Baylor had Auburn on the ropes late, and still walked away with a 17-16 loss that will sting because the Bears had chances to finish the job.
The decisive moment came in the final seconds. After Auburn QB Byrum Brown pushed the Tigers ahead 17-10 with a late touchdown run, Baylor answered with a desperate final drive.
With 17 seconds left, DJ Lagway found Gavin Freeman for a touchdown on fourth and goal. Dave Aranda didn’t play for the tie, either.
He went for two, and TE Matthew Klopfenstein came up short by a half of a yard.
That was the ending, but Baylor had already spent much of the afternoon fighting through its own mistakes.
Lagway’s day began with a mess. He fumbled on the Bears’ first possession, then threw an interception on the second.
He was also clearly dealing with a right ankle issue, with the joint heavily taped after that opening drive. Even so, the arm talent was obvious.
Lagway finished with 333 passing yards and two touchdowns, and he kept Baylor alive with throws that showed why the Bears invested so heavily in him. The ankle limited his ability to make plays with his legs, which only added to the feeling that there was more available.
Freeman was the biggest beneficiary. The Oklahoma State transfer caught 12 passes for a career-high 154 yards and a touchdown, quickly establishing a connection with Lagway that looks like it could matter all season. Dre'lon Miller wasn’t involved the way many expected, but Freeman made his case as a central piece of the passing game.
Baylor’s defense did its part, too. If that unit was the problem last season, Saturday looked very different.
Dave Aranda has spent plenty of time saying the defensive line would be a strength, and the Bears backed that up. They were physical, they controlled the trenches, and they piled up 11 TFLs while sacking Byrum Brown five times.
The secondary held up as well, even without Jacob Redding, who is out for the season. Reggie Bush, Devon Jordan, and Micah Gifford each came away with an interception, giving Baylor a defense that repeatedly gave the offense extra chances.
The other side of the line battle told a much rougher story. Auburn’s front made life difficult for Baylor’s rebuilt offensive line, which returned only one full-time starter from last season.
Kaden Sieracki moved from RT to LT and had more trouble than expected, while his brother Kolin also had an errant snap. The left side looked vulnerable, and the run game never found traction.
Baylor finished with just 103 rushing yards.
Those breakdowns were costly because Baylor had opportunities to control the game before the final drive ever arrived. Lagway’s early turnovers set a bad tone, K Rhett Armstrong missed a 40-yard field goal on the third drive, and the Bears later turned it over on downs in both the third and fourth quarters.
Aranda’s choice to stay aggressive at the end nearly paid off, but the half-yard miss on the two-point try sealed it. Baylor leaves at 0-1, and while this didn’t look like last season’s team, there are no moral victories in a one-point loss like this.
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Alex Goleshs first game as Auburns head coach already had one of those moments that gets replayed and argued over long after the final whistle. In the third quarter, with the Tigers trying to settle into a new era under a coach hired after a successful run at South Florida, Auburn reached for a gadget play that immediately put everyone in the stadium on alert and left Baylor with a big break in the middle of a tight game.
The decision did not age well. What looked like a surprise answer to a field-position question instead became a fresh source of criticism, as fans and observers quickly questioned the timing and logic of the call in that spot. For Baylor, it was the kind of odd, sudden swing that can change the feel of a game without adding anything to the box score except another reminder that strange things tend to happen early in a season opener. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Volleyball Just Got An Early Test Fans Can't Ignore
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The loss also stood out because it was Baylors first home sweep loss since Sept. 18, 2024, a reminder that this kind of setback has been rare in Waco. The Bears will have little time to dwell on it, with the Ameritas Challenge in Lincoln, Nebraska, next on the schedule and another chance to see how they respond against quality competition. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Womens Golf Gets An Early Test For A Proven Core
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The good news for Baylor is that this is not a group starting from scratch. Five returning players will make up the core of the lineup, with senior Yurang Li again set to anchor the top of the order after a strong year. Charleston will give the Bears a clean first look at that proven nucleus, along with the kind of competition that can quickly show whether experience translates into another step forward. [Read more 🡒]