Baylor head coach Eric Kimery told his team during the week that if the Red Raiders got lucky enough to go up 14-0 on McCallie, it would try an onside kick.

Baylor got there with 6:11 left in the first quarter. JP Eto'O dribbled the kick, Baylor came up with it, and 78 seconds later Keegan Croucher found David Gabriel Georges for a 29-yard touchdown.

Croucher threw for 255 yards and four touchdowns on 9-of-12 passing; Georges ran for 109 yards and two scores and caught another, and No. 1 Baylor beat its rival 49-7 on Friday night at Heywood Stadium to improve to 7-0. Etching another chapter in one of the state's most storied rivalries.

"It was a bit of a risk," Kimery said of the onside kick. "I told the team that if we were lucky enough to get up 14-nothing, we were gonna do it, and JP executed it to perfection. We practiced it this week. And with the way our defense was playing, we said, "Hey, if we don't get it, y'all go make a stop."

They didn't need to. Baylor led 21-0 after one quarter and 35-7 at halftime.

Georges opened the scoring with a 20-yard run on the game's first drive. Antwaun "Cornbread" Adams then got behind the McCallie secondary for a 70-yard touchdown catch, and he did it again early in the second quarter from 40 yards out. Adams finished with two catches for 110 yards.

"On the first one, it was wide open," Adams said. "On the second one, it was really just beat the guy in front of me. It's me versus him. I'm gonna take me every time."

Kimery said his quarterback has yet to throw one too far for Adams.

"I don't think we've underthrown Cornbread yet," he said. "I keep telling Keegan, I think he's that fast. Just keep going."

Croucher, playing in his first game against McCallie, was 6 of 9 with three touchdowns at halftime. He added a 32-yard touchdown pass to Brady Lewis in the third quarter before freshman Marshall Manning entered the game and David Knowles capped the night with a 1-yard run in the fourth.

"I know emotions are high, but it's just a game, and we executed," Croucher said. "Everyone on our team is fast, so it makes my job easier."

He wasn't as casual about the crowd.

"The atmosphere was unbelievable," he said. "Our fans were amazing, the rivalry, the communities. It was an amazing experience."

Kimery was just as pleased with the defense, which held McCallie to 247 total yards and sacked Louis Fortier twice, with Cortez Carr and Maxym Sugoniak each getting one. Baylor outgained the Blue Tornado 463-247.

"It was complementary football," Kimery said. "The defense played tremendously, limiting their run game."

Asked about the defensive game plan, Kimery deflected to his coordinator with a laugh. "I don't even know what his plan was," he said.

Georges credited an offensive line that has come together quickly. "They've been playing really well, and everybody's kind of new except the center," he said. "It's been incredible."

McCallie got its only points on a 1-yard run by Xavier Fillion midway through the second quarter. Fillion carried 21 times for 100 yards, and Fortier went 12 of 26 for 160 yards. Mikey Bartlett caught two passes for 79 yards.

Baylor now gets a week off, and Kimery didn't hide how glad he was.

"Oh, thank God," he said. "It's been a good seven-week stretch, but you go five weeks of preseason and seven after that, and all of our guys need a break. All our coaches need a break. Go be a normal person. Maybe go play golf one time, see what happens."

He also acknowledged that a rivalry week brings plenty that has nothing to do with football. Baylor players took part in a skit night on the quad Thursday and turned out for the school's volleyball and soccer games.

"I don't think you want to be a coach who discourages players from participating in such a wonderful rivalry," Kimery said. "It sends a good message to the rest of our community that our football players are there supporting other sports, because they support us so much. But at the same time, it is a distraction, and you've just got to be tough enough to play through it."

Unbeaten or not, Kimery said there's still work to do. He pointed to depth on a young roster and situational work that got squeezed by a month of heat-related practice limits.

"I feel like we've lost maybe three collective practices," he said. "We've got to continue to get better, because the road ahead is going to get harder."

The Red Raiders move up to 7-0 on the season with a bye on the horizon. Meanwhile, the Blue Tornado fall 3-4 on the season and will also have a week off to readjust before hosting Knoxville Catholic.

GAME SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY:
1st Quarter

BAY 9:53: David Gabriel Georges 20 yd Rush; Sam Shutters (PAT) 0-7
BAY 6:11: Antwaun Adams 70 yd Pass from Keegan Croucher; Sam Shutters (PAT) 0-14
BAY 4:53: David Gabriel Georges 29 yd Pass from Keegan Croucher; Ella Metzner (PAT) 0-21
2nd Quarter
BAY 10:07: Antwaun Adams 40 yd Pass from Keegan Croucher; Sam Shutters (PAT) 0-28
MCC 6:59: Xavier Fillion 1 yd Rush (TD); Asher Kelley (PAT) 7-28
BAY 4:04: David Gabriel Georges 2 yd Rush (TD); Ella Metzner (PAT) 7-35
3rd Quarter
BAY 10:15: Brady Lewis 32 yd Pass from Keegan Croucher; Sam Shutters (PAT) 7-42
4th Quarter
BAY 7:39: David Knowles 1 yd Rush (TD); Sam Shutters (PAT) 7-49

Individual Stats

Rushing: Xavier Fillion 21-100; Louis Fortier 2-(-13) (MCC); David Gabriel Georges 11-109; Keegan Croucher 2-35; David Knowles 5-17; JP Eto’O3-13; Team 1-(-2) (BAY).

Passing: Louis Fortier 12 of 26 for 160 yards (MCC); Keegan Croucher 9 of 12 for 255 yards, 4 TDs; Marshall Manning 3 of 4 for 36 yards (BAY).

Receiving Mikey Bartlett 2-79; Levi Scott 4-39; Pat Meyers 3-36; Kelby Barnett 1-6 (MCC): Antwaun Adams 2-110; David Gabriel Georges 2-50; Hank DeGennaro1-34; Bradly Lewis 1-32 (BAY)..

Records: McCallie 3-4, 0-2; Baylor 7-0, 3-0..

Next up: Both teams are idle next week.

(Contact Jake Moore at jakemooremeia12@gmail.com)