By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
        
After not throwing an interception in the first five games of the season, Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer was picked off twice in the first half and then had a costly one in the end zone early in the fourth quarter with a chance to put away Texas Tech.
        
"You hate it, but eventually you're going to struggle in a game," he said.
        
But, as he's done time and time again, the junior quarterback bounced back to deliver when the Bears absolutely had to have it.
        
Brewer threw for 81 yards in a game-tying drive in the last 1 ½ minutes in regulation, then hit two big passes in the overtime periods to lift the Bears to an exhilarating 33-30 comeback win over the Red Raiders in double overtime before a sellout Homecoming crowd of 47,264 Saturday at McLane Stadium.
        
"We've been in that situation plenty of times, and Charlie has bailed us out," said junior running back John Lovett, who rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries. "I think he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NCAA. I have so much confidence in Charlie."
        
So does Charlie, who has now led five game-winning or game-tying drives in the fourth quarter.
        
Even when he was backed up at his own 1-yard line after a sack on that last drive in regulation, there was never a moment of doubt.
        
"I just feel like that's when the quarterback has to be at his best, when the game is on the line," said Brewer, who threw for a season-high 352 yards while adding 55 yards and a career-high three rushing touchdowns. "I made my handful of mistakes earlier in the game. But as a quarterback, you've just got to let it go and realize you've got a chance to win the game and forget about it and move on. And we were able to win."
        
After a defensive first half that saw the two teams combine for three field goals, Baylor (6-0, 3-0) and Tech (3-3, 1-2) scored 21 points in the first seven minutes of the second half.
        
Josh Fleeks gave the Bears a huge lift with a 60-yard kickoff to open the third quarter, leading to the first of Brewer's three rushing TDs, this one from four yards out. Tech answered with a 79-yard pass play backed up to its own 8-yard line, with SaRodorick capping the drive with a four-yard run that put the Red Raiders back on top, 13-10.
        
Brewer went right back to work, throwing to Tyquan Thornton for 24 yards and R.J. Sneed for 32, before a one-yard QB sneak and 17-13 lead.
        
"I take pride in the way we play," said Baylor coach Matt Rhule, who won his first overtime game as a head coach. "I went in at halftime and said, 'Let's get back to the basics, boys. Everybody go out there, play hard, do your job.' And boom, the kickoff return. I thought we were rolling from there."
        
The defense gave up a season-high 510 yards, but certainly had its moments with three takeaways, five sacks and 11 tackles for loss against a Tech team that had allowed just four sacks in its first five games.
        
"I feel like we just came in and we knew we had to affect the quarterback, because their quarterback is a good player and he was going to try to run around and make plays," said junior defensive lineman James Lynch, who had 2 ½ sacks in the game, bringing his season total to 8.5 and his career total to 17.0, a half sack shy of the school record. "We just made sure we did our part and just run our defense, and we knew it was going to work."
        
Lynch almost broke the sack record on Tech's last series in regulation when he forced Tech quarterback Jett Duffey to throw it away to avoid a sack in the end zone. The referee initially dropped a flag in the end zone for intentional grounding, but waved it off, saying there was no foul because of a receiver being in the area.
        
"Whenever they said it at first, I didn't realize it," Lynch said, "but then I thought maybe there was and I hoped for it. But, you've got to do what's next. The ref said it wasn't, so we've just got to go play defense."
        
Tech dug out of a third-and-11 from its own 11 and drove 88 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Thompson, who finished with 153 yards on 28 carries, finished it with a 30-yard TD run that put the Red Raiders back on top, 20-17.
        
"I feel like we just missed assignments," said linebacker Jordan Williams, who had his second career interception and tipped a ball that Clay Johnston picked off. "We weren't at our proper depths in the zones, some balls got in behind us. We missed tackles, we weren't tackling good today. So, we've got to pick that up tomorrow."
        
Starting at its own 9-yard line after a penalty on the ensuing kickoff, the Bears had a lot of real estate to cover and not a lot of time to do it.
        
"I have a lot of confidence in Charlie," Rhule said.
        
Sacked for an eight-yard loss on the first play, Brewer hooked up with Trestan Ebner for 20 yards on the junior running back's first play of the night.
        
"He's dealing with some things, we really weren't going to have him play," Rhule said of Ebner. "But, he said, 'Coach, I can do it.' He went in there and made those two plays. Great job by (offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon) and some of those guys. They saw they were in two-man, ran the tailback down the middle, and Ebner went out there and did it, made the play we needed."
        
Denzel Mims came up with one of the best catches of his career when he went up to grab a Brewer pass and tap his toe inbounds for a 19-yard grab on the sideline that got the Bears into Tech territory at the 48.
        
"Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him one-on-one, and I tried to give him a chance, and he made a spectacular play," Brewer said. "He's done that since I've been here, making big plays in big situations. It's nothing new."
        
After a 27-yarder to Ebner, Brewer found Tyquan Thornton for six yards and then scrambled to pick up another first down at the 5-yard line. Mims dropped one in the end zone before John Mayers came on to boot a game-tying 20-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.
        
"Three seconds, those are the decisions I have to make," Rhule said. "(JaMycal) Hasty sitting there screaming at me to go for it at the end of the game. Everyone has suggestions in those moments."
        
Williams said he couldn't watch Mayers' kick. "I said my little prayer, looked straight down and waited for the crowd to cheer."
        
In the first OT, Brewer shook off a bad start to the series with a 32-yard pass to Mims, then scored again from one yard out to give the. Bears the lead back.
        
Tech answered with a two-yard TD run by Thompson to tie it, but then had to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Trey Wulff in second overtime.
        
"We knew all we had to do was hold them to a field goal," Lynch said, "and our offense was going to take care of it."
        
It took the Bears just three plays to end it. Hasty hauled in an 18-yard pass from Brewer, then bulled in from five yards out as the stadium erupted.
        
"I couldn't breathe (at the bottom of the dogpile)," Hasty said. "I was like, 'I can't breathe, get up off me.' They were just so excited that we got the win here at home. It's a good deal."
        
The celebration continued on the field after the game and then carried into the locker room, where the team was joined by a group of former players, including offensive lineman Mo Porter.
        
"Especially for Homecoming, having everybody here that's been to Baylor and having old players here in the locker room, you celebrate with all of them," Lynch said. "It just brings back memories, and you can't beat celebrating with your brothers in the locker room, especially after a game like that."
        
Now bowl-eligible at 6-0, the Bears go back on the road to face Oklahoma State (4-2, 1-2) at 3 p.m. next Saturday in Stillwater in a game that will be televised by FOX. The Cowboys had a bye on Saturday after losing 45-35 last week at Texas Tech.