Bears Break Streak, Beat 'Boys 38-28

For the first time since October 22^nd , 2022, the Baylor Bears have won a home conference game, beating the Oklahoma State Cowboys 38-28. It’s also the first time the Bears have won back-to-back games since beating Oklahoma on the road in 2022.

Saturday’s victory gets the Bears back to .500 on the season at 4-4, 2-3 in conference. Oklahoma State remains as the only team in the Big 12 without a conference win, as they fall to 3-5 on the season, 0-5 in conference.

It was a dominant offensive game for the Bears, especially on the ground. Baylor gashed OSU’s defense for 343 yards and 2 rushing TDs, led by Dawson Pendergrass who finished the game with 6 rushes for 142 yards and a TD. That’s an average of 23.7 yards per carry. Bryson Washington added 17 carries for 78 yards, and QB Sawyer Robertson got in on the action with 8 carries for 73 yards and a TD. Oklahoma State struggled all game to close running lanes and finish tackles against Baylor’s backs.

Coach Dave Aranda mentioned after the Texas Tech game last week that the team had installed some wide zone concepts back into the offense, something that the current personnel ran for multiple years under former Offensive Coordinator Jeff Grimes. The update to the scheme has worked, as the Bears have rushed for a total of 598 yards over their last 2 games since the bye week. It was the first time Baylor has rushed for over 300 yards since September 18^th , 2021 against Kansas.

The Baylor offense was sufficient in the passing game as well. Robertson finished with 222 yards on 11-19 passing, including 3 TDs and 1 INT, giving him a rating of 197.6 for the game. Ashtyn Hawkins led the way for the receiving core snagging 4 receptions for 74 yards and a TD. Hal Presly caught 2 balls for 65 yards and a TD, and 5 other receivers were able to haul in 1 catch.

Defensively, the Bears struggled with giving up big plays in the pass game, but they did enough. The defense allowed 433 yards, but only 74 total on the ground. The Bears held Cowboys star RB Ollie Gordon to only 77 yards on 18 carries. Gordon also had a costly fumble on the Baylor one yard line that left the Cowboys without points on a nice early drive. No other back had more than 19 yards for OSU. Baylor was committed to stopping the run and forcing OSU and QB Alan Bowman to beat them through the air. Bowman did have success, finishing with 359 yards and a TD and INT, but it was not enough to outscore the vaunted Baylor offense.

The program feels like it’s moving in the right direction. Baylor has certainly left wins on the table this year, but they’ve found a groove and are clearly much more confident since they had their bye before the Texas Tech game. The Bears need only 2 wins to attain bowl eligibility, and they should be favored in all games but the one in Morgantown.

After a 2-4 start, 7 or even 8 wins is absolutely still available for this Baylor team. Win next week’s blackout game against the Frogs, and there’s no telling what the end of the season may have in store for the Baylor Faithful.

Baylor opens as a 2-point favorite over TCU.