Two games into the season, Baylor already has a clearer picture of itself - and it’s a mixed one. The Bears are 1-1 after opening with a loss to Auburn and then taking care of Prairie View A&M in the first game of their three-game home stretch, and those two weeks have revealed a team with real juice on offense, a defense that has been swarming, and a quarterback playing through pain.
Start with the part that’s hard to miss: Gavin Freeman is lighting it up. He has more catches than anyone else in the nation with 22, and his 258 receiving yards put him seventh nationally.
Even more striking, he’s the only player in college football with more than 20 receptions through the first two games. That’s not just production - that’s a receiver taking over the early part of the season.
Baylor also got a useful look at its quarterback depth against Prairie View A&M. Nate Bennett handled himself well in relief and looked ready for the moment. There were some timing issues to clean up, but if DJ Lagway can’t go against Louisiana Tech this weekend because of the ankle injury or as a precaution, Bennett would be a very workable option.
Lagway, though, showed plenty before the injury changed the game. The 5-star recruit was sharp early, throwing with pace and accuracy while moving Baylor down the field.
Once the ankle issue hit, the bigger story became his toughness. He played through obvious pain and discomfort for the rest of the game, and when his legs weren’t giving him much, he leaned on his arm and kept battling until the final whistle.
The defense has been just as important to the early story. With help from the transfer portal, some returning starters, and new defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman, Baylor has looked aggressive and organized.
The Bears picked off Byrum Brown of Auburn three times in Week 1, then shut down Prairie View A&M in Week 2. They’ve been flying to the ball and making life miserable for quarterbacks, and the next few weeks will tell us whether that level can hold.
On the ground, Dawson Pendergrass and Caden Knighten have formed the backbone of the rushing attack. They’ve handled most of the carries so far, and they bring different kinds of problems for defenses: Pendergrass can run through contact, while Knighten has the quickness to slip a tackle and break into the second level. The offensive line has dealt with some injuries and a few smaller issues, but it’s still early enough in the season for that group to settle in and get healthier.
And if the first two weeks have taught anything beyond Baylor’s own strengths and flaws, it’s that nothing in college football is guaranteed. A wild week around the country - including Oklahoma State ending the longest active losing streak in the nation by beating AP No.
6 Oregon - was a reminder that assumptions don’t last long. Every yard and every point is going to matter.
In Other News...
Dave Aranda Sees One Baylor Problem That Win Didn't Fix
A 44-3 win over Prairie View A&M gave Baylor a comfortable result, but it did not completely quiet Dave Arandas concerns. Afterward, the Bears coach pointed to penalties and turnovers as issues that still need cleaning up, a reminder that the bigger tests will punish the kinds of mistakes Baylor could absorb in a lopsided nonconference game.
Aranda also had a mixed set of roster updates as the Bears turn their attention to the next one. Quarterback DJ Lagway and center Koltin Sierck are expected back for the upcoming game, while defensive tackle Devonte Tezino is out for the season with a severe leg injury. In the middle of it all, Aranda singled out transfer defensive tackle Hosea Wheeler for the leadership and toughness he has brought to the group. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Aranda Just Put Baylors Biggest Early Problem On Notice
Early in the season, Dave Aranda is already leaning on one of the most basic truths in football: Baylor cannot keep beating itself. After a start defined in part by frustrating offensive penalties and giveaways, the Bears coach used his latest media session to zero in on the kinds of mistakes that stall drives and shrink margins, especially when they come from the offensive line and from quarterback decisions that lead to interceptions.
Arandas message was less about panic than about urgency, and that is what makes it worth watching going forward. Baylor still has time to settle in, but the standard he laid out was clear - cleaner execution, better consistency and fewer self-inflicted errors have to show up soon if the offense is going to look like a unit moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Baylors Early Offensive Problems Are Getting Hard To Ignore
After two games, Baylor is sitting at 1-1, and the early tape has already pointed to a few areas that cant be brushed aside for long. Penalties have been part of the problem, the offensive line has had to work through injuries, and the passing game still looks like it is searching for a cleaner distribution. There have been individual bright spots on both sides of the ball, but the bigger picture is a team that needs more cohesion as the season settles in.
The next step is especially clear on offense, where better third-down production would ease some of the pressure on fourth-down decisions and give the unit more control of drives. Baylor has enough pieces to suggest improvement is coming, but the challenge now is turning scattered success into something more reliable. For a team with bigger goals ahead, these early issues are the kind that can linger if they are not cleaned up quickly. [Read more 🡒]