[BAYLOR FOOTBALL] Texas State Posts Season-Opening Win over Bears

[Ingram, Brent]

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 2, 2023

Texas State Posts Season-Opening Win over Bears
Baylor throws for 416 yards in Loss

Baylor Football Media Materials<https://baylor.app.box.com/folder/122078722932?s=kmivkwskpgdkj2u6v7ixn774v5634pjf>

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 Colin Pirtle; 940-564-0351, colin_pirtle1 at baylor.edu<mailto:colin_pirtle1 at baylor.edu>



By Jerry Hill, BaylorBears.com



WACO, Texas -- Blake Shapen threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns and also scored on a nine-yard keeper, but Texas State used a big first half to hand the Baylor Bears their first season-opening loss in six years, 42-31, Saturday night at McLane Stadium.



First-year head coach G.J. Kinne, who retooled the Bobcats' roster with 71 new players, picked up his 13th collegiate win after a 12-2 season at FCS Incarnate Word last year. Auburn transfer TJ Finley completed 22-of-30 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns and also scored on a 16-yard option keeper.



Trying to rally from an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit, the Bears closed the gap with Shapen's two-yard TD pass to tight end Drake Dabney with 8:52 left in the game. Dabney had a career day with six catches for 101 yards and two TDs, including a career-high 53-yarder. It was the first 100-yard receiving outing for a Baylor tight end since Ken Hodge in 1964.



After the defense forced a quick three-and-out, Baylor marched from its own 31 down to the Bobcats' 5-yard line. But on a first-and-goal play, backup QB Sawyer Robertson's pass was tipped by receiver Monaray Baldwin and picked off in the end zone by safety Shawn Holton for BU's only turnover of the night.



And then, Robertson broke loose for a 31-yard run, but had a fumble that was forced by linebacker Ben Bell and recovered by safety Kaleb Culp with 2:06 left in the game and the Bears out of timeouts.



Hitting on big plays, Texas State scored on a 65-yard touchdown run by running back Ismail Mahdi and a 27-yard TD pass from Finley to fourth-stringer Donerio Davenport, taking a stunning 28-13 halftime lead on the Bears.



Baylor started the game with a bang, with Shapen hooking up with Hal Presley for a 40-yard pass down the far sideline. But after a 15-yard run by Dominic Richardson to the 1, the Bears were flagged for the first of five first-half false-start penalties and had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Isaiah Hankins.



After the Bobcats got on the board with a 10-yard pass from Finley to Mahdi out of the backfield, the defense came up with a big play when redshirt freshman Devonte Tezino sacked Finley and forced a fumble that freshman end Trey Wilson recovered at the Texas State 36.



A pass interference penalty was negated by a pair of false start penalties, but Hankins booted a career-long 53-yarder to make it a one-point game, 7-6.



The Bobcats took a two-score lead, 21-6, on the back-to-back big-play touchdowns before Shapen scored from nine yards out for Baylor's first touchdown of the 2023 season. Converting on fourth down for the third time, Texas State drove it 75 yards in 12 plays and scored on a Jahmyl Jeter one-yard run in the final minute.



Shapen got the Bears into Bobcat territory with a hurry-up offense, completing 4-of-5 passes for 40 yards, but Hankins missed a 58-yard field goal try on the last play of the half.



Baylor racked up 525 yards, including a combined 417 yards passing by Shapen and Robertson, but managed just 108 yards rushing on 32 attempts. Arkansas transfer Ketron Jackson Jr. caught six passes for 71 yards in his debut in the green and gold, while Richardson had a combined 98 yards on 18 touches.



The Bears will face 16th-ranked Utah (1-0) in the second of four-straight home games at 11 a.m. next Saturday, Sept. 9. No. 14/14 Utah, a future Big 12 opponent, opened with a 24-11 win over the Florida Gators on Thursday night.



The Bears will return to action on Saturday, playing host to Utah at 11 a.m. at McLane Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN and broadcast live on the Baylor Sports Network.



- BaylorBears.com -


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

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