Baylor notebook: Washington flattens Frogs with career night as Bears deliver in thriller

It was only fitting for Saturdays matchup to be a thriller in front of Baylors Big 12 Championship teams from a decade ago.

After all, those teams know all too well what it is like to take part in a nail-biter with TCU.

Bears running back Bryson Washington rushed for a career-high 196 yards and four touchdowns, Isaiah Hankins kicked the game winning field goal as time expired and Baylor squeaked past the Horned Frogs , 37-34, Saturday night at McLane Stadium.

Washingtons four touchdowns were the most by a Bear since Richard Reese had three in a 45-17 win over Texas Tech on Oct.

29, 2022, in Lubbock.

Washington fell one TD shy of Baylors single-game record held by Jonathan Golden (2002) and Terrance Ganaway (2011).

Baylor running back Bryson Washington eludes the grasp of TCU safety Cam Smith on a touchdown run in the first half.

And Hankins 33-yard field goal with zeros on the clock delivered yet another wild finish between the programs with the oldest college football rivalry in Texas, a series that dates back to 1899 and has seen 120 matchups.

The Bears last five wins over TCU, dating back to Sept.

2, 2011, have been one-score thrillers, and the last three happened on last-second plays.

Yes, that includes the now decade old 61-58 nail-biter Baylor fans will always remember.

And those guys who took part in that win 10 years ago were in attendance to watch the Bears boot another game-winner over the Frogs.

A poetic finish It was just two years ago when TCU stunned Baylor fans with a game-winning field goal of their own as time expired.

And it happened in the same stadium.

TCU vs.

Baylor Condensed Game | 2024 Big 12 Football // via Big 12 Conference on YouTube Excluding the fire-drill-like chaos, Hankins kick on Saturday mirrored Griffin Kells 40-yard field goal on Nov.

19, 2022.

Granted, Kells boot preserved the Frogs undefeated season and helped get them into the College Football Playoff, but Hankins still gave Baylor fans lots to smile about .

I mean, this is so important, Hankins said in a post-game interview on the ESPN2 broadcast.

This is my fourth year, and this is my first time beating them while Im at Baylor.

That means a lot.

This is a really big one.

Bears linebacker Keaton Thomas said he knew Hankins would deliver.

As soon as we got that first down (after the 4th-and-9), I knew the game was over, Thomas said.

I have 100% confidence in my guy, and I knew he was going to make the kick, so I was already excited jumping around.

Aranda makes gutsy decision Baylor head coach Dave Aranda made a decision even someone playing a video game may have not had the guts to do.

Faced with a 4th-and-9 on the TCU 44-yard-line, the Bears offense lined up ready to go for it.

Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes called a timeout before Baylor snapped the ball, trying to anticipate what Aranda had planned.

Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson and the offense came right back out there, snapped the ball and Robertson found tight end Michael Trigg over the middle for a 15-yard gain.

Baylor was able to gain another 13 yards before Hankins game-winning kick.

We werent quite sure what they were going to do, Dykes said of his decision to call a timeout before the fourth-down call.

I thought they might try to draw us offsides to try to get a shorter field for the kicker.

You have to give them credit.

They made a nice play.

Aranda said there was no hesitation in going for it.

Those things are always hard, because I could be here, I think Ive been up here before, and they didnt go well, and theres a whole bunch coming the other way with that, Aranda said.

Bears recognize legends Baylor honored its eight-member 2024 class for the Athletic Hall of Fame during Saturdays game on the field.

The group, not all of which could attend, was honored in a banquet on Friday as well.

They were honored separately from the 2013 and 2014 Big 12 championship teams that ran the Baylor Line before the game.

The Hall of Fame class was highlighted by Baylor womens basketball greats Brittney Griner and Odyssey Sims.

Griner, a towering 6-8 post player, swatted shot attempts from opposing players who somehow made their way past a menacing Sims on the perimeter.

The national championship-winning duo played together from 2010 to 2013, Griners senior year, as Sims was a year younger.

Other members of the class included softballs Whitney Canion Reichenstein, track and fields Ronnie Allen, baseballs Michael Griffin, footballs Mark Cochran, mens basketballs Ekpe Udoh and Nina Secerbegovic of womens tennis.

From Griners slam dunks to Secerbegovics three seasons as an All-American in singles, it doesnt take much research to find out how talented these Bears were .

Be the first to know Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items..

This article has been shared from the original article on wacotrib, here is the link to the original article.