SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 29, 2014
No. 6 Baylor 48, Texas Tech 46: Shock Linwood rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns and the Bears held off the Red Raiders’ furious late charge to move within one victory of earning the Big 12 Conference title entering next week’s regular-season finale.
Bryce Petty passed for 210 yards and two touchdowns before being knocked out of the game in the third quarter, and Corey Coleman caught a touchdown pass for the eighth consecutive game for Baylor (10-1, 7-1), which finished with 547 yards of total offense. The Bears are tied with TCU for first place in the conference, but the Bears beat the Horned Frogs in October.
Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 30-of-56 passes for a career-high and Big 12 freshman-record 593 yards and six touchdowns, and the Red Raiders (4-8, 2-7) finished with 712 yards of total offense. Bradley Marquez caught three touchdowns, including a 40-yarder with 1:42 to play to bring the Red Raiders within two points, but Mahomes was sacked on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt.
Levi Norwood’s 27-yard TD reception from Seth Russell – who took over when Petty left after a hard shot to the head – pushed Baylor’s lead to 42-17 with 6:44 left in the third, but Mahomes rallied the Red Raiders to within 45-40 with touchdown passes to Devin Lauderdale (48 yards), Marquez (40 yards) and DeAndre Washington (49 yards). Chris Callahan’s 36-yard field goal extended Baylor’s lead to eight, but Marquez made a falling catch in the end zone on third-and-13 before the Bears’ pass rush brought down Marquez on the conversion try.
Baylor snapped a 7-all tie on Johnny Jefferson’s 4-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, and Coleman hauled in Petty’s 28-yarder midway through the period for a 21-10 Baylor advantage. Texas Tech answered on its next drive as Mahomes hit Marquez from 5 yards out, but Linwood’s 3-yard run capped an 81-yard drive to stake the Bears to a 28-17 halftime advantage and Petty found Antwan Goodley from 9 yards out early in the third.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Texas Tech LB Sam Eguavoen drew a personal foul penalty on the hit to Petty. … Russell finished 8-of-17 for 82 yards. … Baylor’s victory is its fourth in a row over Texas Tech and ties the all-time series at 36-36-1.