WACO, Texas — Jaylon Glover scored on an 11-yard run with 17 seconds left for Utah’s second touchdown in the final two minutes, and the 12th-ranked Utes escaped Baylor with a 20-13 win Saturday in a matchup of future Big 12 foes both missing their starting quarterbacks.
Utah’s winning drive was set up at the Baylor 29 after Cole Bishop’s interception on a pass Sawyer Robertson threw under pressure.
The Utes (2-0) had tied the game at 13 with 1:59 left when redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Johnson scored on a 7-yard draw. That capped an 88-yard drive on which he had 20 yards rushing and completed 4 of 5 passes for 57 yards.
The game was scheduled eight years ago, and the first meeting of the teams wound up being a Big 12 preview. Utah, which has won the last two Pac-12 championship games and is hoping for even more in coach Kyle Whittingham’s 19th season, is one of four teams from the picked-apart Pac-12 going to the Big 12 next year.
Baylor (0-2) had one more chance to tie the game, with one second left after Robertson’s 47-yard pass to Hal Presley to the Utah 22. But the final pass into the end zone was incomplete.
The Utes were again without Cam Rising, their starter each of the past two seasons, who is still recovering from a torn ACL in the Rose Bowl eight months ago. He was cleared to do more at practice in this week, but Utah stuck with Bryson Barnes and Johnson as it did in a season-opening 24-11 win over Florida. Barnes started again and was 6 of 19 passing for 71 yards, with Johnson was taking all the snaps at the end.
Baylor, the Big 12 champion only two seasons ago, has lost six games in a row dating to last season. Mississippi State transfer Robertson, who completed 12 of 28 passes for 218 yards and had two interceptions, had a 4-yard keeper with 3:23 left in the first half for Baylor’s only touchdown.
Bears starter Blake Shapen is out at least another two weeks with an MCL strain he suffered in the second half of their 42-31 loss to Texas State last week when they favored by nearly four touchdowns.
THE TAKEAWAY
Utah: The Utes certainly miss Rising, who was on the sideline in shorts with a protective sleeve on his left knee. They couldn’t get anything going consistently on offense until Johnson got the full series that resulted in their first touchdown. Barnes threw a 70-yard pass on Utah’s first offensive snap against Florida, but the first play at Baylor was a delay of game penalty. He has thrown for only 160 yards in seven-plus quarters since that first play.
Baylor: Some missed chances in the first half came back to haunt the Bears. When Barnes was intercepted by Kyler Jordan late in the first quarter, Baylor was at the Utah 32. They quickly had a 14-yard pass, but an offensive facemask call and two false starts forced them to settle for Isaiah Hankins’ 34-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. Baylor was at the Utah 32 again after Ketron Jackson leaped between two defenders for a 39-yard catch in the final minute of the first half, and on fourth-and-5 Hankins missed a 44-yard kick.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Utah should be ranked in about the same spot in the new AP Top 25 Sunday after pulling out the victory. But the Utes aren’t likely to move up.
UP NEXT
Utah is home next Saturday to play FCS team Weber State.
Baylor plays the third of four consecutive home games to start the season when it hosts FCS team Long Island on Saturday.
