No. 12 Utah, still without Cam Rising, rallies to beat Baylor

College Football

Updated Sep. 9, 2023 5:04 p.m. ET

Jaylon Glover scored on an 11-yard run with 17 seconds left for Utah’s second touchdown in the final two minutes, and the 12th-ranked Utes escaped Baylor with a 20-13 win Saturday in a matchup of future Big 12 foes both missing their starting quarterbacks.

Utah’s winning drive was set up at the Baylor 29 after Cole Bishop’s interception on a pass Sawyer Robertson threw under pressure.

The Utes (2-0) had tied the game at 13 with 1:59 left when redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Johnson scored on a 7-yard draw. That capped an 88-yard drive on which he had 20 yards rushing and completed 4 of 5 passes for 57 yards.

The game was scheduled eight years ago, and the first meeting of the teams wound up being a Big 12 preview. Utah, which has won the last two Pac-12 championship games and is hoping for even more in coach Kyle Whittingham’s 19th season, is one of four teams from the picked-apart Pac-12 going to the Big 12 next year.

Baylor had one more chance to tie the game, with one second left after Robertson’s 47-yard pass to Hal Presley to the Utah 22. But the final pass into the end zone was incomplete. There appeared to be contact between Utah’s defensive backs and the Baylor receiver on the play, but no flag was thrown.

The Utes were again without Cam Rising, their starter each of the past two seasons, who is still recovering from a torn ACL in the Rose Bowl eight months ago. He was cleared to do more at practice in this week, but Utah stuck with Bryson Barnes and Johnson as it did in a season-opening 24-11 win over Florida. Barnes started again and was 6 of 19 passing for 71 yards, with Johnson was taking all the snaps at the end.

Baylor, the Big 12 champion only two seasons ago, has lost six games in a row dating to last season. Mississippi State transfer Robertson, who completed 12 of 28 passes for 218 yards and had two interceptions, had a 4-yard keeper with 3:23 left in the first half for Baylor’s only touchdown.

Bears starter Blake Shapen is out at least another two weeks with an MCL strain he suffered in the second half of their 42-31 loss to Texas State last week when they favored by nearly four touchdowns.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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