WACO, Texas (AP) — Utah true freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin had touchdown runs of 67 and 74 yards, Elijah Davis returned an interception 65 yards for a score and the 15th-ranked Utes beat Baylor 55-28 on Saturday night for their third consecutive win.
“Byrd Ficklin was probably the biggest catalyst for us. When we needed it, he provided two huge runs for us,” coach Kyle Whittingham said. “He’s got a bright future, as I’ve said several times before, and he’s just really provided a spark for us.”
Wayshawn Parker added a 64-yard TD run for the Utes (8-2, 5-2 Big 12, No. 13 CFP) as the league’s top rushing offense had its three longest runs this season. Parker had his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 129 yards on 15 carries. as the Utes had 380 of their 483 total yards on the ground.
“You do your job and then you see these guys just running down the field, it’s so much fun,” Utes right tackle Spencer Fano said. “These guys were just getting out there making plays, like untouchable when they were in the open field.”
Banged-up starting quarterback Devon Dampier threw a 25-yard TD pass to Dallen Bentley before the pick-6 by Davis that put Utah up 14-0 in the first quarter.
Big 12 passing leader Sawyer Robertson completed 29 of 58 passes for 430 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Baylor (5-5, 3-4) had 563 total yards but lost for the third time in four games. Josh Cameron had 13 catches for 165 yards and two TDs for Baylor, and Ashtyn Hawkins caught seven passes for 119 yards.
Ficklin’s even rushing TDs are the most for a Utah freshman quarterback. He started against Colorado last month when Dampier was out, and set a Utah QB rushing record with 151 yards in a 53-7 win. He broke that with his 166 yards on six carries against the Bears.
The young QB from Muskogee, Oklahoma, took his first snap early in the second quarter, faked a handoff and then went through a gap over the left side for a 67-yard sprint to the end zone and a 21-7 lead. Midway through the third quarter, he got loose again, this time to the right side for 74 yards to make it 35-20.
“Wasn’t really too much going through my mind,” Ficklin said. “It was just take care of the ball, don’t give them more momentum. You know, come out here and be a vibe killer. And when we broke that long run, that’s pretty much what it did. It killed their whole entire vibe for the rest of the game.”
3 times 60-plus
Ficklin’s 63-yard TD run against Colorado had been the Utes’ only play this season over 60 yards before Saturday night. The second-longest play before then had been Parker’s 58-yard TD run against the Buffaloes.
Another 3,000
Robertson had his third 400-yard game this season while attempting a career-high 58 passes and became the fourth Baylor quarterback with consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons. He joined Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III (2010-11), Bryce Petty (2013-14) and Charlie Brewer (2018-19). Robertson threw for 3,071 yards and 27 TDs last season, and in 10 games this year has 3,210 yards and 29 TDs.
The Takeaway
Utah: The Utes are still in contention for a spot in the league championship game, but will have to win out and likely get some help since their losses are to No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 12 BYU. There are six teams with no more than two league losses and two weekends left in the regular season.
Baylor: The 55 points were the most allowed by the Bears since Kansas State’s 59-25 win two years ago. And it was coming off an open date after beating UCF 30-30 at home two weeks ago.
“Disappointing game. Very frustrating,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “Was not anticipating that.”
Up next
Utah plays its home finale against Kansas State (5-5, 4-3) on Saturday, when Baylor plays at Arizona (7-3, 4-3).
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By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
