By Ahfaaz Merchant | Sports Writer
Baylor football extended its undefeated record to 5-0 after taking its first conference road win in two years with a 31-12 victory over Kansas State Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, Kan.
Head coach Matt Rhule said he was very pleased with his team and the way they performed against the Wildcats.
“Tough place to play, great crowd. Kansas State was certainly ready to play,” Rhule said. “I thought our guys hung in there, battled early, found a way to get a halftime lead and then ground it out in the second half. A lot of credit to our defense, won the turnover battle which hasn’t really happened.”
The Bears were not able to find the score board until the second quarter, putting up ten points before the half. Baylor came out firing at the second half, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter and then added to their lead with two more touchdowns, scoring 17 unanswered points.
The Bears’ offense put up 421 yards but only controlled the ball for a little over 23 minutes. The Wildcats had possession for the majority of the game but only came away with 12 points.
Junior quarterback Charlie Brewer completed 14 of 23 attempts putting up 230 passing yards with one touchdown, a game high for the veteran.
Junior running back John Lovett rushed for 74 yards and helped put the Bears on the board with two touchdowns. Although Lovett found the end zone twice, senior running back JaMycal Hasty led the team in rushing yards with 8 carries for 87 yards.
Freshman QB Gerry Bohanon also found his way into the end zone with a rushing touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Tyquan Thornton led in receptions with four for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Thornton said the victory mattered a lot to the team.
“It was big for us,” said Thornton. “The emphasis in this game, just knowing that we were coming into a hostile environment, we just needed to be all about us and play our game, Baylor football, and come out with a win.”
The Bears defense didn’t allow anything more than a field goal throughout the game. Junior cornerback Grayland Arnold recorded an interception, making it two straight contests that the Bears have intercepted the ball. Senior linebackers Clay Johnston and Blake Lynch dominated on the defensive side coming up with a total of 13 solo tackles.
The Bears will return to Waco next week at 3 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium as they host Texas Tech for their Homecoming game.
