As Corey Coleman’s draft stock began to climb on the back of a sensational redshirt junior season at Baylor, it seemed likely that he’d declare at the end of this season for the NFL Draft.
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Baylor went down to its fourth string quarterback, inserting Lynx Hawthorne in the game in the second quarter after Chris Johnson was injured.
Early mock drafts have suggested that Coleman has first-round talent.
I once said that even I could win under center in Art Briles’ offense.
Baylor (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) went into November undefeated after junior quarterback Seth Russell, then the top-rated FBS passer suffered a season-ending neck injury October 24.
A record of 5-7 isn’t almost what Texas coach Charlie Strong wanted for his second season, but a win over Baylor isn’t a bad way to punctuate the dismal record.
The Bears got the ball back at their own 4-yard line with just 1:24 left on the clock and out of timeouts.
Johnson ran on a second-and-10 play from his own 22 and Longhorns nickel back P.J. Locke came up to hit the Bears quarterback and forced a fumble.
He is also universally projected to be picked in the first round in May so this shouldn’t be a surprise. Scrap the passing game, go with the running game. The Longhorns (5-7, 4-5 Big 12) held on after building a 20-0 halftime lead, but still have consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1988-89 in the old Southwest Conference. Linebacker Anthony Wheeler recovered for Texas at the Baylor 18.
Hawthorne threw two interceptions in his first three passes. It appears as if Hawthorne was unaware that Thomas stepped out and he continued to wrestle him down to the ground.
They had two more chances to cut the deficit after that, but were stopped on fourth down both times. There were several scuffles even with referees and coaches between them trying to keep the teams separated. “It was working (in the wildcat), so we just kept going”.
Texas incurred the only unsportsmanlike penalty from the fracas, as reserve safety Kevin Vacarro was flagged for leaving the Longhorns’ bench. Hawthorne ran for an eight-yard score, and Johnny Jefferson worked from the quarterback spot to run for a 20-yard score, but just when things got interesting at 20-17, Texas got a third Nick Rose field goal to get up six.
Texas fans cheer during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Baylor Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Waco, Texas.
“[This win] puts the icing on the cake for a season that we know we could’ve done better”.
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So when the they got back to the locker room after the upset victory, the Longhorns sang the Texas Fight Song at the top of their lungs.
