The only thing more stifling than the 90-degree heat Sunday afternoon at Baylor School was the home team's defense in the second half.
After falling behind 14-0 early in the third quarter of a game that was nationally televised by ESPN, the Red Raiders rallied for a 21-14 win over nationally ranked Rabun Gap at a sweltering Heywood Stadium.
"We acclimated for this all week," said Red Raiders senior linebacker Joel Lowenberg, who sealed the win with an interception with less than a minute remaining. "We were ready for the heat and knew it would be a four-quarter game. That was our mindset: Just keep attacking and hitting them on every single play until they wore down.
"They got tired and we didn't, and that's what it came down to. I could feel the momentum shifting. We started getting multiple stops, and I knew it was just a matter of time before our offense got going."
The Eagles, a program from Northeast Georgia that is ranked No. 55 in the country by ESPN, fell to 1-1. It was the season opener for Baylor, which won the TSSAA Division II-AAA state title in 2022 and was the runner-up last year.
After coming up with four stops in its own territory in the first half against Rabun Gap — turning away three fourth-down conversion attempts and blocking a 43-yard field-goal attempt — Baylor's defense continued to hold its ground until the offense found its footing in the second half.
Three plays of 50-plus yards, two of which went for touchdowns, opened the door for Baylor's comeback.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders turned back Rabun Gap's explosive offense on each of its final six possessions, including a pair of interceptions and two fourth-down stops.
"I learned that we have a really good defense. In my mind that is the best Baylor defense since I've been here," third-year Baylor head coach Erik Kimrey said. "Those guys fought for four quarters and kept us in the game. We could've been down 17 or 21 points at halftime because we were so poor on offense, but the defense said, 'Coach, we got you.' And they did until we found a way to score some points.
"As a team, we never panicked. Once we stopped shooting ourselves in the foot, we were finally able to move the ball pretty methodically in the second half."
Rabun Gap's first touchdown came late in the first quarter on a 28-yard run by Anthony Quinn Jr., and the Eagles extended their lead on their first possession of the second half when Walker Bryson took a direct snap and raced around the right end untouched for a 48-yard score.
That's when the Red Raiders finally woke up on offense as they covered 80 yards in four plays — highlighted by a 57-yard run by Shekai Mills-Knight, which was 4 yards more than Baylor had gained as a team in the first half — and capped by a 16-yard touchdown run from David Gabriel-Georges.
Baylor's next possession produced another highlight-reel run by Mills-Knight as the recent Ole Miss commitment first went to the left, then cut back right after he saw the hole close up. He outran the pursuit down the home sideline for a 62-yard scoring sprint to tie the game.
"I stayed patient, and when I saw an opening, I took it. Cam (Sparks) made a great block to clear the way for me," said Mills-Knight, who gained 131 of his 155 rushing yards in the second half. "We started off slow, had a lot of missed assignments, but I never doubted our offense.
"We cleaned it up in the second half and put our foot on the pedal and executed. The defense carried us this game."
The Red Raiders completed their rally when Briggs Cherry's short pass was caught by Tennessee-committed receiver Joakim Dodson, who outraced the defense for a 53-yard touchdown with 7:10 remaining.
"As soon as we got that call in the huddle, I knew it was going to the house," Dodson said. "I knew we needed a big play. Cam got a great block to free me up, and then when I saw their corner coming up, I knew he wasn't catching me."
The Baylor defense didn't allow the Eagles to cross midfield again, stopping them three more times — including an interception and a fourth-down pass near the home sideline batted down by junior cornerback Jamyan Theodore — to make the lead stand.
"The whole game, on third and fourth down, they were just trying to get to the sticks, so I knew what was coming, and I just broke on it and made a play," Theodore said. "I feel like our defense is just built different this year."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.
Baylor rallies to beat nationally ranked Rabun Gap | Chattanooga Times Free Press
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