Baylor Hands Texas Tech First Big 12 Loss in Blow Out Win

Tahj Brooks struggled up to this point in the contest but finally found some breathing room following the Baylor score. He racked up 31 yards rushing on five carries, including converting a 4th down, to set the Red Raiders up at Baylor's 10-yard line. Morton threaded the needle to find Caleb Douglas in the back of the end zone for the Red Raiders' first touchdown. Texas Tech tied the game 7-7 with 1:47 remaining in the 1st quarter.

Tech's defense stepped up and shut Baylor down as the 1st quarter expired. The Red Raiders had the ball back to start the 2nd quarter.

2nd Quarter

Texas Tech couldn't replicate that same magic they had on the previous drive and had to punt the ball away. Worse, special teams continued to be a hindrance. A line drive punt with little to no hang time allowed Baylor's Josh Cameron to field the punt quickly and build up a head of steam before the Red Raider defenders even reached downfield. He made a few people miss and made it all the way to Texas Tech's 1-yard line. The big play continued to hurt the Red Raiders as Baylor scored one play later. The Bears took the lead, 14-7.

Another disastrous special team's play put Tech's defense in a bad spot. Following the Bears' touchdown, a muffed kickoff return put the ball on the turf. Baylor picked up the loose ball and earned a free possession in the process. Baylor took over at Texas Tech's 19-yard line. However, the Red Raiders' stepped on defense to force a field goal attempt. Isaiah Hankins connected on the 31-yard field goal to give the Bears a 17-7 lead.

Both defenses stood tall as Texas Tech and Baylor traded punts. Tech had the ball back at their 20-yard line with 6:01 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Morton got into a rhythm near the end of the 1st half. He found Caleb Douglas on multiple passes for more than 10 yards as the Red Raiders steadily moved down the field. Texas Tech made it to the red zone just as the clock hit the 2-minute warning. On the first play out of the break, Texas Tech pulled out their bag of tricks. Morton handed off the ball to TE Jaylen Conyers on what seemed to be an end-around. However, Conyers pulled up near the line of scrimmage and threw the ball to Caleb Douglas, who was running a corner route toward the end zone. Douglas pulled down the pass, and the Red Raiders pulled within three points, 17-14.

Baylor conducted a picture-perfect example of a 2-minute offense to put up another touchdown before the half. Texas Tech gambled with their pass rush on a 3rd and long, but the Bears managed to complete a pass out of the backfield that went for 25 yards. In the red zone after that, Robertson picked apart the Red Raiders secondary to put up another touchdown. Both teams headed to the locker rooms at the break, with Baylor holding a 10-point advantage, 24-14.

3rd Quarter 

Baylor received the 2nd half kickoff, but the Red Raiders' defense was ready for them. Texas Tech forced a three-and-out and gave the football back to the offense at Texas Tech's 14-yard line. Another healthy dose of Tahj Brooks pushed Texas Tech across the 30-yard line before Morton hit Josh Kelly on a deep pass that put the Red Raiders in Baylor's half of the field. Faced with a 4th down and 1 yard to go at Baylor's 30-yard line, Tahj Brooks took a handoff up the middle, but there was nowhere to go. Tech's talented running back bounced the football outside and outran everyone to the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown run. Tech pulled back within three points, 24-21, with 11:15 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Despite Tech's best efforts, the Bears marched straight down the field and scored another touchdown. The Red Raiders forced three third-downs and one fourth-down attempt on the drive but could not get off the field. Baylor extended its lead back to 10 points with 6:17 remaining in the third quarter.

The Red Raiders found success on their second drive in the 2nd half, but a rare mistake from Morton cut the possession short. He threw a pick at midfield while attempting to throw to a wide receiver on the left sideline. He must not have seen the defender waiting underneath because he threw the ball right at him. Baylor took over at the Red Raiders' 49-yard line. A breakdown in coverage left a Baylor wide receiver open behind the defense a few plays later, and the Bears scored. Baylor extended its lead to 38-21 with 3:08 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Baylor's pass rush began to tee-off on the offensive line. Morton ran for his life several plays in a row but could not escape a sack. The sack put Texas Tech way behind the sticks and the Red Raiders had to punt the ball away. Baylor held a three-score advantage with 15 minutes to play.

Tech's defense did not put up much resistance following the punt. Baylor dominated Texas Tech on both sides of the ball on Saturday and the Red Raiders could not recover. Following the touchdown, Baylor led 45-21.

4th Quarter

Left with few options, Texas Tech went for a 4th and long deep inside their own territory. Baylor's defense held and took over at Tech's 30-yard line. Baylor got away with a completely obvious offensive pass interference in the end zone and scored another touchdown. Tech completely fell apart in the 2nd half. While Tech managed to score two more touchdowns, Baylor also added one of their own. Saturday proved how important field position and special truly are to victory as the Baylor Bears blew out the Red Raiders at home 59-35.