WACO, Tex. (KUAthletics.com) – The Kansas Jayhawks fell to the Baylor Bears, 45-17, inside McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas on Saturday.
Kansas was led by senior running back Devin Neal, who accounted for his 20th career 100-yard performance on the ground. Neal finished with 20 carries for 133 yards and a touchdown, while the Kansas offense totaled 491 yards, while Baylor totaled 603 yards.
Both teams failed to score on their opening possessions, but the Jayhawks went to Neal on its second possession. Neal broke off a 38-yard rush to set up Kansas in Baylor territory. Four plays later, Neal struck again for a 19-yard rushing touchdown, his 16th of the season.
On Baylor’s second possession, the Bears marched down the field to even the score at 7-7 with 2:51 remaining in the first quarter. The Bears scored on a 36-yard pass from quarterback Sawyer Robertson to wide receiver Monaray Baldwin.
After a Baylor interception, the Bears went back to Baldwin on a 39-yard pass from Robertson to give Baylor its first lead at 14-7 going into the second quarter.
Kansas responded with a scoring drive of its own, scoring on a 15-play, 67-yard drive that finished with a 26-yard Tabor Allen field goal to bring the score to 14-10. Baylor would score once more before halftime on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Robertson to wide receiver Josh Cameron as Baylor led 21-10 at the break.
In the third quarter, Baylor extended its lead to 28-10 on its first drive of the second half, as running back Bryson Washington powered ahead for a 10-yard rushing touchdown.
After a Kansas three-and-out, Baylor went back to its passing game as the Bears scored their fourth passing touchdown of the day on a 20-yard pass from Robertson to Dawson Pendergrass to make the score 35-10 with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter.
Kansas scored its first points of the second half on a 14-yard touchdown rush by senior wide receiver Lawrence Arnold, marking his first career rushing touchdown. The score came on a 3-play, 75-yard drive that included a 48-yard strike from Daniels to senior wide receiver Luke Grimm, as Kansas trailed 35-17 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Baylor would score another touchdown in the final second of the third quarter and add three more points in the fourth quarter to make the final score 45-17. Kansas finishes its season at 5-7 and 4-5 in Big 12 Conference play, while Baylor advances to 8-4 (6-3 Big 12).
