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Baylor runs wild in Russell Athletic Bowl win over UNC
Baylor ran a total of 102 plays, 84 of which were rushes, operating at warp speed as it scored touchdowns on seven of its 11 drives in the game-completely draining the Tar Heel defense.
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Baylor displayed its depth and adaptability, which some questioned after losses to TCU and Texas that ended the regular season.
Quarterbacks Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham were out with injuries, along with star receiver Corey Coleman and leading rusher Shock Linwood.
Baylor’s next drive resulted in another touchdown, this time a three-yard run by Williams. They included running backs Johnny Jefferson, Terrence Williams and Devin Chafin, and receiver Lynx Hawthorne. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 243 yards, three scores and one interception, and he ran 17 times for 81 yards and two TDs. Not only would a win give Cal its first bowl victory since the 2008 season in its first postseason appearance since 2011, it would also give the Bears its best record since going the same 8-5 in 2009.
The Bears were without their top two quarterbacks and top two weapons, which makes this one of the most impressive offensive performances in bowl season history. “Coach talked about that today… that we have to improve on the defensive end – and we’ll be as good as we can be if we do that”. The Bears ran some mutant single-wing offense that was mixed with a modern no-huddle system that just broke the will of the Tar Heels defense. No. 18 Baylor ran for 190 yards in the first quarter. North Carolina got Williams final scoring pass to pull within 11, but Baylor ran out the clock.
“I’m frustrated because guys shoot 52 percent against us”, he said after the Spartans did that after halftime. Baylor kicker Chris Callahan has hit eight of 12 field goals with a long of 39 yards while punter Drew Galitz has enjoyed a strong freshman year by averaging 40.7 yards. In the receiving end, Mack Hollins and Ryan Switzer accumulated 1,379 yards and 14 touchdowns. And so they did, with more effectiveness in the running game than any team had ever experienced against the Tar Heels.
“We didn’t really know what to expect”, said senior linebacker Shakeel Rashad after the 49-38 loss to the Bears.
At one time both of these teams were included in College Football Playoff conversations and have grabbed national headlines for their fast paced and high-scoring abilities – some projecting this game to be the highest scoring of the entire bowl season.
While UNC as an institution will and should bear the burden for the malfeasance committed, the players who have arrived in the years since the last AFAM “paper class” feel the impact for something that had nothing to do with them.
Marcus Paige and Justin Jackson each had 14 points for the Tar Heels, who led 47-28 at the half.
Stat of the game: Baylor set a Russell Athletic Bowl rushing record in the first half alone.
Jefferson heated up even more by breaking free for an 80-yard touchdown.
UNC’s offense is balanced enough to attack however they please.
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NEVADA 28, COLORADO STATE 23 (at Tucson, Ariz.) – James Butler’s 4-yard touchdown run with 66 seconds left led the Wolf Pack to victory. As much improvement as UNC’s defense showed, overall, throughout the season the Tar Heels still often struggled to limit effective running teams.