By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor
While football came into the weekend 3-1, there were still enough inconsistencies for people to have their doubts about the team. The Bears doused those claims with one of the most dominant conference wins in the Dave Aranda Era to highlight this past week in Baylor sports.
FB leaves no doubt in Tempe
The defense has been the anchor for Baylor (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) throughout the season. The unit continued to impress in the Bears’ 55-19 win over Arizona State, forcing two turnovers from the Sun Devils, with senior safety Tyler Turner forcing a fumble and senior linebacker Dyan Davis picking off quarterback Cutter Boley.
The offense is what really made the difference. Junior quarterback DJ Lagway had his best performance for Baylor as he threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing score.
Freshman running back Ryelan Morris broke the game open with a 63-yard rushing touchdown on Baylor’s second drive. Sophomore running back Caden Knighten one-upped him with a 75-yarder to become the first Baylor teammates with rushing touchdowns of 60 or more yards in a game since 2010. The performance quickly emptied Mountain America Stadium and put the Big 12 on notice.
No. 9 SOC extends unbeaten streak to 9
No. 9 Baylor got some much-needed rest with only one match this week. On a rainy Friday night at Betty Lou Mays Field, senior midfielder Aryanna Jimison rained goals on Kansas as the Bears (10-1-1, 3-0-1 Big 12) won 3-1.
Jimison nailed a pair of shots from outside the penalty box to give Baylor a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Freshman midfielder Brynlee Bohannon tacked on a third goal while the Jayhawks snuck away with a late goal.
The win moved the Bears into first place in the Big 12 and extended their unbeaten streak to nine matches. Baylor’s only defeat came against Texas State on Aug. 23.
No. 21 VB splits weekend doubleheader
No. 21 Baylor volleyball looked to bounce back from two straight losses in its Utah road trip last weekend.
The Bears (9-5, 1-3 Big 12) started off with UCF on Friday night. In front of a raucous crowd and a sea of green and gold-striped overalls, they did not disappoint. Baylor handled the Knights in the first two sets before falling in a tightly contested third. The Bears regained momentum in the fourth to put away UCF and get back in the win column.
Baylor had a quick turnaround to compete against No. 24 Colorado Sunday afternoon. The match looked like the opposite of Friday’s win. The Bears did not grab a lead until it was 5-4 in the third set, struggling mightily across the first two sets. They took care of business with a 25-11 win in the third but eventually lost the fourth set to go 1-1 in the weekend doubleheader.
Football heads into the bye week as one of three teams undefeated in Big 12 play. Soccer faces Colorado at 8 p.m. Thursday in Boulder but heads back home to play Kansas State at noon Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field. Volleyball heads to Lubbock to compete against Texas Tech at 6 p.m. Thursday while it faces off against Arizona at 2 p.m. Sunday back at the Ferrell Center.
— Jeffrey Cohen
