NCAA Football 2012: Bridgeport Holiday Bowl - Baylor vs. UCLA

2012 Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl: Baylor def. UCLA 42-26

Baylor's offense was great. Unbelievably, Baylor's defense was better. Everyone figured the Bears could score 49 (or more) points, but how many of us expected that they would hold UCLA's potent ground attack to 26 points - or 19 until the very last minute of the game.

 For the second notable time this year - the first being their beat-down of then-undefeated Kansas State - Phil Bennett's defense came up big time. They stopped a very good UCLA Bruins rushing attack, bottling up RB Jonathan Franklin (14 rushes for 34 yards), and causing QB Brett Hundley to throw the football 50 times. The Bears defense sacked the freshman signal-caller 6 times. UCLA's second highest rusher was the punter, Jeff Locke, who managed 8 on a fake punt in the first half. When your punter's the second-best gainer on the ground, you know you're in trouble.

On the offensive side for Baylor, they could do no wrong. In the first half, UCLA gave up big play after big play. QB Nick Florence only threw the football 13 times, and did so for 188 yards and 2 TDs. He added a rushing TD late in the fourth. This game was over at half time, and Baylor were able to rely on their stout, play-making defense - unlike last year in the wild Alamo Bowl vs. Washington - to help close the game out. Which meant Art Briles' squad took their foot off the offensive pedal in the second stanza. The damage, of course, had been done before the half.