By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
It looked like the page had turned.
After redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Devonte Tezino stuffed sophomore Iowa State running back Abu Sama III on fourth down, Sawyer Robertson lumbered onto the field at Jack Trice Stadium with a gleam in his eyes. The 6-foot-4 redshirt junior seized control of the starting quarterback job with sixth-year senior Dequan Finn sidelined and hasn’t slowed down since.
Robertson opened the game with an absolute beauty of a pass to Hal Presley, throwing the ball a perilous 31 yards to the far sideline for a first down. Three plays later, he escaped pressure around the pocket to convert a third-and-11 up the right sideline, then drew a goal-line defensive pass interference to put the Bears inside the Iowa State 30-yard line.
On second-and-9, Robertson found redshirt freshman running back Bryson Washington downfield, after the running back wriggled open downfield in a five-wide set. Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital kept the ball in his quarterback’s hands, and Robertson threw back-to-back goal line fades — a notoriously difficult play to execute well — before hitting Josh Cameron on a perfect RPO release for a touchdown.
Baylor drove 84 yards on that opening drive, including the pass interference penalty. Robertson earned every yard.
One drive later, redshirt junior tight end Michael Trigg hauled in a perfect back-shoulder pass in the end zone to take a 14-3 lead. After four straight weeks of preaching “starting fast,” the Bears finally opened a game with consecutive scoring drives. The 13-point underdogs were firmly in the driver’s seat.
And then, the wheels fell off.
Iowa State closed the game on a 40-7 run, silencing the Baylor offense and cementing its spot atop the Big 12. With 9:41 to play in the third quarter, Robertson hit Trigg on a perfectly-planned out route, just beyond the outstretched arms of star junior cornerback Jeremiah Cooper. At that point, Robertson was 21 for 33 for 229 yards and three touchdowns. The rest of the way, he completed four of 11 passes for 29 yards and an interception.
Robertson’s star turn is beginning to break containment. Only four other Big 12 quarterbacks have notched over 1,000 yards passing and at least a 3:1 touchdown-interception ratio: Texas Tech’s Behren Morton, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby and Iowa State’s Rocco Becht. None have rushed for as many yards (140) or yards per carry (5.2) as Robertson, and only Sorsby has matched his three touchdown runs. He’s done it all in only four starts.
But as well as he’s played, there’s been an Sisyphean quality to his performance. He’s the first Baylor quarterback to throw for three touchdowns in consecutive conference games since Charlie Brewer in 2017. He’s the first to lose both since Zach Smith’s Bears lost six straight to close out the 2016 regular season.
One man can’t do it by himself. Baylor’s running backs, Washington and sophomore Dawson Pendergrass, combined for 55 yards on 3.2 yards per carry. The typically excellent special teams unit allowed a blocked punt, which was returned for a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Bears couldn’t slow down the Cyclones’ offense, which scored or reached the red zone on all nine offensive drives prior to running out the clock in the final minute.
Despite coming from the Mike Leach’s air raid tree, Spavital’s offense isn’t nearly as rush-averse as his predecessor’s. But he’s been forced to air it out more as the offensive line — which has been excellent at pass blocking — has struggled to consistently open up holes in the running game.
And without that balance, the burden of responsibility falls on the passing game to make something out of nothing. Trigg’s breakout has added a dynamic element to the tight end position, bringing more offensive gravity to the middle of the field and stretching corners further off the boundaries. Robertson’s running ability forces defenses to keep some back-seven defenders near the box. It can work, but it takes a level of precision that’s almost impossible to sustain for a full game.
Someone else needs to step up. Maybe it’s the offensive line, which has taken massive pass-blocking strides since the season opener but hasn’t generated enough push on the ground. Maybe it’s Washington, a redshirt freshman who’s shown plenty of potential but hasn’t found enough room to build momentum. After rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown in 12 carries in his season debut against Air Force, he’s managed just 80 yards on 31 carries in the three games since.
Four running backs entered the year as co-starters. None have taken hold of the starting role. For the Bears to right the ship and make a bowl game, one of those four — Washington, Pendergrass, junior Richard Reese or senior Dominic Richardson — needs to break out.
Everything comes back to the run blocking. If the Bears can generate enough push to consistently run against light boxes, it’ll open up the floodgates for a truly explosive passing attack. Improved ball control will keep the defense off the field, easing pressure off a unit that has struggled to play four full quarters.
Sawyer Robertson has proven that he is, in fact, that guy: one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 and arguably the best Baylor quarterback since Seth Russell. Spavital’s offense is working. The defense is talented but overburdened. This team is better than its 2-4 record. But time is running out.
The Bears have a star and an identity; they should be moving in the right direction. The reality of the situation couldn’t be further from that truth. And yet, at the very moment when the narrative, the momentum and the vibes can’t seem to get much worse, there’s a vein of hope. If the offensive line and running game finally gel, this team will go bowling for the first time since 2021. If not, Baylor will have to spend a long offseason picking up some very pretty wreckage.
