[BAYLOR FOOTBALL] Running Game Shines in Baylor's 30-7 Win on Saturday

Sat Sep 16 17:00:04 CDT 2023

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 16, 2023

Running Game Shines in 30-7 Win on Saturday
Bears total 270 yards rushing, led by 111 from freshman Dawson Pendergrass

By Jerry Hill, BaylorBears.com | Baylor Media Materials<https://baylor.app.box.com/folder/122078722932>

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>

WACO, Texas -- Baylor leaned on its rushing attack, led by a sophomore and a pair of dynamic freshmen, to defeat the visiting Long Island Sharks, 30-7, Saturday afternoon in a game that included a two-hour-plus weather delay.

Freshman Dawson Pendergrass topped the 100-yard mark with 111 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries, while Richard Reese scored twice from 13 yards out and had 82 yards on 12 totes to help the Bears (1-2) pick up their first win of the season and snap a six-game losing streak overall.

Baylor piled up 270 yards rushing for the game, with freshman Bryson Washington adding 45 yards on 10 carries. Making his second start in place of an injured Blake Shapen, sophomore quarterback Sawyer Robertson completed 10-of-22 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown and added a 14-yard run.

Long Island managed just 17 yards total until late in the first half and trailed 16-0 after a safety. But the Sharks (0-3) got a fourth-down stop near midfield and got on the board with a 10-yard keeper by Chris Howell with 40 seconds left in the half.

After a quick exchange of turnovers that included an interception by freshman cornerback Carl Williams IV, the teams went back to the locker rooms for an extended halftime that stretched into more than a two-hour delay with several lighting strikes in the area.

Putting together their third lengthy drive of the day, the Bears went 76 yards in 13 plays and went up 23-7 on Reese’s second TD of the day on their first offensive series of the second half.

The Sharks stuck to the ground and marched from their own 20 down to Baylor’s 27, but linebacker Mike Smith dumped quarterback Ethan Greenwood for a four-yard loss and Byron Vaughns sacked him for another 12-yard loss on 4th-and-6 from the 31.

Baylor answered with a 10-play, 57-yard scoring drive and pushed the lead to 30-7 with Robertson’s four-yard TD pass to tight end Drake Dabney on a perfectly executed play-action.

Long Island threatened again late, but Joey Spano’s 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked by freshman Trey Wilson and returned by Alfonzo Allen into LIU territory. The Sharks had success running the ball, picking up 143 yards on 29 carries, but was just 6-of-14 for 40 yards passing.

Baylor finishes off a season-opening four-game homestand with a matchup against fourth-ranked Texas (2-0) at 6:30 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 23, in a nationally televised game on ABC. The Longhorns knocked off then-No. 3 Alabama, 34-24, last week in Tuscaloosa and host Wyoming on Saturday.

- 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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