Shapen's 2 total TDs, Hankins' 4 field goals, highlight Baylor's 32-29 victory over Cincinnati

Updated Oct. 21, 2023 5:25 p.m. ET

Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) — Baylor coach Dave Aranda reshuffled the starters on his offensive line during the Bears’ bye last week, and the change showed on the field Saturday afternoon.

Blake Shapen threw for one touchdown and ran for another, kicker Isaiah Hankins hit all four of his field goal attempts and Baylor edged Cincinnati 32-29 in the teams’ first-ever meeting.

“We had a different offensive line,” Aranda said. “We kind of shuffled that up. It starts with Clark (Barrington). He’s way mature. He is a family dude and considerate off the field. On the field, he is way nasty. He plays on the edge. When he was in the center role, he was kind of the dad. At guard, he was the big brother. It was way different.

“The nastiness that came out today was very cool. Coleton Price really played well in his first start. He was a real mudslinger too. Those two guys together played tough.”

While the Bears (3-4, 2-2 Big 12) grabbed their second straight win on the road, the Bearcats (2-5, 0-4) lost their fifth straight game and remained winless in Big 12 play.

“First of all, just very frustrated and disappointed,” first-year Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said. “This is certainly not what Cincinnati football is all about, I can promise you that. ... This one was certainly there for us to go get and we didn’t do it, and it starts here with me.”

Cincinnati had outgained Baylor 336-323 entering the fourth, including a 240-72 advantage on the ground, and outscored the Bears 15-3 in the final frame.

Bearcats running back Myles Montgomery, who finished with 103 yards and two scores on 10 carries, opened the fourth with a 4-yard touchdown run to cut Baylor’s lead to 29-21.

Hankins kicked his fourth field goal of the day, then Cincinnati quarterback Emory Jones and wide receiver Xzavier Henderson linked up for a 29-yard touchdown to draw Cincinnati within 32-27 with 5:03 to play.

Jones found quarterback-turned-receiver Evan Prater on a two-point conversion to make it 32-29. In an unconventional formation, Prater snapped the ball to Jones, who was in the shotgun, and then raced out to his right for the score.

“My focus was just snapping the ball to Emory and making a play for my team,” said Prater, who admitted he had never snapped a ball in a game before that play.”

Baylor failed to gain any breathing room on its next possession, and Cincinnati got the ball back at its own 7-yard line with 2:19 remaining. But the Bearcats offense stalled despite close calls that yielded no penalty flags.

“It was a tough game,” said Shapen. “It was our emphasis all week to just get into the red zone. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Shapen completed 25 of his 42 pass attempts for 316 yards. Baylor went 4-for-4 in the red zone.

Cincinnati running back Corey Kiner had 129 yards rushing on 15 carries.

THE TAKEAWAY

Baylor: The Bears’ offensive line played much better coming off a bye week. Baylor entered the day allowing a league-worst 3.0 sacks per game. The Bears allowed six sacks in their last outing Oct. 7 against Texas Tech. But they allowed only one sack heading into the final quarter on Saturday. Quick plays and timely decision-making helped. But the wheels came off a bit in the fourth, as the Bears allowed two more sacks to match their season average.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats and Satterfield will need to wait another week to capture their first win in Big 12 play. Another loss for Cincinnati would be six straight. The program hasn’t suffered six straight losses since 1998.

UP NEXT

Baylor: The Bears return home to host Iowa State on Oct. 28. Baylor leads the all-time series 11-9. The Bears defeated the Cyclones 31-24 on the road last season.

Cincinnati: The Bearcats head to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to face Oklahoma State on Oct. 28. Cincinnati is 1-2 all-time against the Cowboys, with the last meeting coming in 1983. The Bearcats lost that matchup 27-17 at Nippert Stadium.

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