By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
           
ARLINGTON, Texas – Even in the midst of last year's 1-11 season, Baylor coach Matt Rhule believed in this team.
           
"I just believe in the players," he said.
           
Those players made a prophet of Rhule, who had boldly proclaimed on this same date a year ago, "We're going to a bowl game next year. If we don't, I'll be disappointed."
           
No need to be disappointed, Matt. Get on your "bowling" shoes.
           
Sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another TD as the Bears (6-6, 4-5) became bowl-eligible with a 35-24 win over Texas Tech in Saturday's Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Shootout at AT&T Stadium.
           
"Of all the games I've been a part of, this is probably the most special," said fifth-year senior offensive lineman Black Blackmar. "Almost an indescribable feeling on the field, being able to grab your brothers and celebrate."
           
Defensive tackle Ira Lewis, another fifth-year senior, almost took the celebration too far when he came close to tackling Rhule at the end of the game.
           
"I was probably a little too excited," said Lewis, who had one of the Bears' two sacks. "I realize I could have taken him out, but that's my coach. So, I've got to deal with him when we go to meetings on Monday. That would be bad."
           
Baylor probably won't find out its bowl destination until next Sunday, Dec. 2, but the options include the Autozone Liberty Bowl on New Year's Eve in Memphis, Tenn., the Dec. 26 Cheez-it Bowl in Phoenix, Ariz., and the Dec. 22 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.
           
"We'll take it wherever we go," Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said. "Think about everything those seniors have been through. For them to end their career here with a bowl game, and to be part of that foundation in terms of bringing Baylor back, that's special. To me, that's the story."
           
By the end of the day, there were a lot of storylines for this one. Redemption for an offensive line that took the lion's share of the blame for last week's 16-9 loss to TCU; running back John Lovett rushing for a career-high 125 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries; Chris Platt recording his first 100-yard day of the season and fourth of his career (6-114); and a defense not known for its thievery coming up with two fourth-quarter interceptions to seal the deal.
           
But, of course, none bigger than the Bears becoming bowl-eligible for the eighth time in the last nine years and giving the seniors one more game in their collegiate careers.
           
"Obviously, very excited," Brewer said. "Excited to have more time with the seniors They've been through a lot. I have the utmost respect for those guys who have stuck around here through tougher times than I could ever imagine. And they stuck through it. And to get a few more weeks with them, that's pretty special."
           
Brewer played a key role in giving those seniors another game. A week after turning it over twice and getting sacked five times in the loss to TCU, he was 22-of-30 for 308 yards and three TDs and was near-perfect in managing the game.
           
But, it was the Bears' ability to run the ball that opened up everything else, Brewer said. Even with JaMycal Hasty being out and Jalen Hurd limited after suffering an injury on the opening drive, Baylor got 209 yards from the sophomore duo of Lovett and Trestan Ebner (10 carries, 64 yards).
           
"I thought we ran the ball really well," Brewer said. "Not a ton of big runs, but we were getting five- and six-yard chunks almost every time. Whenever you do that, then do a little play-action, and it makes it easier to get over the top."
           
Something the Bears have rarely done this season, Brewer was able to go over top a few times, hitting freshman receiver Tyquan Thornton for a 41-yard TD in the second quarter and finding Platt for gains of 39 and 37 yards.
           
Texas Tech (5-7, 3-6), eliminated from bowl contention, did as well. The Red Raiders jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game when quarterback McLane Carter hooked up with wide-open receiver Ja'Deion High for a 54-yard touchdown.
           
"(Defensive coordinator) Phil Snow, who is a really intense man, said, 'That's on me,''' Rhule said. "He put his ego said. Maybe us signaling it in, we didn't get it in fast enough. It was a perfect call. Half of them got it, half them didn't. But, we just put that behind us. That, to me was key, knowing they were going to throw a flurry."
           
It took most of the first quarter, but Baylor answered back with a 19-play, 75-yard drive that took more than nine minutes off the clock. The Bears were 5-of-5 on third downs and overcame two red-zone penalties to tie it up on Brewer's six-yard strike to Denzel Mims, who finished with 65 yards on five catches.
           
"We knew we had to run the ball to open up the pass, because most teams have been dropping back (eight defenders)," Mims said. "We tried to focus a lot on running the ball this week, and it opened up the passing game."
           
Brewer sandwiched the 41-yard TD pass to Thornton around a 42-yard Clayton Hatfield field goal and a seven-yard run by Demarcus Felton as Tech took a 17-14 lead into the break.
           
The Bears turned it over twice in the first half, but the Red Raiders failed to convert on a tipped-ball interception thrown by Brewer and then returned Jalan McClendon's Hail Mary pass 75 yards back to the 19 on the last play of the half.
           
Other than one blip on the radar, another Carter TD pass to Seth Collins, the second half was all Baylor.
           
On the Bears' first two series of the third quarter, Brewer engineered scoring drives of 75 and 67 yards for a 28-17 lead. Platt had a 39-yard catch on the first play of the third quarter, leading to a one-yard QB sneak by Brewer, then Lovett picked up 26 yards on six carries and finished it off with a three-yard run.
           
Lovett said the difference in the Bears' ability to run the ball was "the offensive line."
           
"They did everything they needed to do, and I just ran right behind them. It was wide open every time," he said. "They came ready to work the whole week. So, I already knew it was going to be a great game running behind them."
           
When Tech got back within 28-24 on the seven-yard TD strike from Carter to Collins, it took the Bears just over two minutes to answer. Sticking mostly with the air attack, Brewer found Platt for 37 yards and Hurd for 15, then capped it off with a 16-yard TD toss to Mims that pushed Baylor's lead to 35-24.
           
The defense squashed out any comeback hopes by the Red Raiders, with cornerback Raleigh Texada picking off a pass inside the Baylor 10-yard line and linebacker Blake Lynch sealing the deal with his first career interception.
           
"We didn't play a complete game, obviously," Brewer said, "but I think pretty close to it. I thought we ran the ball extremely well, I thought the offensive line played tremendous. I thought the defense really did well. We're just happy to go bowling."