Dominant defense, RVO offense push Baylor past Ole Miss in Sugar Bowl, 21-7

NEW ORLEANS — A reliable and violence offense coupled with a dominant defensive performance helped Baylor finish off the 2021 football season in style as the Bears never trailed in its 21-7 win over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday evening. The Big 12 Champions moved to 12-2 with the victory, giving the program its first 12-win season ever. 

Baylor intercepted Ole Miss starting quarterback Matt Corral on the second play of the game and sacked the star quarterback three times in the first quarter. Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts ‘ unit never looked back, notching 10 sacks on the game and three interceptions. 

Was it how Aranda drew it up? Unlikely, but it got the job done. 

The only score of the first half of the game came when Ole Miss back up quarterback Luke Altmyer’s pass inside Baylor’s 10-yard line was tipped by edge defender Matt Jones and cornerback Al Walcott hauled in the first interception of the game and returned it 96 yards for the score. Baylor’s offense couldn’t find its groove, but the balanced approach that has been relied on so often by the 2021 Bears came through again.

“I thought they continued to battle,” Aranda said. “We were put in some tough spots, there were some fourth downs that we did not convert on, and I thought the momentum could have easily changed there so the ability to continue to fight and get out of tough spots.” 

Senior running back Abram Smith was the lone bright spot of the first half, carrying the ball 11 times for 106 yards. Smith finished with 172 yards on 25 carries and punished defenders regularly deep into the game. 

Defensively it was Terrel Bernard who dominated the stat sheet. Bernard finished with 17 tackles including 11 solo, 2.0 sacks and a pass break up. He set the pace for a phenomenal performance by the unit as seven defenders collected at least one sack including two by senior Bryson Jackson.

Along with Walcott’s interception, senior safety JT Woods picked off two passes on the game including a fourth quarter pick that set up the final score to put the game on ice. After the pick that Woods returned for 16 yards to the Ole Miss 15, quarterback Gerry Bohanon found Tyquan Thornton for a two-yard touchdown to extend Baylor’s lead to 21-7. 

The score for Baylor’s offense was the second of the day. Notched at 7-7 with 11:14 remaining in the contest, freshman receiver Monaray Baldwin took a jet sweep to the edge and turned on the burners on his way to a 48-yard touchdown run to give Baylor all it would need. 

Baylor finished with 319 total yards on the game with 279 of those coming on the ground. On the opposite side of the ball the Bears held Ole Miss to 322 yards of offense. 

“Well, you look at this group, and the senior group in particular, all of the coaches they have been through, all the philosophies and the beliefs that they had to have, all the trust that they had to give,” Aranda said. “I look at all the position coaches that have come and gone, and to get a group as special as this that is able to trust again and to believe again and to be selfless. I think a lot of times when there is that much change its easy to just trust yourself and not think of others. This group is a selfless group and plays for each other.”