Baylor’s 42-31 Homecoming win over Iowa State had a little bit of everything: a slow opening, a strong finish, and a few position groups that clearly carried more weight than others. The Bears found their rhythm and pulled away, but the grades across the roster weren’t all created equal.
DJ Lagway was the engine of the offense. He threw for 229 yards on 16-for-28 passing with two touchdowns, then added 119 rushing yards and another score on the ground. With Lagway fully healthy, Baylor’s offense looks different because defenses have to account for what he can do with his legs.
The passing game had its share of splash plays, too. Taz Williams delivered the biggest one with a 62-yard touchdown catch.
Gavin Freeman paced the receivers with six catches for 60 yards, while Dre’lon Miller added one catch for 32 yards. Louis Brown IV finished with two receptions for 17 yards, and Jadon Porter had one catch for six yards.
Tony Livingston also made his presence felt in a big way. He hauled in three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by an impressive one-handed grab in the end zone. Over the last two games, Livingston has become a dependable option in Baylor’s passing attack.
The ground game had a quieter day overall, but Ryelan Morris still made his touches count. He led the running backs with 50 yards on nine carries and scored twice.
Caden Knighten added 26 yards on seven attempts, and Michael Turner chipped in 11 yards on two carries. It wasn’t a dominant rushing performance from the backs, but they still helped Baylor’s offense move.
Up front, the offensive line did enough to keep things rolling. The run game never fully took over, but the blocking on designed runs for Lagway was solid and helped create space for him to work as a runner.
Defensively, Baylor had moments where it looked disruptive, but Iowa State’s rushing attack was a problem. The Cyclones ran for 216 yards, and Aiden Flora accounted for 182 of them. The Bears did get into the backfield at times, but they couldn’t consistently slow Flora down.
Still, there were some signs of pressure. Baylor finished with three sacks and nine tackles for loss, which showed the defense could create disruption. Travion Barnes stood out among the linebackers with eight total tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss, but the overall linebacker grade takes a hit with Iowa State’s production on the ground.
Through the air, Iowa State managed 256 passing yards and two touchdowns, so the secondary had its own work to do. There were some positives in that group, but it wasn’t a clean outing.
Special teams were steady. Rhett Armstrong did not attempt a field goal, but he was perfect on extra points, going 6-for-6. Palmer Williams handled six punts and averaged 43.7 yards per kick, including two that pinned Iowa State inside its own 20.
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Joe Klanderman Just Raised The Stakes For Baylors Finish
Joe Klanderman has given Baylor a jolt at exactly the right moment, steering the program to back-to-back wins since taking over as interim head coach after Dave Arandas firing. The Bears are 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play, and while the coaching change was abrupt, the on-field response has kept Baylor in the conversation for the conference title race.
The finish, though, is where things get interesting. Baylor still has three tough games left, and those results will shape not only the Bears postseason path but also the conversation around Klandermans future. What started as a temporary assignment is now drawing real attention, with the interim coachs candidacy for the permanent job beginning to surface as the stakes keep rising. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Just Got The Interim-Coach Boost Fans Were Hoping For
Baylors season took another step forward Saturday with a 42-31 win over Iowa State, a result that pushed the Bears to 6-3 and made them bowl-eligible. It also gave Joe Klanderman his first home victory as Baylors interim head coach, a useful marker for a program trying to steady itself while still keeping its focus on the field.
The Bears did it with offense, scoring 42 points and holding the lead after halftime even as Iowa State found room on the ground through Aiden Flora. For Baylor, the bigger takeaway was the combination of progress and urgency that comes with this stretch of the season, when every win can change the tone around a team and every performance starts to matter a little more. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Opens Big 12 Run With A Rematch That Could Set Tone
Baylors Big 12 tournament path begins with a familiar opponent and a chance to keep its strong season rolling in the postseason. The No. 8 Bears, seeded third after a 15-3-1 regular season, meet No. 25 Houston in the quarterfinals at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, where the stakes rise quickly in a bracket that leaves little room for error.
Houston arrives as the No. 6 seed at 11-4-4, making this a matchup that should test Baylor right away rather than ease it in. A victory would send the Bears into the semifinals against either Texas Tech or UCF, and for a team positioned near the top of the league race, the opener could go a long way toward shaping how this tournament run is remembered. [Read more 🡒]