By Adam Zuvanich | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

His numbers are impressive, and his athleticism is eye-popping.

But the most significant impact Robert Griffin has made on the Baylor football program can’t be measured in yards, percentages or seconds on a stopwatch. The Bears’ quarterback already has become a leader in the locker room and a calming influence on the field, and he’s only an 18-year-old true freshman.

“I think he’s maintained his composure as well as anybody, whether it be a freshman or senior,” said first-year Baylor coach Art Briles, whose team will conclude its season today at Texas Tech. “I think that part of it has really been a highlight for him, and he’s done a great job of leading and playing with passion.”

Griffin, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound Copperas Cove product with blazing speed and a powerful arm, has injected life into a downtrodden program and given the Bears a much-needed swagger. Two weeks ago he led Baylor to its first win over Texas A&M since 2004 – a 41-21 blowout – and the team has two Big 12 Conference wins for only the third time in the 12-year history of the league.

On Nov. 1, the nation’s youngest starting quarterback nearly engineered an upset of then-No. 14 Missouri as the Bears rallied from two 14-point deficits before losing 31-28.

“Any time you see Robert on the field three or four times and make plays, it gives you this boost of confidence,” said junior free safety Jordan Lake, who added that Griffin has been an example for Baylor’s other young players. “Any play can be a touchdown when he’s back there.”

Griffin, who on the track last spring finished third in the nation in the 400 meters, is among the Big 12’s leading rushers with 744 yards and 11 TDs – two scores shy of the single-season school record. He has four 100-yard rushing games, the most by a Baylor quarterback, and ran for a school-record 217 yards against Washington State.

Jay Finley, the Bears’ leading rusher with 760 yards, said opposing defenses have learned to respect Griffin’s running ability, which opens lanes for the running backs.

“You have to keep an eye on him the whole time,” Tech coach Mike Leach said. “He’s the key to the Baylor offense. He’s the biggest single element that makes them go, and just a real explosive guy.”

Griffin, the only player in Baylor history to account for at least 10 TDs both rushing and passing, is just as dangerous through the air. He’s thrown for 2,000 yards and 14 TDs with a completion percentage of 58.7, and he has only two interceptions.

Griffin set an NCAA Division I record for most pass attempts (209) without an interception to start a career.

“I think he’s a very complete quarterback,” Briles said after the win over A&M. “I think he’s exactly what our team needs from a leadership standpoint, from an athletic standpoint and a passing standpoint.”

That’s bad news for the rest of the Big 12, which must deal with Griffin for three more years. Briles said he’s a “guy that’s going to propel us to new heights,” and he already has to some degree.

And Griffin’s not the only Baylor playmaker who figures to improve. Finley is a sophomore, and leading receiver Kendall Wright is a freshman.

“We’re looking toward to the future,” Griffin said after beating the Aggies, “and we have a great future.”

No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl-Exp 1 Kendall Wright IR 6-0 180 Fr-HS

