Air Force Leans On Stingy Defense, Dominates Baylor in the Armed Forces Bowl
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Baylor football team (6-7) ends its year with a loss at the hands of Air Force (10-3) in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl 30-15.
You win some, you lose more. After starting the season as a top-10 team and the favorite to win the Big 12, Baylor ends its season at 6-7 with a blowout loss in one of the more obscure bowls out there. That's not how they drew it up.
To make matters worse, this was the most miserable football game imaginable. With a temperature of 12° and 20 mph winds, a real feel of -6° handicapped fans and the Bears' offense alike. Unlike the team from the mountains of Colorado, Baylor, and even the team's band, was fighting demons.
Baylor's offense was quite literally frozen. Entering the fourth quarter, Baylor was 0-10 on first down in the game. If you're keeping score at home, that's not good. Blake Shapen struggled mightily and finished with 188 yards and two touchdowns on just 11-23 passing.
The Baylor defense, mind you, was no better. Especially in the second half, Air Force got whatever it wanted – by land and by air. The Falcons totaled 378 yards, with 103 passing and a wild 275 rushing for the game. Baylor, on the other hand, had 230 yards as a team.
With just a 9-7 deficit at halftime despite dramatically failing the eye test, it looked like Baylor had at least a fighter's chance. Instead, the Bears were subject to embarrassment on national television, the only bowl game of the day.
Air Force had 20 first downs to Baylor's 11. The Bears ran the ball for 1.9 yards per carry to the Falcons' 4.2. And Aranda's squad had less than 20 minutes of total possession, failing to complete a third down in the game.
As the clock hit zero on Baylor's season, the crowd, dwindled to dozens, began the frozen walk to the parking lot. It was all too fitting for the way this game, this season ended. Following a Big 12 Championship, Sugar Bowl victory and 12-win campaign, the 2022 Baylor football season ends in disaster.
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