No starters. No Problem. Baylor sets new bowl, program marks in Orlando

North Carolina center Lucas Crowley, who played at Nease.
(Photo by Stephen Dowell)

By MIKE BONTS

Jacksonville SportsDay

Entering the Russel Athletic Bowl in Orlando No. 17 Baylor was without its top two quarterbacks, leading rusher, and an All-American receiver.

Baylor QBs Seth Russell (neck) and Jarrett Stidham (broken ankle), receiver Corey Coleman (hernia surgery), and running back Shock Linwood (broken foot) were all absent.

Never the less, the Bears piled up an FBS bowl-record 645 yards rushing to upset 10th-ranked North Carolina, 49-38, before 40,418 at Citrus Bowl Stadium. The win was Baylor's first bowl victory since 2012, snapping a string of two consecutive bowl losses.

Johnny Jefferson rushed for a school-record 299 yards and was named the bowl’s MVP. Jefferson made amends for a fourth quarter fumble in a 23-17 loss to Texas in the regular-season finale.

"The big thing for me was the last game we played, I had a bad mistake," said Jefferson. "And I promised the guys that I was going to come out and give it my all. And today, God blessed me, and those big guys up front blocked amazingly."

With Jefferson reaching 1,000 rushing yards on the season in the game, it gave Baylor a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season for the first time in program history as he joined Linwood.

Baylor's nation-leading offense averages better than 300 yards on the ground and in the air. Third-string QB Chris Johnson making just his third career start for Baylor. Terence Williams rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (10-3)

The Tar Heels struggled to halt Baylor's running attack. Five different players took snaps from center.

The rapid rotation of Jefferson, Devin Chafin and Williams in the backfield kept North Carolina on its heels.  Baylor averaged 7.7 yards per carry.

"We thought they would do basically what they had been doing," said UNC head coach Larry Fedora, "We thought they would throw it around a little bit more. We knew that (Johnson) would run it a little bit more. That's what we were expecting. All they did was come out and just run it down our throat."

North Carolina ignited the scoring, going 69 yards on 13 plays and capping it with QB Marquise William's nine-yard TD pass to Brandon Fritts in the back of the end zone.

Williams’ pass to Fritts was his 22nd scoring pass of the year, which established a new single-season high. The senior had 324 yards of total offense against Baylor and finished the season with 4,020 to break the UNC single-season record he set last year

Williams passed for 243 yards and three TDs, and rushed for two more. Elijah Hood added 118 yards rushing.

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RUSSELL ATHLETC BOWL NOTES- 645 yards rushing and 756 total yards are both records for the Bowl…..Devin Chafin, who finished with a career-high 161 yards rushing on a Bears’ bowl-record 27 tries….ending the season with two losses and losing their previous two bowl games, Baylor’s seniors to go out with their 40th win and the program's 50th in the last five years…. Baylor and North Carolina met for the first time…Jefferson hit the 1,000-yard plateau for the season with his 23rd and final carry of the night… Baylor finished with 358 rushing yards in the half, breaking the previous bowl record of 325 rushing yards set by Illinois against Virginia in 1999.

BAYLOR MARKS FALL – The Bears’ 645 rushing yards were the most in program history as well as NCAA bowl history. Baylor’s 756 total yards were the 8th-most in program history and were 2nd-most in Baylor bowl history. Johnny Jefferson and Devin Chafin’s combined 460 rushing yards were most by a duo in NCAA bowl history. In addition Baylor’s first downs (38), rushing attempts (84) and plays (101) first downs set program bowl records.

CAROLINA BLUE - The Tar Heels’ best defensive lineman, Nazair Jones, was out of the game with an injury…North Carolina now 14-18 all-time in bowl games…Marquise Williams accounted for five touchdowns, including three passing scores and two rushing TDs….place-kicker Nick Weiler set a single-season record with 127 points, breaking the previous mark of 126 set in 1970 by tailback Don McCauley. Against Baylor, he made a 32-yard field goal and all five extra points…Carolina scored in 32 of the final 35 quarters of the season, including all four against Baylor.