[BAYLOR FOOTBALL] Bears Complete Historic Comeback in 36-35 Win at UCF

Sat Sep 30 19:09:33 CDT 2023

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 30, 2023

Bears Complete Historic Comeback in 36-35 Win at UCF
Baylor Rallies from Down 28 to Win in Fourth Quarter

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

ORLANDO -- Completing the biggest comeback in program history, Baylor scored 29 unanswered points in the last 19 minutes to pull out a 36-35 stunner over the UCF Knights Saturday before a packed house in the first Big 12 game at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

Sophomore Isaiah Hankins kicked a game-winning 25-yard field goal with 1:21 left, then Colton Boomer wasn’t close on a 59-yarder on the last play of the game after the Knights (3-2, 0-2) picked up a first down at the Bears’ 42-yard line for one last shot.

Coming back from a knee injury that sidelined him for the previous three games, quarterback Blake Shapen completed 21-of-34 passes for 293 yards and one touchdown and also scored on a two-yard run in helping the Bears improve to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play.

Monaray Baldwin had a monster game with seven catches for 150 yards, scoring on a five-yard TD pass and then getting Baylor in position for the final score with a 36-yard catch and run down to UCF’s 15-yard line.

Trailing 35-7 late in the third quarter, the Bears closed the gap with a 30-yard field goal by Hankins at the 3:20 mark after a 10-play, 50-yard drive.

Scoring twice in a three-minute mark in the fourth quarter, Baylor got within 35-26 on a Dawson Pendergrass six-yard TD run, the Baldwin TD grab and a pair of two-point conversions.

But the key play came on UCF’s next offensive series, when freshman cornerback Caden Jenkins scooped up a fumble and returned it 72 yards for a touchdown that made it a two-point game, 35-33, with 6:02 still left in the game.

After a quick three-and-out by the Knights, Baylor answered with a nine-play, 61-yard drive, capped by Hankins’ 25-yard, chip-shot field goal that gave the Bears their first lead of the game, 36-35, with only 1:21 left and UCF out of timeouts.

Burned by big plays, Baylor gave up first-half touchdowns of 79, 65 and 86 yards and was down 28-7 at the break.

Making his third-consecutive start for injured starter John Rys Plumlee, sophomore quarterback Timmy McClain threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. UCF used a balanced attack with 235 rushing yards to finish with 469 yards total offense.

In its first Big 12 home game, UCF (jumped out to a 7-0 lead just 1:47 into the game when Johnny Richardson sprinted 79 yards for a touchdown on the Knights’ first play from scrimmage.

With the Bears unable to pick up a first down until their third series of the game, UCF extended the lead to 21-0 on a two-yard run by McClain and his 65-yard touchdown strike to Javon Baker.

On its best drive of the first half, Baylor marched 72 yards on 10 plays and scored on a two-yard keeper by Shapen on third-and-goal. He was 4-of-7 for 61 yards on the drive but was sacked three times in the first half alone.

UCF’s defense came up with the biggest play of the game – at least to that point – early in the second quarter, when safety Demari Henderson recovered a Dominic Richardson fumble inside the red zone and took it 86 yards for a touchdown that made it 28-7 in a 14-point swing.

The Knights had a chance to tack on more points when Baylor went for it and failed on a fourth-and-one from its own 40. But UCF was called for offensive pass interference from the 3, nullifying a touchdown pass, and then Cooper Lanz blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt by Boomer.

Baylor had another nice drive, aided by a roughing the passer penalty, but Hankins was wide right on a 47-yard field goal attempt after Shapen was flagged for intentional grounding from the 29.

Sophomore running back Richard Reese had his fourth-career 100-yard rushing game with exactly 100 yards on 16 carries. The Bears finished with 153 yards on the ground and 446 yards total offense, going 10-for-17 on third down and edging UCF in first downs, 23-18.

Baylor returns home to host Texas Tech (2-3, 1-1) at 7 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 7, at McLane Stadium in a game that will be televised by ESPN2. Tech defeated Houston, 49-28, Saturday in Lubbock to pick up its first conference win.

- BaylorBears.com -

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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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