Baylor football needed a late surge, but made just enough plays to hold off Kansas State in a 37-34 victory at McLane Stadium.

WIth the win, the Bears move to 4-2 on the season, just two games away from bowl eligibility with six left to play. The Bears were a cool 0-6 at this point last season without a single home win. But now, things don’t get any easier. Baylor won’t be favored in any game from here on out.

Here are three quick takeaways from the Bears’ win in Waco.

Big kick

Baylor kicker Connor Martin was absolute tremendous as a true freshman. The magic hasn’t seemed to translate over to his sophomore year. Martin missed three of his first five kicks against Kansas State, and an extra point to boot.

But with the game on the line, Martin delivered. The sophomore hit a 29-yard kick with just eight seconds left on the clock to launch Baylor to its first non-Kansas conference win since 2016. Martin still has to get back to form, but nailing such a big kick is still encouraging.

Downfield tackling

Kansas State had played three games against Power FIve opponents before Baylor. In those performances, the Wildcats totaled just 30 points. Their three offensive touchdowns combined to span just 34 total yards. This is not an explosive offense.

Baylor somehow managed to turn it into a shootout anyway. The Wildcats exploded for 34 points and four touchdowns overall. The touchdowns averaged 43.4 yards per play. Two of the scores were longer than 50 yards. Those five plays – five! – accounted for 46.4 percent of Kansas State’s offense. That’s simply unacceptable, and will bite Baylor in the butt against any other team.

Next man up

Running back John Lovett was unavailable, and JaMycal Hasty also went out during the game. Without the top two running backs, Baylor turned to a pair of young players. Sophomore Trestan Ebner and freshman Craig Williams – in his first career action – looked very impressive.

Ebner carried the ball 17 times for 100 yards in his first experience as the starting running back. In fact, Ebner was originally recruited as a wide receiver. However, he consistently broke through tackles and made the right reads. Williams only got two carries, but he made them count. He took one for 14 yards and a first down, and added a blistering 21-yard touchdown. Jalen Hurd also added 56 yards on just eight carries against the Wildcats, to go along with eight catches for 135 yards.