After Texas Longhorns DB Duke Thomas picked off Baylor Bears QB Lynx Hawthorne (could there be any more fitting Big 12 QB name by the way?), Hawthorne decided to make things interesting on the ensuing tackle. His statistics, perhaps not-so coincidentally, dropped off after Baylor quarterback Seth Russell was lost for the season with a fractured vertebra in his neck.
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The offense wasn’t able to completely put the game away by failing to convert on the fumble and Baylor threatened with several long running plays.
Penalties and lackadaisical play on defense allowed the Longhorns to mount a drive that culminated in a 23-yard field goal.
Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman said Saturday after the Bears’ 23-17 loss to Texas that he will be entering the National Football League draft.
Javin Webb’s 1-yard run on the ensuing possession gave Houston a 7-0 lead.
The victory makes Houston the Group of Five representative, earning the Cougars a trip to either the Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl. Jefferson popped a run on fourth-and-four from the 31, but defensive tackle Poona Ford stripped the ball and recovered at the 43. The Bears ran out of that alignment for 15 of their first 19 plays in the third quarter and finished with 395 yards rushing.
The Crimson Tide (12-1, No. 2 CFP) held the Gators to just 3 yards of offense in the second and third quarters, assuring itself of a spot in the semifinals at either the Cotton or Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Temple (10-3) had a chance to get within a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but Jeremy Winchester knocked down a pass in the end zone and the Owls settled for a field goal that made it 24-13. Quarterback Jerrod Heard and the Longhorns are coming off a three point loss to Texas Tech, and now aim for the upset on the road.
“I remember looking up there and being like, ‘What in the world, where did the time go, ” Hawthorne said.
The Bears were within 20-17 when Hawthorne scored on an 8-yard keeper with 9:40 left. Strong said. “Then they left their sideline and we were trying to get our guys back then you were just trying to separate everything”.
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Texas cornerback Duke Thomas (21) comes over to celebrate with safety DeShon Elliott and other teammates after the final play of the NCAA college football game against Baylor Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Waco, Texas.
