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Hill: If they avoid rash of turnovers, Bears should cruise over SMU

By Jerry Hill Tribune-Herald assistant sports editor

Friday, September 02, 2005

When an old-timer starts reminiscing, it usually begins with, “Remember the good ol' days?”

That's how I feel about the Southwest Conference.

Remember how sweet it was to cover a whole conference without ever leaving the state? Other than that six-hour drive to Lubbock I had to make every two years, my longest road trips were from Waco to Houston.

Don't get me wrong, I think the Big 12 has been a godsend for Baylor. Without the status symbol and annual money waterfall from the Big 12, Baylor might have gone the same route as TCU and switched conferences every time the wind blows.

But the Bears will never develop the same kind of rivalry with Iowa State, Missouri or Kansas that they had with SMU, TCU, Rice and Houston. When you beat an in-state rival, it's like giving your brother a whuppin' and making him like it.

So my hat's off to Baylor folks for scheduling games like Saturday's season opener at SMU, a series with TCU that starts next year and a four-game deal with Rice that begins in ‘07.

It's like getting a cherry on the top of a hot fudge sundae. Which reminds me of the good ol' days.

—— Baylor (-1 1/2) at SMU ——

Is there a trap I'm missing here? I know Baylor has lost 24 in a row on the road, but there's no explanation why this line dropped from five to 1 1/2.

Maybe it's the Highland Park high-rollers betting on the Ponies.

SMU has the edge in experience, especially on offense. But this is a team that was 0-12 just two years ago.

The Mustangs did win their last two home games a year ago, upsetting Tulsa in overtime, 40-35, and rolling over Nevada, 38-20.

But this is where Baylor's Big 12 recruiting advantage pays off. My bet is that the Bears control both sides of the line and control the tempo from the start. If they can just avoid the turnover bug that seems to bite them in openers, they should be able to win their first road game in five years.

Baylor 24, SMU 10

The Waco Tribune-Herald...yeah, there's a REAL good example of journalistic integrity!

Let's see what that guy has to say Sunday morning. Baylor has improved since two years ago, and SMU has improved since two years ago. Baylor is big on the offensive line, but they've also had some injuries there. Their RBs are talented, I guess, but inconsistent. Mosley and Whitaker aren't Jerrod Douglas, and who knows what Bell (QB) will turn out to be. Maybe he'll be great, maybe he won't. He didn't turn the ball over last year, but he also hasn't had a full season of folks beating on him yet. Ziegler is a stud - no doubt about it. We need to get tough stopping the run, but so does Baylor. And I haven't said this in a while, but .... I like SMU's secondary better. And they've got a good punter, but I'll take the Mentzel/McMurtray combination, thank you.

Ponies 27
BU 13

50's PONY wrote:If they can just avoid the turnover bug that seems to bite them in openers...

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts....

Understand that this Baylor team is much improved - and may indeed be bowling in January.

Do not get too low if it doesn't work out like you hoped it would.

Remember, the sun will come up on Sunday morning. Jerry Hill writes for the Waco paper; you didn't think he would pick smu, did you?

I took umbrage with his comment about Highland Parlk high-rollers betting for the ponies. There are more t-sips in HP, followed by equal numbers of Bears, ponies, frogs, a few aggys, techsters and sooners. HP is not all that full of high-rollin' ponies.

oakley wrote:I took umbrage with his comment about Highland Parlk high-rollers betting for the ponies. There are more t-sips in HP, followed by equal numbers of Bears, ponies, frogs, a few aggys, techsters and sooners. HP is not all that full of high-rollin' ponies.

Hey, Einstein. Go back and read what he wrote. He didn't say anything about HP being full of high-rollin' Ponies. Here's what he said: "Maybe it's the Highland Park high-rollers betting on the Ponies." And what's your reason for taking umbrage with his comment? Are you a former Scot? I will agree that there are probably more [mascot of that school in Austin], Aggies, Red Raiders, Bears and Frogs than Mustangs these days.

oakley wrote:Understand that this Baylor team is much improved - and may indeed be bowling in January.

PLEASE tell me someone's giving you a ride to the game. You clearly are not in any condition to get behind the wheel.

oakley wrote: .... Remember, the sun will come up on Sunday morning. Jerry Hill writes for the Waco paper; you didn't think he would pick smu, did you? ....

Translation: he's not allowed to base his prediction on any rational thought? I can see it now (in the "bowl" Baylor's going to): "Baylor should cruise past USC."

Come on, oakley, even baylor doesn't admit people that stupid. This Jerry Hill guy might be a baylor grad, and president Bears' Den (or whatever your alumni gatherings are called), but he's not making his predictions based on blind allegiance. He doesn't need to pick a win over SMU to sell copies of the Tribune Herald. It's in Waco -- there's nothing else to read. It's going to sell.

oakley wrote:I took umbrage with his comment about Highland Parlk high-rollers betting for the ponies. There are more t-sips in HP, followed by equal numbers of Bears, ponies, frogs, a few aggys, techsters and sooners. HP is not all that full of high-rollin' ponies.

And we're just as qualified to offer a demographic analysis of Waco (wait, that's not that hard -- nobody who DIDN'T go to baylor would live there). Don't waste your breath telling us who lives here and who doesn't. You sound foolish enough by just admitting to being a baylor fan.

corso - you are on such a roll, I am gonna stand back and watch you fly on by.

If that made any sense at all, it might have been eloquent. But it didn't, so it's not.

mustanggrapes - you are correct, of course.

pleeeeeeze come to the Special D tent!

THE SPECIAL D. TENT HAS

A VERY SPECIAL WELCOME FOR YOU.

I am so sick of Baylor fans like oakley. Thankfully, I don't get a lot of that down here. A lot of the people I work with think BU is going to win, and that's fine -- support the alma mater, etc. Most of my friends down here have said the same kinds of things most of the PonyFans have been saying: "We're better, they're better, should be a good game, might be too close to call, etc." So I get into a little healthy jawing with those guys. There are a lot of good guys who are BU grads. But when you hear talk about "bowling" for the Bears, how can you take that seriously?

The only way that makes sense is if they're offering 50 percent off on bowling lanes on weeknights. Try to stay out of the gutters, oakley.