Boise State vs. Baylor: Score and Reaction for 2016 Cactus Bowl

The Baylor Bears shocked the favored Boise State Broncos to win the 2016 Cactus Bowl 31-12 from Chase Field in Phoenix on Tuesday night.  

Wide receiver KD Cannon headlined the win by setting a Cactus Bowl record with 226 yards on 14 catches to go with a pair of touchdowns. His quarterback benefited the most from his huge night as Zach Smith posted 375 yards and three scores in the win.

Boise State was expected to roll in this game, as it entered Tuesday night as seven-point favorites, according to OddsShark. Baylor, who was 6-6 during the regular season, was riddled with off-field issues before losing six straight games and having top rusher Shock Linwood skip the Cactus Bowl and declare for the 2017 NFL draft. 

But it was Baylor that came out firing thanks to Cannon, who put up a monstrous first half in which he recorded eight catches for 182 yards and a pair of scores.

Those two touchdowns helped the Bears take a 14-3 lead with 12:14 left in the second quarter. 

The first came with 5:53 to go in the first quarter to break a scoreless game when he went up and hauled down a Smith pass from 30 yards out over a Boise State defender, via ESPN CollegeFootball:

It floored Brody Logan of Fox 5 DC:

His second touchdown of the night was easier, as Smith hit him on a deep slant that he was able to haul in and coast in to the end zone for a 68-yard score. 

Yahoo Sports' Dr. Saturday kept it simple when describing Cannon's dominance:

Boise State looked poised to pull within four when it drove down to the Baylor 7-yard line, but Brett Rypien was picked off by Orion Stewart in the end zone, killing any kind of momentum the Broncos were able to gain during the possession. 

It was the second time in the half that Rypien was picked off inside the Baylor red zone.

The Bears looked like they wouldn't make anything of it after being forced to punt deep within Boise State territory. But a running-into-the-kicker penalty extended the drive, which led to a JaMycal Hasty five-yard touchdown run to take a 21-6 halftime lead.

Regardless of Baylor's surprising success in the first half, former head coach Art Briles wasn't far from the conversation. Dismissed among the school's off-field issues, Baylor's coaches showed their support of Briles, via RedditCFB:

Once again, Boise State had a chance to put a touchdown on the board to start the third quarter, but it went for it on fourth down from the Baylor 4-yard line and was stopped.

The unit ensured Baylor kept a healthy lead even when the offense slowed down in the second half. 

It prompted CBSSports.com's Tom Fornelli to give props to Matt Rhule, who was hired to take over Baylor as head coach next season for the retiring Jim Grobe:

"

Matt Rhule hasn’t even led a practice yet and Baylor’s defense is better.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) December 28, 2016"

On the night, the Bears defense forced three turnovers and allowed 388 total yards, which was an enormous difference from the unit that was ranked 81st in the nation in total defense while giving up 30.4 points per game.

Baylor did manage to add on added insurance with 10:03 left in the game when Smith hit Ishmael Zamora for a 14-yard score before Boise State found a consolation touchdown with 1:20 remaining in the game.

It's a triumphant ending to a troubled Baylor season as it can take solace in a bowl win as it heads toward an offseason that will once again be filled with change. 

Hopefully for the school and the NCAA, it will be nothing but changes for the better with a new head coach and administrators at the helm. 

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.