Baylor’s Big 12 opener turned into a showcase for the parts of the game that don’t always get the loudest applause. The defense kept Colorado under wraps, the special teams flipped field position all afternoon, and the offense did just enough late to turn a tight game into a 23-13 win Saturday morning at McLane Stadium.
The Bears moved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Colorado fell to 2-2 and 0-1. Baylor closed out its three-game homestand with a result built on patience and pressure, then put the game away with a fourth-quarter push that the Buffaloes couldn’t answer.
Baylor’s defense was the backbone again. The Bears held Colorado to 363 total yards and forced punts on eight of 15 drives.
They also forced a fumble and came up with two fourth-down stops. Outside of a 95-yard drive in the third quarter and a 49-yard reverse pass in the first, Colorado managed only 219 yards.
On the 12 drives where Baylor kept the Buffs off the board, Colorado was limited to 131 yards.
That kind of control has become a theme. Baylor has now held four straight opponents under 20 points, its longest such streak since 2005.
The front seven did plenty of damage. Baylor finished with five sacks and 13 tackles for loss, its most in a game since a win at Kansas State in 2019.
Travion Barnes led the way with a Baylor career-high nine tackles and two tackles for loss. Micah Gifford added eight tackles and a TFL, while Devon Jordan had seven tackles, a TFL and a pass breakup.
Daniel Cobbs, Jordan Mack and Kamren Washington each recorded sacks, and Bo Onu posted his first career multi-sack game. Kyland Reed forced a fumble and added a tackle for loss, Garrick Ponder recovered a fumble, and Cobbs also finished with two TFLs and a pass breakup.
Baylor’s defense added six pass breakups.
Special teams were just as sharp. Senior punter Palmer Williams, a Ray Guy Award Finalist in 2025 and the nation’s leading punter in 2024, punted seven times and averaged 50.4 yards per kick.
Four of those punts traveled 50 yards or more, and four were downed inside the 20. Jayden McGowan also made his mark in the return game, piling up 130 yards on seven punt returns with a long of 36.
He also had two catches for 34 yards.
Rhett Armstrong matched his career high with three field goals, including a McLane Stadium record-tying 54-yarder. He also connected from 37 and 27 yards out.
The offense had its biggest moments when it mattered most. In his return to the starting lineup, DJ Lagway threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-39 passing. He connected with Gavin Freeman and Jadon Porter for scores, and Baylor’s late surge was enough to separate after Colorado tied the game in the fourth quarter.
Dawson Pendergrass led the ground game with 16 carries for 85 yards, helping Baylor finish with 116 rushing yards. Freeman caught six passes for 59 yards, while Dre’lon Miller had three receptions for 31 yards.
Hawkins Polley added a career-long 28-yard catch, and Louis Brown chipped in a 23-yard grab. Caden Knighten had 10 carries for 18 yards, and Ryelan Morris added four rushes for 11.
Colorado got 156 passing yards and a touchdown from Isaac Wilson off the bench, who went 12-for-25. Joseph Williams was the Buffs’ top target with 11 catches for 127 yards and a score, and Micah Welch led the team on the ground with nine carries for 35 yards.
The game opened with both defenses setting the tone before Colorado struck first. Elliott Arnold hit a 24-yard field goal with 3:22 left in the first quarter, finishing a seven-play, 74-yard drive that included a 49-yard reverse pass.
Baylor answered in the second quarter with a 37-yard field goal from Armstrong at the 13:28 mark, capping a 13-play, 54-yard march. Then, after a fourth-down stop at midfield, the Bears pieced together a 48-yard touchdown drive and took a 10-3 lead into halftime when Lagway found Freeman on a three-yard score with 7:04 left in the half.
At the break, Colorado held a slim edge in total offense, 164-139. The Buffs had 124 passing yards to Baylor’s 107, while the Bears had 32 rushing yards to Colorado’s 40. The teams also combined for 11 penalties in the first half.
Baylor pushed the lead to 13-3 in the third quarter after another short field, using five plays and 38 yards to set up Armstrong’s 27-yard field goal. Colorado trimmed the margin to 13-6 with 2:17 left in the quarter on Arnold’s 46-yard field goal.
The Buffs then pulled even early in the fourth, marching 95 yards on 12 plays and finishing with a 17-yard touchdown catch by Joseph Williams from Wilson. Baylor’s response was immediate. The Bears went 65 yards in five plays, and Lagway hit Porter for a 33-yard touchdown to make it 20-13 with 9:02 remaining.
After another defensive stop, Baylor added one more field goal. The Bears drove 43 yards in nine plays, and Armstrong drilled the 54-yarder to stretch the lead to 23-13.
Baylor still had chances to tack on more late, reaching the Colorado six-yard line on one drive before later taking a knee at the CU 11 to drain the clock.
The Bears now turn to the road, where they’ll face Arizona State in a Big 12 test on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. CT in Tempe, Ariz.
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