No. 17 Bruins can’t keep up with high-powered Baylor
SAN DIEGO - Glasco Martin ran for three touchdowns, Nick Florence threw for two scores and ran for another, and Baylor routed UCLA 49-26 in the 35th Holiday Bowl on Thursday night.
Lache Seastrunk rushed 16 times for 138 yards and one score for Baylor, which ran for 306 yards and outgained the No. 17 Bruins, 494-362. The Bears entered the game leading the nation in total offense at 578.8 yards per game.
Florence completed 10 of 13 passes for 188 yards, giving him 4,309 for the season to break Robert Griffin III's school season record of 4,293 set in 2011.
Baylor's defense came up big, too. The Bears sacked UCLA freshman quarterback Brett Hundley six times, including two by Chris McAllister, and shut down senior running back Johnathan Franklin.
Franklin, who averaged 130.8 yards this season and is UCLA's career rushing leader, gained 12 yards on his first carry of the game but was a nonfactor after that, finishing with only 34 yards on 14 carries.
Baylor (8-5) won its final four games and five of six, including an upset of then-No. 1 Kansas State. UCLA (9-5) lost its final three.
Hundley was 26-for-50 for 329 yards and three touchdowns to set UCLA's season passing record with 3,740 yards. The old record was 3,470 by Cade McNown in 1998.
The Bruins were never in this one. Baylor raced to a 21-0 lead by early in the second quarter on Martin's 4-yard run and Florence's TD passes of 8 yards to Antwan Goodley and 55 yards to Tevin Reese.
UCLA punted four times and lost the ball on downs before getting a break when Baylor's Jordan Navjar fumbled after a reception when he was hit by Eric Kendricks, with Randal Goforth recovering at the Bears 21. Two plays later, tight end Joseph Fauria caught a 22-yard pass from Hundley to pull the Bruins to 21-7.
Baylor quickly added two more touchdowns to put it out of reach at 35-7. Martin burst up the middle for his second touchdown run of the game, a 26-yarder. After UCLA was forced to punt yet again, Seastrunk broke free for a 43-yard touchdown run with 1:58 left before halftime.
UCLA then converted two fourth downs, including a fake punt, to move to the Baylor 12 with seven seconds left. On fourth-and-10, Bruins coach Jim Mora opted to attempt a field goal, and Ka'imi Fairbairn converted from 30 yards to make the score 35-10 at the break.
Martin added a 1-yard TD run in the third quarter. and Florence had a 1-yard scoring run in the fourth to put Baylor ahead, 49-19.
Martin had 98 yards on 21 carries.
Hundley threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Shaq Evans early in the fourth quarter and a 34-yarder to Logan Sweet as the game ended.
AROUND THE BOWLS
• BEARCATS STUN DUKE - At Charlotte, N.C., Duke running back Josh Snead fumbled at the Cincinnati 5 with 1:20 left, and Brendon Kay threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 44 seconds to go, lifting the Bearcats to a 48-34 victory in the Belk Bowl. Cincinnati (10-3) sealed the win on the next series when Nick Temple returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown. Kay threw for 332 yards, and his four scoring passes were a Belk Bowl record. Sean Renfree threw for 358 yards - another Belk Bowl record - for the Blue Devils (6-7).
• SAN JOSE STATE HANGS ON - At Washington, David Fales completed 33 of 43 passes for 395 yards and two touchdowns as No. 24 San Jose State capped its first 11-win season since 1940 with a 29-20 victory over Bowling Green (8-5) in the Military Bowl. Fales led the drive that set up Austin Lopez's 27-yard field goal with 4:43 remaining, and De'Leon Eskridge's 1-yard run with 2:34 left provided the insurance for the Spartans (11-2).
