Baylor didn’t just beat Arizona State. It put together the kind of performance that makes people stop and look twice.
The Bears rolled to a 55-19 win, stretched their winning streak to four games, and backed up the kind of chatter that had been building around them. DJ Lagway delivered the best passing day of his career, throwing four touchdown passes in a blowout that felt like Baylor’s most impressive showing in recent memory.
What stood out first was how quickly the offense took control. Baylor scored touchdowns on three of its first four drives, and by halftime the Bears had already piled up 24 points.
That kind of start was not something many would have expected, especially after the way this offense had looked earlier in the season. But once Baylor stayed clean with the penalties and committed to the run, everything started to open up.
The ground game looked completely different. Baylor finished with 241 rushing yards, a number that speaks volumes about the work up front.
The offensive line, which had been a major issue to begin the season, turned in four full quarters of steady play and helped change the shape of the game. It looked like something had finally clicked.
That was true for the passing game too. The Lagway/Freeman connection stayed sharp, and offensive coordinator Jake Spavital appeared to have the playbook fully open.
The Bears mixed in creative run blocking and effective red zone passing, and the result was an offense that scored on 9 of 13 drives. Spavital kept giving Lagway chances all night, even after a few overthrows on fade routes, and it eventually paid off with confidence and production.
Baylor’s tight ends also made a real impact. Hawkins Polley and Tony Livingston each caught touchdowns, giving the Bears another layer in the red zone.
The receivers may still handle the biggest share of the yardage, but having big targets who can finish drives is a valuable weapon. Those tight ends were also part of the run-blocking effort, which was a major step forward from the previous week.
On defense, Baylor stayed in control early with a strong showing and a few fortunate breaks that helped keep Arizona State from settling in. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman continued to steer things well, blitzing Boley and never letting him find a rhythm.
For Baylor, the formula was clear: protect the football, run it with authority, and let Lagway work. Against Arizona State, it all came together. Now the challenge is carrying that momentum through the bye week and into the rest of the season.
In Other News...
ASU Suddenly Has An Identity Problem Kenny Dillingham Must Fix
Arizona States 55-19 loss to Baylor was more than just a rough Saturday, it was the kind of game that forces a team to take a hard look at what it is right now. The defeat was the Sun Devils largest margin since joining the Big 12, and it left Kenny Dillingham visibly frustrated afterward as his team tried to sort through a performance that never found much traction.
Cutter Boley was among the players acknowledging the mistakes and the need to get better, which is where the conversation turns for ASU heading into its final nonconference game against Hawaii. With conference play looming, the bigger issue is not just cleaning up one bad result, but figuring out how quickly this group can recover its footing and show a clearer identity. [Read more 🡒]
ASU Just Made Its Identity Problem Impossible To Ignore
Baylor junior quarterback DJ Lagway lit up Mountain America Stadium with a career-high four touchdown passes as the Bears rolled past Arizona State 55-19, and the Sun Devils never found a way to steady themselves. The offense sputtered from the start, with turnovers and dropped passes repeatedly interrupting any chance of building momentum, leaving a home crowd watching a game that quickly got away.
Arizona State now turns to Hawaii at home to open an eight-game stretch that will define the rest of the season, and the biggest concern is not just the final score but how many different issues showed up at once. The Sun Devils have plenty to clean up before that run begins, and after a performance like this, their identity questions are no longer hard to see. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona State Gets A Big Opportunity In Baylors Shorthanded Late-Night Test
A late start in Waco adds a little extra intrigue to an already useful measuring stick for Arizona State, which walks into a Baylor team trying to keep its winning streak going while still sorting out its offense. The Bears have quarterback DJ Lagway back after an ankle injury, but the bigger picture remains the same for both sides: this is one of those early-season games where availability can shape everything, especially with both teams carrying a long list of players who are unavailable or up in the air.
For the Sun Devils, that creates a chance to lean into the disruption and see how Baylor handles a test without all its usual pieces. Arizona State does not need the schedule or the circumstances to be perfect to make this trip matter, and a late-night setting against a shorthanded opponent gives the game a little more weight than a typical nonconference matchup. The question now is whether Baylors depth can absorb the absences well enough to keep the streak rolling. [Read more 🡒]