Bears Pick Up First Win of Season, Defeat LIU 30-7

Jack Mackenzie - SicEm365

Baylor dominated in time of possession, 35:56-to-21:10.

WACO, Texas – Baylor’s (1-2) six-game losing streak, dating back to last season, has come to an end.

After a slow start to the contest and a two-hour weather delay at halftime, the Bears took care of business in the second half en route to a 30-7 defeat of the Long Island Sharks (0-3) on a rainy Saturday afternoon at McLane Stadium.

“I don’t feel like we [executed] as well to start the game,” head coach Dave Aranda said postgame. “It’s not a lot of times that you have a do-over, and I think the rain delay gave us that opportunity [in the second half].”

Baylor dominated in time of possession, 35:56-to-21:10, and the ground game totaled 251 yards on 46 rushing attempts.

Running back Dawson Pendergrass (Fr.) finished the game with a team-leading 111 rushing yards on 21 carries and 24 receiving yards on two catches.

“The moment is not too big for him,” Aranda said of Pendergrass. “His ability to take these big possessions and situations and make them into an everyday kind of task. … For a freshman, that’s very rare.”

Defensively, the Bears were led by underclassmen linebacker Jeremy Evans (RFr.) and defensive back Carl Williams IV (Fr.). Evans charted a team-leading four tackles, and Williams IV recorded his first interception and tackle for loss.

Running back Richard Reese (So.) put the Bears on the board first with a 13-yard rushing touchdown with 3:44 remaining in the first quarter.

Jack Mackenzie - SicEm365

Dawson Pendergrass (Fr.) scored his first collegiate touchdown and was the team’s leading rusher in Saturday’s win.

On the following drive, Pendergrass capped off an 82-yard drive with his first collegiate score.

“[Dawson] just running the ball and falling forward [was key],” Reese said after the win. “He does it at practice, and that’s what makes him a great player.”

Baylor then took a 16-0 lead midway through the second quarter after a snap sailed over the head of the LIU punter into the back of the endzone.

The Sharks crept back into the game after stopping the Bears on fourth and short at the LIU 41-yard line with 5:09 remaining in the second quarter. 

LIU then marched down the field, and quarterback Chris Powell finished off the drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown to cut Baylor’s lead to 16-7 going into the half.

After the lengthy delay, the Bears came out in the second half with a sense of urgency and got a quick stop on defense. The offense then put together a 76-yard, seven-minute drive that ended with Reese finding the endzone from 13 yards out for his second score of the day.

“This team has juice,” safety Bryson Jackson said after the win. “When we had the [weather delay] going on at halftime. … It was really special how we handled that adversity at halftime and that’s the reason we came out and fought so strong [in the second half].”

Late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Sawyer Robertson (RSo.) found tight end Drake Dabney on fourth and short from the LIU three-yard line to put the Bears up 30-7. Robertson ended the game with 113 yards through the air on 10-of-22 passing.

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