WACO, Texas: Abram Smith ran for 188 yards with three touchdowns, Baylor linebacker and part-time fullback Dillon Doyle scored on both of his offensive touches and the Bears beat future Big 12 foe and 19th-ranked BYU 38-24 on Saturday.
Baylor (6-1) led by only three points midway through the third quarter before Doyle caught a 2-yard TD pass from Gerry Bohanon. Smith ran for a 7-yard score about 3 1/2 minutes later to make it 31-14, after TJ Franklin’s sack that forced a fumble by Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall.
BYU (5-2) last month accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference starting in the 2023 season. The Cougars have lost back-to-back games after a 5-0 start that included three wins over Pac-12 teams and peaking at No. 10 in the AP Top 25.
Former BYU offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is in his first season in that role at Baylor, which had 534 total yards. Grimes visited and greeted several of his former players during pregame warmups, then his current team went out and had its fourth 500-yard game this season.
Bohanon completed 18 of 28 passes for 231 yards with the TD to Doyle, who also ran 2 yards for a score late in the first half. Bohanon, the fourth-year junior and first-year starter, threw his first interception of the season on his 153rd attempt, when the Bears went for it on fourth-and-4 from the 6 early when the game was still scoreless.
Hall finished 22-of-31 passing for 342 yards, with four completions of at least 45 yards, and had a nifty 56-yard TD run on a fourth-and-1. Puka Nacua finished with five catches for 168 yards, with three of the long passes before a 16-yard TD in the closing minutes.
The Cougars got to within 17-14 on Hall’s TD run, when he initially lined up under center before dropping back into shotgun formation. He faked a handoff right before going around the left side untouched, with head coach Kalani Sitake, the former BYU running back, doing a celebratory sprint down the sideline when Hall broke free.
THE TAKEAWAY
BYU: Aside from Hall’s long TD run, the Cougars couldn’t get anything going on the ground. Tyler Allgeier had a 1-yard TD run early in the second quarter for BYU’s only lead, but he finished with 15 carries for 33 yards. He came in averaging 106.2 yards per game, but he extended his TD streak to five consecutive games.
Baylor: The Bears, who went 2-7 in coach Dave Aranda’s debut last season, already are bowl eligible with five games remaining in the regular season. Baylor has two wins against Top 25 teams after none since 2015.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
BYU likely will fall out of the poll only two weeks after peaking at No. 10. Baylor, among the first few teams out last week, could potentially get back into the Top 25 for the second time this season.
UP NEXT
BYU: The Cougars are on the road for the third time in four weeks Saturday at Washington State.
Baylor: After an open date, the Bears play their third consecutive home game on Oct. 30 against No. 25 Texas.
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