoon. Sic 'Em.

Baylor vs. Connecticut, Pre-Game
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008
Brad Sheffield

Baylor returns to action Friday, Sept. 19, traveling to East Hartford, Conn., for a non-conference game against Connecticut. Kickoff between the Bears and Huskies is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT at Rentschler Stadium. This is the fourth and final non-conference game for Baylor and the fourth of five non-conference games for Connecticut.

Friday's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2, the Bears' third televised game this season. Baylor has played on ESPN2 only one time previously -- a 35-14 loss at Miami-FL in 1995.

The Bears (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) have won two straight, defeating Northwestern State (51-6) and Washington State (45-17) after a season-opening loss at home to then-No. 23 Wake Forest. This is Baylor's first road game of the season. The Bears were 1-5 on the road last season and have lost four consecutive such games. Baylor has won five straight against unranked non-Big 12 opponents.

The Huskies (3-0, 0-0 Big East) defeated Virginia 45-10 at home last Saturday. Connecticut also has wins over Hofstra (35-3) and Temple (12-9 in overtime). The Huskies have won nine consecutive games at home, where they are 2-0 this season. Connecticut is among teams receiving votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches' Poll.