No. 17 Baylor wins Big 12 opener over Iowa State, 31-24

By ANDREW LOGUE
Associated Press

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Blake Shapen threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns as No. 17 Baylor held on to beat Iowa State 31-24 in the Big 12 opener for both teams Saturday.

The loss snapped the Cyclones’ 11-game home winning streak against conference rivals.

Shapen completed 19 of his 26 passes, connecting with 11 receivers. Gavin Holmes finished with three catches for 92 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“It’s always a big win when you go on the road in conference,” Shapen said.

The Bears (3-1) seized control midway through the third quarter, driving 93 yards in 10 plays and taking a 24-14 lead on Richard Reese’s 19-yard touchdown run.

Iowa State (3-1) was undone by two interceptions and averaged just 2.4 yards-per rush.

“Today was a great example of complementary football,” Bears linebacker Bryson Jackson said.

The Cyclones scored 10 points in the final 7 1/2 minutes, but their onside kick with 55 seconds remaining was recovered by the Bears.

Baylor scored on each of its first three possessions, building a 17-7 lead in the second quarter.

Two of the drives ended with touchdown passes from Shapen. Those drives were also aided by multiple penalties called on the Cyclones’ defense.

Iowa State cut the margin to 17-14 by halftime when Hunter Dekkers threw a 24-yard scoring toss to Dimitri Stanley.

Baylor held firm, however, having lost a previous road game at BYU.

“BYU was a learning lesson,” Jackson said. “It definitely prepared us for today. We weren’t beating ourselves.”

TAKEAWAY

Baylor: The Bears found success against a solid Iowa State defense. The Cyclones topped the Big 12 through three nonconference games by allowing an average of 234.3 yards — including holding their last two opponents under the 300-yard mark.

The Bears netted 273 yards through the first three quarters and covered 68 or more yards on four of their first six full possessions. They finished with 361 total yards.

Iowa State: Dekkers threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns, but Baylor had him under pressure. He was sacked four times, twice by Jackson.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

No. 17 Baylor should continue to rebound in the Top 25. The Bears began the season as a top-10 team, but lost at BYU on Sept. 10 in double overtime.

UP NEXT

Baylor hosts No. 9 Oklahoma State next Saturday.

Iowa State travels to unbeaten Kansas.

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