Baylor Routs ULM
WACO, Texas — If the 20th-ranked Baylor Bears were a boxer, that boxer would be begging for a title bout.
It will be a while before Baylor faces an opponent ranked in the top 25, but the Bears dismantled another nonconference foe in blasting Louisiana-Monroe 70-7 on Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium.
The Bears, who led the nation in points per game at 69.5 entering this week, benefitted from two defensive touchdowns in the first quarter and established a 42-0 margin just 17 minutes into the contest.
Baylor (3-0) is yet to play a team anywhere close to the top 25, nor even an opponent in a BCS conference. So it’s too early to proclaim the Bears in the top tier of title contenders this season.
But Baylor is definitely a heavyweight, as evidenced by how effectively the Bears KO their foes.
ULM (2-2) came in riding a 21-19 win over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C., last week, but the Warhawks didn’t fare any better than Wofford or Buffalo before them.
By establishing a 49-7 lead by halftime against ULM, the Bears have now
led at halftime by an average score of 48-7 in their three games, all at home.
The Warhawks seemed to know from the opening kickoff that they needed to score with the Bears. ULM drove to the Baylor 18 on its game-opening offensive series. Warhawks quarterback Kolton Browning completed four of his first five passes to ignite the offense.
But facing a fourth-and-4 from the Baylor 18, ULM passed up a field goal try and Browning’s pass to Kenzee Jackson fell incomplete.
It took the dynamic Baylor offense just three plays to give the Bears the lead.
Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty completed a 17-yard pass to Tevin Reese, threw incomplete and then went to Antwan Goodley for a 64-yard touchdown pass.
ULM went three-and-out on its ensuing possession and Baylor needed only four plays to score again when it got the ball back.
This time Petty hit Reese for a 47-yard touchdown.
And then things began to come unraveled for ULM.
Browning’s second-and-10 pass from the Warhawks 35 was intercepted by Baylor cornerback Joe Williams and he took it 41 yards for a touchdown to give Baylor a 21-0 lead with 7:50 left in the first quarter.
Baylor cornerback Terrell Burt gave the Bears their second defensive score of the opening quarter when he fielded a Browning pass at the Bears 37 and took it 63 yards for a touchdown.
If there was any doubt whether ULM was reeling, down 28-0, it was confirmed when Warhawks kick-returner Cortney Davis fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Baylor’s Anthony Webb recovered at the ULM 16.
It took Baylor two plays to score as Petty threw a 14-yard pass to Reese to the 2, then Petty cruised in for a 2-yard touchdown run.
By the time Petty threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Goodley for a 42-0 lead, all suspense was gone from the contest with 13:10 remaining in the second quarter.
Petty finished 18-for-27 with 351 passing yards and four touchdowns. Antwan Goodley led Baylor receivers with five catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
