Box Score

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            MANHATTAN, Kan. – Pressed into duty when Baylor starting quarterback Gerry Bohanon went out late in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, Blake Shapen didn't flinch. 
            Showing a poise and confidence belying his lack of experience, the redshirt freshman quarterback threw for 137 yards, rushed for another 44 and led the 11^th-ranked Bears to a pair of field goals in helping Baylor (9-2, 6-2) knock off the Kansas State Wildcats, 20-10, Saturday night at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
            "There's a real strong belief in us in him," said Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, whose team stayed in the hunt for a Big 12 Championship game berth by snapping a two-game road losing streak and winning in Manhattan for the fourth time in its last five trips. "For Blake to come in and attack that moment, that is what we would expect, and that's the Blake we know."
            That's why Baylor didn't flinch, either, when Bohanon grabbed his right hamstring at the end of an 11-yard run to the K-State 44-yard line, pounding the turf in frustration. Before leaving with 59 seconds left in the half, Bohanon completed 9-of-14 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown and added 38 yards rushing. 
            Instead of playing it safe, or protecting the young quarterback, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes dialed up five passes on Shapen's first six plays. He completed his first four passes, including a 32-yarder to Drew Estrada, setting up a 21-yard field goal by Isaiah Hankins on the final play of the half to give the Bears a 17-7 lead. 
            "Obviously, huge kudos to Blake to come in in a game like that and perform the way he did," said Estrada, who had three catches for 41 yards. "For a guy that young to come in and make the plays he did and have the poised he did was huge. . . . Just an incredible performance by him and a huge confidence booster for him moving forward. He made some really tough throws down the field."
            Taking advantage of a fourth-down stop near midfield, K-State (7-4, 4-4) picked up 43 yards in five plays and was knocking on the door to make it a three-point game and get all the momentum back. 
            But, cornerback Al Walcott broke up a Skylar Thompson pass to Sammy Wheeler in the end zone, then Thompson overthrew Phillip Brooks in the back of the end zone, with the Wildcats having to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Chris Tennant that cut Baylor's lead to 17-10 with 8:24 left in the third quarter. 
            "Anytime you can steal points as a defense by either forcing them to kick a field goal in the red zone or making them miss is positive," said junior linebacker Dillon Doyle, who had three tackles and two pass breakups. 
            When the defense forced a three-and-out after a Baylor turnover, Shapen put together his best drive of the night. Completing 6-of-9 passes for 32 yards and picking up another 28 yards on a keeper, Shapen led the Bears on a 13-play, 72-yard drive and another chip-shot field goal by Hankins that extended the lead to 20-10 with 13:35 left in the game. 
            "I think Gerry's been a great mentor to him," Bohanon said of Shapen, who had played in four career games and thrown three passes before Saturday. "At breakfast this morning, they're hanging out, talking about the game. It's a good partnership and a brotherhood to have. . . . His future is very bright. He's going to be a good quarterback for us."
            The Wildcats came up empty on two fourth-quarter drives into Baylor territory, with Tennant missing a 39-yard field goal and backup quarterback Jaren Lewis getting picked off by Walcott on his first play subbing for Thompson, who also left with an injury. 
            "Confidence has never really been a problem for Al," Aranda said of Walcott, who has interceptions in each of the last two games. "I think what has helped Al has been doing his 1/11^th and understanding the other 10 and where he fits in it."
            After the Walcott pick, the Baylor offense was able to run out the last 3 ½ minutes, picking up two first downs and ending the game with a pair of kneel-downs by Shapen in the victory formation. 
            "To come out tonight and to put a week of really strong decisions and choices to do hard things, to do simple better, to have a mindset of getting right for a fight, focusing on the things that you can control daily, all of that led to tonight," Aranda said. 
            Leading an offense that finished with 387 yards total, including 174 on the ground, Shapen was 16-of-21 for 137 yards passing and added 44 yards on five carries. Trestan Ebner had 127 all-purpose yards, rushing for 68 yards on 12 carries, catching seven passes for 27 yards and adding 32 yards on kick returns. 
            Baylor's defense, which held Oklahoma to a seven-year-low 260 yards in last week's 27-14 win over the Sooners, limited K-State to 263 yards total offense. Deuce Vaughn scored on a 65-yard TD run in the second quarter and finished with 128 yards on 11 carries, while Thompson was 15-of-29 for 158 yards and was sacked three times. 
            "The ability to focus on what you can control and technique and effort improved in the second half," Aranda said. "I think the flow of the game kind of established, and we had a feel for when a throw and when a run was coming. I thought (defensive coordinator Ron Roberts) did a nice job with that, dialing up some pressure when we needed it."
            Capitalizing on a muffed punt recovery by A.J. McCartyat the Wildcats' 24-yard line, Baylor took the early lead on a six-yard TD run by Ebner. 
            Before getting hurt, Bohanon completed 6-of-7 passes for 63 yards on a 15-play, 74-yard drive and finished it off with a two-yard TD pass to tight end Drake Dabney to put the Bears up 14-0 with 4:01 left in the half. 
            After netting just 74 yards on 22 plays on their first three series, the Wildcats nearly matched that on one pay when Deuce Vaughn found a seam up the middle and outran safety JT Woods on a 65-yard touchdown run that cut the deficit to 14-7.
            Trying to answer that score, Bohanon had back-to-back runs of seven and 11 yards to get the Bears into K-State territory, but he grabbed his right hamstring as he went out of bounds on the second run. 
            Shapen completed his first four passes, including a 32-yarder to Drew Estrada, setting up a 24-yard field goal by freshman kicker Isaiah Hankins on the final play of the half for a 17-7 lead. 
            "I look at Gerry putting it on the line for the team. I look at Blake coming in and not flinching. I look at (running back Abram Smith) fighting through things . . . that last run, that last drive, for him to be available for that and to run like that, I think speaks volumes," Aranda said. "The defense being able to step up, series after sries, and make big stops when we had to make big steps is a culture win. It's a standard win. It's a team win. I'm proud of our team."
            The Bears wrap up the season with a game at home against Texas Tech (6-5, 3-5) at 11 a.m. next Saturday, Nov. 27, at McLane Stadium. The Red Raiders finished with just 108 yards total offense in a 23-0 loss at home to No. 9 Oklahoma State. 
            If Baylor beats Tech, along with Oklahoma State (10-1, 7-1) beating 12^th-ranked Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1) in Stillwater, the Bears earn a spot opposite the Cowboys in the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 4 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. If OU wins, it will be a repeat Bedlam in the conference championship. 
            "Obviously, we had some trouble in the past on the road," Estrada said. "So, all week, we knew it was going to be a battle. We had that mindset Monday at practice and put in the work all week. Obviously, really excited, but we've got one more to go."