By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            NORMAN, Okla. – Ron Roberts' Baylor defense did something to the Oklahoma Sooners that nobody has done . . . not in the Lincoln Riley era. 
            Not only did the Bears end a streak of 60-consecutive games that OU had scored at least 28 points, they also held the Sooners to their fewest yards in five years. 
            That gave Baylor at least a chance to pull off an upset that would have sent shock waves through the college football world. Instead, the 11^th-ranked Sooners (7-2, 6-2) did just enough on offense to win their sixth in a row and earn a spot in the Dec. 19 Big 12 Championship game by beating the Bears, 27-14, in Saturday's Senior Night game at Gaylord Family-Memorial Stadium. 
            "I think the guys played the same, no matter what the score was," said first-year head coach Dave Aranda, whose team fell to 2-6. "I think this is the first game where it was 'put the ball down, let's play.' I'm proud of that. I feel like that's gotten through, and that's going to give us a chance in every game."
            One thing the Bears didn't do was quit. 
            Even when Oklahoma seemingly sealed the deal on Spencer Rattler's eight-yard TD pass to H-back Brayden Willis to go up 27-7 with only 5:17 left in the game, Baylor answered with an impressive 17-play, 96-yard drive that included a pair of fourth-down conversions. 
            Brewer connected with R.J. Sneed on a fourth-and-4 from OU's 48, then picked up another one with a seven-yard QB keeper before scoring from two yards out to cut the deficit to 27-14 with just 59 ticks left on the clock. 
            "We just didn't want to quit. I don't think that's who we are," said Brewer, who completed 30-of-56 passes for 263 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. "We weren't just going to fold and not try. They were basically playing a prevent defense, so the check-down (to the backs) was there, and they did a really good job of making something happen."
            And it didn't seem to matter who was in the game. Brewer completed passes to 12 different players, including four running backs. With Sqwirl Williams out for the season, John Lovett and Qualan Jones missing the game and Trestan Ebner suffering a high ankle sprain during Saturday's game, the only available backs were redshirt freshman Jonah White, true freshman Taye McWilliams and redshirt freshman walk-on Jacoby Clarke. 
            What Baylor couldn't do was develop any semblance of a running game. The Bears netted just 25 yards on 26 attempts, with White leading the way with 18 yards on three carries. 
            "We had a lot of stretch plays called where we're cracking on the outside and getting the ball on the perimeter, and we would miss the cracks," Aranda said. "We just did not execute very well on the perimeter, and that's really disappointing because that was a major part of the plan."
            With that part of the game plan scrapped, that put the burden on Brewer to move the Bears through the air. He broke 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III's career record for completions with 815. 
            "I think whatever is asked of me, I need to do at a high level," Brewer said. "I'm not going to sit here and make an excuse for or that. I touch the ball every play, so I've got to make something happen. If we can't run the ball, then I've got to somehow make something happen in the passing game."
            After Gabe Brkic booted a 20-yard field goal to cap off the Sooners' opening drive, Brewer did just that, converting twice on third down and then hooking up with Gavin Holmes for a seven-yard pass on fourth-and-4 from OU's 39. But, when the drive stalled, John Mayers came up well short on a 46-yard field goal try. 
            The Bears failed to capitalize on a 12-yard shanked punt when Mayers missed another field goal, this time from 47. And on their third trip inside OU's 30, Brewer had a fourth-down pass intercepted and returned 34 yards by Tre Brown. 
            It was just that kind of night for a Baylor offense that had more first downs (19-16) and total offense (288-69) than Oklahoma, which had averaged better than 50 points in its five-game winning streak. 
            The Sooners finally ended their touchdown drought late in the first half when Rhamondre Stevenson bulled in from three yards out with 1:04 left in the half, capping off a drive that started at Baylor's 31 when the Bears had to punt from their own 1-yard line. 
            Trailing 10-0 at the break, things went from bad to worse early in the third quarter. Overcoming a holding penalty, Spencer Rattler hooked up with receiver Theo Wease for a nine-yard TD that extended the Sooners' lead to 17-0 about five minutes into the second half. 
            "They started getting the ball out a little bit quicker there, so they were more throws to their backs," Aranda said. "Before, I think they tried to get the shots and the deeper routes. We were still able to get some pressure. Even when the balls were being completed, we had two hits on the guy. We were getting back there, but (Rattller) was getting coached up to aniticpate and to get the ball out." 
            Instead of going away, Baylor answered with an impressive 12-play, 71-yard drive and got on the scoreboard with Brewer's 25-yard TD strike to Tyquan Thornton, who finished with four catches for 53 yards. 
            Oklahoma padded its lead to 27-7 with a 50-yard field goal by Brkic and Willis' TD grab that went through linebacker Abram Smith's hands on third-and-goal from the 8-yard line. 
            "I've got to make those plays. It hit me in the hands," said Smith, who was credited with 12 tackles and a career-best four tackles for loss. 
            Again, the Bears didn't go away, even when the scoreboard started suggesting they should. White, who had played in just two games this season, finished as the game's leading receiver with nine catches for 63 yards. 
            Trying to give the Bears words of discouragement, Aranda said his message is for the Bears to "keep fighting and stay together."
            There are a lot of guys who played through a lot . . . who had the opportunity to not give max effort and they chose to give max effort," Aranda said. "I'm proud of those guys. I'm proud of the fight we showed. We have to execute better. On particular sides of the ball, we can get better, and we need to be better. That was my challenge."
            Baylor will face No. 15/19 Oklahoma State (6-3, 5-3) at 6 p.m. next Saturday, Dec. 12, at McLane Stadium. The Cowboys are coming off a 29-22 loss on the road at Baylor.