1974 Baylor Bears football team

The 1974 Baylor Bears football team represented the Baylor University in the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. Baylor won eight games and captured the Southwest Conference (SWC) championship for the first time since 1924, and in the process defeated the Texas by a score of 34–24 after rallying from a 24–7 halftime deficit. It was Baylor's first victory over the Longhorns in 17 years. The 1974 season and the win over Texas are commonly referred to as the "Miracle on the Brazos" (after the Brazos River, which runs near the Baylor campus) and it remains part of Baylor lore.

1974 Baylor Bears football
SWC champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, L 21–40 vs. Penn State
Conference	Southwest Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 14
AP	No. 14
Record	8–4 (6–1 SWC)
Head coach	Grant Teaff (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Bill Yung (1st season)
Home stadium	Baylor Stadium

1974 Southwest Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 14 Baylor $	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 17 Texas	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 16 Texas A&M	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Arkansas	3	–	3	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
SMU	3	–	3	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Texas Tech	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	4	–	2
Rice	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	8	–	1
TCU	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 14	at No. 1 Oklahoma*		Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	L 11–28	62,375
September 21	at Missouri*		Faurot Field Columbia, MO	L 21–28	43,752
September 28	No. 12 Oklahoma State*		Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	W 31–14	30,000
October 5	at Florida State*		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	W 21–17	25,262
October 12	at No. 14 Arkansas		Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	W 21–17	43,300
October 26	No. 8 Texas A&M		Baylor Stadium Waco, TX (Battle of the Brazos)	L 0–20	48,500–51,200
November 2	at TCU		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX (rivalry)	W 21–7	18,792
November 9	No. 12 Texas		Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	W 34–24	43,100
November 16	No. 20 Texas Tech		Baylor Stadium Waco, TX (rivalry)	W 17–10	32,000
November 23	at SMU	No. 16	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	W 31–14	40,168
November 30	Rice	No. 16	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	W 24–3	40,500
January 1	vs. No. 7 Penn State*	No. 12	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	L 20–41	68,500
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Team players drafted into the NFL

The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Franchise
Neal Jeffrey	quarterback	17	423	San Diego Chargers

Awards and honors

• Grant Teaff, AFCA Coach of the Year