Strong Start Fuels No. 11/11 Utah to 23-12 Win in Salt Lake City

Sat Sep 7 19:09:43 CDT 2024

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 7, 2024

Strong Start Fuels No. 11/11 Utah to Win in Salt Lake City on Saturday
Bears to Host Air Force on Saturday at McLane Stadium

For more information contact: Brent Ingram; 210-845-8651, brent_ingram at baylor.edu<mailto:brent_ingram at baylor.edu>  or Max Calderone; 254-265-1639, max_calderone at baylor.edu<mailto:max_calderone at baylor.edu> or Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720,  josie_hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:josie_hutton at baylor.edu>

By Jerry Hill, BaylorBears.com

SALT LAKE CITY -- Falling behind 23-0 in the first 25 minutes of the game, Baylor rallied to make it a two-score game in the third quarter before falling to the 11th-ranked Utah Utes, 23-12, Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 52,827 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Although Utah (2-0) is in its first year in the Big 12, this was the back half of a two-game non-conference schedule that was added before the Utes left the Pac-12.

The preseason Big 12 favorite in its debut season in the league, Utah jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes by Cameron Rising. The second one came after a sack and fumble recovery at the Bears’ 3-yard line.

The Utes tacked on a 30-yard field goal by Cole Becker late in the period and then went up 23-0 when Spencer Fano blocked a field goal attempt by Isaiah Hankins that was returned 77 yards for a touchdown by Tao Johnson.

With a chance to seemingly put it away after Baylor failed on a fourth-down play near midfield, Utah picked up a couple first downs before Becker missed wide right on an attempt from 45 yards. The Utes lost Rising with 1:47 left with an apparent hand injury, the seventh-year senior finishing 8-of-14 for 92 yards and two TDs.

Getting the ball back with only 29 seconds left in the half, the Bears used a 15-yard personal foul penalty to get in range for Hankins’ 44-yard field goal as time expired, cutting the deficit to 23-3 at the half.

With Utah struggling on offense with freshman Isaac Wilson subbing for Rising, Baylor put together an 11-play, 70-yard third-quarter drive, kickstarted by a 46-yard run by sophomore running back Dawson Pendergrass.

Hankins’ second field goal, this time from 40 yards out, made it a 23-6 game with 6:23 left in the third quarter.

After a three-and-out by the Utes, things got really interesting with another 70-yard drive by the Bears that ended with Dequan Finn’s 47-yard TD pass to Josh Cameron, the first touchdown of the junior receiver’s career. Trailing by 11 with just over a quarter to go, Baylor went for the two-point conversion, but Finn threw behind receiver Ketron Jackson Jr.

In a critical fourth-quarter drive, Utah ate up more than seven minutes off the clock before Becker missed a 43-yard field goal wide right with 3:40 left in the game.

Needing to score twice, Baylor picked up a couple first downs and got into the Utes’ territory. But on a 4th-and-14 play, the Bears came up short on a Finn pass in the flat to running back Richard Reese.

Held to negative yards in the first quarter and 48 total yards in the first half, Baylor finished with 223 yards for the game and only lost the first down battle, 15-12. Finn completed 9-of-21 for 115 yards and the one TD pass, while Pendergrass led the rushing attack with 69 yards on nine carries.

Without Rising, Micah Bernard became Utah’s workhorse, recording his third-career 100-yard game with 118 yards on 19 attempts. The Utes had less than 100 yards in the second half, with most of it coming on that one time-consuming drive in the fourth quarter.

The Bears return home to face Air Force (1-0) at 6:30 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 14, at McLane Stadium in a game that will be broadcast by FS1. Air Force is opened with a 21-6 win over Merrimack and is hosting San Jose State later Saturday.

- BaylorBears.com -

--
Brent Ingram | Associate AD for Communications
Men’s Tennis Sport Program Administrator
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 210-845-8651

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