WACO, Texas - Baylor keeps quickly piling on the points - like no other team in more than eight decades to start a season.
The 20th-ranked Bears scored 10 touchdowns, two on interception returns, in a 70-7 victory over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
“That’s what we want to do,” quarterback Bryce Petty said. “We kind of have a whole different mentality going into it. … Coach [Art] Briles always says don’t wait for something bad to happen to get good. He’s really just preached that enough so that’s our game plan.”
Petty threw for 351 yards with four touchdowns and ran 2 yards for another score while playing just more than a half.
Baylor (3-0) is the first FBS team since LSU in 1930 to open a season with at least 60 points in three consecutive games, according to STATS. Those Tigers had at least 70 points in each of those games - Baylor scored 69 in its opener before getting 70 points in each of its last two games.
“I mean, that’s good,” Briles said, unaware of that achievement before being asked about it. “When you score defensive touchdowns and then you have the ability to score from an offensive standpoint, which we do, and you combine those two things, the next thing you know you’ve got a chance to put some points on the board.”
Including interception returns for TDs by Joe Williams and Terrell Burt, the Bears were up 35-0 after the first quarter. That was already worse for the Warhawks (2-2) of the Sun Belt Conference than their season opener against another Big 12 team, a 34-0 loss at No. 14 Oklahoma.
Based on data available since 1996, STATS said Baylor was the first team to score at least 28 points in the first quarter in three consecutive games.
“We don’t match up with them very well. Not very many people do,” ULM Coach Todd Berry said. “We knew we were going to have to take some chances early on, both sides of the football. When you take a lot of chances, sometimes you get burned. We got scalded. We didn’t just get burned. We got scalded.”
The only other FBS or FCS team since 1996 with 28 points or more in the first quarter in any three games in the same season was Oklahoma in 2008, when the Sooners had Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford and running back DeMarco Murray. That team had five consecutive games with at least 60 points during the middle of the season.
In other games involving Big 12 teams, walk-on kicker Matt Wyman hit a 52-yard field goal with no time left, sending Kansas to a 13-10 victory over Louisiana Tech in Lawrence, Kan., and ending a 22-game losing streak against teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision. Jake Heaps threw for 279 yards and a touchdown for the Jayhawks (2-1), who hadn’t defeated another FBS team since beating Northern Illinois on Sept. 10, 2011. Louisiana Tech (1-3) was poised to score the go-ahead touchdown with when it marched to the Kansas 18 with 1:33 left. Kenneth Dixon (Strong) got the carry and was fighting for extra yardage when the ball popped loose inside the 5-yard line, and the Jayhawks’ Keon Stowers recovered it. ... Backup quarterback Davis Webb threw for two touchdowns and 310 yards to lead No. 25 Texas Tech over Texas State 33-7 in Lubbock, Texas. … Johnathan Gray rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns, David Ash threw a 63-yard touchdown pass and Texas (2-2, 1-0) beat Kansas State (2-2, 0-1) 31-21 in the Big 12 opener for both teams in Austin, Texas.
CONFERENCE USA Houston holds off Rice
HOUSTON - Freshman quarterback John O’Korn threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns and Houston overcame a sloppy start to defeat Rice 31-26 on Saturday afternoon.
Alex Lyons returned a blocked field goal 61 yards for a touchdown with 2:19 left in the game to get Rice close, but the Owls missed on the two point conversion.
Rice recovered the ensuing onside kick at its 47 but was unable to score.
Deontay Greenberry and Ryan Jackson each caught a touchdown in the second half to help lead the Cougars (3-0).
Greenberry finished with 146 yards receiving on six catches, including a 61-yarder from O’Korn in the first quarter to set up Houston’s first score.
Jackson, who had 57 yards receiving, also rushed for 87 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 carries.
Senior Taylor McHargue was 21 for 36 for 232 yards with 1 interception, and Turner Peterson finished with 102 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 catches for the Owls (1-2).
McHargue’s 1-yard sneak for a touchdown with 10:52 left in the fourth pulled Rice to within 11.
The game, held before 34,831 at Reliant Stadium, home to the NFL’s Houston Texans, marked the first time since 2003 that the schools met as members of different conferences.
Houston’s joined the American Athletic Conference this year while Rice remained in Conference USA.
In other games involving teams from Conference USA, Reggie Whatley posted a career-high 154 yards rushing and three touchdowns as Middle Tennessee (3-1, 1-0) edged Florida Atlantic (1-3, 0-2) 42-35 in overtime in Boca Raton, Fla. … Darrin Reaves led Alabama-Birmingham (1-2) in rushing and picked up two touchdowns to seal a 52-28 victory against visiting Northwestern State (2-2).
Sports, Pages 35 on 09/22/2013