No. 21 Baylor Wins 66-42 Over Tech After RG3 Out
ARLINGTON (AP) – Nick Florence threw two long touchdown passes after Robert Griffin was knocked out of the game and No. 21 Baylor extended its winning streak to four games with a 66-42 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday night.
The Bears (8-3, 5-3 Big 12) had to win it without Griffin, whose Heisman Trophy chances were dealt a setback because of an apparent concussion.
Still, Baylor set a school mark for most points in a conference game -- Big 12 or the Southwest Conference for decades before that -- and was already ahead to stay when Griffin scored on a 3-yard keeper just before halftime. That score came after he was on the sideline for one play after taking an elbow to the helmet while sliding at the end of a run.
Terrance Ganaway rushed 42 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a school-record 14 for the Bears, who reached eight wins for the first time since 1991.
Texas Tech (5-7, 2-7) finished with its first losing record since 1992. The Red Raiders lost their last five games after a 41-38 upset last month at Oklahoma, which Baylor beat at home last week.
Griffin had scrambled from one side of the field to the other and slid inside the 5 with a first down when defensive back Cornelius Douglas came in hard with an elbow that knocked Griffin's head back to the turf. The quarterback remained flat on his back for a couple of moments before coming out of the game for a play. He then returned for his second touchdown run to make it 31-21.
Florence, the junior who hadn't thrown a pass all season and was possibly going to be redshirted, came in after halftime and completed 9 of 12 passes for 151 yards. He threw a 46-yard TD to Kendall Wright and a 40-yarder to Terrance Williams before Joe Williams returned an interception 90 yards to push Baylor ahead 52-28.
Griffin stood on the sideline holding a towel in his hand but didn't have his helmet when the second half started. Briles said he thought Griffin had a slight concussion but should be ready for the regular season finale next week at home against Texas.
When the game was over, Briles hugged a smiling Griffin and kissed him on the cheek.
The two teams combined for 108 points and 1,061 total yards at Cowboys Stadium, where Baylor outgained the Red Raiders 617 to 444. The Bears had 294 before halftime with Griffin.
Griffin, the national leader in total offense (412 yards per game), completed 7 of 11 passes for 106 yards with a touchdown. He ran 14 times for 62 yards.
Griffin had a school-record 551 total yards against Oklahoma, including the game-winning TD pass with 8 seconds left in a 45-38 victory for the Bears' first win in 21 chances against the Sooners.
Texas Tech had won all previous 15 games against the Bears as Big 12 members.
Seth Doege completed 41 of 55 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. Eric Ward set a Tech single-game record with 16 catches for 151 yards.
Baylor scored on its first five drives, including Griffin's 33-yard TD pass on fourth down to Wright, who caught the ball in the middle of the field at the 25 and spun away from a defender to sprint to the end zone for a 10-0 lead.
Griffin had a 4-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter to put the Bears up 17-7.
The Red Raiders then went 74 yards on 10 completions by Doege. Six were to Ward, the last for a 2-yard TD.
A couple of plays after Baylor got the ball back, officials were blowing the whistle for a false start when safety Terrance Bullitt came from Griffin's blindside and undercut his legs, knocking the quarterback to the ground. That drew a personal foul penalty, and the drive eventually ended with a 4-yard TD by Ganaway.
Tech then used a little trickery to score quickly. Backup quarterback Jacob Karam, wearing a No. 85 jersey instead of his normal No. 3, lined up as a receiver and went in motion. He took a pitch from Doege and then threw a 43-yard TD to Darrin Moore, who later caught a 1-yard TD from Doege.
The Red Raiders then recovered an onside kick. But they failed to get a first down and punted.
That led the wild 12-play drive on which Griffin got hurt. Both teams called a timeout before a fourth-and-7 play, but Tech was called for delay of game -- and coach Tommy Tuberville was then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when he protested, giving Baylor a first down without having to snap the ball.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
