By Michael Haag | Sports Editor, Claire-Marie Scott | LTVN Broadcast Reporter
A week removed from a regrettable 42-31 loss to Texas State, Baylor football found itself in a position to upset No. 12 Utah when it hoisted a 13-3 lead with 11:00 left in the third quarter. But 17-straight second-half points from the Utes lifted them over the Bears 20-13 Saturday afternoon at McLane Stadium.
Baylor (0-2) had a chance to retake the lead after Utah (2-0) tied the game 13-13, with 1:59 to play in the fourth quarter. However, redshirt sophomore quarterback Sawyer Robertson tossed his second interception of the day — this one down the right side of the field — and it set Utah up on the Baylor 29-yard line.
The Utes pushed into the end zone with 17 seconds remaining, and the Bears hurried their way to the Utah 22-yard line with one second to go, thanks to a 47-yard grab by junior wide receiver Hal Presley. With one play remaining, Robertson dropped back and fired the ball to junior wide receiver Ketron Jackson Jr., but he couldn’t fight through contact and make a grab.
FINAL: Utah 20, Baylor 13
Robertson lofts it up to Ketron Jackson Jr. in the end zone, but it falls incomplete. Bears looking for PI but not called. Utah scores 17-straight and wins it in Waco.
Baylor falls to 0-2 on the year and hosts Long Island next week.
— Michael Haag (@MichaelHaag_) September 9, 2023
Jackson, who finished with 69 yards on two catches, said he can’t speak on if there should have been pass interference called.
“I just had to make a play on the ball, and I put that on myself,” Jackson said.
The game ended on the controversial no-call in the end zone, and Utah completed the two-possession comeback.
“It’s just brutal, [especially after] all the work that we put in all week,” redshirt freshman Kyler Jordan said. “I feel like we came out and played a pretty good game … It’s the most brutal part of the game.”
Saturday marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs, who are soon-to-be Big 12 foes as a result of conference realignment. The Bears find themselves on a two-game skid, while the Utes continue striving for their aspirations of winning the Pac-12 for the third-straight year.
Despite the loss, head coach Dave Aranda said he thought the team was motivated to play better after last week.
“We were playing to win,” Aranda said. “It’s hard to win. Our team is learning how to. We have the makings of a great team. I believe that, a hundred percent.”
Robertson recorded his first collegiate start, and he totaled 218 yards on 12 of 28 passes to go with two interceptions. The 6-foot-4-inch quarterback also rushed five times for 19 yards and had a 4-yard rushing TD. He started in place of redshirt junior quarterback Blake Shapen, who is out for three weeks with an MCL injury to his left knee.
Utah also had to shrug off an injury to its starter, as senior Cam Rising was ruled out Saturday morning. Rising is still recovering from an ACL injury that he suffered in the 2023 Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.
Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, but redshirt sophomore kicker Isaiah Hankins drilled a 34-yard field goal to put Baylor ahead two minutes into the second. Utah responded with a seven-play, 62-yard drive that ended in three points as well, which tied the contest.
Baylor answered with an 11-play, 79-yard march that took 5:41 off the clock. Robertson capped off the drive with a 4-yard rushing TD through the left side, putting the Bears up 10-3. Baylor carried that lead into the locker room and extended it to 13-3 when Hankins made a 24-yarder four minutes into the third quarter.
The Bears forced a punt on the Utes’ next drive, but Robertson threw his first pick of the day at the team’s own 37-yard line. That put Utah in the position to trim its deficit with a 46-yard field goal, making it a 13-6 ballgame.
The Utes hit their stride in the fourth with a backbreaking 15-play, 88-yard drive that took 8:02 off the time. Utah redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Johnson rushed the ball up the middle for a 7-yard score to tie the game 13-13, and he led the offense to the game-winning scoring drive after Robertson’s interception.
Aranda said he was disappointed in the outcome of the contest but that he is proud of the effort. He said the team needs to stick together through these brutal losses.
“The challenge is to stay together,” Aranda said. “Go through the loss, working on just the improvement and kind of what this can be, to learn and grow and to reach a higher level and to finish a game.”
#Utah HC Kyle Whittingham on Baylor's effort today:
"They made it very difficult on us. They're well-coached — extremely well-coached. They had us on the ropes."
— Michael Haag (@MichaelHaag_) September 9, 2023
The Bears now trudge into their third-straight home game, this one coming against Long Island. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday at McLane Stadium, and the game will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
