Oct. 12, 2007

By Luke Blount

On September 23, 1989, Baylor crushed the Kansas Jayhawks 46-3 in Waco. A balanced Bears rushing attack ran for 313 yards and four touchdowns on 63 carries while a stingy Baylor defense held the Jayhawks offense to only 129 total yards.

"It was a combination of everything, both offensively and defensively, that helped us win the game," said Baylor head coach Grant Teaff.

On Baylor's first possession, the Bears marched down to the Kansas 1 yard-line, but were stymied on fourth down, turning the ball over. The Baylor defense then held the Jayhawks at the 1, and James Francis blocked a punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

"I want to tell you about James Francis," said Kansas head coach Glen Mason. "If anybody wants to see what a top notch player looks like, that's it."

After the free kick, Baylor put three more points on the board with a 26-yard Jeff Ireland field goal, ending the period 5-0 in favor of the Bears.

In the second quarter, the Bears scored two touchdowns on runs by Eldwin Raphel while Kansas scored their only points of the game on a 24-yard field goal. Raphel would finish the game with 138 yards and two touchdowns.

"I was pleased with Eldwin Raphel's performance," said Teaff. "If he would have continued playing, he probably would have broken a school record. However, we established that we were going to play other players."

In the second half, the Bears continued to ravage the Jayhawks, outscoring Kansas 28-0. David Frost scored on an 8-yard pass from Brad Goebel to start the onslaught. Then free safety Mike Welch intercepted a Jayhawk pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown, making the score 32-3. Defensive back Anthony "Two-Way" Ray scored the next touchdown on a 1-yard run before Ed Lovell ran 4 yards for the final score.

"After the Georgia game, I told a reporter that someone needs to drop a bomb in our stadium to wake us up," said defensive tackle Santana Dotson. "I guess someone did."

The Baylor defense forced four turnovers and made 12 tackles for loss, and the Kansas offense was only able to manage seven passing yards in 14 attempts.

"They've got a good defense," said Mason. "They sure don't give you much time to throw the ball."

The win marked the second consecutive victory against Kansas, as the Bears defeated the Jayhawks in Lawrence 27-14 in 1988. Baylor holds a 5-3 advantage over Kansas all-time and a 3-2 edge since joining the Big 12.

The Bears would finish the 1989 season with a record of 5-6 overall. Following the season, strong safety Robert Blackmon and linebacker James Francis would be named All-Americans as well as All-SWC. Punter Pete Rutter and defensive tackle Santana Dotson would also be named All-SWC. Defensive back Mike Welch would earn Academic All-American honors. Francis and Blackmon would be taken in the first and second rounds respectively in the 1990 NFL draft.