DALLAS (FWAA) Blink and you might have missed a part of Baylor's epic comeback Saturday. The Bears rallied from 21 points down in a seven-minute span of the fourth quarter, and then stole the game on Chris Callahan's 28-yard field goal on the final play as the No. 5 Bears stayed unbeaten with a 61-58 win over No. 9 TCU at a frenzied McLane Stadium. Winning the highest-scoring game between two top-10 ranked teams in the Associated Press poll's history earned the Bears the Big Game National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 11.
The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Houston Nutt.
Bryce Petty threw six touchdown passes, including a 25-yarder to Corey Coleman with 4:42 left that tied the game at 58. The Bears (6-0) then held TCU on fourth down at its own 45, and following a drive to the TCU 11, Callahan hit his fourth field goal of the game as time expired. Baylor averaged 1:08 off possession time on its final four scoring drives and finished the game with 782 yards of total offense.
"I think there were 40 plays that determined who won the game. We made 21 and they made 19," Baylor coach Art Briles said after the game. "In my opinion. every win we have is a statement because if you want to be in that conversation (for the playoffs) you have to win them all. ... We have been pretty good the past two years. We have won 22 out of the past 24 football games. I think that stat itself says it all about the caliber of our football team. It is a fact business and that is a fact."
This was the 110th meeting between the teams. Baylor now leads the series, 52-51-7, and has now won 13 straight at home, tying Auburn for the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Bears also boast a 14-3 mark against in-state opponents over the last four seasons with a seven-game win streak.
Other Big Game National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 11 included:
Georgia (5-1): The Bulldogs' defense forced five turnovers, including four interceptions, and handed No. 23 Missouri its first shutout since 2002, 34-0. Georgia ran out to a 20-0 lead in the first half after scoring on four of its first five possessions without suspended running back Todd Gurley.
Massachusetts (1-6): UMass won its first game in coach Mark Whipple's second tenure with a 40-17 dismantling of Kent State, which snapped a 12-game losing skid. A 17-point third quarter led the Minutemen behind Blake Frohnapfel's 286 passing yards with three touchdowns, and Lorenzo Woodley added 160 yards on the ground with a touchdown.
Ole Miss (6-0): The Rebels shot out to a 21-0 lead at No. 14 Texas A&M, and used two defensive touchdowns to score a runaway 35-20 win. Ole Miss also had three sacks, and held a Kevin Sumlin-coached Aggies team scoreless in the first half for the first time. Bo Wallace threw for a touchdown and ran for two others for Ole Miss.
Mississippi State (6-0): The Bulldogs beat a top-10 team for a third straight week, toppling No. 2 Auburn, 38-23. Zak Prescott accounted for 367 of MSU's 479 total yards and scored three touchdowns in the win as MSU vaulted into the top spot in both major polls. MSU is the first team in the Associated Press' 78-year history to go from unranked to No. 1 in five weeks.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the first season The Big Game Football Factory has presented the award. Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2014 college football regular season, the FWAA will name a National Team of the Week.
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