Daily Bears Report 10/12

Today’s Events

• Volleyball, vs Texas, 7:00 PM
• Men's Tennis, vs Houston Futures, All Day

Volleyball

• Baylor volleyball (15-5, 3-1) will square off with the 4th-ranked Texas Longhorns (13-2, 5-0) this evening at 7 p.m. in the Ferrell Center. From Baylor Bears dot com.

In a battle of two of the top teams in the Big 12 this season, the Bears have a shot at downing one of the nation’s top teams, making it four out of the last five weeks with a win over a top-20 RPI team.

The Bears had a lone match in the previous week, a sweep over TCU on Wednesday, Oct. 5 in the Ferrell Center.

In a season of firsts, the BU squad could add an exclamation point with a win over the Longhorns, recording the program’s third win overall against Texas and the first since 2001.

The midweek match will be aired on FOX Sports Southwest and FOX College Sports Central. The on-air talent will feature the Voice of the Bears, John Morris, and former Baylor volleyball standout,Kristen Schramek Bates.

For this and all other Baylor home matches, fans can tune into the live internet video and radio broadcast on BaylorBears.com/allaccess.

• WacoTrib’s Brice Cherry has a great story on “Humble” Katie Steiger. Here’s the lead in:

It would be difficult to imagine a stone-cold killer who carries out her attacks with a smile on her face and love in her heart. It would be difficult to imagine, that is, until one meets Katie Staiger.

Granted, Staiger’s kills are of the volleyball variety, and don’t end up with anyone in a body bag. (Though you probably wouldn’t want to step in front of one of her well-struck sizzlers.) Staiger punishes the ball with a consistency and force matched by few players in the country, and yet her coaches and teammates swear she’s one of the most humble athletes you’d ever meet.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Baylor coach Ryan McGuyre said. “I’ve had the fortune to coach some players of the year, men’s and women’s side. They had humility and were also great servants, but with Katie it’s different.

Athletics Update

Soccer

Men’s Basketball

Football

• Fourth Quarter Comeback, Baylor at ISU

• FoxSports says No. 11 Baylor is growing their resume.

Baylor has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball this season, but the 11th-ranked Bears have found a way to win and remain in the discussion for the College Football Playoff as the undefeated Big 12 Conference leader.

"It's reflective of a team that knows how to finish and that's a tribute to our coaches and our players," Baylor interim coach Jim Grobe said.

"The players, once they see more formations and the plays, running plays and throws from a defensive perspective, you kind of figure things out a little more. And on offense, once you've seen coverages and fronts enough, you kind of get it figured out."

• No coaches are in trouble with the school after more than 20 Baylor football coaches, assistants, and former players almost simultaneously tweeted a photo of a KWTX Facebook headline Monday evening, with the hashtag #TRUTHDONTLIE. KWTX has more on this story.

None of the staffers will be forced to remove the tweets, sources said.

The hashtag #TRUTHDONTLIE was a catchphrase fired head coach Art Briles often used and a phrase the current staff had been specifically told not to tweet.

The tweets went out just before 6 p.m. Monday from everyone from offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to defensive coordinator Phil Bennett as well as assistant coaches and even former players after KWTX published a story in which interim head coach Jim Grobe contradicted a Baylor statement about his role in the case of dismissed junior college transfer, Jeremy Faulk.

Grobe was named acting head football coach on May 30, but he inherited Briles’ staff including Briles’ son, Kendal, who paid tribute to his father during the Bears' 55-7 season-opening win over Northwestern State with the initials "CAB,” for Coach Art Briles, written on both of his hands.

Grobe defended the younger Briles in the press conference after the game saying, "If you don't love your dad, something's wrong. I don't have any problems with that at all.”

However, sources say Grobe was later told to ask the younger Briles about the statement and make sure he didn’t repeat it.

Coaches and members of the athletic staff also told KWTX that Grobe told his staff to stop wearing “CAB” shirts to the office, practice or games, in support of Briles because they don’t want them being “political.”

Sources say that directive came from above Grobe, who sent a mass email reminding staffers they’re allowed to wear only Nike gear on game days.

“It is important that our coaches and staff wear designated retail items during games, which include only the Nike apparel pieces that are in your locker. If you have any questions as to what those items are, please contact Jeff Barlow and the equipment staff,” Grobe said in the email, a copy of which KWTX obtained.

KWTX has also learned that members of the athletic staff who tweeted KWTX reports, questioning whether the Pepper Hamilton investigation that led to Briles’ firing was flawed were asked to remove the link from their social media pages.

• Baylor reserve nickelback Eric Ogor has been suspended from the team for the remainder of the season for violation of team rules. From BearsExtra.

A Baylor spokesman said the team rules violation is not related to the school’s Title IX investigation.

Ogor is still on scholarship but isn’t practicing with the team. However, he could return to the squad in the spring.

Rapists’ Actions Are Still Damaging the Innocents

• A Baylor University senior is speaking out in hopes of convincing administrators to do more to defend the school’s reputation, which he says has been tarnished in the aftermath of the sexual assault scandal that engulfed the football program. From KWTX.

“That wonderful unique quality and characteristic of Baylor University seems to be missing." Religion and Pre-Law major Dan Huddleston said.

Huddleston admits the attitude on the campus is not good.

“I don't sense the positivity, the excitement and the love on Baylor campus like I did as a freshman and that to me is the biggest tragedy,” he said.

Huddleston decided to speak out after Iowa State fans insulted him and other Baylor students when the Bears played in Ames.

“We encountered people who yelled at us and bigoted us just for being Baylor students…we were called basically rapists."

Other students share his concerns.

Senior Tomi Ifelayo says she thinks the media has blown some things out of proportion but adds, "I think that is the responsibility of both the administration and the students to be able to dig deeper and want to know more."

• Clarissa Anderson with The Baylor Lariat says we still need more open conversation at Baylor.

As I wrote this, I admit that I was afraid. At a time when Baylor is recovering from a scandal resulting from not reporting sexual assault on campus, I wondered, how much am I allowed to say? What if by saying something, I’ll be hurting my future career, or even nearer than that, harming my education at Baylor? What if I try to talk about something important but end up saying nothing? What if I’m ridiculed because I didn’t say it well enough?

The general consensus is that everyone knows what happened, but no one wants to talk about it. Students are afraid that by speaking publicly about sexual assault and how it has changed Baylor campus, they will harm their reputations or otherwise get in trouble for having their opinions. Particularly, a student’s right to speak about the implementation of Title IX recommendations is becoming increasingly ambiguous, especially in the wake of the resignation of former Title IX coordinator Patty Crawford.

When students hear Crawford’s claims that Baylor didn’t listen to her concerns about the handling of Title IX recommendations, they may conclude that they cannot address the issue. However, students being afraid to speak about the situation simply adds to the atmosphere of secrecy created when Baylor did not report incidences of sexual assault in the past. Voicing your concerns quietly to close friends feeds into that atmosphere of secrecy.