Oct 24, 2015; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Seth Russell (17) scrambles for positive yards during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones at McLane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
WACO, Texas — A watered-down version of Baylor’s regular offensive machine still did the job against Iowa State.
Second-ranked Baylor raced to a big first-quarter lead despite a drenched playing field, then sloshed the rest of the way to a 45-27 victory over the Cyclones on Saturday at McLane Stadium.
The Bears, who gained 485 yards of total offense, fell well short of their 719-yard average.
Baylor and Iowa State kicked off on a soggy morning. At game time, more than six inches of rain had fallen in the Waco area in the previous 24 hours.
The wet field and ball seemed to affect Baylor quarterback Seth Russell, who completed just 16 of 37 passes for 197 yards. But he threw two touchdown passes and ran for 64 yards and a score to help keep Baylor afloat and alive in the College Football Playoff race.
Most of Russsell’s and Baylor’s big plays came in the game’s first 22 minutes, when the Bears (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) surged to a 35-0 lead.
But then Baylor didn’t score for more than 32 minutes of game time. Iowa State (2-5, 1-3) won the intervening period, 21-0, but the Cyclones couldn’t come all the way back.
Iowa State made it 35-21 when quarterback Joel Lanning hit wide receiver Jauan Wesley for a 4-yard touchdown with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter. But the Cyclone’s ensuing onside-kick attempt didn’t travel 10 yards.
Baylor took over and drove for a field goal to break its scoring drought.
Lanning completed 12 of 17 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns to lead the charge. Iowa State running back Mike Warren finished with 145 yards on 28 carries.
Baylor put Iowa State in a 21-point hole early.
After Russell tossed a 36-yard touchdown pass to Coleman on the Bears’ game-opening possession, Iowa State appeared to have some offensive traction of its own.
Cyclones quarterback Sam B. Richardson hit wide receiver Quenton Bundrage for a 9-yard gain and running back Mike Warren rushed six yards for a first down to the Iowa State 39. But two plays later, Warren fumbled and Baylor nickel back Travon Blanchard recovered at the Bears’ 48.
By the time Iowa State gained its next first down, four possessions later with less than three minutes left in the first quarter, Baylor led 21-0 and Iowa State had little hope of making it close.
The Baylor defense took the ball away from the Cyclones three times in the first half — Blanchard’s fumble recovery and interceptions by cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Ryan Reid — and the Bears held Iowa State to 135 total yards before halftime.
Baylor’s offense did its usual damage in the same time period, gaining 377 total yards in the first half.
Russell broke loose around the left side, juking one Iowa State defender and waltzing into the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown that put Baylor ahead 14-0. He hit running back Shock Linwood for a six-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter that put Baylor ahead 28-0.
Bears running back Devin Chafin scored on a 2-yard run to put Baylor ahead 35-0 with 8:14 left in the second quarter. With that, the Bears safely shifted into coast mode.
NOTES: Iowa State entered on a 13-game losing streak versus ranked opponents. The Cyclones last defeated a ranked foe on Oct. 6, 2012 when they won 37-23 at No. 15 TCU. … Baylor has won 19 consecutive home games, the longest streak in the nation. The Bears last fell at home vs. TCU 49-21 on Oct. 13, 2012. … Coming into this week, Baylor led the nation in total offensive yards, averaging 719.7 per game, 96 more than second-place Texas Tech.
