By the time the rowdy McCallie student section counted down the final seconds, the only remaining question was on which side of the ball had the Blue Tornado been most dominant.
The answer was both.
McCallie was the aggressor from start to finish, scoring touchdowns on its first four possessions in a stunning first half that led to a resounding 42-7 whipping of rival Baylor at Spears Stadium on Friday night.
"The one big difference in this team is our physicality on defense," Blue Tornado coach Ralph Potter said. "We've got some guys who love to fly around to the ball and hit, and I thought those guys on that side of the ball did a really nice job.
"Offensively, we thought coming in that we could expose them on the perimeter with our athleticism."
That's exactly what McCallie (5-2, 2-1) did early as quarterback Robert Riddle torched the Red Raiders secondary with an impressive display of accuracy. He completed his first six passes and threw for 144 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter alone.
"Our coaches wanted us to go right at them early and put them on their heels," Riddle said. "They called some great plays, and we were able to execute."
The lanky senior would add a rushing TD and finished 14-of-18 passing with 181 yards. His only interception came late in the second quarter after the ball bounced off the hands of his intended receiver near the goal line.
Junior receiver Rico Dozier had eight catches, all in the first half, for 102 yards and two of McCallie's first three TDs.
"We had a lot of confidence coming into the game because we have so many guys who can make plays," Dozier said. "And Robert is the best quarterback I've ever played with. If you get open, even a little bit, he's going to find you."
McCallie took the game's opening drive 72 yards in six plays, four passes, capped by a 28-yard strike from Riddle to Dozier in the corner of the end zone.
Baylor (5-2, 1-2) countered on its first possession by moving to the McCallie 40, but Kendall Watson stepped in front of a Lorenzo White pass for a momentum-shifting interception. Three plays later, Riddle connected with Walker Fannon on a 51-yard scoring strike.
"Kendall's interception was huge," Potter said. "That enabled us to get it going again and kind of set the tone.
"There's so much pressure in this game. Our guys handled it well. It started up front, on both sides of the ball. We protected Robert and allowed him to make plays, and defensively we really controlled things for the most part."
Baylor's lone score came midway through the fourth quarter when, trailing 35-0, Trusten McAartor hit Gunnar Ricketts for an 85-yard TD pass. McCallie responded with a 55-yard scoring run by Xavier Brooks, who had 129 rushing yards, for the final margin.
The Blue Tornado threw the ball 17 times in the first half, but of their 17 second-half plays, only one was a pass.
"If you can't get pressure on a good quarterback, he will make you pay. And Riddle really made us pay tonight," Baylor coach Phil Massey said. "They out-coached and outplayed us all night, and now we have to go back to work and figure out what our identity is and who we are."
McCallie had more total yards by halftime than Baylor managed the entire game. The Blue Tornado rolled up 450 yards by the end and held the Red Raiders to 275, with more than 100 of Baylor's coming in the fourth quarter.
It was a complete reversal of last year's outcome, when Baylor dominated at the line. This time, it was the Tornado who physically manhandled their rivals.
"I think it's starting to click for our kids and they're just playing fast and physical, just like we want them to," Tornado first-year defensive coordinator Ricky Ross said afterward. "It sounds simple, but the kids have really bought in to what we're teaching, and now they're just flying around making plays."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis