ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Glasco Martin scored on a 4-yard run in
overtime and Baylor overcame three missed field goals, including one on
the last play of regulation, to become bowl eligible with a 52-45
victory over Texas Tech on Saturday.
Nick Florence threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns for the Bears
(6-5, 3-5 Big 12), who didn't lead until Eddie Lackey's 55-yard
interception return for a touchdown on the first play of a wild fourth
quarter.
Lackey's second pick, with 1:46 left, set up Baylor at the Red
Raiders 32. But Aaron Jones missed wide left on a 48-yard field-goal
attempt.
After Martin's second TD run, Texas Tech (7-5, 4-5) started overtime
with a holding call and two incompletions. After a 15-yard pass set up
fourth-and-5, Seth Doege's pass to a well-defended Eric Ward was
incomplete, ending the game.
Doege completed 30 of 40 passes for 359 yards with three touchdowns
and three interceptions. Ward had nine catches for 113 yards, and Darrin
Moore had 13 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns.
With Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III watching
from the Bears sideline at Cowboys Stadium, two days after the rookie
led the Washington Redskins to a victory there over the Dallas Cowboys,
Baylor got bowl eligible for the third consecutive season. That is a
first in school history.
Baylor was coming off a Bowl Championship Series-shaking 52-24
victory over Kansas State, then the No. 1 team in the BCS standings.
The teams combined for 1,241 total yards (674 for Baylor and 567 for Tech). There were 167 plays run in the game.
Jones kicked a 22-yard field goal with 2:48 left in regulation to tie
the game at 45. The Red Raiders got the ball back and already had
picked up a first down when Doege threw a short pass that deflected off
the helmet of offensive lineman Terry McDaniel and into the hands of
Lackey.
Both of Moore's TD catches came in the fourth quarter, including a
6-yard fade route with 6:19 left that put Tech up 45-42. That came after
a 4-yard touchdown catch by Terrance Williams, who had seven receptions
for 175 yards while setting a Baylor single-season record for receiving
yards (1,693).
Lache Seastrunk ran for 136 yards on 19 carries, and Martin had 23 carries for 98 yards.
It was the third overtime game this season for the Red Raiders. They
won in triple overtime at TCU on Oct. 20, and have won only one of their
five games since - that victory being a double-overtime win over Kansas
two weeks ago.
After Florence had a 4-yard run with 5 minutes left in the third
quarter to get Baylor within 24-21, Jakeem Grant returned the ensuing
kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. Florence then threw a 27-yard TD to
Lanear Sampson, who reached over the defender to make the catch.
Texas Tech was up 21-7 at the Baylor 7 late in the first half when a scrambling Doege was hit from behind and fumbled the ball.
Baylor recovered and went 93 yards in eight plays, scoring on
Florence's 39-yard pass to a wide-open Levi Norwood with 5 seconds left.
Along with two missed kicks by Jones before the half, Martin was stuffed for a 3-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 from the 2.
Doege went 19 yards on his first rushing TD of the season, and Kenny
Williams had a 5-yard run to put Tech up 14-0 in the first quarter.
Martin scored on a fourth-down run from the 1, his fourth consecutive
carry after Williams' 41-yard catch to the 3. The Red Raiders then
needed only three passes to cover 75 yards, getting a 23-yard TD from
Ward for a 21-7 lead.