WACO, Texas (AP) – Tyrone Swoopes threw for 151 yards with a touchdown and ran for a score in his first Texas start since the opener, and the Longhorns held on for a 23-17 victory Saturday that knocked No. 12 Baylor out of Sugar Bowl contention.
What was a picture-perfect day in their stadium on the banks of the Brazos was marred for the Bears (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) with their third loss in four games and an early bench-clearing scuffle with Texas (4-7, 4-5).
Baylor was in line to be the Big 12’s representative in the Sugar Bowl, with the expectation that league champ Oklahoma (11-1) will get into the College Football Playoff.
Johnny Jefferson ran for 158 yards for Baylor and had enough yards to convert a fourth-and-4 with 2:31 left before he fumbled.
The Bears got one more chance, but Jefferson’s last-ditch pass was incomplete.