Baylor tight end Ben Sims had a 1-yard TD run in the fourth quarter before Abram Smith spun away for a 32-yard scamper to the end zone in a 31-24 win Saturday, when the 16th-ranked Bears became the third team in a row to overcome a double-digit deficit to beat Texas.
The handoff to the sweeping Sims for a score with 12:48 left put the Bears (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) back ahead for the first time since the first quarter. Texas then had a failed fake punt attempt, setting up Smith’s nifty run three plays later when he took a quick pitch left, reversed field after spinning away from a defender and ran all the way to the end zone.
Texas (4-4, 2-3) was coming off its open date, which followed consecutive losses to No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 15 Oklahoma State in which the Longhorns led by at least two touchdowns before halftime both times.
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Big 12 rushing leader Bijan Robinson was limited to 43 yards on 17 carries, well below his 132 yards a game average with a 2.5 yard-per-carry that was the lowest in his career. But he did put the Longhorns up 21-10 with his 1-yard TD run on fourth down early in the second half when he followed a pair of blocking nose tackles with a combined weight of 643 yards into the end zone.
Smith finished with 113 yards on 20 carries. Gerry Bohanon threw for 222 yards with two interceptions, after only one pick the first six games, and had a 6-yard TD run in the third quarter.
Longhorns quarterback Casey Thompson threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter, a 10-yarder to Joshua Moore and a 63-yarder when he hit Xavier Worthy in stride after the true freshman raced passed sixth-year safety Jarion McVea for a 14-10 lead.
In between those TD passes, Baylor used a little trickery for its first score, with Bohanon handing off to Trestan Ebner going left, before he reversed the ball with a pitch to receiver Tyquan Thornton. The former high school quarterback then threw to a wide-open R.J. Sneed in the middle of the end zone for a 6-yard TD to tie the game at 7.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas: The Longhorns have been outscored 69-23 in the fourth quarter over their past six games — at least they won the first three games in that stretch. This loss pretty much eliminates any chance for them to make the Big 12 championship game in coach Steve Sarkisan’s first season. Texas could end up just fighting to break even during the regular season.
Baylor: This was an important home win for the Bears in coach Dave Aranda’s second season. They were already bowl eligibility, but wrapped up October with three straight wins at home since a 24-14 loss at Oklahoma State to start the month.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Bears will likely move up a couple of spots after another proving win. They had beat future Big 12 foe BYU before their open date.
UP NEXT
Texas: The Longhorns play on the road for the second week in a row at No. 22 Iowa State.
Baylor: The Bears have their first road game in five weeks, going about 90 miles north on Interstate 35 to play at TCU for the 117th time. That is the only team Baylor has played more than Texas.