By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor, Aidan Pham | Broadcast Sports Reporter
WACO, Texas – With 22 transfers making their Baylor football debut, fresh faces wasted no time writing their way into the record book. Led by sixth-year senior quarterback Dequan Finn, four transfers each scored a touchdown to lead the Bears to a season-opening 45-3 win over Tarleton Saturday night on the 10th anniversary of their first game played at McLane Stadium.
LTVN’s Aidan Pham tells you all there is to know about Baylor’s Dominant Victory
The Bears lurched ahead to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, with each touchdown scored by a newcomer. On the first drive of the game, Finn escaped the pocket and shifted his way to the end zone with a 39-yard touchdown carry. Two drives later, the 6-foot-2-inch quarterback connected with fifth-year senior and Texas State transfer wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins for a 32-yard touchdown completion.
“The game was a testament to all the work and the care factor, and just all of the sacrifice,” said head coach Dave Aranda . “To have a lot of our transfers come in and under the bright lights in the big city and go out and make plays, and consistently make plays, and bring a swagger and all of it to the team, that was cool to see.”
Less than a minute after Hawkins extended Baylor’s lead, their defense got in on the scoring. In the first quarter, the Bears held the Texans (1-1) without net yards and turned the struggles into points. With 4:12 left in the opening quarter, redshirt sophomore and Northeast Mississippi Community College transfer linebacker Keaton Thomas roamed the middle of the field and read Tarleton junior quarterback Jaden Pete’s eyes perfectly.
Thomas ranged to his left, snagged Pete’s pass out of the air and ran 35 yards to the end zone for a pick-6.
“I ain’t gonna lie, it was awesome,” said junior running back Richard Reese . “Me and Keaton, we’re close, so just seeing him go out there and get a pick was amazing. And he said before the game even started, he was like, “Man, I just want to pick.” So just seeing him do that was just amazing.”
INT and BROUGHT IT RIGHT BACK TO THE CRIB🛏️
Keaton Thomas' 1st Game at Baylor Saw Him Get a Taste of the Endzone@Big12Conference | @BUFootball #Big12FB #Big12 #BaylorFB #BaylorBears pic.twitter.com/1ETBlRxok2
— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) September 1, 2024
After the score, Baylor’s defense continued to hold Tarleton without yardage, and the green and gold continued to execute offensive coordinator Jake Spavital’s new Air Raid offense. Finn, who played into the fourth quarter, completed 14 of 22 passes for 192 passing yards, two touchdowns and two second-half interceptions. Despite the brief third quarter struggles, Finn’s teammates and coaches were excited about his explosiveness under center.
“Daquan’s a dog, man, and you put something in front of him, he’s gonna knock that down. He’s gonna run right through the face of the thing and he’s going to bring that attitude right from the beginning. I think that our team feeds off of that,” Aranda said. “I’m way confident with Daquan at the helm and just his ability to lead the team, his ability to move the ball.”
It was the first meeting between the teams, as the Texans completed their transition from Division II to Division I FCS within the past five years. Tarleton entered the game ranked No. 21 in the FCS top-25.
“It was tough out there. They were saying we weren’t going to be able to run the ball to beat them, and they were right about that,” said Tarleton head coach Todd Whitten. “They would have scored 100 points if they could’ve today, I guarantee it. They left their best players in there until the very end. The game was certainly out of hand, but that’s OK. That makes us better as well.”
In his return to play calling, Aranda only allowed Tarleton’s offense to reach the red zone twice. The Texans were held to 181 total yards, with the Bears grabbing an interception and sacking the quarterback twice.
“I was angry a lot of times. You don’t want to give people anything, and obviously, they’re always going to get things,” Aranda said. “It’s like you’re a fighter pilot. You get this great fighter jet and it’s all this mach, all this stuff, and it’s got all these weapons. And you get to fly this thing.
“But there are people out there that want to kill you. So, you get to fly it, but you don’t want to die. So, that’s how I feel about calling plays. And I feel that all the time.”
The Bears added to their 21-0 lead in the second quarter when sophomore running back Dawson Pendergrass pinched past the goal line from the 1-yard line. In the backfield, Pendergrass, a workhorse with 17 carries for 62 yards, and Reese, who tallied 18 carries for 78 yards, helped bridge the gap between Finn’s downfield prayers.
Baylor came out of the half slow as Finn threw two interceptions trying to force the ball deep down the field. But at the 8:11 mark in the third quarter, Finn connected with redshirt junior Ole Miss transfer tight end Michael Trigg for a 17-yard touchdown completion to extend the lead to 35-3.
Late in garbage time, redshirt junior quarterback Sawyer Robertson led the Bears down the field in his only drive of the game. Robertson connected with senior wide receiver Ketron Jackson, who had less than four minutes to play for a 30-yard touchdown to finish scoring 45-3. Jackson led all Baylor receivers with two catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.
In his only drive, Robertson completed 3 of 5 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. On the final drive of the game, Aranda let freshman quarterback Nate Bennett run the offense. Bennett completed his only pass for 19 yards.
The Bears will be back in action against No. 12 Utah (1-0) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. During their season opener, the Utes knocked off Southern Utah 49-0. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
