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Baylor vs. TCU -- The Morning After -- Behind the Scenes, Links, Notes, Tweets

Baylor pulled off a comeback for the ages last night against TCU last night, and now it's time to take stock.

By Mark C. Moore

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Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

58
TCU
(4-1, 1-1) 9/12
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH F
14 17 13 14 58
10 17 10 24 61

Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Baylor Photos
USATSI Gallery

Waco, Texas • Attendance: 46,803

61
BAYLOR
(6-0, 3-0) 5/3

Wow.  Where do you even begin with a game like that?  It took over four hours, involved nearly 200 plays, and had over 1200 yards of offense.  Granted, ~800 of that came from the winning team, Baylor, but still.  I'll start with the Players of the Game.

Players of the Game:

QB Bryce Petty -- 28/55 for 510 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs
RB Shock Linwood -- 29 carries for 179 yards
WR Antwan Goodley -- 8 catches for 158 yards, 2 TDs
WR Corey Coleman -- 8 catches for 144 yards, 2 TDs, 3 rushes for 22 yards
WR K.D. Cannon -- 6 catches for 124 yards, 1 TD

LB Bryce Hager -- 13 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FF
LB Taylor Young -- 9 tackles, .5 TFL
DE Shawn Oakman -- 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery
CB Ryan Reid -- 7 tackles, 5 PBU

K Chris Callahan -- 4/4 FGs, including the game winner as time expired

Player of the Post-Game:

Baylor DC Phil Bennett.  There is no other answer.

Quick Thoughts:

I really only have one at this point: don't let anyone tell  you how or when you should celebrate after winning a game like last night's against TCU.  I've seen a lot of people question or criticize Baylor and its fans for storming the field after winning a game in which we were favored.  That intentionally ignores the context of how the comeback happened, the excitement that kind of thing will naturally cause, or the history of this rivalry, in particular. I honestly wouldn't fault any fanbase in the country for rushing the field after falling behind 21 in the fourth quarter and coming back to win on a last-second field goal.

Beyond that, and recognizing my Baylor Homer(TM) Emeritus status, I'll never fault our fans for rushing the field after a big win, and I don't think anyone else has room to talk, either.  True pain as a fan comes from hopelessness, a cycle of futility repeated over the course of a decade or more.  Alabama fans want to talk about pain from the kick-6 against Auburn last year, but that's nothing.  Pain is Kevin Steele literally snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against UNLV. Pain is getting your teeth kicked in year after year and your own fans going to your games to see the stars on the other teams.  Pain is your Homecoming Queen wearing the colors of your opponent and nobody saying a word.  When you feel pain like that for nearly two decades, other fans, I'll give a crap about what you think for how we celebrate a game like last night's.

As for the game itself, I have to express a tremendous satisfaction in seeing Bryce Petty redeem himself in the most amazing way possible.  From his pick-6 on, Petty was nearly flawless against a TCU defense that probably has a legitimate claim to being one of the best in the country.  He led the team to over 200 yards and 24 points in the last 11:38 of the game alone and without him, Baylor loses last night.  He made huge throw after huge throw down the stretch and was simply phenomenal when the game was not only in doubt, but seemed entirely out of reach.

Speaking of redemption: Baylor CB Ryan Reid deserves tremendous credit for the way he rebounded last night and grew through the course of a single game.  It was clear about 10 minutes into the game that TCU was going to go after him all night long.  To say they had success with that strategy is to delight in understatement.  Had his backup, Terrence Singleton, not been injured, Reid might not have made it through the first half.  But Singleton was injured and Reid was apparently our only option.  Instead of wilting under that constant abuse, he elevated his game the rest of the way and made a positive difference in the closing minutes when Baylor needed him most.  That kind of resiliency is infectious, and I think if  you asked Phil Bennett right now who he was most excited about right now, it might be Ryan Reid.

Mark Seymour's Top 10:

Crap.  This is going to be a chore.

