By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
In Lubbock, playing easily its most complete game of 2022, the defending Big 12 champion Bears kept their title game appearance hopes alive.
Using five interceptions coupled with Richard Reese rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns, Baylor surprisingly handled Texas Tech, 45-17, Saturday night at AT&T Jones Stadium.
The Bears won in Lubbock for the first time since 1990 and broke a string in this series where the last three games had been decided by three points. Baylor never trailed in this game.
Baylor (5-3, 3-2) controls its destiny with the final four games against at Oklahoma, home to Kansas State and TCU and at Texas.
Coming into this game, Baylor's maligned secondary had just four interceptions. However, five different defenders - Devin Lemear, Mark Milton, AJ McCarty, Tevin Williams and Al Walcott - picked off three different Tech quarterbacks.
The first of two significant was when Williams came up with an INT in the end zone to take a touchdown reception away from Red Raider receiver JJ Sparkman early in the fourth quarter. The second was McCarty's 20-yard Pick6 to seal it.
Plus, Baylor's fledgling pass rush emerged with six sacks and gave different looks to frustrate Tech starting QB Behren Morton and backups Donovan Smith and Tyler Shough.
Reese, a true freshman, continues to take advantage of his ever increasing role as the Bears go-to running back. He had a career-high 36 carries that led to another productive night
Baylor built a 17-3 halftime lead on Reese's second touchdown of the night seconds before the close of the first 30 minutes.
The Bears then opened the second half when Mark Milton produced an interception on the second play of the third quarter. That set up a short 34-yard scoring drive that finished in Blake Shapen's nifty 9-yard TD pass to Hal Presley.
Texas Tech (4-4, 2-3) rallied to close to within, 24-17. However, the Bears responded with a 75-yard drive that ended early in the fourth quarter on Reese's third scoring run. Shapen finished throwing for 211 yards.
Baylor continues the road trip next Saturday to Norman, OK with a 2:00 p.m. kickoff at Oklahoma (ESPN+).
Publisher
In Lubbock, playing easily its most complete game of 2022, the defending Big 12 champion Bears kept their title game appearance hopes alive.
Using five interceptions coupled with Richard Reese rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns, Baylor surprisingly handled Texas Tech, 45-17, Saturday night at AT&T Jones Stadium.
The Bears won in Lubbock for the first time since 1990 and broke a string in this series where the last three games had been decided by three points. Baylor never trailed in this game.
Baylor (5-3, 3-2) controls its destiny with the final four games against at Oklahoma, home to Kansas State and TCU and at Texas.
Coming into this game, Baylor's maligned secondary had just four interceptions. However, five different defenders - Devin Lemear, Mark Milton, AJ McCarty, Tevin Williams and Al Walcott - picked off three different Tech quarterbacks.
The first of two significant was when Williams came up with an INT in the end zone to take a touchdown reception away from Red Raider receiver JJ Sparkman early in the fourth quarter. The second was McCarty's 20-yard Pick6 to seal it.
Plus, Baylor's fledgling pass rush emerged with six sacks and gave different looks to frustrate Tech starting QB Behren Morton and backups Donovan Smith and Tyler Shough.
Reese, a true freshman, continues to take advantage of his ever increasing role as the Bears go-to running back. He had a career-high 36 carries that led to another productive night
Baylor built a 17-3 halftime lead on Reese's second touchdown of the night seconds before the close of the first 30 minutes.
The Bears then opened the second half when Mark Milton produced an interception on the second play of the third quarter. That set up a short 34-yard scoring drive that finished in Blake Shapen's nifty 9-yard TD pass to Hal Presley.
Texas Tech (4-4, 2-3) rallied to close to within, 24-17. However, the Bears responded with a 75-yard drive that ended early in the fourth quarter on Reese's third scoring run. Shapen finished throwing for 211 yards.
Baylor continues the road trip next Saturday to Norman, OK with a 2:00 p.m. kickoff at Oklahoma (ESPN+).
