By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            LUBBOCK – For the second week in a row, Baylor couldn't finish what it started. 
            After building a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter of Saturday's game, the Bears were one play away from being able to escape with their first win at Jones AT&T Stadium in 30 years.  
            But, Texas Tech (3-5, 2-5) scored on each of its last three possessions and won it, 24-23, when Jonathan Garibay nailed a 25-yard field goal on the last play of the game.
            "We've been through a fair amount of adversity. We added some more to our plate tonight," said first-year Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, whose team fell to 1-5 with its fifth-straight loss and toughest of the season. "This was a game where I thought we played well enough to win. It's just disappointing that we couldn't finish."
            Even after the Red Raiders had closed to within 23-21 on a 46-yard field goal by Garibay with 4:41 left, Baylor had a chance to put the game away with a drive that included a 15-yard run by freshman Taye McWilliams and Charlie Brewer's 13-yard pass to R.J. Sneed. 
            With Tech using two of its three timeouts, the Bears could have all but salted this one away by picking up one more first down. But, on 3^rd-and-5 from the 44, cornerback Zach McPherson broke up a Brewer pass to freshman Yusuf Terry. 
            "We were expecting tight man coverage," Aranda said of the play. "Credit Tech, they had guys on our guys. That's been a staple for us. They made a heck of a play over the middle of the field. I wish that was something we would have executed a little bit better."
            Instead, Tech quarterback Alan Bowman got the ball back at his own 14 with 2:14 left and a timeout in his pocket, which proved to be plenty of time. 
            The back breaker for the Baylor defense was when running back SaRodorick Thompson caught a short pass from Bowman and turned it up the left sideline for a 30-yard gain to the Bears' 37. 
            "We knew we had to get a stop," said linebacker Dillon Doyle, who had nine tackles and a fumble recovery. "We practice that situation every week . . . but we didn't execute when it came down to it. I had some missed tackles on that last drive, and I wish I could have those back. We'll continue to keep working and trying to execute in critical situations."
            Five plays later, Thompson broke into the open and had a clear path to the end zone, but intentionally fell down at the 7 to set up Garibay's game-winner as the final seconds ticked off the clock. 
            "They've all been difficult," Aranda said. "I think the locker room felt pretty down. There have been a few locker rooms that have felt down so far. Last week (38-31 loss at Iowa State) was down. I think just the combination of some things are things we have to fight and address, the ability for us to stay together and for us to focus on the things we can control and we can get better at. That is what's allowed us to get point where we're in these fights. We have to stay on track with that, but the focus needs to get better."
            Garibay, who took over the kicking duties from struggling Trey Wolfe earlier this week, booted a 48-yarder that gave Tech the early lead after Trestan Ebner was stopped short on a 4^th-and-1 run from the Red Raiders' 41. 
            Bowman, who was benched in favor of Utah State grad transfer Henry Colombi, threw a pick on his first pass of the game that Jalen Pitre took to the house for a 26-yard pick-six, his second in as many games. 
            "That was a big play for us," Aranda said. "I think there was some wait and see in terms of what was coming out of their offense, and the wind was a big factor in the game. At the time of that pick-six, it opened up some things."
            Redshirt freshman running back Qualan Jones, who finished with a game-high 86 yards on 21 carries, did the bulk of the work on a 14-play, 61-yard drive. He also picked up five yards on a 4^th-and-2 pass from Brewer, helping set up the first of a career-high-tying three field goals by John Mayers that stretched the lead to 10-3. 
            Tech put together a time-consuming drive of its own, going 65 yards on 15 plays and tacking on a 28-yard field goal by Garibay with just 72 seconds left on the clock before half. 
            Not content to go in with a four-point lead at the break, Baylor got into field goal range when Brewer connected with Sneed for 24 yards and then got a little closer with a five-yard out to Gavin Holmes. 
            Mayers drilled one from 48 yards, the second-longest of his career, on the final play of the half to put the Bears on top, 13-6. 
            "I thought it was a full team effort," Aranda said of the drive. "There were a lot of guys who invested a lot to get that done. Offensive-wise, special teams-wise, clock management-wise, a lot went into that, and I'm proud of that. It's an example of when we're all doing the right stuff how good we can get. We need more of that through the four quarters."
            When Doyle recovered a fumble on a failed reverse by Myles Price on Tech's first series of the third quarter, Baylor took its biggest lead of the game when Brewer capped off a six-play, 34-yard drive with an eight-yard TD run – his 19^th career rushing touchdown and first of the season. 
            For the game, Brewer was 17-of-26 for 153 yards and also rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries. That was part of a breakout running game by the Bears, who tallied 207 yards on 48 attempts. 
            Holmes, who caught four passes for 50 yards, said he knew Jones and McWilliams "would be able to come out and get the job done. They ran the ball really well. I'm proud of them." With Sqwirl Williams and John Lovett both out, and Ebner limited, McWilliams added 31 yards on six carries. 
            Tech (3-5, 2-5) cut into the two-touchdown deficit with a one-yard TD run by Tahj Brooks after a Brewer interception, but Josh Landry blocked the extra point to keep it at 20-12 midway through the third quarter. 
            Brewer used his feet on a 12-play, 62-yard drive, breaking off runs of 10, nine and eight yards and putting the Bears in position for an answering touchdown and pushing the lead back to two touchdowns. But, on a third-and-goal from the 4, linebacker Colin Schooler pushed tight end Drake Dabney aside and stopped Brewer just short of the goal line. 
            After a false-start penalty, the Bears had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Mayers and a 23-12 lead that they couldn't hold. 
            "I think everybody's disappointed with the outcome, that's no secret," Doyle said, "but you take the good with the bad. You see some of the things we're improving on. We've put a lot of emphasis the last two weeks on starting fast. And I think we've done that. The next part is finishing strong, and that's a step in the process.
            "We're proud of the team that we've put together, and we're just going to stay together and keep fighting as a team these last three weeks."
            After a bye week, Baylor returns home to host Kansas State (4-3, 4-2) on Nov. 28 in the Bears' first game at McLane Stadium in four weeks. The Wildcats had a bye this week and will play No. 16 Iowa State at 3 p.m. next Saturday, Nov. 21, in Ames.