Baylor football reaches bowl eligibility with takedown of Texas Tech

Kliff Kingsbury may have coached his last game for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders will miss a bowl game after losing to Baylor football and finishing 5-7.

Matching up on neutral turf at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Baylor and Texas Tech came into the final weekend of the regular season sporting identical 5-6 records. The winner would earn bowl eligibility, while the loser would be relegated to the sidelines for the postseason. The Red Raiders will miss a bowl game after the 35-24 loss to the Bears on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Texas Tech was unable to engineer a second-half comeback against the Bears, and now head coach Kliff Kingsbury finds himself on the hot seat after guiding his alma mater to a losing record for the fourth time in six seasons. Kingsbury could be on his way out after ending the year on a five-game losing streak.

Charlie Brewer helped lead the Bears to victory, throwing for 308 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-30 passing. Brewer threw an interception and sustained a handful of sacks, but he also punched in a rushing touchdown on a short keeper and managed the clock well with the lead. Over the course of the day, Brewer got a dozen different receivers involved in the action as he spread the ball around the roster.

The Bears also got help from their ground game, as John Lovett finished with 125 yards and a score on 28 carries and Trestan Ebner contributed another 64 on the ground on 10 attempts. Texas Tech held Baylor to a net total of 170 yards rushing, but the Bears defense in turn gave up only 100 yards on the ground to the Red Raiders.

After losing four of their previous five games prior to the matchup with Texas Tech, Baylor finally managed to claim bowl eligibility at the final hurdle. They will wait to see where they end up in the Big 12 pecking order, but after going 6-17 in their first two seasons under Matt Rhule the former Temple coach will get his first chance to lead a Power Five program into the postseason.

The biggest story coming out of the weekend, though, is whether Kingsbury will be back in Lubbock for another season. Once a record-setting quarterback for the Red Raiders, Kingsbury has evolved over the past half-dozen years from prodigal son to a point of contention. Odds are good that he will end his coaching career at his alma mater with a 35-39 record in six seasons that includes finishing 15 games under .500 in Big 12 play.