Gerry Bohanon threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score, and Baylor had its way against Kansas on the ground, piling up 307 yards rushing in a 45-7 victory on Saturday.
Abram Smith ran for 122 yards and a touchdown, and Trestan Ebner added 72 yards on just 12 carries, as the Bears (3-0, 1-0 Big 12) beat the Jayhawks (1-2, 0-1) for the 12th consecutive time. Baylor hasn't lost to Kansas since the 2007 season.
Baylor finished with 576 yards total offense. Kansas managed just 166.
Jayhawks quarterback Jason Bean was held to just 57 yards passing and a touchdown, though he did have 62 yards on the ground, before giving way to backup Jalon Daniels in the fourth quarter.
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By that point, Baylor had turned a 14-7 halftime advantage into another rout.
The Bears have found their identity on the ground under second-year coach Dave Aranda. They had three 100-yard rushers, gained more than 400 yards on the ground and had five touchdowns rushing last week against Texas Southern, and early on it was clear their fleet of fast, powerful running backs would have a similarly devastating day.
Smith and Ebner gashed Kansas for big yards on their opening possession, and Bohanon capped it with a TD pass to Ben Sims. Then, the pair of Baylor running backs set up another touchdown by fullback Gavin Yates a few minutes later.
The Jayhawks? Their offense lost eight yards in the first quarter.
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Yet they somehow managed to stay in the game -- a fumble by Baylor's R.J. Sneed helped -- and Bean led a 76-yard drive late in the first half that he finished with a short TD pass to Trevor Wilson to get within 14-7 at the break.
Must have touched a nerve in the Baylor locker room.
They forced a three-and-out to start the second half, and Bohanon immediately found Sneed for a 69-yard score to deflate the few Kansas fans that stuck around through halftime on a sunny, unseasonably hot afternoon.
After forcing a turnover on downs, the Bears went right back downfield, riding Smith and Ebner into the red zone. This time, Bohanon capped things off by taking a keeper for a touchdown that effectively put the game away.
THE TAKEAWAY
Baylor wasn't going to lose unless it committed too many penalties and turnovers. Well, the Bears coughed up the ball twice and they were whistled for a handful of fouls, but it still wasn't enough to let Kansas make it close. It helped that the Bears had some nice offensive balance with 269 yards passing and made some stops on defense.
Kansas was competitive for a half. The next step in its progression under coach Lance Leipold is to put together four quarters, something the Jayhawks have yet to do this season. That will only happen if they get better play along the offensive and defensive lines, which were soundly beaten by the Bears on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Baylor heads home to face Iowa State next Saturday.
Kansas wraps up nonconference play Saturday at Duke.
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