DALLAS, Sporting Alert — No. 4 Baylor (Box Score) and No. 5 Michigan State (Box Score) made winning starts to their 2015 NCAA college football campaign on Friday night.
After being well challenged in the opening periods, Big 12 two-time defending champion Baylor, who believes they have the squad to go undefeated and win the national title this season, took care of SMU with a dominating second half performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mT6Myo-QDA
Seth Russell, now the starting quarterback for the Bears, went 15 of 30 on passes and threw for 376 yards and five touchdowns to help his team scored a 56-21 victory at SMU.
Russell also ran for 59 yards and a score in the victory, as Baylor, which led 28-21 at halftime, despite being held scoreless in the second quarter, scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to run away with the win.
Senior wide receiver Jay Lee caught the ball three times for 70 yards and three touchdowns, Corey Coleman had five catches for 178 yards and a TD and KD Cannon finished with three catches for 104 yards and a score, as the Bears exploded to 723 total yards as a team.
“That’s kind of what we figured. We knew it was going to be a dogfight, no question,” Baylor head coach Art Briles said. “Everybody thought we were going to just show up here and win. (It) doesn’t happen.
“They’re a good football team. (SMU quarterback) Matt Davis is a great player. Coach Morris is about as well-schemed that you could have to open up within a blind situation. I thought our defense made some great adjustments as the game went on.”
Matt Davis was 16 of 23 for 166 yards passing and threw for two touchdowns, while rushing for another 115 yards for SMU in the defeat.
NO. 5 Michigan State Beats Western Michigan
Also on Friday night, Connor Cook threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns and freshman Madre London opened his college career by running for two scores in the first quarter to help the fifth-ranked Michigan State to a 37-24 win over Western Michigan.
The Spartans, who established a program record by scoring more than 30 points for the ninth straight game, collected the first points of the contest and increased the advantage to 27-7 midway through the second quarter.
Aaron Burbridge had four catches for 117 yards, while Josiah Price and DeAnthony Arnett each scored TDs in the victory.
Zach Terrell threw for a game-high 365 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way for the Broncos, with Corey Davis taking 10 catches for 154 yards and a TD in the defeat.
Elsewhere….
In another college football top 25 game on Friday night, No. 23 Boise State held on for a 16-13 victory over Washington, with Jeremy McNichols rushing for 89 yards and two first-half touchdowns in the win.
