Baylor-Texas Rivalry Has Flipped
AUSTIN (AP) — Shock Linwood ran for 148 yards and the clinching touchdown and No. 7 Baylor overcame a rare off day by quarterback Bryce Petty and the nation's No. 1 offense to beat Texas 28-7 on Saturday.
With Petty misfiring, the Bears (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) won with tough defense, two big plays on special teams and a power running game that wore down Texas (2-3, 1-1) in the second half.
Terrell Burt scored Baylor's first touchdown with a 62-yard return after a blocked field goal in the first quarter. A fake punt in the third set up Petty's touchdown pass to Antwan Goodley. Linwood put it away with a short touchdown run in the fourth.
Texas held Baylor to 390 total yards, but only narrowly avoided its first shutout at home since 1976. Longhorns quarterback Tyrone Swoopes had three turnovers, including a fumble at the Baylor 1 just before halftime.
Baylor was derided for soft early season schedule, but the defending Big 12 champions are (20-2) since knocking off then-No. 2 Kansas State in 2012 and sit with Oklahoma as the league heavyweights again. The Bears have also completely flipped a rivalry the Longhorns have mostly dominated the last 100 years, winning four of the last five.
But Saturday's win won't answer all the questions about Baylor nationally. The Bears struggled to move the ball against a solid Texas defense for much of the game. Petty, who some counted among the top Heisman candidates when the season started, was 7 of 22 passing for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
For Texas, a close game getting turned into a blowout could be a demoralizer. The Longhorns were on the verge of tying it up late in the first half after Swoopes deftly drove Texas 98 yards to the 1. But a fumbled snap and Baylor's recovery snuffed a potentially huge momentum swing and the Longhorns never recovered.
Texas coach Charlie's Strong's first season has been far more notable for his discipline — nine players dismissed and several others suspended — than the product on the field. The Longhorns are off to their worst start after give games since 1993 and have now lost nine in a row at home to ranked opponents.
Texas throttled Baylor's flashy offense in the first half with a tough defense and an offense that chewed up minutes and yards but produced no points. Petty was out of sync on 4-of-11 passing in the half with only one throw deep down the field.
The Bears' only points in the half came on special teams when Beau Blackshear blocked Texas' 52-yard field-goal attempt and Burt scooped it up to score.
The Bears drove to the Texas 1 in the second quarter, but a touchdown run by Petty was overruled on replay. The Longhorns twice stuffed Baylor on short runs up the middle and took over on downs.
Swoopes then engineered a masterful 14-play drive before his fumble at the goal line. It was the second time in two weeks Swoopes had turnovers inside the 3.
Baylor was still struggling in the third when the Bears' special teams made another big play.
Punter Spencer Roth long run on a fake punt caught Texas completely off guard and set up Baylor's second touchdown three plays later. Petty dropped a perfect strike to Antwan Goodley past defender Mykele Thompson for a 29-yard score.
Linwood took over from there, rushing for 100 yards in the second half, most of it coming straight up the middle as Texas' defense tired. His touchdown made it 21-0 before Petty connected with Corey Coleman with a long pass into the end zone on 4th down.
Texas avoided the shutout when Johnathan Gray ran 2 yards for a touchdown with 2:14 to play. Texas has been outscored 69-14 in its last two homes games.
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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