43 Days till Kickoff: Lache Seastrunk’s 43-yard TD against UCLA

As always, keep track of both the stats and roster countdowns in the Offseason Hub!

In the 2012 Holiday Bowl, Lache Seastrunk returned a 43-yard touchdown to extend BU’s lead over No. 17 UCLA to 35-7 right before halftime. 

The Bears ran over the Bruins all night, totaling 333 rushing yards and five touchdowns in comparison to UCLA’s 33 total rushing yards. Baylor scored 14 in the first quarter and 21 in the second quarter.

Seastrunk had 16 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown. Glasco Martin carried the ball 21 times for 98 yards and three touchdowns, and QB Nick Florence ran the ball 18 times for 37 yards and a touchdown.

At the start of the fourth quarter, BU led 42-13 before UCLA scored a pair of touchdowns in garbage time to lessen the blow. The final score was 49-26 in favor of the Bears.

The 2012 Holiday Bowl was a monumental win for the Baylor program. It was BU’s second bowl victory since the 1992 Sun Bowl against Arizona. It was also the Bears’ third bowl appearance in three years after being in a bowl game drought from 1995-2009.

Baylor started 3-4 in 2012 but was able to bounce back, winning four of the last five games down the stretch. Including a takedown of No. 1 Kansas State 52-24, a thrilling overtime victory against Texas Tech, and a 41-34 win over No. 23 Oklahoma State to finish out the season. Solidifying a bowl victory and an eight-win season allowed Baylor to carry momentum over into the seasons moving forward; it signified that Robert Griffin’s 2011 Heisman season wasn’t a fluke, and Baylor was here to stay.