By Jackson Posey | Sports Editor
Baylor dropped a blowout loss to No. 21 Cincinnati on Saturday, 41-20, stumbling out of a loss against TCU and struggling to contain a Bearcat offense captained by Denton native Brendan Sorsby.
The Bears (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) lost two fumbles and gained a season-low 266 offensive yards after falling into a 24-0 deficit in the second quarter. Sorsby (196 total yards, 3 TDs) continued to make his case as one of the top signal-callers in the nation against a defense which has allowed at least 34 points in three straight contests.
Cincinnati (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) burst out of the gates, splitting two early touchdowns with a drive-killing sack. The Bearcats outgained the Bears 138-18 in the first quarter.
The Bears made headway on their third drive of the game, but a miscommunication on fourth down led to an incomplete pass. A drive later, sixth-year wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins lost a fumble on first down —Baylor’s eighth lost fumble of the season, including six in the past five games.
Redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson led the Bears on a 75-yard two-minute drill to salvage the first half. Robertson dotted redshirt senior tight end Michael Trigg in the end zone on fourth down for a short touchdown, then failed to convert a 2-point conversion on a quarterback draw.
After a lopsided first half, Baylor entered the break trailing 24-6.
Baylor scored again to open the second half, led by a strong performance from freshman running back Michael Turner, who finished the game with 209 total yards. Redshirt senior Josh Cameron snagged a 9-yarder for his fourth touchdown of the season.
An offsides penalty negated an unsuccessful 2-point conversion; Robertson overthrew Matthew Klopfenstein on the do-over attempt to hold the score at 24-12.
Baylor scored again to open the fourth quarter, then failed its fourth and fifth 2-point conversion attempts — both of which were called back on Cincinnati penalties. Turner leapt over the line of scrimmage on the third attempt to cut the lead to 27-20.
Throughout the season, Baylor has consistently started slow before battling back into close games. Turner’s 2-point conversion marked a 17-point comeback from a 24-0 second-quarter deficit. But the gas ran out in Cincinnati, as the Bears crawled to the finish line. The Bearcats closed the game on a 14-0 run to lock in the 41-20 victory.
Baylor now sits at 4-4 heading into its closing stretch: UCF, Utah, Arizona (away) and Houston. The Bears will need to win at least two of four to secure bowl eligibility.
