By John Werner

Tribune-Herald staff writer

If this were opening night at the Met, Robert Griffin would have received about five curtain calls.

Making his starting debut for Baylor, Griffin couldn’t have been much more electrifying.

Throwing for 294 yards and three touchdowns, Griffin propelled the Bears to a 51-6 blowout of Northwestern State before 36,258 fans Saturday night at Floyd Casey Stadium to hand Art Briles his first win as Baylor’s coach.

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The day after

• »  Briles pleased with Bears' physical play vs. Demons

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Baylor vs.
Northwestern St.

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• »   Baylor effective passing, running in rout
• » Notebook:   Defense hangs 'do not enter' sign in end zone
  
  
• Updated team stats
• Full game summary

OUT IN FORCE Fanatic about Baylor Baylor backers weren't in short supply Saturday at Floyd Casey.

BEARS ACTION Bears down Demons Freshman QB Robert Griffin and co. electrified the crowd in a 51-6 rout.

Griffin didn’t look like an 18-year-old freshman as he hit 15 of 19 passes and also ran for 42 yards and a touchdown before he retired to the bench late in the third quarter. The Bears won their first game in almost a year, snapping a nine-game losing streak.

“I was anxious to get these guys a win,” Griffin said. “They’re not losers. I also wanted to get this win for Coach Briles. We came out fast and put them away early. This was a confidence builder for us because we showed what we can do.”

No one is going to confuse Northwestern State, an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision school, for Oklahoma, Missouri or Texas.

But after a season-opening 41-13 loss to No. 20 Wake Forest on Aug. 28, the Bears needed a feel-good game regardless of who they played.

“This won’t be the highlight of our season, but it can be a good springboard,” Briles said. “Northwestern State has people who can play, and that’s why I was proud of the way we approached the game. We needed to dominate up front on both sides of the ball, and that’s exactly what we did. Wins are hard to come by, and you don’t downplay it.”

While Griffin clearly held the keys to the machine, he had plenty of help. Running back Jay Finley had a superb game, rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries and turning a short pass into a 47-yard score.

Ernest Smith, Thomas White and Justin Fenty also caught touchdown passes as the Bears scored their most points since a 56-12 win over Southern Illinois on Nov. 24, 2001. The Bears piled up 537 total yards, including 330 passing and 207 rushing.

“We were aggressive tonight and got the momentum and put the defense on its heels,” White said. “Robert (Griffin) was tremendously poised. He’s wise beyond his years for a guy who was playing high school football last year. He’s a special guy mentally and God blessed him with a lot of physical tools.”

After falling into a 17-0 hole last week against Wake Forest, the Bears scored the first five times they had the ball against Northwestern State to open up a 30-0 second-quarter lead. The Bears’ 23 first-quarter points were their most since scoring 24 against Rice in a 34-31 loss in 1992.

“We needed to get off to a good start, and I was proud of the way we executed and got some big plays early,” Briles said. “Robert was effective throwing the ball, and our receivers did a great job of catching it.”

Baylor’s defense was also outstanding as it limited the Demons (1-1) to 190 yards total offense including just 52 yards rushing. It was the first time Baylor held an opponent without a touchdown since a 17-3 win over Kansas State in 2006.

Griffin made his presence felt from the first drive as he led the Bears 73 yards for a touchdown.

Facing second-and-11 at Baylor’s 40, Griffin scrambled to his right and picked up 17 yards. But the Bears got into a hole when Kendall Rodrigue sacked Griffin for a six-yard loss.

It didn’t matter as Griffin lofted a 49-yard touchdown pass to Smith over Cashas Pollard down the left sideline. Ben Parks missed the extra point, but the Bears had a 6-0 lead with 10:09 left in the first quarter.

“I told Robert that if I can get one-on-one with a cornerback that he can just put the ball up there and I’ll get it,” Smith said. “It had been a long time since I’ve been in the end zone.”

Baylor’s defense got into the act when safety Jordan Lake stripped the ball from Byron Lawrence and linebacker Antonio Johnson grabbed the fumble in midair at Baylor’s 42.

Jeremy Sanders punched the drive into gear with an 11-yard run and Finley finished it off when he blew through a huge hole up the middle for a 40-yard touchdown run.

“The big boys moved them out of the way and all I had to do was run,” Finley said.

After a Northwestern State punt, Griffin hooked up with David Gettis for 40 yards to the 19. Griffin then swung a 12-yard pass to White before Finley’s two-yard run and Griffin’s four-yard run put Baylor at the 1.

Jacoby Jones was nailed for a two-yard loss by Blake Delcambre, but Parks nailed a 20-yard field goal to give the Bears a 16-0 lead with 3:04 left in the first quarter.

Baylor’s defense came up big again when Chris Francis intercepted John Hundley’s pass at Northwestern State’s 19. After Sanders picked up 13 yards and Jones drove for three, Griffin executed a perfect fake to Finley and rolled around the left side unhindered for a three-yard touchdown run.

With 1:11 left in the first quarter, the Bears opened up a 23-0 lead.

The onslaught continued in the second quarter as Finley took a Griffin lateral and sped down the right sideline for a 35-yard touchdown to open up a 30-0 lead with 13:30 left in first half.

“Robert is a true leader out there,” Finley said. “You’ve got to respect him as a passer and runner. He’s very calm. I know I wasn’t that calm as a freshman.”

Following Pollard’s 39-yard kickoff return, the Demons put together their first sustained drive as they moved 40 yards to the 13 to set up Robert Weeks’ 31-yard field goal. The Demons picked up their first three first downs of the game on the drive.

Taking a short pass from Griffin, Kendall Wright eluded several tacklers for a 60-yard touchdown pass. But the score was called back due to an illegal motion penalty.

Weeks hit a 30-yard field goal to end the half after getting a second chance. He had missed a field goal on the previous play, but Baylor was called for offsides.

Northwestern State’s two second-quarter field goals didn’t cool the Bears’ momentum as they drove 79 yards on the first possession of the second half.

Griffin finished it off by hitting a wide-open White over the middle for a 32-yard touchdown to open up a 37-6 lead.

On Baylor’s next drive, Finley took a short pass from Griffin and eluded Wesley Eckles to break loose for a 47-yard touchdown.

After Griffin left the game, Kirby Freeman hit Fenty for a four-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter for Baylor’s final score.

After the game, the Bears could be heard celebrating through their locker room walls. It had been a long, long time since they had fun after a game.

“These guys are excited about winning,” Briles said. “We want a happy dressing room because those are special places.”

jwerner@wacotrib.com

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