1.  Mississippi St. Bulldogs
2.  Ole Miss Rebels
3.  Baylor Bears
4.  Florida State Seminoles
5.  Notre Dame Fighting Irish
6.  TCU Horned Frogs
7.  Auburn Tigers
8.  Oklahoma Sooners
9.  Alabama Crimson Tide
10. Michigan St. Spartans?  Georgia Bulldogs?

I told you that would be tough.  Whatever issues you have with this are probably legitimate.  Let's get to the links.

LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS

Starting with SB Nation stuff to get it out of the way:

College Football Playoff threat watch, Week 7: It's not your fault, Florida State - SBNation.com
If you're just now waking up from a months-long sleep, do not be alarmed by the two names you read at the top of this list.

The awesome, unexpected, and meaningful of college football's Week 7 - SBNation.com
Dan Rubenstein and Ryan Nanni review the coast-to-coast Saturday madness and talk about everything from Dak Prescott and Mississippi State's big win over Auburn, to Oregon bouncing back, and Baylor...

What happened Saturday, Oct. 11 in college football: Scores and 3 things to know - SBNation.com
The Mississippi thing is still something we're just gonna have to wrap our minds around, Baylor is officially the Big 12 favorite, and the one-loss pile is setting up all sorts of controversy. Full FBS scores within!

Now the Baylor-specific stuff you came to see:

No. 5 Football Rallies Past No. 9 TCU in Thriller, 61-58 - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
Chris Callahan kicked a 28-yard field goal as time expired and No. 5 Baylor wiped out a 21-point deficit in the final 11 minutes to beat No. 9 TCU 61-58 on Saturday. Bryce Petty threw six touchdown passes for the Bears (6-0, 3-0 Big 12), including a 25-yarder to Corey Coleman with 4:42 left in the fourth that tied it at 58. Petty passed for 510 yards and threw two interceptions.

Bryce Petty, Baylor mount huge comeback to beat TCU - NFL.com
Baylor kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive after a massive 4th quarter comeback that resulted in a narrow win over TCU in a top 10 clash that was a shootout of epic proportions.

Baylor keeps playoff hopes alive with remarkable comeback - CBSSports.com
Baylor came back from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat TCU and remain undefeated in 2014.

Baylor Tops T.C.U., Overcoming 21-Point Deficit in 11-Minute Whirl - NYTimes.com
The Bears, facing a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit against Texas Christian, scored 24 unanswered points in the last 11 minutes, including a field goal as the clock expired, to win, 61-58.

Sherrington: Baylor's improbable comeback over TCU might be most entertaining game I've ever seen | Dallas Morning News

Baylor shows it's never out of a game, definitely in playoff conversation
With the win against No. 12 TCU, the Bears moved to 6-0. They're ranked No. 3 in the Amway Coaches Poll, positioned well in both the race for the Big 12 title and a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Petty Named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week - Big 12 Conference - Official Athletic Site
Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Bears to a comeback victory over TCU.

Instant Analysis: Baylor Bears 61, TCU Horned Frogs 58 - ESPN
A quick look at Baylor's 61-58 victory over TCU in a top-10 Big 12 showdown.

Baylor Bears just find a way -- again - ESPN
The Baylor Bears pulled out a close victory in Big 12 play for the second straight week. -- CLOSE VICTORY, ESPN?  Baylor beat Texas by 21 points.

Big 12 helmet stickers: Week 7 - Big 12 Blog - ESPN
It's that time again! Let's honor the Big 12's top performers over the weekend.

How Baylor Bought A National Football Team
Baylor has just won one of the biggest football games in its history against TCU. It was a game so remarkably entertaining it will be football folklore for generations around Waco Texas.  The score was 61-58 won with a classic game ending field goal. And the Baylor Bears will soon [...]

TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS TWEETS

I got to a lot of these last night in my Tweets of the Night post, but there are a few more worthy of note now.

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