1 Dwain Crawford CB 6-0 195 Sr-3L

2 Trenston Hill CB 6-0 175 Fr-HS

2 Ray Sims RB 6-0 210 Sr-1L

3 Thomas White IR 6-2 205 Sr-2L

3 Antareis Bryan CB 6-1 190 So-1L

4 David Gettis WR 6-4 210 Jr-2L

4 Jeremy Williams S 5-10 210 Jr-2L

5 Mikail Baker IR 6-0 200 Jr-2L

6 Antonio Jones SLB 6-2 225 Jr-2L

6 Blake Szymanski QB 6-4 205 Jr-2L

7 Antonio Johnson FLB 6-1 200 So-1L

7 Kirby Freeman QB 6-3 210 Sr-TR

8 Tim Atchison FS 6-2 205 So-1L

8 Jeremy Sanders RB 6-2 210 Jr-TR

9 Jameon Hardeman DE 6-1 230 So-SQ

9 T.J. Scranton WR 5-10 180 Jr-TR

10 Robert Griffin QB 6-3 200 Fr-HS

11 Ryan Roberts QB 6-0 215 Sr-SQ

11 Marlon Price S 6-2 195 Sr-3L

12 Jake La Mar S 6-0 195 Sr-3L

13 Ernest Smith WR 6-3 190 Jr-2L

14 Justin Akers TE 6-5 245 Jr-2L

15 Kyle Mitchell WR 6-2 220 Jr-SQ

15 Krys Buerck CB 6-1 180 So-1L

16 Larry Washington RB 6-0 245 Sr-1L

17 Alex Kushneir CB 6-1 190 So-1L

17 John David Weed TE 6-5 240 Sr-SQ

18 Brad Taylor IR 6-3 235 So-1L

19 Joe Bennett IR 5-7 175 Sr-SQ

20 Cliff Odom CB 5-11 190 So-1L

20 Lanear Sampson WR 6-0 190 Fr-HS

21 Jordan Lake FS 6-2 210 Jr-2L

23 Zak Mitchell S 5-10 190 Jr-SQ

23 Justin Fenty IR 5-10 175 Jr-2L

24 Matt Singletary IR 6-4 245 Fr-RS

25 Jacoby Jones RB 5-11 225 Sr-2L

26 Travis McClain WR 6-3 185 Fr-RS

27 Dominique Criss CB 5-9 185 So-1L

28 D. Washington S 6-1 210 Fr-RS

31 Ahmad Jenkins CB 6-1 180 Fr-RS

32 Jay Finley RB 5-11 205 So-1L

33 Earl Patin SLB 6-2 225 So-1L

34 Ben Hixson LB 6-2 230 Sr-3L

36 Chris Francis MLB 5-11 225 So-1L

37 Elliot Coffey FLB 6-0 215 Fr-RS

38 Derek Epperson P 6-3 235 So-1L

39 V.J. McElroy IR 5-11 180 So-1L

40 Ben Parks PK 6-2 205 Fr-HS

41 Joe Pawelek MLB 6-3 240 Jr-2L

43 Shea Brewster PK 6-0 170 So-1L

45 Andrew Judy FB 6-1 240 Jr-SQ

48 Tyler King LB 6-3 210 Jr-SQ

49 Leon Freeman DE 6-2 235 Sr-1L

50 Sam Shalala LB 6-1 210 Sr-SQ

51 Adam Geib DE 6-5 245 Sr-SQ

52 Ty Findley LB 6-0 210 Sr-1L

54 Carter Brunelle DS 6-2 225 Jr-SQ

55 J.D. Walton C 6-3 300 Jr-1L

57 Tracy Robertson DL 6-4 270 Fr-HS

59 Casey Cooper DS 6-2 205 Jr-SQ

60 Sam Sledge DT 6-2 275 Jr-2L

61 James Barnard G 6-4 290 Jr-1L

63 John Jones G 6-5 300 Fr-RS

64 Alex Bonilla OL 6-3 255 Fr-HS

66 Hunter Hightower C 6-5 280 Fr-RS

67 Joe Korbel OT 6-5 270 Fr-RS

69 Cameron Kaufhold OL 6-5 275 Fr-HS

70 Jake Jackson OL 6-4 275 Fr-HS

71 Dan Gay OT 6-5 295 Sr-3L

72 Jason Smith OT 6-5 305 Sr-3L

75 Jordan Hearvey OT 6-4 285 Jr-1L

76 Larry Bradley OT 6-5 290 Fr-RS

77 Taylor Douthit OL 6-0 285 Fr-HS

78 Chris Griesenbeck G 6-6 270 Jr-1L

