Baylor Shuts Out SMU
WACO, Texas — Baylor debuted its new home, McLane Stadium, on the north bank of the Brazos River in Central Texas, and the venue made a shining impression in Sunday night prime time.
The team that will call it home was pretty impressive, too.
The Baylor defense suffocated SMU as the 10th-ranked Bears continued their trend of mauling early-season opponents, slamming the Mustangs 45-0 in front of a crowd of 45,733.
Baylor dusted its three nonconference opponents by an average margin of 62 points last season, launching a season in which the Bears claimed their first Big 12 championship.
The Bears moved addresses to a fancy new stadium, and nothing much changed on the field. Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty passed for 161 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score, and the Baylor offense totaled 574 yards. Petty completed 13 of 23 passes.
SMU managed just 67 total yards.
The Bears’ defense showed the scariest set of teeth, sacking SMU quarterbacks six times in the
first half and holding the Mustangs to 10 total yards before halftime. Bears junior defensive end Shawn Oakman, in his first career start, made life miserable for the Mustangs quarterbacks with two first-half sacks and six total tackles.
“I didn’t expect us not to be able to block them at all,” SMU coach June Jones said. “It’s hard to quarterback and go back to throw or do anything when he doesn’t have time.”
Baylor’s offense mostly just took advantage of the opportunities its defense presented.
“I didn’t think we were that effective offensively,” Baylor coach Art Briles said. “Really, we had no fluidness or cohesiveness or really any dynamic quality. We were hit and miss on some things. But defensively, that’s just what made the game.
“That’s what allowed the game to be won tonight was the way we dominated defensively.”
By surging ahead 31-0 at halftime, and with SMU showing no signs that it could make a move against the relentless Baylor defense, the sell-out crowd had the entire second half to bask in the glow of the new park. Briles said he didn’t enjoy the scenery until the school song was played at the end, but he was blown away by the new facility.
“The first time I got over here, I said ‘Shoot, I don’t dream big enough, don’t think big enough and don’t foresee big enough,'” Briles said. “Because it was just unbelievable, and the atmosphere today was everything we hoped it could be.”
Baylor (1-0) began to overwhelm SMU (0-1) with impact plays on defense and special teams midway through the first quarter.
Bears middle linebacker Bryce Hager popped the ball out of the hands of Mustangs wide receiver Stephen Nelson at the SMU 17. Baylor outside linebacker Aiavion Edwards scooped the loose ball, returning it to the 6.
From there, it took Baylor two plays to score its first touchdown, as running back Shock Linwood powered over the goal line from 4 yards out.
The Bears’ defense continued to enforce its will on SMU during the Mustangs’ ensuing possession. The Bears dropped SMU backs for losses on three consecutive plays, capped by Oakman’s sack of backup quarterback Matt Davis for 9 yards to the SMU 3.
Jones said he planned to play Davis, who entered midway through the first quarter in place of starter Neal Burcham. However, it didn’t really matter which quarterback was in the game with Baylor applying pressure throughout.
“When protection broke down, I could tell (Davis) wasn’t sure of what he was doing,” Jones said. “He didn’t have a chance.”
Oakman’s sack set up Baylor punt returner Levi Norwood to run downhill with the following punt. Norwood found a seam and brought the kick back 45 yards to the Mustangs’ 4.
Petty tossed his first touchdown pass of the season on third-and-goal from the 3, finding tight end Tre’von Armstead wide open for the score.
However, Petty sustained a lower back bruise while diving at the end of a 5-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. He played the rest of the second quarter, then sat out the second half.
“Without question it affected him,” Briles said. “The extent of the injury, they said it wasn’t structural. We were real protective of him, except for one play.”
SMU kick returner Deion Sanders Jr. gave the Mustangs a glimmer of hope with a 58-yard kick return to the Baylor 33. However, Baylor stuffed SMU for minus-3 yards on four plays, and it was time for Petty to go to work again.
Petty threw a haymaker at staggering SMU, hitting freshman wide receiver KD Cannon over the top of the Mustangs’ defense for a 46-yard touchdown and a 24-0 lead.
