No. 17 Baylor plays clean, knocks off Iowa State, 31-24

In a game where Baylor never trailed, Blake Shapen had his best game and the Bears had their best drive to open up Big 12 play with a 31-24 at Iowa State.

Baylor snapped Iowa State’s conference-best 11-game league winning streak .

Shapen finished 19-26-0 for 238 yards and three touchdowns including a 38-yard flea flicker to Gavin Holmes early in the fourth quarter that gave the Bears some breathing room.

However, the Bears (3-1, 1-0) delivered arguably their vintage possession in the third quarter. Starting from their 7-yard line, they marched 93 yards in 10 plays and used a little more than five minutes to stretch their 17-14 halftime lead to 24-14. Emerging running back Richard Reese capped the drive with an impressive 19-yard run.

The Bears also won this game because they were 180 of what they were the last time they were on the road at BYU.

They collected their first two interceptions of the season by Devin Neal and Christian Morgan. Morgan was back in the lineup after missing last week against Texas State with a reaggravated hamstring that he suffered at BYU.

This passing game pushed the issue as Shapen average 9.2 yards per attempt vs. the 4.9 it averaged in Provo, UT. They also committed just three penalties (30 yards).

Iowa State carved into the 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter when running back Jirehl Brock recovered his own fumble in the end zone off a 37-yard. The Cyclones added a 28-yard field with 55 seconds remaining.

However, the Bears recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. In each of the last three meetings with the Cyclones, the Bears have scored 31 points.

Baylor returns home Saturday (Oct. 1) to play Oklahoma State. Television is expected to be announced Sunday.