Baylor capped a historic football season with a 21-7 win over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. The Bears went 12-2 on the season and won the Big 12 championship earlier in the month with a victory over Oklahoma State. Dave Aranda’s squad followed a familiar formula to victory with the Bears leaning on a stout defense and a persistent rushing attack. 

INSTANT OBSERVATIONS

Defense leads Baylor to new heights: The Baylor defense led the Bears to a Big 12 championship and a win in the Sugar Bowl. The defensive masterpiece by the Bears was a fitting way to end the best season in Baylor history. The unit allowed 19.15 points per game and 249 yards a game during the regular season. Jalen Pitre was the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Defensive Player of the Year. Jairon McVea clinched a conference title with a fourth-down stop against Oklahoma State. Terrell Bernard and JT Woods made plays in every game. Siaki Ika became a household name. 

Those players, and many others, guided Baylor to a Sugar Bowl victory against an Ole Miss squad that played with its backup quarterback for three-plus quarters of the football game. Woods recorded two interceptions. Siaka looked like a potential 2022 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Al Walcott scored the only touchdown of the first half with a 96-yard interception in the second quarter. Bernard recorded two sacks and more than a dozen tackles. 

Baylor’s defense posted 10 sacks, three interceptions, and five pass breakups. All 21 points scored by Baylor were off turnovers. It was a masterclass. Aranda is arguably the best defensive mind in the country. To go from 2-7 to 12-2, which is the first time Baylor won 12 games in a season, in year two is an amazing accomplishment. 

Abram Smith runs into record books: The ride was wild for Smith. The senior was a special teams star early in his career. He made an impact as a linebacker in 2020. He was moved to running back by new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes to help add physicality to the wide zone rushing attack. The move back to running back for the Abilene native was a history-making move. Smith entered the contest with 1,429 yards on 232 carries. He added 172 yards on 25 carries in the Sugar Bowl win to become Baylor’s single season record holder for rushing yards in a season with 1,601. 

Quarterback controversy in Waco: Gerry Bohanon struggled in his first action since Nov. 20 against Kansas State. Backup quarterback Blake Shapen, who missed the Sugar Bowl due to injury, started the final two games of the year and led the Bears to a Big 12 championship with a 180-yard performance against Oklahoma State. 

Baylor won despite its quarterback play on New Year’s Day, not because of it. Bohanon was 7 of 17 for 40 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He added 23 yards on seven carries. No player on Baylor’s team recorded more than 14 receiving yards or two catches. Bohanon and Shapen, along with freshman Kyron Drones, should be in an open competition to become the starter in 2022.