Football Writers Association of America Oct. 13, 2014
For Immediate Release
Contact: Ted Gangi
214-909-9314
Bears rally from 21-point deficit to stun TCU
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BAYLOR IS BIG GAME
NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) – Blink and you might have missed a part of Baylor's epic comeback Saturday. The Bears rallied from 21 points down in a seven-minute span of the fourth quarter, and then stole the game on Chris Callahan's 28-yard field goal on the final play as the No. 5 Bears stayed unbeaten with a 61-58 win over No. 9 TCU at a frenzied McLane Stadium. Winning the highest-scoring game between two top-10 ranked teams in the Associated Press poll's history earned the Bears the Big Game National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 11.

The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Houston Nutt.

Bryce Petty threw six touchdown passes, including a 25-yarder to Corey Coleman with 4:42 left that tied the game at 58. The Bears (6-0) then held TCU on fourth down at its own 45, and following a drive to the TCU 11, Callahan hit his fourth field goal of the game as time expired. Baylor averaged 1:08 off possession time on its final four scoring drives and finished the game with 782 yards of total offense.

"I think there were 40 plays that determined who won the game. We made 21 and they made 19," Baylor coach Art Briles said after the game. "In my opinion. every win we have is a statement because if you want to be in that conversation (for the playoffs) you have to win them all. ... We have been pretty good the past two years. We have won 22 out of the past 24 football games. I think that stat itself says it all about the caliber of our football team. It is a fact business and that is a fact."

This was the 110th meeting between the teams. Baylor now leads the series, 52-51-7, and has now won 13 straight at home, tying Auburn for the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Bears also boast a 14-3 mark against in-state opponents over the last four seasons with a seven-game win streak.

Other Big Game National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 11 included:

• Georgia (5-1): The Bulldogs' defense forced five turnovers, including four interceptions, and handed No. 23 Missouri its first shutout since 2002, 34-0. Georgia ran out to a 20-0 lead in the first half after scoring on four of its first five possessions without suspended running back Todd Gurley.

• Massachusetts (1-6): UMass won its first game in coach Mark Whipple's second tenure with a 40-17 dismantling of Kent State, which snapped a 12-game losing skid. A 17-point third quarter led the Minutemen behind Blake Frohnapfel's 286 passing yards with three touchdowns, and Lorenzo Woodley added 160 yards on the ground with a touchdown.

• Ole Miss (6-0): The Rebels shot out to a 21-0 lead at No. 14 Texas A&M, and used two defensive touchdowns to score a runaway 35-20 win. Ole Miss also had three sacks, and held a Kevin Sumlin-coached Aggies team scoreless in the first half for the first time. Bo Wallace threw for a touchdown and ran for two others for Ole Miss.

• Mississippi State (6-0): The Bulldogs beat a top-10 team for a third straight week, toppling No. 2 Auburn, 38-23. Zak Prescott accounted for 367 of MSU's 479 total yards and scored three touchdowns in the win as MSU vaulted into the top spot in both major polls. MSU is the first team in the Associated Press' 78-year history to go from unranked to No. 1 in five weeks.

The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the first season The Big Game Football Factory has presented the award. Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2014 college football regular season, the FWAA will name a National Team of the Week.

Big Game USA is the largest American-owned football factory. Nearly half of all Football Bowl Subdivision programs play with a ball made by Big Game USA. This season, Big Game has introduced gametag™, the latest development in football technology. It allows fans an opportunity to own a piece of football memorabilia, but more than that, gametag™ offers complete authentication. Currently, four Division I schools (Mississippi State, Navy, Nebraska and Texas A&M) use balls equipped with gametag™. For more information about Big Game USA, visit biggameusa.com or contact Josh Eells at 972-292-0700 or jeells@biggameusa.com.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,400 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 214-870-6516.

2014 Big Game National Teams of the Week
• Weekend of Aug. 30: Texas A&M Aggies
• Weekend of Sept. 6: Virginia Tech Hokies
• Weekend of Sept. 13: Boston College Eagles
• Weekend of Sept. 20: Mississippi State Bulldogs
• Weekend of Sept. 27: Yale Bulldogs
• Weekend of Oct. 4: Ole Miss Rebels
• Weekend of Oct. 11: Baylor Bears
• Weekend of Oct. 18: West Virginia Mountaineers
• Weekend of Oct. 25: LSU Tigers
• Weekend of Nov. 1: Florida Gators
• Weekend of Nov. 8: Ohio State Buckeyes
• Weekend of Nov. 15: Oregon State Beavers
• Weekend of Nov. 22: Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Weekend of Nov. 29: UAB Blazers

2014 FWAA ALL-AMERICA COMMITTEE
Mark Anderson Las Vegas Review-Journal Mountain West
Lee Barfknecht Omaha World-Herald National
Zach Barnett Football Scoop Conference USA
Kirk Bohls Austin American-Statesman Big 12
Aaron Brenner Charleston Post & Courier ACC
Lee Feinswog Sports225.com SEC
Tommy Hicks Mobile Press Register Sun Belt
Joey Johnston Tampa Tribune American
Marc Morehouse Cedar Rapids Gazette Big Ten
Phil Steele Phil Steele Publications National
John Wagner Toledo Blade Mid-American
Jon Wilner San Jose Mercury News Pac-12