79 Courtney Green G 6-4 275 Fr-RS

80 Terrance Williams WR 6-3 185 Fr-HS

81 Romie Blaylock IR 5-11 180 Fr-HS

83 Luke La Mar WR 6-2 190 So-SQ

85 Stacy Williams WR 6-0 190 Fr-RS

86 Andrew Sumpter WR 6-3 195 Fr-RS

88 Jason Lamb DE 6-6 270 Jr-2L

88 Andrew Sowder WR 6-4 240 Fr-RS

89 Thomas Draper WR 6-3 175 Fr-HS

90 N. Jean-Baptiste NG 6-2 325 Fr-RS

91 Vincent Rhodes DT 6-2 295 Sr-3L

92 Kaeron Johnson DT 6-2 265 Fr-HS

93 Raylon Walters DE 6-5 240 Jr-1L

94 Chris Buford DT 6-4 270 So-1L

95 Gary Mason Jr. DE 6-5 230 Fr-HS

96 Zac Scotton DE 6-6 255 Fr-RS

97 Trey Bryant NG 6-3 310 Jr-2L

99 Dexter Beck DE 6-2 265 Jr-TR

Note: Some redshirts are not listed.

PASSING

C-A-I Yds TD Lg

Griffin 148-252-2 2,000 14 61

K. Freeman 6-13-2 49 1 14

Szymanski 4-7-0 28 0 22

RUSHING

No. Yds. Avg. TD Lg

Finley 134 760 5.7 7 46

Griffin 155 744 4.8 11 63

Ja. Jones 45 192 4.3 5 18

Wright 28 165 5.9 1 34

RECEIVING

No. Yds Avg. TD Lg

Wright 47 635 13.5 5 55

White 31 346 11.2 2 55

Gettis 27 369 13.7 0 61

Akers 13 158 12.2 2 21

B. Taylor 8 93 11.6 1 21

PUNTING

No. Avg. Lg In 20

Epperson 48 44.3 65 13

PUNT RETURNS

No. Avg. TD Lg

Bennett 11 2.3 0 11

KICKOFF RETURNS

No. Yds Avg. TD Lg.

Baker 26 665 25.6 1 93

J. La Mar 7 139 19.9 0 44

Sanders 6 163 27.2 0 40

SCORING

TD FG XP 2Pt Pts.

Griffin 11 0-0 0-0 0 66

Parks 0 6-8 37-41 0 55

Finley 9 0-0 0-0 0 54

Wright 6 0-0 0-0 0 36

Ja. Jones 5 0-0 0-0 0 30

TACKLES

Sacks-

UT AT TT Yards

Pawelek, MLB 51 70 121 0-0

Lake, FS 60 28 88 0-0

A. Johnson, FLB 31 37 68 1-10

A. Jones, SLB 26 40 66 3-25

J. Williams, S 26 25 51 1-6

J. La Mar, NB 27 18 45 0-0

Patin, SLB 26 19 45 3-13

L. Freeman, DE 19 30 39 3-22

Bryan, CB 27 6 33 0-0

Crawford, CB 11 21 32 0.5-7

Lamb, DE 6 20 26 0.5-5

Rhodes, DT 10 16 26 1.5-5

Hill, CB 20 6 26 0-0

Atchison, FS 15 10 25 0-0

PASSES DEFENDED

Int.-Yds. PBU PD

Pawelek, MLB 6-56 7 13

Lake, FS 3-2 7 10

Bryan, CB 1-8 8 9

Crawford, CB 2-0 3 5

J. Williams, S 0-0 4 4

Buerck, CB 1-46 2 3

Lamb, DE 0-0 3 3

Atchison, FS 0-0 3 3

Date Opponent Result

Aug. 28 Wake Forest L, 41-13

Sept. 6 Northwestern State W, 51-6

Sept. 12 Washington State W, 45-17

Sept. 19 at Connecticut L, 31-28

Oct. 4 Oklahoma* L, 49-17

Oct. 11 Iowa State* W, 38-10

Oct. 18 at Oklahoma State* L, 34-6

Oct. 25 at Nebraska* L, 32-20

Nov. 1 Missouri* L, 31-28

Nov. 8 at Texas* L, 45-21

Nov. 15 Texas A&M* W, 41-21

Nov. 29 at Texas Tech* 2:30 p.m.

To comment on this story:

adam.zuvanich@lubbockonline.com 766-8733

jeff.walker@lubbockonline.com 766-8735