Bears Notebook: Ballhawk Defense, Dominant Run Game Lead Bears to 45-17 Win Over Red Raiders
The Baylor Bears entered their matchup against the Texas Tech Red Raiders with a 4-3 record, looking to get to 3-2 in Big 12 play after stumbling out of the gate initially.
However, winning in Jones AT&T Stadium at night games has been historically tough which would not make things easy for the Bears as they hit the road against Texas Tech.
What looked like it was going to be a blowout win for Baylor, who led 17-3 at halftime, got slightly interesting in the second half when the Red Raiders pulled within 7, 24-17, in the third quarter.
However, the Bears would follow with a touchdown drive of their own and a dominant fourth quarter to secure a crucial 45-17 road victory over the Red Raiders.
Now, here are three key takeaways from Baylor's win over Texas Tech.
Run Richard, run
The Bears rode running back Richard Reese last weekend to a victory over the Kansas Jayhawks, dominating on the ground. In the victory over the Jayhawks received 31 carries, recording 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
In their win over the Red Raiders, Reese was once again dominant. He had a pair of touchdowns in the first half to give the Bears their 17-3 halftime lead, and would finish the game with 36 carries for 148 yards and three touchdowns, as the Bears outgained the Red Raiders on the ground, 231 yards to 149.
Everyone gets an interception
Entering their game against the Red Raiders, the Bears defense was tied for 99th in all of FBS with four total interceptions through seven games. No, that is not a typo, they were tied for 99th in the FBS. Simply put, they struggled mightily to take away balls through the air.
However, that all changed in dramatic fashion on Saturday. Not only did they match their season total number of interceptions, they surpassed it, bringing in five interceptions with all five coming from a different Baylor defender.
Balanced offense does the job
While the Bears defense did their job in shutting down the Red Raiders offense, the offense used a balanced attack to cruise to the win over Texas Tech. Reese led the way on the ground for the Bears as they recorded 231 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, quarterback Blake Shapen did enough through the air as well to help secure the victory. Shapen completed 19-of-30 for 211 yards and one touchdown. While numbers might not be eye-popping, he did his job and protected the football well enough in the win.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.