Baylor vs. Tarleton: Week 1 Recap

After a long offseason, football finally returned to the banks of the Brazos. But for the first time in an even longer time, the Bears walked out of McLane Stadium with a dominant victory. It wasn’t a marquee opponent by any means, as Tarleton State just made the jump from Division II to the FCS, but a dominant win isn’t something that Baylor fans should take for granted.

While the Bears won comfortably 45-3, there will be plenty for the coaches to focus on this week in the film room. The Bears turned it over twice, and a gave Tarleton a few extra chances for more. There were botched snaps, holding penalties, turnovers on downs in the red zone, and missed assignments on both sides of the ball that the coaching staff will use to keep the team moving forward. That said, you’re never as bad or as good as your first game, and the Bears can head into Week 2 as victors, and dominant victors at that. This game certainly felt better than anything the Bears put on the field last season.

Leading the way was the defense, which held Tarleton to 181 total yards. Veteran Texans starting QB Victor Gabalis was out, leading the way for backup Jaden Pete. After an 0-2 start, including a pick-6 to Baylor LB Keaton Thomas (transfer from Northeast Mississippi CC), Pete was replaced by Daniel Greek. Greek finished with 80 yards on 7/13 passing.

Tarleton mostly leaned on the talented and shifty RB duo of Kayvon Britten and Derrel Kelley III who were mostly contained for 96 yards on 23 rushes. It was one of the better performances in the last couple of years for the Bears, a good sign for Dave Aranda as the new signal caller this year.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears were led by newcomer QB Dequan Finn. The Toledo transfer came to campus with a ton of hype around him, and he showed why in his first game in the Green and Gold. In his first drive in a Baylor jersey, Finn kept a read, forced a bad angle from a defender, and burned his way for a 39 yard touchdown. Finn connected on multiple deeps balls as well, finishing with 192 yards on 14/22 passing with 2 TDs.

As mentioned, there is plenty of room for improvement, though. Finn underthrew multiple passes and made some questionable decisions in the red zone, one resulting in a pick and another that likely should have been. Still, Finn did what you expect from an experienced transfer: he looked comfortable and ready to play. With Week 1 “vanilla” playcalling likely playing a factor, I do expect the coaching staff to throw more designed run looks into the offense.

Overall I grade Finn with a solid “B” for this game: plenty of room for improvement, but you can’t be too disappointed in the end result.

We did get to see backup Sawyer Robertson, who looked great in his limited action, going 3/5 for 67 yards and TD.

Combined, the QBs were able to spread the ball around effectively, hitting 11 different receivers, with no one pass catcher having more than 2 receptions. Ketron Jackson led the way with 69 yards on his 2 catches along with a TD. Transfer TE Michael Trigg and transfer WR Ashtyn Hawkins each caught passes for a score as well.

Maybe most importantly was the run game. Richard Reese looked more like his freshman self, and Dawson Pendergrass looked ready to build on the solid season he had in 2023. Reese finished with 18 carries for 78 yards and 2 catches for 7 yards, while Pendergrass managed 17 carries for 62 yards and a TD with 2 catches for 9 yards. Interesting to note that Dominic Richardson did not see the field in Week 1, something to watch for as the season progresses.

Overall, the game was exactly what Baylor needed to start the year. This was team hadn’t scored 45 points since October 29^th , 2022 against Texas Tech.

They needed to wash away the 2023 season and show that they’ve made changes for the better, and they’ve done that. The Bears dominated a lesser opponent, stayed healthy, and got some great experience in a new offense.

Now, the focus turns to week-to-week improvement. Baylor travels to Salt Lake City to face a Utah team that many think holds the reigns to the Big 12 this season. The Bears played the Cam Rising-less Utes close last season, even with backup Sawyer Robertson playing for an injured Blake Shapen. If the Bears can keep Week 2 competitive, something they struggled to do often last season, it could be proof that the 2023 woes truly are in the rearview mirror.

Watch the full, condensed game here: