Back On Track: Baylor Whips Pope John Paul, 42-14

It might be safe to say that members of the Baylor football team had a bad taste in their mouth before Friday’s homecoming game against Pope John Paul II at Heywood Stadium.

After all, the Red Raiders had lost three straight games to three really good football teams and they were looking to get back on the winning track.

Add the fact that the Knights beat Baylor on this same field last year for the first time ever and you see why the Red Raiders were just a bit more than ready to play from the start.

The Knights never really had a chance.

Baylor scored touchdowns on its first six possessions, so this one was all but decided by halftime.

The clock was running for all but the final 7.5 seconds of the second half and the Knights finally got on the board with a couple of TDs against Baylor second and third-teamers, but it didn’t really matter at that point as the Red Raiders dominated every aspect of the game in the first half.

“Winning is a whole lot better,” said Baylor coach Phil Massey as he munched on a sandwich inside the Baylor coaching office following the game.

“We lost to these guys here last year and we probably had that on our mind, but our focus tonight was to play solid football for four quarters.  I thought we did a good job with ball security as we didn’t have any turnovers, but they were loading the box on defense and basically forcing us to throw the ball.

“Lorenzo White played his best half ever as he did a nice job of getting the ball in several different hands.  Another key for us is that we were almost back at full strength after missing some key players in recent weeks with injuries, but we needed to make a statement tonight and I feel confident that we can build on this.

“We needed a game like this to get a little confidence back as we still have four big league games coming up, but I felt like we played pretty well tonight,” Massey added.

Pope John Paul coach Justin Geisinger feels like his team is headed in the right direction, but he knew on the trip to Chattanooga that his kids weren’t focused and ready to play.

“We were able to come back and make a few plays in the second half, but we need to compete for the entire game to have a chance in this league,” he told his players as they gathered in the end zone following the game.

“I can promise you that we’re a better football team than the scoreboard shows, but we weren’t focused on the way down and this is what happens when that’s the case.  We were a little tentative on offense and we never stopped them on defense, but we still have a chance for a pretty good season and this is where we’ll get tested,” he added, knowing his team will be at home next Friday for a huge league game with Montgomery Bell Academy.

It didn’t take long for Baylor to gain the upper hand.

Taking the opening kickoff, Brendon Harris raced 58 yards untouched off left tackle on the fourth play and the difference was 7-0 with 10:24 left in the first following the first of six straight point-after kicks by Keegan Weekley.

Lorenzo White hooked up with Jaylon Baker for a 22-yard pass play on Baylor’s second possession while White scored on a keeper from the 12 with 2:48 left in the first quarter.

Baker added another 33-yard TD grab early in the second quarter while Mike Benning had a touchdown run from the 9 and Harris another 11-yard run as the difference was 42-0 at intermission.

Baylor had 404 of its 438 total yards in the first half alone as the Red Raiders had 193 yards on the ground while White completed nine of 15 passes for another 237.

The Knights were able to get on the board on the first play of the fourth quarter when quarterback Ben Nixon hooked up with Nick Pracht on a 29-yard pass play down the middle.

And then with just 7.5 seconds to play, backup QB Sawyer Watts connected with Garrett Goodwin from 21 yards for the final 28-point difference.

Harris was Baylor’s leading rusher with 87 yards on five carries while White had 34 yards on six trips and Benning 32 yards on six carries as well.

Baker had three catches totaling 87 yards to lead the Baylor receivers while Clay Thames had two grabs covering 70 yards.  Benning also had two receptions for 43 yards.

Sarah Talley and Baker were named Homecoming Queen and King at halftime, so Baker had a little something extra to be happy about following the game.

“We just knew we had to come out on top in this game since it was homecoming and we knew we had to execute to do that.  And I had an idea I was going to be named King since all of the candidates had to make a speech and they all liked what I had to say.  But we had fun tonight and I feel like we played a pretty good game,” Baker concluded with a smile.

While Baylor had an overwhelming 438-260 advantage in total yards, the Red Raiders also had a 17-13 edge in first downs, 16 of which came in the first half.

The Knights finished with 80 yards rushing and 180 yards passing.

Nolan Underhill had 41 yards on seven carries before getting hurt late in the second quarter.

Rory White and Pracht both had four catches for 57 and 45 yards, respectively.  Nicholas Zanger had one catch for 28 yards while Goodwin had one for 11 and Brooks Heagarty one for 10.

Baylor is now 2-3 with a non-league game at Chattanooga Christian next Friday while the Knights are now 3-2 and will host MBA next week.

POPE JOHN PAUL II  0  0  0  14  --  14

BAYLOR  21  21  0  0  --  42

Bay – Brendon Harris 58 run (Keegan Weekley kick), 10:24 left in first;

Bay – Jaylen Baker 22 pass from Lorenzo White (Weekley kick), 6:26 left in first;

Bay – White 12 run (Weekley kick), 2:48 left in first;

Bay – Baker 33 pass from White (Weekley kick), 9:57 left in second;

Bay – Mike Benning 9 run (Weekley kick), 6:26 left in second;

Bay – Harris 11 run (Weekley kick), 3:16 left in second;

PJP – Nick Pracht 29 pass from Ben Nixon (Nicholas Zanger kick), 11:35 left in fourth;

PJP – Garrett Goodwin 21 pass from Sawyer Watts (Zanger kick), :07.5 left in fourth.

(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)