WACO -- It’s not a surprise that the winner of the game at McLane Stadium on Saturday is headed to the Big 12 championship. It’s not a surprise that a running quarterback from Austin made gutsy plays to win, or that a defensive lineman from Austin dominated the game. 

What is a surprise? That team is the Baylor Bears, who, at 10-1, crushed the Texas Longhorns, 24-10, in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score. Those Bears will play Oklahoma for a Big 12 title in two weeks at AT&T Stadium. 

The score doesn’t do justice to just how dominant Baylor was in this game. Texas didn’t get on the board until running back Keaontay Ingram broke off a 68-yard run – the only 30-yard play of the afternoon for Texas – for a field goal as the first half expired. Then, Texas scored a meaningless touchdown after Texas coach Tom Herman called a timeout with five seconds left to get in with a second left. 

“I really don’t want to minimize to us what it means to beat Texas, how good of a football team that is,” Baylor coach Matt Rhule said. “They won the Sugar Bowl last year...I just have so much respect for them.” 

Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer posted 296 yards and two total touchdowns against the Longhorns’ defense. Wide receiver Denzel Mims added seven catches for 125 yards and a score in his final game at McLane Stadium. Defensive end James Lynch was the best player on the field with two sacks, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. 

For Baylor, it was a culmination. This is the same program that went just 1-11 two years ago, and lost six home games. The win over Texas was the Bears’ sixth home win of 2019. Saturday felt lightyears away from the 38-7 result against Texas in Rhule’s first season. 

“That’s what my whole message to our players is,” Rhule said. “You’ve done this tonight because of your process. This didn’t happen tonight. It happened every morning over the last two years.” 

For the Longhorns, everything was exactly the opposite. The Longhorns walked off McLane Stadium to Baylor fans throwing Horns Down and ads for Baylor fans to buy Big 12 championship tickets blasting on the video board. 

This was a Texas team picked to finish top-two in the conference, compete for a Big 12 championship, even potentially serve as a dark horse College Football Playoff contender. All of that came crashing to the ground. 

Instead, Texas – which represents Goliath in every way to the rest of the Big 12, especially the Bears – has to watch Baylor have the season it was promised. And even worse, the Longhorns staff has to watch two Austin products – Lake Travis’ Charlie Brewer and Round Rock’s James Lynch – lead the way. 

“There’s a lot of emotions,” Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger said. “Certainly didn’t expect it to be this way.” 

Offensive center Zach Shackelford was asked whether he saw his senior season going this way: ”What do you think?” 

Earlier this week, Texas coach Tom Herman said Baylor’s season to this point has been “eerily similar” to theirs, with the exception of the Bears making plays in close games. On Saturday, that statement looked sillier than ever. The loss officially knocked Texas out of the Big 12 championship game, but it was more of a formality. 

Ehlinger threw for 200 yards and an interception in his first full game against Baylor since he started at Texas. Wide receiver Devin Duvernay – who signed with Baylor out of high school until the previous coaching staff was fired – caught 10 balls for 78 yards. The Longhorns posted just two total tackles for loss. 

Baylor demolished Texas in every way, and did it with the concepts that Herman talks about most. They were the more physical team. They got pressure with an odd front, allowing them to drop eight and make Ehlinger’s night difficult. Baylor got into the red zone and converted. 

Down the stretch, normally composed offensive linemen Parker Braun and Shackelford committed awful unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, which Baylor capitalized on. Down the stretch, players clearly began to lose composure. 

“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Texas safety Chris Brown. “The goal is to win every game. We failed to do that today. Whether we’re up for a Big 12 championship or not, the goal is to win every game.” 

It’s hard to leave this game without comparing the two head coaches. Both were hired to their respective jobs in 2017 after winning AAC titles at their previous stops. However, Herman was a blazing hot name at Houston, earning dueling offers from Texas and LSU. Rhule had other opportunities, but nothing in the blue blood realm. 

And yet, here we are three years later. The Bears are up to 10 wins with a shot against Kansas remaining to hit 11. Then, it’ll be a trip to Arlington for a rematch with Oklahoma, and a chance to tie Texas all-time with its third Big 12 title. 

Texas has five losses for the ninth time this decade, with 2018’s four-loss campaign serving as the only respite. The ‘Horns haven’t reached 11 wins since Colt McCoy. And worse, Herman’s offense was the issue against Baylor. 

“I’ve done a poor job,” Herman said of his staff getting players ready for games. “The buck stops with me. We’ll evaluate everything.” 

This season always had the potential for a rebuilding year at Texas after losing so much production from a Sugar Bowl champion team. However, five losses is far below any reasonable expectations, especially with a tricky game against Texas Tech. 

Seeing another coach step into a “little brother” program up I-35 and flip a nightmare situation into 10-1 just three years later? It just makes Herman’s third-year struggles more damning. 

Texas hoped that 2018’s 10-win campaign would be the perfect launching pad for the rebirth of Longhorns football, especially after Ehlinger’s “We’re baaaaack!” soundbite on national TV. Instead, the little private school 100 miles up the road has somehow passed the richest program in college athletics up again.

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