Following a similar script to last year's season opener, Notre Dame jumped out to an early lead, but Baylor quickly rallied to take control and buried the threat of an upset under an avalanche of points.
The Red Raiders capitalized on four first-half turnovers by Notre Dame, putting the game away by halftime in registering a 35-14 nonregion season-opening Division II win at Finley Stadium Thursday night. Baylor brought back both a fumble and an interception for first-half scores and needed just one play to score after another turnover.
The score was 35-7 at halftime.
The game, which was part of a doubleheader, began more than an hour later than scheduled because of thunderstorms that delayed the first game of the evening.
Notre Dame opened with a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped when Parker Brock connected with Cam Wynn on a 21-yard touchdown pass on third-and-13. That was the only pass of the drive, but Baylor wasted no time in answering.
The Red Raiders needed just three plays to cover 81 yards, the big play coming when Lorenzo White passed to Patton Ford for a 61-yard play and Gabriel Stulce followed with a 15-yard scoring run. On the next series, Moose Vaughn intercepted an Irish pass and one play later Mekos Baker hit Ford on a halfback option pass for a touchdown that covered 35 yards, putting Baylor ahead for good.
Notre Dame gift-wrapped more points on its next possession when Stulce scooped an Irish fumble and returned it 38 yards for another score, and after Notre Dame failed on a fake punt, Baylor drove 26 yards with White scoring on a 1-yard keeper.
The Irish capped their frustrating first half when the Raiders' Riley Jenne picked off a pass and returned it 55 yards for the exclamation ending. Despite getting outgained by more than 50 total yards, Baylor led by 28 points.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com