NEW ORLEANS—A Sugar Bowl showdown against Mississippi and coach Lane Kiffin’s explosive, Southeastern Conference-leading offense provided a high-profile platform for Baylor to validate its old-school formula of ball control and aggressive defense. Al Walcott set a Sugar Bowl record with a 96-yard interception return, Monaray Baldwin raced 48 yards for the go-ahead score on an end around, and sixth-ranked Baylor beat No. 8 Mississippi 21–7 Saturday night as injured Rebels quarterback Matt Corral watched from the sideline on crutches. Abram Smith rushed for 172 yards to finish with a single-season record 1,601 for Big 12 champion Baylor (12-2), which won 12 games in a season for the first time. The defense did the rest, finishing with 10 sacks—two by game MVP Terrel Bernard—and three interceptions. “I would not put it as necessarily as a point to prove,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said when summing up the significance of the victory. …