FB Falls Against No. 3 Texas, 38-6

Saturday, September 23

Waco, Texas

6:30 PM

Baylor

1-3 , 0-1

Texas

4-0 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Texas

Baylor

FB Falls Against No. 3 Texas, 38-6

9/23/2023 9:58:00 PM | Football

Box Score Game Book (PDF)Baylor Post Game Notes (PDF)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            WACO, Texas – Sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers passed for 293 yards to lead third-ranked Texas to a dominant 38-6 win over the Baylor Bears Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 49,165 at McLane Stadium.
            This was the 113^th meeting all-time and the last as Big 12 Conference foes, with the Longhorns (4-0, 1-0) heading to the Southeastern Conference next year.
            "Disappointed in the performance and the execution," said Baylor coach Dave Aranda, whose team fell to 1-3 overall and 0-1 in league play. "We couldn't get anything going from the very beginning offensively. . . . Guys are hurting, and we all are. It's something that needs to be fixed, and our intention is to fix it."
            The Bears, trying to put a damper on Texas' farewell tour, settled for a pair of first-half field goals and came up empty on four red-zone scoring chances in the second half. They went for it and failed three times on fourth-down plays, and then Cameron Bonner missed a pass from third-string quarterback RJ Martinez in the end zone on the last play of the game.
            "It's very frustrating, but we've just got to leave that game in the past," Baylor receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. said of the Bears' red-zone woes. "We've got to make that a point of emphasis throughout the season and make that a big point of emphasis during practice because it's going to lead to the game."
            Making his third-consecutive start in place of an injured Blake Shapen, sophomore quarterback Sawyer Robertson was 20-of-35 for a career-high 203 yards and was picked off once. Martinez was 9-of-18 for 102 yards, helping Baylor finish with 365 yards total offense and 19 first downs.
            After taking a 28-6 lead at the half, the Longhorns tacked on a 37-yard field goal by Bert Auburn and a 21-yard touchdown pass from Ewers to Xavier Worthy that provided the final margin.
            "It's super disappointing because we know we practiced way better than this," said sophomore safety Devin Lemear, who had a game-high nine tackles in his first game back since suffering a dislocated elbow in the season opener, "and it hasn't been able to translate, for whatever reason. I think being able to lift each other up offensively and defensively, that's something we need to improve."
            Baylor's defense held the Texas offense to just 94 yards and seven points in the first quarter. But the Longhorns exploded for 21 points in a seven-minute stretch and took a 28-6 lead into the half.
            Isaiah Hankins kicked the first of two first-half field goals from 22 yards out, with the Bears getting points after a nine-play, 70-yard drive that included a 39-yard pass from Robertson to Jackson.
            "I think we would trade some of those explosives for wins," Aranda said. "We'd probably trade some of those explosives for more passing yardage and all that as well. But I think we've been able since game one to hit on some explosive plays."
            Still clinging to a 7-3 lead five minutes into the second quarter, the Longhorns extended the lead to 14-3 on a 29-yard TD run by Ewers on a third-down play that capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive.
            Worthy had a 40-yard punt return after a three-and-out by the Baylor offense, then hooked up with Ja'Tavion Sanders for a 35-yard pass on a trick play after catching a backward pass from Ewers. On the next play, CJ Baxter bounced it outside and scored from seven yards out to make it 21-3.
            After a fourth-down stop near midfield, it took Texas just five plays to march 46 yards and score on a two-yard run by Jonathon Brooks for his second touchdown of the night.
"That's when the momentum shifted for Texas," Lemear said. "When they get momentum, they become a really good team. If you can pressure the quarterback and make them uncomfortable, they're a totally different team."
            Capitalizing on a muffed punt return by Worthy, the Bears tacked on a 36-yard field goal by Hankins that made it 28-6.
            But that would be as close as Baylor would get.
            After Auburn nailed a 37-yard field goal to open the second-half scoring, Robertson hooked up with Monaray Baldwin for a 55-yard pass down to UT's 4-yard line. But when three plays netted nothing, UT linebacker Jaylan Ford picked off a Robertson pass in the end zone that was intended for tight end Drake Dabney.
            The Bears threatened again when deep snapper Garrison Grimes recovered a muffed punt return by Jordan Whittington at the Longhorns' 19-yard line. Jordan Nabors picked up a first down with a run to the 8, but Robertson was dropped for a 10-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the 5.
            Texas held the Bears to just 60 yards rushing on 31 attempts, with Martinez leading the way with 22 yards on three carries.
            Brooks led UT with 106 yards and two TDs on 18 rushes and also caught one pass for 18 yards. Sanders had five catches for 110 yards.
            Going on the road for the first time, Baylor will face newcomer UCF (3-0) in its first Big 12 home game at 2:30 p.m. CT next Saturday, Sept. 30, in Orlando, Fla. The Knights trailed Kansas State, 31-24, in the fourth quarter Saturday night in Manhattan, Kan.
            "This next game, being on the road versus a good opponent and a good coach, it's going to be a challenge for us, and we have to step up to do that," Aranda said. "This either makes or breaks us. This moment right here, we can say, 'Hey, that performance is who we are, and all these things being said about us is who we are. Or, we can say, that's just what we did, and we're working to get better We're going to push through."