WACO, Texas – Despite a late comeback attempt, Baylor (3-6, 2-4) fell to Houston (4-5, 2-4), 25-24, in overtime Saturday at McLane Stadium.
Down 17-10 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Baylor’s offense was looking to drive the length of the field to tie the game. Instead, on the first play of the possession, quarterback Blake Shapen (RJr.) pump faked the ball and threw back across his body into double coverage into the waiting arms of UH linebacker Malik Robinson (Sr.).
Houston appeared to have the game all but won, but the Bears’ defense forced a stop, and UH kicker Jack Martin (Jr.) missed a 44-yard field goal to give Baylor’s offense one last chance.
Shapen rebounded from his mistake to lead the Bears down the field and sent the game into overtime with a one-yard passing touchdown to tight end Hawkins Polley (Fr.). On the drive, Shapen picked up 41 rushing yards, including a 27-yard scramble on fourth and 17.
Baylor opened overtime with the ball, and Shapen found tight end Drake Dabney (Sr.) on the first play for a 23-yard reception. Running back Dawson Pendergrass (Fr.) capped off the possession with a one-yard rushing touchdown to put the Bears up 24-17.
Despite a personal foul that moved Houston back to the 40-yard line to start overtime, the Cougars made quick work of the Bears' defense, and quarterback Donovan Smith (Jr.) finished the drive with a rushing touchdown. UH elected to go for two, and Smith ran up the middle unopposed to seal the 25-24 victory.
Despite winning the turnover battle and leading in total yards and time-of-possession, Baylor came away with the loss. BU’s losing streak at home against FBS opponents has reached eight games and dates back 378 days.
The Bears opened the game with a promising first possession, but a couple of costly penalties on the offensive line stalled the drive, and Houston then blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt from Isaiah Hankins (RSo.).
With the Cougars deep in Baylor’s territory, cornerback Caden Jenkins (Fr.) made an incredible play to intercept Smith to keep the game scoreless with just over 14 minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Later in the second, Houston scored the lone touchdown of the first half when Smith connected with wide receiver Samuel Brown (So.) for 26 yards over the middle.
Baylor’s offense looked to tie the game before the half, and on third and 14 at the UH 21-yard line, Shapen found wide receiver Josh Cameron (RSo.) in the back corner of the endzone, but upon review, the officials waived off the touchdown. On the following play, Hankins missed his second field goal of the day — this time from 38 yards out.
Baylor entered the halftime locker room trailing Houston 7-0 and had been outscored 100-38 in the first half at McLane Stadium this season. The Bears had just 145 total yards of offense despite dominating in time of possession, 19:55-to-10:05.
The Cougars opened the third quarter with a six-minute drive, but a holding penalty negated a touchdown, and UH had to settle for a 31-yard field goal and took a 10-0 lead.
The Bears finally got on the board when the offense pulled out all the stops with a flea-flicker play that Shapen hit Dabney up the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown. Baylor trailed 10-7 with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter.
After a stop on defense, Shapen and Baylor’s offense settled in and drove the length of the field and were on the UH two-yard line before two costly penalties forced the Bears to settle for a field goal. Hankins nailed the 27-yard chip shot, and the game was tied at ten apiece with just over eight minutes left in the fourth.
On the ensuing Houston possession, Smith led the Cougars down the field and connected with running back Tony Mathis Jr. on a 24-yard touchdown to take a 17-10 lead with five minutes left in the contest.
| Name | CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | AVG | LNG | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Shapen | 29 | 37 | 263 | 78% | 9.07 | 38 | 2 | 1 | 150.5 |
| Name | CAR | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominic Richardson | 11 | 51 | 4.6 | 11 | 0 |
| Dawson Pendergrass | 9 | 50 | 5.6 | 11 | 1 |
| Richard Reese | 3 | 21 | 7 | 9 | 0 |
| Name | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drake Dabney | 4 | 76 | 19 | 38 | 1 |
| Josh Cameron | 4 | 42 | 16 | 10.5 | 0 |
| Monaray Baldwin | 4 | 16 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| Jake Roberts | 3 | 36 | 12 | 16 | 0 |
| Name | TKL | SKS | TFL | INT | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caden Jenkins | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Devyn Bobby | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garmon Randolph | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Jones | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Name | XPM | XPA | FGM | FGA | FG% | P | AVG | I20 | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Hankins | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 33% | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Palmer Williams | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2 | 40 | 0 | 46 |
What about any of that makes you think he's smart? He creates meaningless word salads. He pretends to be smart. And whatever his intelligence is, his coaching "moxie" is about 10 levels below it.Johngaltexas said:
Aranda may be intelligent and is surely smarter than me but, intelligence has little to do with leading young men on the football field. This team has lost confidence in the coaching staff and that cannot be overstated. The play calling-erratic and not aligned with the level of talent on the team. The O line coaching- non-existent. The team is unprepared for every game. No one seems to be driving the bus. How do you get a delay of game on an extra point in overtime? That's coaching!
