Bennett totals 3 TDs in Baylor’s 44-3 win over Prairie View A&M

WACO, Texas (AP) — Backup quarterback Nate Bennett threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Baylor to a 44-3 victory over Prairie View A&M on Saturday night.

Bennett started in place of Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway, who was ruled out pregame with an ankle injury he suffered in the Bears’ 17-16 loss to Auburn last week in the season opener.

“His preparation was right on — real confident dude,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said of Bennett. “His attention to detail and his routine throughout the week couldn’t be any better. … His preparation put him in position to play fast and play free, which he did. I didn’t see a lot of thinking out there or a lot of double-guessing or any of those things.”

Baylor (1-1) scored points on six of its first seven drives, including four TDs and two field goals, to build a 34-3 halftime lead. Saturday marked the Panthers’ first matchup with Baylor.

The Bears’ strength last week was defense, which continued Saturday, as Baylor held the Panthers to just 110 yards of offense. Prairie View A&M punted nine times and averaged just 2.1 yards per play.

“They’re connected. They play for each other,” Aranda said of his defense. “Outside of that first drive, they played great. Guys were playing with their hair on fire. There was a lot of energy on the sideline on defense. It’s a good back-to-back effort by them these last two weeks.”

Baylor’s offense hummed to the tune of 540 yards, including 308 passing.

Bennett threw TD passes of 33 and 22 yards and rushed for a 17-yard score, all in the first half. He completed 23 of 35 passes for 301 yards and tossed two interceptions to a defense that recorded zero picks through two games entering Saturday.

Prairie View A&M surrendered 28 first-half points in just over five minutes of possession time but held Baylor to just 16 points the rest of the game. Third-string Bears quarterback Edward Griffin replaced Bennett early in the fourth.

A week after churning out 154 yards on 12 catches, Baylor wide receiver Gavin Freeman caught 10 passes for 104 yards. Freeman transferred to Baylor after stints at Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Tevin Carter completed 14 of 25 passes for 74 yards for Prairie View A&M (1-2), which mustered its only points on its opening drive, a 10-play march.

Baylor kicker Rhett Armstrong closed the scoring with a 22-yard field goal, his third field goal of the night, in the fourth.

Baylor defensive lineman Devonte Tezino suffered an apparent lower leg injury 41 seconds into Saturday’s game. Tezino, who had two sacks last week, was carted off the field and did not return.

Aranda said Tezino will miss the rest of the season. “It sucks for him,” Aranda said. “Tez was playing the best football of his life.”

Second-year Prairie View A&M coach Tremaine Jackson did not mince words following the Panthers’ loss.

“I expected to win, and that’s hard for a lot of people to understand, because we’re so used to losing in our life that we think the reality is that we’re just going to lose when we come up against somebody that has more than us,” said Jackson, who led Prairie View A&M to a 10-4 record last season and the school’s first Southwestern Athletic Conference title since 2009. “I didn’t book this game, but it was on the schedule, so we needed to win."

Prairie View A&M: After five different Panthers scored touchdowns last week, Prairie View A&M struggled to sustain drives against Baylor’s Power Four defense. The offense marched 57 yards for a 25-yard field goal on its opening drive, but three of the next six drives went for a combined -16 yards.

Baylor: It took the Bears one drive to acclimate to their backup quarterback. After settling for a 46-yard field goal, Baylor scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives. Bennett did, however, throw two interceptions.

Prairie View A&M: Hosts Stephen F. Austin next Saturday night.

Baylor: Hosts Louisiana Tech next Saturday afternoon.

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