By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
           
During Saturday morning's walk-through, Matt Rhule told the team that redshirt freshman kicker John Mayers was going to kick the game-winning field goal to beat Iowa State.
           
The third-year Baylor head coach is some kind of prophet.
           
After missing a 38-yarder with the wind early in the first quarter, Mayers nailed one from the same distance into a stiff wind with 21 seconds left to lift the Bears to a 23-21 win Saturday night over an Iowa State team that had scored 21 unanswered points.
           
"In the words of Maximus the gladiator, 'Are you not entertained?''' Rhule said in his opening statement.
           
"I was kind of reluctant just because of the wind and all that stuff. I didn't want to keep putting the kid out there. But you know what, to his credit, he went out there and made that kick. . . . They all think I have something figured out, where I was just guessing. But, (I'm) proud of him."
           
Seemingly in control of the game after going up 20-0 on Charlie Brewer's 35-yard TD pass to Tyquan Thornton late in the third quarter, the Bears saw an Iowa State team that refused to go down without a fight.
           
Scoring on three-straight drives, the Cyclones (2-2) took a 21-20 lead with 3:45 left on Brock Purdy's 20-yard touchdown strike to tight end Charlie Kolar. For the first time this season, the Bears (4-0) found themselves trailing in a game.
           
Purdy was 10-of-13 for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter after being shut out through the first three.
           
"Give the credit to Brock, that's still a young quarterback," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. "His ability to do what he did, I think, shows how special he truly is."
           
When he absolutely needed to do it, that's exactly what Brewer did for the Bears. Driving 54 yards in 13 plays, he converted three times on third-down plays and completed 7-of-10 passes to get Baylor into field goal range.
           
"As a quarterback, you've got to absolutely love having the ball in your hands to go win the game," said Brewer, who was 26-of-45 for 307 yards for his ninth career 300-yard passing game. "I pride myself on that. I'm the quarterback. To be an effective quarterback, I've got to go win the game at the end. Our receivers and the o-line did tremendous on that drive. They're the ones that made that happen."
           
With Iowa State double-teaming receiver Denzel Mims, Brewer was forced to go somewhere else and found sophomore Tyquan Thornton four times for 38 yards on the game-winning drive.
           
"Coach was just telling us to be ourselves, take it play by play," said Thornton, who finished with career bests for catches (11) and yards (141). "Once we started seeing them double-team (Mims), somebody had to step up. I let (receivers coach Frisman Jackson) know that I'm ready. It's no secret anymore, let's go play."
           
Rhule said Thornton started practicing at a really high level about two weeks ago, "and the plays are now coming. He was really efficient in that last drive, making a lot of plays and getting himself open."
           
When Brewer was sacked for a two-yard loss on third-and-two from the 19, Rhule opted to give his redshirt freshman kicker his chance.
           
"He's got everybody coming up to him saying, 'You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!''' Rhule said. "And I said, 'Everybody get away from him.' I told (kicker) Jay Sedwick to go pray for him, please. I said, 'You're going to make the kick,' Jay prayed on him, and he went out there and made the kick."
           
Mayers, who also missed a field goal in last week's game at Rice, said his first-quarter miss from 38 yards was "on me. I just pulled it, bad technique on my part."
           
This time, though, kicking into a wind of at least 10 mph, he split the uprights for his first collegiate field goal.
           
"Best moment of my life so far," he said. "That was good to get another chance, because a lot of times you don't as a kicker. You either make it or miss it. The offense did a heck of a job to get the ball down there. I got my opportunity, and I was glad to convert for the team."
           
The game was not over, as Rhule was quick to point out when the team went back out for the ensuing kickoff. As unlikely as it seemed, this felt like a moment where Purdy was going to find a way to come through again.
           
That's when Baylor's defense had the final say.
With the Cyclones close to midfield and down to their last eight seconds, James Lockhart stripped the ball from Purdy, and James Lynch fell on it back at the 26 to seal the deal.
           
"I'm going to be completely honest, I'm still kind of in shock," Lockhart said. "I was very, very happy just to go out there and make a big-time play when the team needed it. Thankful for my teammates, thankful for (defensive coordinator Phil Snow), Coach Rhule for letting the d-line get loose there at the end. This was a big-time win."
           
Baylor goes back on the road to face 24^th-ranked Kansas State at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday in Manhattan, Kan.
           
"I learned that we're resilient," Brewer said of the comeback win. "We still have a lot of work to do, especially offensively. But, it's only the fifth week, technically, so we have some time. But, I like where we're headed."