ARLINGTON, Texas – Texas Tech scored touchdowns on its first three drives, and had No. 4 Baylor facing its first double-digit deficit of the season.
Almost as quickly, that lead was gone and the Red Raiders became just the latest team unable to keep up with the high-potent Bears in another lopsided game.
Bryce Petty threw three touchdowns and ran for two more while Levi Norwood caught two scores and returned a punt 58 yards for another as the Bears stayed undefeated with a 63-34 victory Saturday night.
"We knew that they were going to score. They scored on everybody," Kingsbury said. "It's a great offense, it really is. ... The quarterback is really good and receivers everywhere. We knew they'd score. We just had to limit it and limit our mistakes, and we didn't do that."
The Bears (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) took the lead for good when Petty threw a 31-yard TD to Antwan Goodley, putting them up 21-20 with 4 seconds left in the first quarter. That came on the play immediately after Baker Mayfield threw a pass right into the chest of leaping defensive back K.J. Morton.
The Red Raiders (7-4, 4-4) had three turnovers, two of them leading to Baylor touchdowns. They lost their fourth straight since a 7-0 start for Kingsbury, the first-year head coach who was Tech's starting quarterback when Baylor coach Art Briles was an assistant coach there from 2000-02.
"We kill ourselves a lot out there on the football field by penalties and turnovers and stuff like that and fumbles and letting the other team have opportunities to score," receiver Eric Ward said. "To be a good football team, you can't allow that to happen. You've got to capitalize on the drives you have and put points on the board.
Ward reached out for an impressive one-handed catch on a 5-yard TD that made it 20-7, but that was sandwiched by two of Norwood's scores.
Norwood first had a 40-yard TD catch, nearly stopping and cutting back near the 15 to get by defensive back Tre Porter and into the end zone. Then came the punt return only 69 seconds before the go-ahead touchdown.
Mayfield, Tech's starting quarterback for the first time since the fifth game, completed 28 of 51 passes for 314 yards and four touchdowns. His only pick that led to the go-ahead score.
What is most impressive to Briles is how his team, without several key offensive players, responded after quickly facing its first double-digit deficit of the season.
"When you're down 14-0, you're down 20-7, and then you withstand that surge against a good team and come back and finish the way we finished as a team, and to me, that's impressive," Briles said. "That shows you have a tough football team, a tough-minded football team that's mature and believes in what's happening inside the locker room."
The Bears stretched their school-record winning streak to 13 games. They are the outright Big 12 leader after No. 23 Texas absorbed its first conference loss earlier in the day, and are one of six undefeated FBS teams.
"Tonight showed us a lot. We're a resilient team," said Petty, who was 17-of-31 passing for 335 yards.
Baylor played its first game since Briles this week got a new 10-year contract through the 2023 season. The coach is in his sixth season with the Bears, who had 12 consecutive losing seasons since the inception of the Big 12 when he arrived.
Next week, the Bears play at No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-1, 6-1), which won 38-13 at Texas hours earlier.
Standout tight end Jace Amaro had touchdown catches on the Red Raiders' first two drives. There was a 6-yard TD on a halfback pass from Kenny Williams on the 15th play of a game-opening 75-yard drive before Amaro got wide open for a 20-yard score from Mayfield the next time they had the ball.
Amaro took a crushing hit from Ahmad Dixon while holding on for an 18-yard catch to the 4, two plays before Mayfield's 3-yard TD to Jakeem Grant with 4:28 left in the first half got the Red Raiders within 28-27. Norwood added a 58-yard TD catch before halftime.
The Bears surpassed their FBS-best scoring average of 61 points even played without their top two running backs and 103-yard-a-game receiver Tevin Reese. Their 675 total yards were only 11 below their nation's best average.
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