No. 23 Texas beats Baylor, stays alive for Big 12 title game berth
Bijan Robinson ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns as No. 23 Texas stayed in the hunt for a spot in the Big 12 Championship game with a come-from-behind 38-27 win over Baylor on Friday afternoon in the regular-season finale for both teams in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) will play in the league championship game against TCU if Kansas beats Kansas State on Saturday night. Texas’ eight regular-season wins are its most since 2018, when it beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to finish 10-4.
After Robinson’s 1-yard TD run gave Texas the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter, Roschon Johnson added some insurance when he hurdled over a defender for an 11-yard score, his second rushing touchdown of the game.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers finished 12 of 16 for 194 yards, with seven of those passes caught by Xavier Worthy for 62 yards.
Blake Shapen led the Bears (6-6, 4-5 Big 12) with 179 yards passing and two TDs. Baylor finished the regular season with three straight losses and but is nonetheless bowl-eligible.
The Bears got a safety on Texas’ opening offensive possession when Ewers was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone. They added to their lead with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Shapen to Jaylen Ellis at the 6:54 mark of the first quarter.
Texas answered on Ewers’ 3-yard TD run with 3:54 to play in the quarter. The Longhorns then took a 14-9 lead before the quarter was out via Robinson’s 2-yard scoring run.
The teams traded field goals, with the Bears’ John Mayers hitting from 30 yards at the 7:54 mark of the second quarter and Texas’ Bert Auburn converting from 38 yards away two minutes later. Baylor went back to the front at 19-17 on Shapen’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Ben Sims with 40 seconds remaining in the half.
Texas drove to a Johnson 1-yard TD plunge that put the Longhorns up 24-19 with 2:21 remaining in the third quarter.
Baylor’s defense put the Bears back in front early in the fourth. Ewers fumbled as he was being sacked by Al Walcott and the loose ball was scooped by Gabe Hall, who returned it 16 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Shapen the hit Hal Presley for a two-point conversion pass to increase the lead to 27-24.
–Field Level Media
