Baylor Holds On against Cincinnati, Beats Bearcats 32-29

Cincinnati – It wasn’t the cleanest game, but when it mattered most, the Bears' defense came up with a clutch stop.

On fourth and 11 with under a minute and a half remaining at Cincinnati’s own 40-yard line, safety Corey Gordon Jr. (RFr.) broke up an Emory Jones (Sr.) pass intended for wide receiver Chamon Metayer (RSo.) to seal the 32-29 Baylor victory Saturday at Nippert Stadium.

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Blake Shapen led the Bears on offense and threw for 316 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-42 passing.

Cincinnati (2-5, 0-4), who remains winless in Big 12 play, outgained Baylor (3-4, 2-2) in total yardage, 450-to-396, and in rushing yards, 288-to-88. But the difference in the Bears’ win was quarterback Blake Shapen (RJr.).

Shapen threw for 316 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-42 passing. Wide receiver Ketron Jackson (Jr.) had his best game in a Baylor uniform and roped in five catches for 130 yards.

Another key component in the victory was place-kicker Isaiah Hankins (RSo.). Hankins was a perfect 4-of-4 on field goals in the win, including a career-long 54-yarder in the first quarter.

With the Bearcats driving deep into Baylor’s territory on the game's first possession, the drive was halted after Jones fumbled a potential handoff to the running back on fourth and short.

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Byron Vaughns totaled six tackles and a scoop-and-score touchdown in the victory.

On the first play of the second quarter, Cincinnati took a 7-3 lead when Jones found wide receiver Xzavier Henderson (Sr.) in the back corner of the endzone for an easy score.

Shapen connected with Jackson over the middle for a 41-yard reception and then capped off the drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown up the heart of the hard-nosed Bearcat front seven.

On the ensuing kickoff, safety Caleb Parker (RJr.) forced a fumble, and linebacker Byron Vaughns (5Sr.) scooped the ball up and ran into the endzone unopposed to give the Bears a 17-3 lead.

Cincinnati got back on the board when running back Myles Montgomery (RSo.) rushed up the middle for a 38-yard touchdown after forcing several missed tackles against a porous BU defense.

Baylor looked to add more points before the half, but Jackson dropped a wide-open pass over the middle on fourth and two at the Cincinnati 40-yard line. The Bears led 20-14 going into the halftime locker room.

To open the third quarter, Shapen connected with Jackson on a 51-yard deep ball and later found tight end Jake Roberts (Jr.) in the endzone for Roberts’ first touchdown of the season. On the following possession, the Bears had to settle for a 46-yard field goal and took a 29-14 lead going into the fourth quarter.

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Baylor’s secondary held Emory Jones to 162 yards on 19-of-30 passing.

Cincinnati responded and cut it to a one-possession game with a five-minute, 60-yard drive that Montogmery finished with his second rushing touchdown.

Baylor attempted to put the game out of reach with another touchdown, but on third down at the Cincinnati 13-yard line, Shapen incurred an intentional grounding penalty that forced Hankins to make his fourth field of the goal of the contest – this time from 43 yards out to put the Bears up 32-21 with seven minutes remaining in the fourth.

The Bearcats offense rallied to make it a three-point game after a methodical drive that Jones capped off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Henderson with just over five minutes left in the contest.

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