Nov 3, 2001

Final Stats

By JIM VERTUNO
AP Sports Writer

WACO, Texas (AP) - Baylor started Josh Zachry at quarterback Saturday against Texas, hoping to spark the offense. Zachry threw for 173 yards and ran for one touchdown, but was overshadowed by Texas' Chris Simms, who passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 5 Texas to a 49-10 victory over Baylor on Saturday.

Cedric Benson added 108 yards rushing and touchdown runs of 3 and 6 yards as Texas (8-1, 5-1) extended Baylor's Big 12 losing streak to 27 games. The Bears, (2-6, 0-6) haven't won a conference game since beating Kansas in October 1998.

Simms connected on scoring passes of 36 and 31 yards to Roy Williams and Sloan Thomas. He also scored on a 1-yard sneak in the first quarter, giving him six touchdowns on the season, one behind Benson for the team lead.

Since throwing four interceptions in a 14-3 loss to Oklahoma a month ago, Simms has accounted for 17 of Texas' last 23 touchdowns with just one interception. Simms is one touchdown pass shy of Major Applewhite's school record of 21 set in 1999 when Applewhite was the Big 12 offensive player of the year.

The crowd of 40,451 was decidedly pro-Texas as Longhorns fans made the 90-mile drive north to Floyd Casey Stadium. Bears fans tore down the goal posts after Baylor' win over Texas in 1997 but there was little chance of that happening again Saturday.

Williams' TD catch gave the Longhorns a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Simms led him perfectly to the back of the end zone. He bobbled the ball but snared it with both hands just before stepping out of bounds.

Thomas provided another acrobatic catch in the second when he dove to snare Simms' pass and managed to drag both feet in bounds for the TD that put the Longhorns ahead 21-7.

Zachry passed for 173 yards and ran 9 yards for a second-quarter touchdown that made it 14-7. But he also threw an interception to Nathan Vasher deep in Baylor territory that set up Texas' last score of the half.

The Longhorns struck quickly after the pickoff. Simms hit B.J. Johnson for a 21-yard gain to the Baylor 2 and Brett Robin scored on the next play to make it 28-7.,

Benson, who has four consecutive 100-yard games, scored both of his touchdowns in the second half.

Simms completed 15-of-29 passes before leaving the game in the fourth quarter. Applewhite, who threw for 297 yards against Baylor last season to become Texas' career passing leader, came on in mop-up duty and was 2-of-3 for 5 yards and was sacked once.

Texas has outscored Baylor 159-24 in the last three meetings.