HOUSTON -- Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer didn’t exactly have a dream sophomore season.

It took Brewer several weeks just to lock down the starting quarterback job. Then, he dealt with concussion-like symptoms and missed time against West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Against Iowa State, he was ejected early on a tough call.

But on Wednesday night, Brewer put all the frustrations to bed and exploded to one of the best performances of his career on the biggest stage. Brewer led Baylor to a come-from-behind 42-35 victory over Vanderbilt in the Texas Bowl. In every way, Brewer was the best player on the field. 

Brewer completed 21-of-34 passes for 384 yards, two touchdowns and an interception (that wasn’t his fault) on 11.3 yards per pass attempt. He also led the Bears in rushing with 16 carries for 109 yards and a score in the emotional victory. For his efforts, he was named Texas Bowl MVP. 

“The dual-threat at the quarterback position, I thought it was huge tonight,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said. “He ran as well as their running backs did. The reality was, he was the difference in this ballgame when you look at it.”

Of course, Brewer downplayed his accomplishments.

“I think it was really the other ten guys on offense,” Brewer said. “The offense was blocking outstanding. I threw a couple of passes that were probably six or seven yards down the field that went for 50. That’s all the receivers right there.”

To an extent, he’s right. Running back Trestan Ebner took a pass 75 yards for a score, and wide receiver Marques Jones added a game-clinching 52-yard touchdown with 1:50 remaining to give the Bears a Texas Bowl victory. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Brewer was asked to make many different types of plays in the Bears’ victory. He threw bombs downfield to wide receiver Denzel Mims, and also tossed it across midfield to underclassman receivers Tyquan Thornton and Jones.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon designed plenty of runs for Brewer to take advantage of deep coverage, but others came on critical scrambles. Brewer ran the ball 14 times; 10 went for first downs or touchdowns. Four of those came on third or fourth down.

RELATED: Baylor 45, Vanderbilt 38: Bears notch emotional Texas Bowl victory with late touchdown

Offensive lineman Blake Blackmar, who has been on the field for each of Brewer’s starts at Baylor, believes the Texas Bowl could be a coming out party for the Lake Travis sophomore.

“I would hope so,” Blackmar said. “The kid does everything right. He practices hard, he shows up to everything, great teammate, he’s a winner. I would hope that he’s got the nation’s attention now. He played a hell of a game.”

Brewer’s 384 passing yards was most in the history of the Texas Bowl. His mark was the best since Bryce Petty threw for 550 yards in the 2014 Cotton Bowl. The 493 total yard mark was the best of his career, beating his 429-yard game against Texas Tech in 2017.

The sophomore from Lake Travis wasn’t even supposed to be here. Even after winning a state championship and setting the national completion percentage record in high school, Brewer didn't have any Power Five offers. Matt Rhule offered Brewer without ever meeting him in person after taking the job. 

At Baylor, Brewer was supposed to redshirt, not win the starting quarterback job over Zach Smith and an injured Anu Solomon in 2017. Then, after a one-win year, the Bears weren't supposed to be in a bowl game, much less win one in primetime in front of a national audience. 

Now, Brewer is a rising junior with more than 4,300 yards and 30 total touchdowns in just 17 games as a starting quarterback. With Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray and West Virginia quarterback Will Grier graduating, Brewer has a chance to be one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12 for the next two seasons.

“From what I’ve seen coming in, all he did in high school was win and all he’s done at Baylor is compete,” Blackmar said. “I hope he keeps going because he’s a hell of a player.”