Griffin shows leadership in Baylor's Alamo win

NICE GEAR

New-style or old-style, uniforms and helmets are the talk of the town. Here are some of the most distinctive.

Brendan Maloney-US PRESSWIRE

Robert Griffin III leads Baylor to victory over Washington. VIEW GALLERY »

Darren Abate/Associated Press

"We walked into walk-through a few days ago and the scoreboard said 72-72, and we're thinking, 'Oh, no way.' Pretty close."

- Quarterback Robert Griffin III on Baylor's 67-56 win over Washington

SAN ANTONIO — It should have come as no surprise that even in the aftermath of a victory perfectly described as unbelievably believable, Baylor junior quarterback Robert Griffin III remained acutely aware.

Someone had asked about his sock selection and Griffin revealed that he completed the cycle of this memorable campaign by donning the same Cookie Monster pair he wore when Baylor rallied past TCU in its season opener. Then he commenced with the charisma, noting the irony of sporting a character with an insatiable appetite on a night when the Bears were hungry for points. Suddenly a double entendre slipped from his lips, something so benign it was barely worthy of acknowledgment.

"I'm talking about dinner, folks," Griffin said to a chorus of laughs. "This is Baylor."

What Baylor will become now that Griffin has won a Heisman Trophy and forever changed perceptions of a program reputed as Big 12 bottom feeder remains up for debate. The Bears outgunned Washington 67-56 in a wild Valero Alamo Bowl to secure their first postseason win in 19 years and record their first 10-win season since a 10-2 finish in 1980.

The Alamo Bowl represented a microcosm of the Bears' season. After setting a slew of records en route to the Alamodome, Baylor (10-3) kicked the bar through the ceiling with an FBS bowl-record 777 yards against the Huskies (7-6). Tailback Terrance Ganaway (21 carries, 200 yards, five touchdowns), receiver Tevin Reese (two carries, 101 yards) and utility back Jarred Salubi (five carries, 101 yards, two touchdowns) paced a devastating ground attack that churned out 482 yards on an FBS bowl record-tying 9.3 yards per carry. Griffin, by his outrageous standards, had a pedestrian showing.

Because Griffin is so singularly brilliant, so otherworldly and indescribable, everything Washington designed to take away the Bears' aerial display left them susceptible on the ground. The Huskies pounded Griffin throughout the first half and sacked him four times on the evening, yet it didn't matter. They couldn't protect an 18-point, second-half lead because the Bears have come to believe in the unbelievable.

What unfolded between the Bears and Huskies could best be described as absurd. The teams combined for 1,397 yards, smashing the previous all-time bowl record of 1,211 yards set by Rutgers and Arizona State in the 2005 Insight Bowl. Their 123 combined points were the most ever scored in regulation of a bowl game, obliterating the 102 points posted by Marshall and East Carolina in the 2001 GMAC Bowl (the Thundering Herd and Pirates totaled 125 points after the game went into overtime).

No one could recall such fireworks, although Griffin had a hunch through a sign.

"We walked into walk-through a few days ago and the scoreboard said 72-72, and we're thinking, 'Oh, no way,'" said Griffin, who passed for 295 yards and a score. "Pretty close. I'm just glad we won the game, and the defense stepped up big there at the end when we needed them to."

Having surrendered touchdowns on five consecutive possessions, Baylor flipped momentum early in the third. First, Salubi ran for a 7-yard score to trim Washington’s lead to 42-31 with 11:06 to play in the quarter. After the teams then traded three-and-outs, Baylor safety Sam Holl stripped Huskies tailback Chris Polk of the football and Rodney Chadwick recovered at the Baylor 11 with 8:40 to play in the quarter. The next play, Ganaway went 89 yards to the end zone, pulling Baylor to within 42-39.

The pendulum swing provided Baylor the boost to surge ahead late in the third quarter and to take the lead for good when Ganaway scored his fourth touchdown with 8:15 to play.

Baylor trailed 42-24 one minute into the second half. But once the Bears regained the rhythm they established with their 21-point first quarter, the routine felt familiar. They got rolling and the Huskies proved feeble.

"You don't average 571 yards a game over a season on accident," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said of Baylor. "You're good. And you've got a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and a first-round draft pick at wide receiver (Kendall Wright) and a 240-pound tailback (Ganaway). I mean they're good. Offensive line averages 320 pounds or whatever they do. They're a good team."

With Griffin at the controls, Baylor was a special team. He delivered one Heisman moment on Thursday: a scintillating 24-yard touchdown run where he eluded a trio of defenders with 48 seconds left in the first quarter. Otherwise he served as college football's most dynamic decoy, calling his number just enough to keep the Huskies honest before connecting with Wright on one deep pass to set up score that put Baylor in front to stay. Huskies quarterback Keith Price delivered the more exceptional performance, passing for 438 yards and totaling seven touchdowns.

But Griffin had done so much in advance of this contest that sharing the spotlight seemed to bring him abundant joy. Ganaway earned offensive most valuable player honors and deservedly so, and Griffin humbly deflected the praise to those who contributed to this momentous win. Baylor arrived when he won the Heisman, but Griffin was sure to reinforce what was accomplished by taking the Bears one step further.

He has a decision to make regarding his football future, staring the option of returning to Baylor for his senior season or jumping to the NFL where he will likely be the second quarterback taken behind Stanford junior Andrew Luck. Griffin didn't want anything to take away from this landmark occasion, but what was and what will be were unavoidable. The greatness of Griffin extends far beyond his sphere.

"When the time comes, whatever Griff does, that's when I get emotional," Wright said. "So I'm not emotional right now until he makes his decision because a smart GM (general manager) would draft him and me."

Baylor coach Art Briles quickly interjected, noting that Griffin, unlike Wright, has a season of eligibility remaining.

"Draft me this year and draft Griff next year," Wright followed with his addendum. "I'm hoping he stays."