Johnny Jefferson Carries Baylor To 49-38 Russell Athletic Bowl Win

Baylor entered the Russell Athletic Bowl on Tuesday without two quarterbacks, a top wide receiver and a running back with over 1,000 yards this season. It turns out they didn’t need them as Johnny Jefferson led the Bears to a 49-38 win over UNC.

They earned the win with a dominant ground game that accumulated over 600 yards and bullied the Tar Heels defense up and down the field

“It just says we’re tough. Baylor’s whole identity is `physicality travels.’ That’s all we preach. That’s all we teach,” said Jefferson, whose rushing performance set a Russell Athletic Bowl record. “So being physical today, we won the game.”

Johnson himself accounted for 299 of those yards, which came on 23 carries; he found the end zone three times. His fellow running backs, Devin Chafin and Terence Williams, also combined for 258 more yards and three additional touchdowns.

“We felt good about it. Our players were prepared,” Baylor offensive coordinator Kendal Briles said. “From a whole, the adversity we went through this year, the guys stuck together as only a team could do.”

The win caps off a difficult season for the Bears. Despite being decimated by injury, they were able to secure the program’s first bowl victory since 2012.

“It means a lot. The seniors have done a great job keeping the whole team together,” linebacker Aiavion Edwards said. “We’ve been through a lot, and sending those guys out on the right note and just getting a win is big for us and big for the program.”

Photo: Johnny Jefferson #5 of the Baylor Bears scores a touchdown during the first half of the Russell Athletic Bowl game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Orlando Citrus Bowl on December 29, 2015 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)

Article by Joe Kozlowski