Baylor walked out of Lawrence with plenty to sort through after a 25-24 loss to Kansas, and the most revealing numbers came from both sides of the ball. The Bears let an 11-point fourth-quarter lead slip away, saw Kansas score 15 of the game’s final 18 points, and watched Rhett Armstrong’s potential game-winning 45-yard field goal get blocked with 18 seconds left.
The defeat dropped Baylor to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play, snapped its 14-game winning streak against Kansas, and became Dave Aranda’s final game as head coach after Baylor dismissed him Sunday. Even with that mess on the scoreboard, a few performances stood out for better and worse.
Travion Barnes earned a clear bump up. The senior linebacker posted a career-high 10 tackles and was one of Baylor’s most active defenders against a Kansas team that leaned hard on the run.
Kansas ran the ball 56 times and held possession for more than 36 minutes, so Barnes’ production mattered. Baylor’s defense also stacked up five sacks and seven tackles for loss, though Kansas still managed 209 rushing yards, with Dylan Edwards responsible for 156 of them, before Isaiah Marshall finished the comeback with a 15-yard winning run.
Another encouraging sign came from DJ Lagway, even if his passing day was uneven. The junior quarterback completed 20 of 31 throws for 236 yards, one touchdown and an interception, but his legs added something Baylor had been missing.
He ran for a season-high 47 yards on 11 carries, including a 20-yard burst. That was a big jump from the 15 carries he had across the previous four games combined, and it mattered given that he has been dealing with a high-ankle sprain since the season opener.
Baylor’s running game remains shaky, so Lagway’s mobility may be one of the few ways to give the offense another layer over the final five games.
Devon Jordan delivered Baylor’s biggest defensive swing of the afternoon. On Kansas’ first snap of the second half, he picked off Isaiah Marshall and raced 42 yards for a touchdown, breaking a 7-7 halftime tie and putting Baylor in front for the first time.
Baylor finished with two interceptions on the day, and Jordan’s return was the loudest defensive play of the game, even though he was also flagged twice for defensive pass interference. Penalties were an issue everywhere, not just in his case, but the pick-six still counts as the kind of momentum play Baylor desperately needed.
On the other side of the ledger, Dawson Pendergrass found himself sliding down again. The senior managed only four yards on four carries against Kansas, though he did score Baylor’s lone rushing touchdown.
Michael Turner, making his first career start, led Baylor’s backs with 40 yards on nine attempts, and Caden Knighten added 25 yards on seven carries. The trend is hard to ignore: Baylor looks more willing to ride the hot hand than lean on Pendergrass, who entered the TCU game as the team’s leading rusher.
He had just 11 yards on nine carries against the Horned Frogs and now has 15 yards on 13 attempts over the last two games. The offensive line deserves some blame, but the workload is clearly shifting, and Pendergrass’ grip on the starting job looks less secure.
Gavin Freeman remains Baylor’s most dependable weapon in the passing game. He caught nine passes for 123 yards against Kansas and again carried much of the receiving load.
The rest of the group was far less consistent. Baylor’s other wideouts combined for nine catches and 86 yards, with dropped balls and communication problems slowing the offense.
One early fourth-down chance also went awry when Lagway and Louis Brown IV seemed to be on different pages on the route.
Jayden McGowan was the exception among the wide receivers. He finished with four catches for 31 yards and a touchdown, and he also added a 51-yard kickoff return that helped set up Baylor’s first score. Even with that contribution, Baylor still needs more steady help around Freeman, especially with Lagway’s ball placement wavering at times.
The defense still looked like Baylor’s best unit, but it couldn’t finish the job on fourth down. Kansas converted five of eight attempts in those situations, including a 34-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-3 in the fourth quarter that kept the Jayhawks alive.
That helped set up Marshall’s 15-yard winning score with 1:13 left. Baylor also hurt itself with 12 penalties for 116 yards, and some of those flags came at the worst possible moments.
Jordan’s pass interference call with less than two minutes remaining extended Kansas’ drive to the go-ahead touchdown. On Baylor’s final possession, Pendergrass was flagged for holding, and Kaden Sieracki picked up his third false start with 40 seconds left, pushing the Bears from the Kansas 33 to the 38 before Armstrong’s blocked kick try.
Baylor’s defense created enough chances to win, but the fourth-down failures and the penalties on both sides of the ball handed Kansas the opening it needed.
In Other News...
Kansas May Have Found A Backcourt Answer Against Duke
An exhibition game against Duke gave Kansas an early glimpse at a backcourt option that could matter once the games count. Freshman wing Trent Perry logged 14 minutes and did a little of everything, finishing with four points, two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a plus-11 plus-minus while stepping into a larger role than expected.
His run came in part because Kohl Rosario was sidelined by injury and Tre White got into foul trouble, but Perry made the most of the opening. Bill Self and Stokes both singled him out for the energy and defense he brought, a encouraging sign for a roster still sorting out who can steady things on the perimeter when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Win Helped Trigger A Big 12 Coaching Shakeup
Baylors decision to move on from Dave Aranda came only days after the Bears came up short against Kansas, a loss that added another layer to an already uneven season in Waco. Arandas tenure had started with real high points, including a Big 12 title and a Sugar Bowl win in 2021, but the program never found steady footing for long.
For Kansas, the result carried an indirect ripple effect beyond the standings. Baylor finished under Aranda with several losing seasons and an even 40-40 mark overall, and the school turned to defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman as interim head coach as it sorted out its next step. It was the kind of conference fallout that reminds everyone how much one tight game can reverberate well beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Suddenly Have A Concern Fans Cant Ignore Before The Season
Kansas wrapped up its exhibition slate with a pair of losses to Louisville and Duke, a reminder that the preseason can still expose more questions than answers. There were encouraging signs along the way, especially from freshman Tyran Stokes and newcomer Christian Reeves, but the Jayhawks also spent stretches chasing the game on the defensive end and on the glass.
For a program that expects to look sharp before the real games begin, the concern is easy to spot. Kansas gave up too many points in both exhibitions and did not control the rebounding battle, two issues that can become a problem quickly once the schedule tightens and the results start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]