Texas vs. Baylor: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

Texas (5-7, 4-5) scored a stunning 23-17 victory over a No. 12 Baylor (9-3, 6-3) squad that often looked physically battered and emotionally drained at McLane Stadium on Saturday.

The Longhorns nearly let a 20-point lead get away in the second half as the Bears, who were reduced to their fourth-string quarterback, rolled off 17 straight points to get back in the contest using a dynamic run game. But Texas rose to the occasion late to secure the marquee victory.

Here's a quarter-by-quarter scoring recap of the wild Big 12 finale:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Longhorns	17	3	0	3	23
Bears	0	0	10	7	17

Baylor has watched its playoff hopes slip away with losses to Oklahoma and TCU over the past month. As a result, head coach Art Briles spent the week trying to convince his players to move forward despite the emotional letdown, as noted by Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News.

"We can have a tremendously fulfilling season taking care of business at hand," Briles said. "We can't change what's behind us. So let's take care of what's in front of us. The only way to do that is to let go of the past. Always had a saying, 'The past is last.'"

It quickly became clear that's much easier said than done.

Texas came up with a fourth-down stop at its own 30 on the opening drive. The defensive stand really seemed to provide a spark for the heavy underdogs, who immediately responded with a touchdown drive that lasted less than a minute.

Tyrone Swoopes found a wide open Caleb Bluiett off a play-action fake for the 57-yard score. ESPN highlighted the early statement from the Longhorns:

A Nick Rose field goal stretched the lead to 10 for Texas, and then a bad situation got worse for Baylor. Chris Johnson, who was filling in at quarterback for the injured Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham, also went down after being hit awkwardly by two defenders.

Jake Trotter of ESPN passed along word that Johnson was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game:

Jimmy Burch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram later added further details:

That meant Baylor moved to its fourth-string quarterback, Lynx Hawthorne. Ted Emrich of ESPNU pointed out the wide receiver hadn't played QB since his junior year of high school in 2010. It certainly showed, as he struggled to handle the typically high-powered offense.

Meanwhile, Texas continued to roll right along. Swoopes made it 17-0 with an uncontested run to the outside from nine yards out. The play came after an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Beau Blackshear that gave the Longhorns first down.

David Smoak of ESPN Central Texas spotlighted the mental error that compounded all of the physical mistakes the Bears made in the early going:

Emotions started to boil over on the next drive as Duke Thomas got taken down hard after an interception return. ESPN College Football highlighted the brief skirmish that followed:

To cap it off, the final three drives of the first half resulted in two missed field goals by Baylor and a career-long 53-yard make by Rose for Texas, which led 20-0 at the break.

The Bears changed their offensive philosophy coming out of halftime, and it seemed to catch the Longhorns off guard. The running back tandem of Johnny Jefferson and Terence Williams ran the ball mostly off direct snaps to cover 69 yards in less than three minutes en route to a touchdown.

Baylor Football showcased Jefferson's score, which came off a handoff from an option look:

Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman commented on the altered approach:

The Bears started to pick up serious steam as the Texas offense began to sputter. Chris Callahan added a field goal, and then, after a quick three-and-out drive defensively, Baylor used nine more running plays to trim the lead to three early in the fourth quarter.

This time, it was Hawthorne doing his best Superman pose as he stretched the ball across the goal line for the touchdown. ESPN passed along the highlight:

Texas managed to stop the barrage just in the nick of time, though. Rose added his third field goal of the afternoon to put the Longhorns back up by six, and then the defense forced a Jefferson fumble in Baylor territory to thwart the Bears' effort to grab their first lead of the game.

Roland Martin of TV One summed up the key moment that came with less than three minutes to play:

Baylor did get the ball back after a quick defensive stop. It couldn't put together a memorable final drive, though, as its Hail Mary efforts didn't connect.

Longhorn Football celebrated the win:

Ultimately, the hole Baylor dug itself in the first half proved too large to overcome. Now the question is where the Bears will land for a bowl game. Just weeks after being a playoff or Sugar Bowl contender, three losses in four games provided a crushing blow to their resume.

On the flip side, it's a significant victory for Texas to cap an otherwise frustrating regular season. While beating Oklahoma and Baylor illustrates the amount of talent on the roster, the Longhorns just let too many winnable games slip away. But they end on a high note. 

Postgame Reaction

ESPN passed along reaction from Texas head coach Charlie Strong:

Briles quickly turned the focus toward the bowl game, hoping the final chapter written about the 2015 Bears will be a positive one, per Joshua Davis of the Baylor Lariat: 

In the end, between the injury issues and the disappointment of recent losses, Baylor didn't play with the necessary efficiency to get back on track. That said, Texas still deserves a lot of credit for seizing the opportunity to end its season with a high-profile upset.