Baylor’s first Big 12 win of the season came with plenty to like, but it also had some rough edges that showed up fast. The Bears handled Colorado, and the final result was a welcome one, yet the performance still had enough uneven stretches to leave a clear split between the players who carried the day and the ones who didn’t.
DJ Lagway’s first home game as a Baylor Bear was a shaky one. He finished 19-of-39 for 221 yards and two touchdowns, but the stat line didn’t do much to quiet the questions around him.
After missing the previous two games with a right ankle injury, his mobility still looked uncertain, and the overall feel of his performance never really clicked. For a player who came into the season with plenty of hype, this was not the kind of showing Baylor wanted to see.
The offense did get major help elsewhere, especially from Gavin Freeman. He was busy again, catching six passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, and he kept showing the kind of knack that makes him so hard to deal with.
Freeman also delivered one of the day’s more memorable moments with a hurdle in the fourth quarter. As the source put it, “when he's covered, he's open” - and that idea keeps proving true.
The special teams unit made a real difference, too. McGowan only caught two passes for 34 yards, but his biggest impact came as a returner.
He brought back seven punts for 139 yards, including a long of 36, and kept setting Baylor up with field position already past midfield. Several of those returns looked like they were one block away from breaking all the way free.
McGowan is going to return a punt for a touchdown at some point this season.
Rhett Armstrong was just as important in his own way. He hit all three of his field goal attempts and both extra points, with a long of 54 yards, and 11 of Baylor’s 23 points came directly from his leg.
Palmer Williams also helped tilt the field, repeatedly pinning Colorado deep in its own territory with punts downed inside the five. He can not only drop the ball near the goal line, but also flip field position with kicks of 50-plus yards.
Baylor’s defense was the biggest collective strength of the afternoon. It started a little slowly, but once it settled in, it turned into a smothering unit.
The defensive line made every yard hard to earn, the secondary stayed tight on Colorado’s receivers, and the linebackers kept the pressure coming. The Bears finished with five sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble and recovery.
One of the turning points came in the second quarter, when Baylor stuffed a fourth-and-short attempt. That stop swung momentum back toward the Bears, who then scored a touchdown on the next drive when Lagway found Freeman.
Ryelan Morris also flashed his talent in a limited role. The true freshman saw more snaps against Colorado than he had in any other game this season, and while his overall workload was still modest, his quickness and elusiveness stood out when he got on the field. He may not be the biggest player on the roster, but he looked like one of the most explosive.
The one area that still needs work is the run game. Dawson Pendergrass, Caden Knighten, Michael Turner, and Ryelan Morris all have ability, but Baylor’s ground attack never found much rhythm.
The Bears averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, and that kind of production makes it hard to keep an offense balanced. Even with a better stretch late in the game, the overall lack of consistent rushing output was a problem.
In Other News...
Baylor Hit Leaves Colorado With One Big Early Big 12 Concern
DeAndre Moore Jr.s night ended in the kind of swing play that can linger well beyond one Saturday in September. The Colorado wide receiver was injured after a tackle from Baylor linebacker Travion Barnes, on a collision that included helmet-to-helmet contact, though officials did not throw a targeting flag. Moore was eventually ruled out at the start of the third quarter, a loss that immediately changed the feel of the matchup and left Colorado trying to adjust on the fly.
For the Buffaloes, the bigger worry is what it could mean as Big 12 play gets rolling. Depth at receiver is always under the microscope early in a season, and losing a player like Moore adds another layer of uncertainty to an offense trying to find its footing against league competition. Baylor will move on to the next snap, but Colorado is left with a concern that goes well beyond one hit. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Opened Big 12 Play With A Win And A Bigger Debate
Baylor opened Big 12 play with a 23-13 win over Colorado, stretching its winning streak to three games and getting DJ Lagway back on the field after his ankle injury. Even so, it was the kind of victory that left plenty to sort through. The defense did enough to tilt the game, creating pressure, recording sacks and coming away with a fumble recovery, while the offense had a harder time finding its footing behind penalties and inconsistency.
Dave Aranda has made the search for a cleaner performance a recurring theme, and this one fit that bill again. Baylor completed less than half its passes and never got the rushing attack rolling the way it wanted, which is why the margin of victory felt a little different from the final score. The Bears got the result they needed, but the bigger question now is how much better this group can look once the offense settles in around a quarterback still working through that ankle issue. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Gets A Rare Shot To Impress A Quarterback In Waco
Colorado will get a chance to make its case in a setting it does not fully control when three-star quarterback recruit Cayden Dixon is expected to attend the Buffaloes game against Baylor as a Bears visitor in Waco. Dixon already has offers from both programs, and the matchup gives Colorado a live setting to keep building a relationship with a quarterback it would like to evaluate more closely.
Deion Sanders has repeatedly framed Colorados recruiting pitch around fit rather than rankings, and Dixons visit puts that approach under a brighter spotlight. Even with Baylor handling the itinerary, the Buffaloes still have an opportunity to leave an impression in person, which is exactly the sort of small but meaningful opening that can matter in a recruitment this early. [Read more 🡒]