Baylor dug itself a 28-point hole midway through the third quarter but rattled off 29 unanswered points to come from behind and knock off host UCF 36-35 for its largest comeback in history on Saturday afternoon in Orlando, Fla.
Sophomore kicker Isaiah Hankins drilled a 25-yard field goal with 1:21 left to give the Bears the lead for good.
Baylor (2-3, 1-1 Big 12) struggled throughout the first half. Its furious comeback started when Hankins hit a 30-yard field goal to make it 35-10 with just 3:20 left in the third.
The Bears tallied 26 points in the fourth, starting with Dawson Pendergrass plunging in from six yards out and Ketron Jackson Jr. hauling in a 2-point conversion pass to make it 35-18.
The real turning point came when UCF (3-2, 0-2) was trying to put the game out of reach. UCF senior running back RJ Harvey fumbled and Baylor’s Caden Jenkins recovered and ran it back for a 72-yard TD to help put Baylor within two at 35-33 with six minutes remaining.
Baylor junior quarterback Blake Shapen finished 21 of 34 for 293 yards and threw a 5-yard TD to Monaray Baldwin that made it 35-26 with 9:38 remaining. Richard Reese totaled 100 yards rushing on 16 attempts.
Baldwin finished with a game-high seven receptions for 150 yards.
The Bears’ only offense in the first half came on a 10-play, 72-yard drive that ended when Shapen scored from 2 yards out to cut the deficit to 21-7.
Meanwhile, the Knights’ second-half collapse prevented them from picking up their first victory as a member of the Big 12 Conference.
Johnny Richardson recorded 105 yards rushing on just six carries, including a 79-yard touchdown sprint on UCF’s first play from scrimmage. Harvey carried 21 times for 95 yards.
Quarterback Timmy McClain completed 13 of 25 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Baylor was close to making it a one-score game early in the second quarter, but Dominic Richardson’s fumble in the red zone was returned 85 yards for a touchdown by UCF’s Demari Henderson that boosted the lead to 28-7.
–Field Level Media
