Field Level Media
Nov 30, 2019
Senior running back JaMycal Hasty rushed for 92 yards and three touchdowns Saturday as No. 9 Baylor claimed six takeaways and tied a school record with its 11th victory by trouncing Kansas 61-6 at windy Lawrence, Kan.
The Bears (11-1, 8-1) advance to the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma, hoping to avenge their lone defeat in a Dec. 7 rematch at Arlington, Texas.
The regular-season finish is the inverse of a 1-11 mark that third-year Baylor coach Matt Rhule posted in 2017, his first season. Baylor went 7-6 last season.
Baylor, which jumped five spots in the previous CFP ratings, chose to play with a stiff southwind at its back to begin the game and promptly scored three touchdowns in 14 plays. They averaged 14.2 yards per snap and gained a 21-0 lead during that stretch.
Quarterback Charlie Brewer, playing on a tender ankle, completed 6 of 8 passes during the first-quarter onslaught, including a 51-yard score to Tyquan Thornton. Gerry Bohanon and Hasty also scored on rushes of 6 and 13 yards respectively.
The Bears added a touchdown in the second quarter after long snapper Ross Matiscik recovered a punt that touched a Kansas player. Baylor took over at the Jayhawks 30 and scored three plays later on a 14-yard sweep by Trestan Ebner.
John Mayers tacked on a 23-yard field goal for a 34-0 halftime lead after an interception by Henry Black. The Baylor defense snagged four interceptions, recovered two fumbles and forced six three-and-outs, while yielding just 280 yards.
Brewer passed for 182 yards. He left after engineering Baylor to a touchdown on its first drive of the second half.
Kansas (3-9, 1-8) lost its fourth straight and closed the decade 6-83 in Big 12 play. No Kansas coach, including Les Miles in his first season, managed more than one conference win over that 10-year stretch.
Sophomore Pooka Williams Jr. cracked the 1,000-yard mark with 116 rushing yards, though Baylor forged a 264-161 advantage on the ground.
--Field Level Media