At the end of a first half dominated by the defenses and officials, Baylor exploded for three late touchdowns and leads Oklahoma, 24-5. Neither the Bears nor the Sooners were able to get anything approaching their typical offensive production in the first 30 minutes of Thursday’s game, though Baylor is beginning to round into form. The officials are certainly getting a workout, though, as Baylor and Oklahoma have combined for 16 penalties and 133 penalty yards in the first half.
Baylor leads Oklahoma at halftime, 24-5
After a slow start, the Bears found their offense, and Oklahoma is in serious trouble.
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After a first quarter that was heavy on defense and penalties, the offenses continued to struggle early in the second period. Oklahoma was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the Baylor 2, but sacked Bryce Petty for a safety on the Bears' second play of the ensuing drive. A 54-yard return of the free kick gave Oklahoma ideal field position, but the Sooners offense again stalled, and Michael Hunnicutt kicked a chip shot field goal to give OU a 5-3 lead.
Baylor moved into field goal range through a 51-yard kickoff return, but Aaron Jones missed a 52-yard attempt. Oklahoma responded with a six-play drive, moving to the Baylor 31 before three Blake Bell incompletions led to another field goal attempt. Hunnicutt sailed the 48-yard attempt wide, and the score remained 5-3.
Baylor finally found its offense on the next possession, with a Shock Linwood 20-yard run keying a five-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. Quarterback Bryce Petty ran the last 5 yards on his own, giving the Bears a 10-5 advantage. After another Oklahoma punt, Baylor struck again, going 93 yards in just nine plays. Petty sneaked in from the 1-yard line to extend the Bears’ advantage.
Blake Bell threw an intereception with less than a minute to play, giving Baylor yet another opportunity. Petty hit Antwan Goodley on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds to go, and Oklahoma is left to pick up the pieces at halftime.
It hasn’t been all sunshine for Baylor, though. The running back tandem of Glasco Martin IV and Lache Seastrunk have both missed time due to injury, though Seastrunk is expected to return.
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