Kansas Jayhawks vs Baylor Bears Match Player Stats On Oct 15, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 15, 2016

WACO, Texas -- It's still uncertain whether Baylor is a legit contender for this season’s College Football Playoff.

But the 11th-ranked Bears left no doubt about their superiority over Kansas by pounding the Jayhawks, 49-7, on Saturday at McLane Stadium.

Baylor (6-0, 3-0 in the Big 12) enforced its will as it ran over Kansas on the Bears' game-opening possession. Baylor quarterback Seth Russell finished the 75-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.

Then, as Kansas attempted to answer, Baylor cornerback Ryan Reid stepped in front of a pass by Jawyhawk quarterback Ryan Willis. Reid returned the interception 64 yards for a touchdown.

Just like that, the Bears set the tone.

Reid's pick-six gave Baylor a 14-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game and it was clear the Bears were just getting started.

By the end of the first half, the Baylor defense had sacked Willis four times, while holding the Kansas offense to 118 yards.

Even more damaging to the Jayhawks' slim chances of contending on the road against the No. 11 team in the nation, the Bears took the ball away from Kansas on two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the first half.

Kansas (1-5, 0-3) has lost 20 of 21 games and hasn't defeated a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent since a 34-14 win over Iowa State on Nov. 8, 2014.

Russell was efficient enough to help the Bears stake a 42-0 halftime lead, even if he wasn't spectacular throwing the football. He completed only 9 of 22 passes for 144 yards in the first half.

However, he threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver KD Cannon and a 4-yarder to Ishmael Zamora, both in the second quarter.

Russell also rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. He broke loose for a 26-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, flipping into the end zone after a Kansas defender hit him low on a jump over the goal line.

The Baylor defense set up running back Shock Linwood for a short but historic touchdown run in the second quarter.

After a holding penalty backed up Kansas to its own 7, Willis was caught off guard by a low snap. Baylor nose tackle Ira Lewis surged through the Kansas offensive front to cover the loose ball at the Jayhawks 4.

The Bears followed with a one-play scoring drive, as Linwood punched in his 36th-career touchdown. He became the Bears' career touchdown record-holder with that four-yard touchdown, passing running back Alfred Anderson.

Baylor backup quarterback Zach Smith entered in the third quarter, giving Russell the rest of the day off. Smith led a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive on his first series.

Bears running back Terrance Williams finished the march with a 7-yard scoring run.

Kansas avoided a shutout when backup quarterback Carter Stanley directed a 12-play, 68-yard touchdown drive late in the third quarter. Running back Khalil Herbert scored on a 2-yard run, cutting Baylor's lead to 42 points with 1:22 left in the third quarter.

NOTES: Baylor, which didn't win six games in a season from 1996-2009, has started 6-0 for the fourth straight season. ... Kansas entered the game ranked first in the Big 12 in interceptions per game with 1.2 per contest, a total of six on the season. ... Baylor interim coach Jim Grobe, who took over the program when Art Briles was dismissed in May, is the first Bears head coach to start his career 5-0.