No. 15 Baylor passes road test at Kansas State

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Bryce Petty threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns, Ahmad Dixon made a critical interception late in the fourth quarter and No. 15 Baylor held on to beat Kansas State 35-25 on Saturday.

Tevin Reese had 5 catches for 184 yards and 2 scores, and Antwan Goodley had 5 catches for 139 yards and 1 touchdown for the Bears (5-0, 2-0 Big 12), who ran their winning streak to nine games dating to their victory over Kansas State last season.

The Wildcats (2-4, 0-3), behind 199 yards and three rushing touchdowns by quarterback Daniel Sams, took a 25-21 lead in the third quarter. But they missed a tying field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter and then Sams threw an interception on their ensuing possession that allowed the Bears to escape.

Baylor, playing on the road for the first time this season, had been averaging a nation-leading 779.5 yards and 70-plus points per game. The Bears managed just 451 yards against the Wildcats, while running back Lache Seastrunk was held to just 54 yards on 12 carries.

Still, it was enough to give Baylor its first victory in Manhattan in five tries.

The Bears had scored at least 28 points in the first quarter of each of their games this season, so it was a mild victory for the Wildcats that they only managed a lone touchdown on Saturday.

Petty finished off a 12play, 59-yard drive by sneaking across the goal line on fourth down to give Baylor the lead. But the Wildcats quickly answered early in the second quarter, when Sams carried eight consecutive times on a 78-yard drive that he finished off with a 1-yard plunge.

Baylor’s score-a-minute offense finally got on track midway through the second quarter, and it was a breakdown by the Kansas State defense that provided the window.

Reese ran past defensive back Randall Evans and Petty hit him in stride for a 93yard touchdown reception, the second-longest scoring pass in the Bears’ 115-year history.