There are few things in college football that are a sure thing but betting that Texas Tech and Baylor would get into a shootout on Black Friday was one of them.
The Bears ended up dropping their fifth straight Big 12 game of the season 54-35 to the Red Raiders in a wild game from AT&T Stadium in Arlington that produced points and yards a plenty.
Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes ended his 2016 season by passing for a remarkable 586 yards and six touchdowns, doing most of his damage in a 41 point outburst in the first half. Four of his wideouts finished with over 80 yards through the air, with Keke Coutee leading them all by racking up 221 yards and two scores on just eight catches.
Baylor was no slouch in what amounted to a 7-on-7 game in the Lone Star State, as freshman quarterback Zach Smith threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns in his best game as a starter. His favorite target was Ishmael Zamora, who finished with 155 yards and a touchdown. K.D. Cannon added another 132 yards and two scores through the air as well.
All told, the two teams combined for 89 points, 179 plays, 1,300 yards of total offense, 56 first downs and one long set of game film for the coaches to break down over the weekend.
Yet in the Big 12 this season, especially in games involving Baylor and Texas Tech, nobody is all that surprised at what transpired on Friday.