Skye Duncan | Lariat Photographer
Skye Duncan | Lariat Photographer
By Cody Soto
Sports Writer
ARLINGTON — It was definitely a shootout at AT&T Stadium, but No. 7 Baylor prevailed to take a 48-46 win over Texas Tech Saturday afternoon. The Bears sacked Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes late in the fourth quarter to secure a two-point win in the Texas Farm Bureau Shootout.
“I’m not sure if it was a game or a war, quite honestly,” head coach Art Briles said. “I am extremely proud of our players. We knew everyone was going to give us their best shot all year, and this game was no exception. A desperate man is a dangerous man, and that’s what we were dealing with today.”
The Bears finished with 547 offensive yards, 255 rushing and 292 passing. Texas Tech’s Mahomes outdueled senior quarterback Bryce Petty and racked up a Big 12 rookie-record 593 passing yards for six touchdowns in the Baylor win.
“[Mahomes] was really good. He’s continually gotten better over the past two or three weeks, and he played extremely well,” Briles said.
Petty had 210 yards on 18 receptions and had two touchdowns before being taken out of the game. He suffered a mild concussion in the third quarter, and did not see game action the rest of the night. Sophomore quarterback Seth Russell filled in and added 82 yards and a touchdown.
“We had to pound it on the ground, and we stuck with it,” Russell said. “The coaches always told me to be ready for this moment, and that’s what I did.”
Sophomore running back Shock Linwood had an impressive 158 yards on 24 receptions for two touchdowns in the win.
The Bears held a 7-0 advantage heading into the second behind a score from Linwood, but Texas Tech’s Jakeem Grant tied up the shootout with a 27-yard catch with 13:12 left in the half.
Freshman running back Johnny Jefferson punched in a 4-yard touchdown run, and the Baylor defense limited the Red Raiders to field goal to lead 14-10. Linwood added a three-yard run to head into halftime with a 28-17 lead.
The lead didn’t mean anything for Texas Tech. After senior receivers Antwan Goodley and Levi Norwood connected with Petty and Russell to put the Bears up 42-17. Freshman kicker Chris Callahan nailed a 38-yard field goal to give Baylor a 45-20 lead.
The Red Raiders would rally to 20 unanswered points to make it a five-point game at AT&T Stadium. However, Callahan punched in a 36-yard field behind a big offensive drive for Baylor to give the Bears an eight-point lead with 3:44 left on the clock.
With less than two minutes remaining, Mahomes connected with receiver Brad Marquez to bring the game within two points. Mahomes and the Red Raiders attempted a two-point conversion in a ride-or-die play, but the Baylor defense sacked him deep in the back field to secure the victory.
“We didn’t finish how ‘Gang Green’ defense was supposed to finish,” junior defensive back Shawn Oakman said. “The expectations are high for ourselves, and we got lackadaisical. Sunday, we are back at it. We aren’t going to let anybody take anything from us. We have the opportunity to make our dreams a reality [next week].”
Baylor faces No. 12 Kansas State in their final Big 12 matchup at McLane Stadium next Saturday for a chance for another conference title. Game time has not been announced.
