Box Score By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            NEW ORLEANS – History made. 
            Baylor's defense recorded a Sugar Bowl-record 10 sacks, got a 96-yard interception return from Al Walcott and two picks by JT Woods as the eighth-ranked Bears (12-2) defeated No. 8 Ole Miss, 21-7, Saturday night in the 88^th Allstate Sugar Bowl and became the first team in school history to win 12 games. 
            "Guys that are doing it off the field and then getting this 12^th win that Baylor has never done – a bunch of never-dones at Baylor," said second-year Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, who had a 10-win improvement from last year's 2-7 finish in his debut season. 
            "All of that is with personal choices and doing little things right and adhering to a standard over feelings. Just way proud. And it's just something when you see that, you want other people to see it. I'm appreciative that we had the opportunity, and we took advantage of it."
While the offense sputtered most of the night, Abram Smith rushed for 172 yards on 25 carries and shattered Terrance Ganaway's single-season record with 1,601 yards. He also picked up a big first down on a six-yard reception that set up Gerry Bohanon's two-yard TD pass to Tyquan Thornton that gave Baylor the two-touchdown lead with 7:24 left in the game. 
            Ole Miss (10-3), trying to win a school-record 11^th game, lost quarterback Matt Corral late in the first quarter when he had to be helped off the field with a leg injury after a Cole Maxwell sack. 
            "It's just a shame. It is what it is," Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said of the injury to Corral, a projected first-round NFL Draft pick. "Obviously, Matt's injury was disappointing for the team, for him. We didn't do a good enough job calling plays around (freshman quarterback Luke Altmyer) and making plays. A tough situation to put him in."
            Altmyer went the rest of the way, completing 15 of 29 passes for 174 yards and tied it up with a 37-yard TD pass to Braylon Sanders early in the third quarter. But, he was also sacked eight times and picked off twice. 
            "Our pass rush and the pressures that (defensive coordinator Ron Roberts) was calling, a lot of them were getting home," said senior linebacker Terrel Bernard, the Sugar Bowl game MVP who finished with 17 tackles, two sacks and a pass breakup.
"Just the D-line causing havoc, the corners and safeties doing their part, locking up receivers, and linebackers running around and making plays because the D-Line is taking on multiple blockers. I think it all came full circle towards the end. I think we had one of our best games this year."
            Walcott provided the only score of the first half with his 96-yard interception return early in the second quarter on an Altmyer pass that was tipped at the line by linebacker Matt Jones. 
            "We had a perfect storm of 10 sacks, (three) turnovers, three times in the red zone early on," Kiffin said. "Not only did we not get any points, we actually gave them seven with the pick-six. Your defense can't play lights-out forever. Eventually, the ball broke and we gave up big plays."
            Even with Smith breaking off a 49-yard run, the Bears totaled just 140 yards in the first half. But, with the defense holding an explosive Ole Miss offense to just 120 yards and pitching just its second first-half shutout of the season, the Bears took that 7-0 lead into the locker room. 
            The Rebels finally clicked on their second possession of the third quarter, going 72 yards in just six plays and tying it up at 7-7 when Sanders hauled in the 37-yard TD pass from Altmyer over cornerback Kalon Barnes. 
            Baylor answered with one of its best drives of the night, marching 49 yards in 10 plays, but Bohanon's pass to Thornton in the end zone was picked off by cornerback Miles Battle.
            After missing the previous two games with a hamstring injury, Bohanon was just 7-of-17 for 40 yards and added 23 yards on six carries. 
"One of his strongest suits as a person is his resilience and his confidence and his belief in others," Aranda said of Bohanon, who is now 10-2 as a starter. "I think you saw all of that in this game. In the weeks leading up to this game, you just saw great excitement and great energy. To have a chance to come back in it in a game like this, it just means everything. You could see the joy in him."
            Altmyer got the Rebels in position to take their first lead of the game, converting on a fourth-down play with an 18-yard pass to Dontario Drummond. But, kicker Cale Nation missed his second field goal of the game, pushing a 35-yard attempt wide right. 
            Taking advantage of that opportunity, the Bears went 80 yards in just five plays and scored on a 48-yard end-around run by freshman Monaray Baldwin, who got a clearing block from tight end Ben Sims. Isaiah Hankins' extra point put Baylor back on top, 14-7, with 11:14 left in the game. 
            "When I got done with my fake, I looked over and saw someone really small running full speed," Smith said of the 5-9, 165-pound true freshman from Killeen. "I see it in practice, he's been working on that a bunch. So, just seeing him do that, I was so happy for him, his first actual collegiate touchdown. I remember running full speed to the end zone just to go celebrate with him."
            Three plays later, Woods came up with his second interception of the night and sixth of the season and returned it to the Ole Miss 15. 
            "It's huge. it's something we've preached all year," Bernard said of the three turnovers. "And then taking one back for a touchdown, definitely a momentum swing in the game. I think JT's two interceptions also broke the seal on some things and was able to open up some things for us on the offensive side."
            On a third-and-five from the 10, Smith took a short pass in the flat and ran over nickel back Otis Reese to pick up the first down at the 4. Smith gained two more yards with a run up the middle, then Bohanon connected with Thornton for the first time, extending the lead to 21-7 with the two-yard touchdown. 
            In fitting fashion, the Baylor defense stopped one Ole Miss with a Bryson Jackson sack and then added two more on the Rebels' final two plays to seal the deal. Ole Miss, which came in averaging over 500 yards and 35 points per game, were held to 322 total yards and their fewest points of the season.
            "You just keep putting one foot in front of the other, doing what you are supposed to do, day in and day out," Bernard said. "It's just crazy to see the growth and everything that's happened to get to this point."